Seasonal Foliage - A Dash of Lemon and Lime
- Su Whale
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
Just before we are overtaken by the lush shades of summer, there is still time to pep up your spring designs with brilliant touches of lemon and lime foliage.
Citrus tones can bring a whole host of colours to life, particularly when combined with the jewel palette of late spring, such as deep pink Ranunculus, orange Tulips or cobalt blue Cornflowers.
How to use lemon in designs
Lemon is a tint of yellow; it radiates out of designs bringing warmth and freshness. It is associated with spring as many lemon and yellow flowers bloom early in the season and are an important first source of food for pollinators. A touch of this cheerful tint is all that is needed to bring richer colours to the fore.
Lime green
Lime is created naturally in nature; to create lime artificially using paint, you would mix a small amount of green or blue into a larger amount of yellow. This use of yellow explains lime’s luminosity. Pale lime pairs well with white and cream and will add a zing to peach and dusky pink. A deeper shade of lime will set off rich red, chocolate brown and azure blue.
Where to find that touch of lemon and lime
Choisya (choy-see-uh)
Common name, Mexican orange blossom. This ornamental evergreen is available from both flower wholesalers and local growers; it is also a useful shrub to grow at home. Choisya ‘Sundance’ is a vivid yellow/lime while Choisya ternata is slightly darker.
Alchemilla mollis
Tiny, almost insignificant flowers form small, frothy clouds that rise up above soft leaves covered in silky hairs. A popular late spring foliage which is another one to cultivate in the garden. It can also be dried.
Green Helleborus
Although a traditional winter flower, once the seed heads of Helleborus have developed, the flower takes on another life as a long-lasting, late spring bloomer. Helleborus 'Winterbells' is the most popular and easily obtainable variety with which to bring interest and texture into designs.
Euphorbia (u-FOR-bee-uh)
Also known as Martin’s spurge, or simply spurge, this is an upright evergreen with tiny lime green flowers that have a dark red centre. A useful filler foliage for large, more solid blooms although it does exude a milky sap which can be an irritant so should be used with care.
Images Envato Elements
Su Whale is a florist and freelance writer with over Thirty years' experience in the floristry industry. She is the author and publisher of three best-selling books: Cut Flowers, 4th edition (2020) Cut Foliage, 2nd Edition, (2021) and Houseplants (2019), all bookshelf essentials for the professional florist.
Links for Jonathon; how to dry flowers, how to condition Helleborus
Comments