Read 'Ten Terrific Plants with Chartreuse Flowers' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

Chartreuse, or lime green, is a color that has always appeals to me and so I am drawn to plants that have either chartreuse flowers or chartreuse leaves. Chartreuse stands out any place and goes with almost every other color so it is easy to use in the garden. I have written on some of my favorite plants with chartreuse foliage and now I turn to plants with chartreuse flowers. I have chosen plants of various types and that bloom at different times so that if you like chartreuse flowers you can enjoy them for as long as possible during the gardening season.

In winter, Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis) blooms with its simple flowers set off by its handsome foliage even when snow covers the ground. Not all plants of this species have green flowers so you might want to try stinking hellebore (Helleborus foetidus) which more reliably has chartreuse flowers but blooms considerably later.

During the spring, snowball viburnum (V. macrocephala) present chartreuse heads of flowers that slowly change to white. A bush covered with lime green flower heads is a magnificent sight! These flower heads are prized by florists and used extensively in spring bridal work and you may have appreciated them in that role.

Late spring brings the fluffy heads of lady’s mantle’s (Alcmillea mollis) flowers billowing over soft gray-green foliage. As beautiful as the color of the flowers is, the plants are worth growing for their foliage alone so this is really a two for one deal. Stems of Lady’s Mantle flowers are beautiful in arrangements as well as being a knock out in the garden.

As spring turns into summer cushion spurge (Eurphobia x martini ‘Tiny Tim’) produces unusual flowers that are conspicuous because of their chartreuse bracts. These 12” compact, mound forming plants provide color all summer and are handsome at the front of the border.

The hydrangea (H. paniculata) ‘Limelight’ is a popular shrub with large bushy panicles of chartreuse flowers that slowly change from white to pink and end up burgundy in the fall. The green color is best in cooler climates but the plant does well in zones 3-8, growing about 6′-8′ tall. Heads can be dried for winter use.

The green variety of the annual love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus viridflora) is a show stopper! Its long tassels of tiny chartreuse flowers are like no other. The plant is quite large and course but the tassels of great assets in the garden, and in arrangements. This plant has a special place in my heart because I won the admiration of all my coworkers when I showed up at a florist’s dinner wearing a corsage featuring its flowering tassels. This is another flower that dries well for fall arrangements.

Another annual with chartreuse flowers zinnia (Z. elegans) ‘Green Envy. Like many chartreuse flowers, the best color is developed if the plants are grown in partial shade especially where summers are hot. The 2” wide flowers are carried on tall stems up to 30” in length and are lovely in arrangements.

The 3” wide flowers of perennial coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) ‘Coconut Lime’ has a brownish-gold cone surrounded by frilled chartreuse petals ringed with backward swept white petals. Definitely an odd look and maybe not chartreuse enough as the dominant color is white.

The summer blooming bulb Gladiolus ‘Green Star’ sends up tall stem (up to 60”) full of beautiful chartreuse flowers. It blooms from mid-summer until frost and begins blooming 60-100 days after planting. Glads are always popular as cut flowers providing both height and a spike-like form. You get a lot o bang for your buck with glads.

Autumn stonecrop (Sedum ‘Citrus Twist’) offers good foliage as well as attractive flowers. It forms bush mounds of waxy green leaves flushed with purple early in the season and 18” stems with large colorful heads of chartreuse flowers late in the season. The flowers attracts butterflies and produce seed heads that give winter interest.

There are many flowers that have a touch of chartreuse or various shades of green. Others may have chartreuse only at certain times of their development or under certain conditions. Regardless, flowers with this wonderful color are always useful and fun to have in the garden. If you don’t have any, try some; maybe just one this summer. You like them.

Read 'Six Special Plants with Chartreuse Foliage' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

Chartreuse has always been one of my favorite colors when selecting plants. Most of those that sport chartreuse do so with their foliage so I have many of them, less of those with chartreuse flowers. When a gardening friend looked into my secret garden at all the chartreuse plants and expressed her delight I began to think more about them than I had in the past. Why had I picked so many? Not just because I like them but more because I like how they look with other plants in the garden. Chartreuse brightens any spot where it grows and calls for attention. It goes with almost every other color and so is a good companion plant to most other plants in the garden. I begin today with a post on favorite foliage in chartreuse and will follow with favorite flowers in chartreuse, and then finally, favorite combinations involving chartreuse plants.

By the word ‘chartreuse’ I mean the color between green and yellow; perhaps lime is the one word that conveys the meaning most accurately.

1. The ubiquitus Sweet potato vine( Ipomea batatas) ‘Margarita’, is a wonder with its large chartreuse leaves and very rapid, vigorous growth. Not hardy, but easy to find even at the big box stores, and relatively inexpensive. If you dig up the huge tubers you can over winter them and begin again in the spring. Most people seem to use them in planters but they are equally effective used as a ground cover. This sweet potato flowers for some people but so far, not for me.

2. Creeping jenny (Lysymachia nummularia ‘Aurea’) is another marvelous ground cover that can be grown in sun or shade (better chartreuse color in the latter) in the garden, or in a container. My favorite use is in pots, trailing over the edge to the ground (where they root and take off). Creeping jenny is hardy and will come back year after year even though other perennials cover it up in the course of the summer.

3. Coralbells (Heuchera) ‘Key Lime Pie’ is a tuft of chartreuse beauty. Their palmately veined leaves are nearly evergreen and provide interest from early spring well into the fall. They grow in sun or shade but appreciate afternoon shade in the South. In spring they send up airy stems with tiny bell shaped flowers producing a wonderful, old fashioned look, like the lace on great grandmother’s handerchief.

4. Elephant Ear (Colocasia esculenta) ‘Elena’ will provide architectural interest and be a real “Wow” plant in your garden. These large plants bear very large leaves and give a tropical look to any environment. They like moist, rich, humus soil, bright light but not direct sun, and are hardy to zone 7b. If they are grown in pots they can be over wintered in a cold garage. Alternatively, you can dig up the large bulbs and store them until spring.

5. Golden Japanese Forest Grass (Hakenachloa macra) ‘Aureola’ will add more than just color to your garden; when a breeze blows the cascading leaves flutter and give movement to the garden scene. It is hardy in zones 6-9 and develops its best color in part shade. Too much sun will scorch the leaves. Rich, moist, soil will make it happy.

6. There are many hostas that have chartreuse foliage but here are three that are especially noteworthy and fairly easy to find. ‘Sum and Substance’ is a huge one with very large, textured leaves and lavender flowers in late summer. ‘Piedmont Gold’ is medium sized and bears extra wavy golden green leaves and white flowers in mid summer. ‘Gold Edger’ is a small hosta with heart-shaped leaves and a mass of lavender flowers in mid-summer. Many other hostas have leaves that combine green, gold, chartreuse,and blue-green in beautiful combinations. There is a hosta in every possible combination of these colors and in many different sizes. Some, like ‘Sum and Substance’ tolerate sun while others need shade, but there is no doubt that there is a hosta that will meet your needs.

'Sum and Substance'

'Gold Edger'

'Piedmont Gold'

If you think that chartreuse foliage might be something you would like to use in your garden consider plants with chartreuse flowers. But that’s another post.