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HOME AUGUST 2020 6 It's not easy being green As gardeners we're always looking to add color to our landscape, whether it's a bright color like white to brighten up that shady spot, a hot color like red to add excitement, or a cool color like blue to soothe our tired souls. One of the first questions we normally ask people at the garden center is what colors are you looking for? I don't think I've ever had anyone reply "green." The only time we seem to be excited about the color green is after a long winter. Green is at the forefront of our thoughts, but soon fades away. So why does this happen? Maybe it's because we take the color green for grant- ed, or it reminds us of work eventually, like mowing lawns. But maybe we just haven't seen it used properly. One of the best examples of green being used properly is by the Asian culture. One of the things they learned early on is that the color green is very relaxing. Their gardens are known for serenity and peace, and designed for this specific reason. Did you ever think that maybe we're so stressed out because there isn't enough green in our lives? Whatever the reason, let's take a look at how they've used green so successfully. Seeing in 3-D The first thing to consider is dimension. The garden needs to look three-dimension- al. You might be thinking: Hey, we live in a three-dimensional world. Wrong! Picture a mixed, green hosta bed out in the middle of your yard. If you look at it from a distance, it really doesn't look three-dimensional. Now picture it with a few shrubs in it, pruned up so you can see the plants below. Then add some mature trees giving you a canopy over the whole area. Now you've added depth and height to the picture, now you have a three- dimensional landscape. To create even more dimension, they add movement to the area. They add motion by using meandering lines, allow- ing rough and smooth textures to co-min- gle, adding contours and slopes, and alter- ing sun and shade throughout the garden. They even add motion by using plants that have contorted stems, or through unique pruning techniques. Diversify your landscape Although their landscapes are mono- chrome in nature, being mainly green, they are highly diversified. The use of many different plants not only adds inter- est, but inspires thought, and awakens our senses. Have you ever looked at a bed of specifically one plant, and thought how nice, only to think minutes later, how bor- ing? Garden beds with great diversity keep our eyes moving, and if our eyes are moving, our brains are active and alive and feel one with nature. Different colors can be used sparingly to provide accent as well. As you can see, I'm not saying your whole garden needs to be green, but it should be the dominant color. Picture the 3-dimensional garden from earlier. Now, put a single pink flower- ing bush in it. Now that's dramatic with- out being over-powering. I'm not saying you have to convert your whole landscape into a zen garden, but hopefully I've inspired you to look at green differently. It should have as much weight as any other color. As Kermit the Frog always said: "It's not easy being green!" Happy gardening! (Michael Timm is the chief horticultural- ist at Ebert's Greenhouse Village in Ixo- nia.) How to change up, enhance the gardening color often taken for granted MICHAEL TIMM As seen in this home in Spooner, a wide variety of greens, heights, textures, such as the fern, and accents, such as in the hostas, add interest and calm. The color green does not have to be boring, with just a little stretch of the imagination. Photo courtesy Michael Timm Color introduced in a sea of green adds dramatic impact as seen with these bee balms.

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