Natural Companions by Ken Druse

Author:Ken Druse
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stewart, Tabori & Chang
Published: 2012-02-08T16:00:00+00:00

Green could be the basis of a color scheme with variegation, shades, and tints. A Adonis amurensis (leaves); B Buxus sempervirens ‘Latifolia Maculata’; C Hedera helix ‘Buttercup’; D Fragaria vesca ‘Golden Alexander’; E Chamaecyparis nootkatensis ‘Variegata’; F Petasites japonicus ‘Variegatus’; G Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Fernspray Gold’; H Buxus sempervirens ‘Elegantissima’; I Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Filifera Aurea’; J Tanacetum parthenium ‘Aureum’.

According to theory, green is a secondary color made from equal parts blue and yellow. An imaginary wheel made just for the garden could view green as a neutral color, since foliage is always present, most often serving as a foil behind or below floral combinations. Green is like the frame for a painting. In a planting scheme based on the three primary hues—red, blue, and yellow—green is there, but doesn’t factor into the selection.

In a different situation, green could be essential, for instance if the scheme is an audacious combination of green, orange, and violet. The green in this composition, even if it comes only from boldly striking leaves and not colorful flowers, plays a pivotal role.

There are dark greens that absorb more light and recede into the background. Leaves may also be chartreuse or yellow-green—the color of emerging foliage in spring— and shine in the foreground. Then there are the variegated leaves—green with white, cream, or yellow, for example.

Of course, not all leaves are green. In the last few decades, plant breeders have introduced even more versions of many plants with colorful leaves. Weigela ‘Wine and Roses’ has maroon leaves, as does the red-leafed peach, several purple beech tree varieties, Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diablo’, and the hazel variety Corylus maxima ‘Purpurea’.

In Shades of Gray (here), we discussed silver and blue-green leaves that have reflective surfaces covered with powder, wax, or thousands of tiny hairs that reflect light. In the scheme based on an Oriental rug, most of the color comes from leaves, and none of them are green. There are khaki leaves splashed claret-red, medium carmine, and unexpected aubergine and purple-taupe.

In addition to the color of leaves, their scale and texture contribute, as we’ve learned, to the depth and diversity of the garden’s infinite variety. The broad leaves may read as a swath of color, while the finer leaves might be seen as pointillist or textural color.

Shades of green in a planting in my New Jersey garden from spring to fall.

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