83 Garden design I
t’s official. Spring has sprung. I am probably tempting fate, but the end of winter comes as such a relief. The sight of the fresh, glowing, green shoots of new growth bursting forth are a joy. However, green is often taken for granted – a
background colour for other supposedly more exciting hues to be displayed against. Yet this assumption dramatically underplays it. Pause a while and
consider how often do any of us actually take the time to stare, have a really good look at it? At Green. Peer into your nearest mixed hedge and try to take in the range of different greens. If we then think only a
few ‘named’ greens – for example, acid green, lime green, grass green, emerald green, sage, olive and chartreuse and consider how they differ within themselves, according to tint, tone, or shade, then we can perceive that the variety is, if not infinite, significantly more than we would ever need. When we refer to a strong impression of colour in
GREEN - there’s more to it than meets the eye
by Colette Charsley One of the few
Possibly because of our hunter gathering past in woods and jungles. Green has a dual character: it can both soothe and
energise, comfort and excite our senses. Like any colour, shades of green will either reflect or absorb light, so effects will be different by time of day, by prevailing weather, and of course by the season. Two leaf types of the ‘same’ green can appear very different according to their size, shape, and texture, which will also affect how dark or light they appear. It is perfectly possible to
It is perfectly possible to create a whole garden just using green, and it will be beautiful.
gardens and the wider landscape, it doesn’t generally raise expectations of green. Yet the human eye can detect more variants of green than of any other colour.
create a whole garden just using green, and it will be beautiful. Green is more or less constant within our gardens and the landscape. Flowers are lovely yet transient. Any given plant will spend more of its life not in flower than in flower – so its green credintials are the important ones. As a backdrop to the prima donnas that are flowers, green enhances every other colour, but its role is
far more important than just as the support act. Spring is when green – spring green in fact – has its moment of glory. I would urge all of you to go and admire the show.
colette@charsleydesign.com
www.charsleydesign.com t: 01548 581753 m: 07774 827799 Follow me on Twitter @ColetteCharsley Professional Landscape & Garden Design
Creative and beautiful designs for village, town and country gardens
Colette Charsley PG Dip OCGD t: 01548 581753 m: 07774 827799
colette@charsleydesign.com
www.charsleydesign.com
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