Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum) in a container in our back garden. Canary Island Ivy (Hedera Canariensis) leaf peeking through the fern fronds.
I’m more relaxed about gardening than I used to be, and am enjoying letting Mother Nature have her way. She creates beauty at every turn, with little interference from me! Green is her colour of preference, which is obvious to anyone who walks through a forest.
These days, green is my favourite colour in the garden, and elsewhere. Being a cool colour, it provides a sense of calm and peacefulness, similar to the effect of blue. Because green plants appear to be in the background, they add a feeling of spaciousness to garden beds. For me, green represents Nature at its best, and is the colour of life and hopefulness. The following photographs were taken while we were on a walk in Pacific Spirit Park, in July, 2019, on one of the many beautiful trails there. Each photograph shows only native plants, which have grown here on the southwest coast of Canada for many centuries.
Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
***Green is the prime colour of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises.
—Pedro Calderon de la Barca
Red Huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium)
No white nor red was ever seen
So amorous as this lovely green.
—Andrew Marvell
Vine Maple (Acer circinatum) trees among the Douglas Firs ((Pseudotsuga menziesii)
This is second-growth forest, re-planted in the early 1900’s, following intensive logging. The original evergreen trees were massive giants, and a few of their trunks are still visible throughout the park. They were mainly Western Red Cedars and Douglas Firs.
It was with awe
That I beheld
Fresh leaves, green leaves
Bright in the sun.
—Basho
Moss on Douglas Fir bark
***If there is a future, it will be Green.
—Petra Kelly
By “Green”, I think that Petra Kelly means that humanity will be using renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and other clean methods which do not emit carbon, and will thus help to slow down the rate of global warming and climate change.
Vine Maples and Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) tree.
***A forest is green for a reason.
—Anthony T. Hincks
Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum) and Salal
***Green is a soothing colour, isn’t it?
—Jack Thorne
Here’s a little song some of you may remember, from Sesame Street:
It’s Not Easy Being Green (Kermit’s Song). Kermit is a frog, of course! 🙂
