Today I’m sharing pictures of green flowers. These curiosities of the plant kingdom challenge our preconceptions. Green is the colour we imagine leaves and stems to be; flowers are supposed to be more showy to grab our attention.
While green flowers may seem unusual, some widely grown perennials are more often green than not, including hellebores and euphorbias.
The ‘petals’ of some green flowers are technically modified sepals or bracts, sepals making up the leafy outer layer that protect petals developing in bud (think of a rose bud).
Other flowers have long been artificially dyed green, dating back at least to Oscar Wilde’s green carnation of the early 1890s.
Many of these floral rebels go against the perceived wisdom that insects need colourful signposts to help them find nectar and pollen, although lime green can be pretty showy!
Scroll on for novelties including a more-green-than-white snowdrop, a green red hot poker and a greenish Asiatic lily (you be the judge).
I hope you’ve enjoyed these little reset buttons for anyone who thinks plants need flashy petals to make their world go around.
Aren’t they wonderful? Even when they’re not dressed to impress.
Susan Rushton 
Thanks for explaining, very informative blog.
My pleasure. I’m glad you liked it.
Didn’t expect so many green flowers. Lovely though
I did include quite a lot, although I had more!
There’s something very serene and restful about green flowers. As ou have demonstrated.
It would have been less serene and respectful with the peas in – you have to give me that.
😉
You learn something every day as the saying goes – I had no idea there were so many green flowers. My favourites here are the echinacea and the snowdrops, they look so pretty 🙂
I went to Gresgarth Hall again just recently, the autumn colours round the gardens were lovely – now I can’t wait to see everything in springtime.
The snowdrop was a very fine plant. I’m glad you’re enjoying Gresgarth Hall. Was it a bit quieter this time?
Yes, it was. Plenty of cars in the car park but not too many people in the gardens, I think they must have all got lost 🙂 At least I could get my photos without having anyone in the way 🙂
So cool! My 3 favourites are the primula, the slipper orchid, and Anticlea elegans, which is apparently a plant of western North America. Its botanical name used to be Zigadenus. It went from Z to A.
My favourite is the primula. We have to assume we are just unlucky to live in an age where all the plant names are changing and that at some point they’ll settle down.
They are absolutely wonderful! Never thought about green flowers before. You can bet I am now. So enjoyed this post.
Green flowers have got a certain aplomb, as if they are content to be just as they are.
Some real beauties among this series, Susan. I particularly like the green Echinacea. I love the symmetry. 🙂
I’m glad I went with that, then. I was torn between it and another that had a flush of pink.
Yes. A wonderful collection. This reminds me of an art master telling us the tree trunks were not brown
My art teachers took a look at my paintings and concluded advice was not going to help.
The pictures of the flowers were beautiful. I didn’t know that there were so many types of green flowers, my favorite was the green carnation.
Thank you. I also like the carnations that are available in antique colours, which often have a touch of green mixed in.
I’ve never seen so many green flowers, Susan! Amazing. I had a green hydrangea before. Very unusual!
Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ is the most famous green, but I thought I’d go for an ‘ordinary’ one.
Who knew there were so many? (Well you obviously). The auricula is a sweetie but I don’t like the green rose or gladiolus, nor the carnation. Everything else looks good.
Green flowers are not quite as rare as we might think. I was surprised how many I had and I didn’t include them all. I quite like the gladiolus. That particular green rose was a bit scruffy. They seem to be more variable than you’d think.
What a great idea to feature green flowers like this! It’s a reminder how many more there are than we would imagine. I especially like the Echinacea, Primula auricula and ‘greenish’ Asiatic lily 😀
I quite like the lily too, but I could imagine white lilies thinking it looked a little queasy.
😂