Bright Green Perennial Flowers
While green foliage is common, green flowers provide an unexpected splash in bouquets and gardens. Surrounded by flowers of other colors, they offer vibrant contrast. Perennials with green flowers grow in an array of hues, from chartreuse to pale green. While some plants with green flowers have a long horticultural history, others exist as a result of the creative cultivar production of nurseries.
Cultivars of hydrangeas with showy green flowers include the aptly named Limelight hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' PP12874), a plant that can grow up to eight feet tall. Like its traditionally colored counterparts, the Limelight is a fast-growing plant and blooms in large bouquet-like blooms with dozens of small petals in a spherical cluster. Popular with nurseries, the chartreuse Limelight adds green accents to traditional wedding arrangements that include hydrangeas. Its dwarf counterpart the Little Lime is a mini version of the flower and only reaches three to five feet in height. Hydrangeas grow well in Sunset Zones 14 to 17 and U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 3 to 9. They require full sun or partial shade and well-drained soil of clay, loam or sand with average watering. Bloom time lasts from the middle of the summer through fall.
Echinacea purpurea 'Green Envy'
The dark green cones in the center of bright green petals with a reddish base give the Green Envy (Echinacea purpurea 'Green Envy') a striking appearance. This unusual-looking plant resembles a coneflower dipped in cool mint paint. Butterflies and birds flock to the Green Envy and the plant is resistant to deer and most diseases. It grows in Sunset Zones 14 to 17 and USDA hardiness zones 3 to 9. Handling the Green Envy requires care, as it has thorns.
Echinacea purpurea 'Coconut Lime'
The Coconut Lime (Echinacea purpurea 'Coconut Lime' PP18617) is similar to the Green Envy plant but the colors are less intense. The petals of the Coconut Lime are a light, bright green and tend to droop away from its yellow-green cone center. It grows in several areas including Sunset Zones 14 to 17 and USDA hardiness zones 3 to 9. The flowers bloom from early summer to early fall in well-drained clay or loam.
HGC Green Corsican Hellebore
While hellobores have a long history as medicinal plants, the patented hybrid HGC Green Corsican Hellebore (Helleborus 'Hgc Green Corsican' PP15641) is an ornamental with long-lasting flowers. The petals start out creamy white but turn to a vibrant green color. Popular among florists as a potted bouquet, the flowers have a pale green center and leathery dark green leaves. They bloom during spring and late winter and require partial sun and shade in neutral or alkaline loam. HGC Green Corsican Hellebore can grow in Sunset zones 14 to 17 and USDA hardiness zones 5 to 9.
Lauren Miller has more than 10 years of experience as a writer and editor. Her articles on technology, small business and legal topics have appeared in magazines, newspapers and trade journals. She has a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and is an avid gardener and sports fan.