Are the flowers that used to steal our attention becoming a more permanent and taken for granted feature? Day in – day out as we routinely brush past them to take the washing out?
Are your days a mixture of scenes from Big Brother (the reality TV programme) and Ground Hog Day – that 1993 classic starring Bill Murray and Andi Mac Dowell?
My attention has been drawn to the loyal textured support-acts waiting in the wings. Not a flower this time- but a colour.
The Glass ceiling
The greens in our lives and gardens, the fresh spring growth, the foliage that offsets the buoyant peonies, the military might of the Aquilegia or soft touch of the Artemisia. In this article I wanted to give some recognition to the colour Green.
Green, the mixture of blue and yellow, can be seen everywhere and in countless shades. In fact, the human eye sees green better than any colour in the spectrum.
Some Ice age facts
Humans are trichromats, meaning we perceive three primary colours: blue, green and red. The retina in a human eye can detect light between wavelengths of 400 and 700 manometers, a range known as the visible spectrum. In the middle of the spectrum resides the colour green, at around 555 manometers. Who knew?
A Slice of History
As humans scavenged for food, instead of a delivery slot, the ability to differentiate between coloured berries against the backdrop of green foliage was critical for survival.
Colour changes in leaves, fruits and vegetables can indicate age or ripeness and even offer a warning that something may be poisonous or rotten.
Fever Tree Tonic (other tonics are available)
Today, a large section of society fixates on the colours, the shiny things that grab our attention. Yet it is our ancestral instinct that draws us to the delights of plump ripe Juniper berries (that give us that much loved drink) or the blossom of Apple trees or the structure of Taxus or Buxus. All, I might add, would have no recognition with out the punchy, powerful and persistent shades of green.
Stay safe stay hydrated – Ed x hello@hayneshorticulture.co.uk