Kermit had it right when he sang, “It’s not easy being green.” He says because he’s green he blends in, people pass him over, and he feels ordinary. And isn’t that pretty much how we think about green in the garden? We take it for granted. We walk over grass without thinking twice. We marvel at the colors of leaves in the fall, but no one begs tourists to come drive the Blue Ridge Parkway in the spring for leaf viewing.
In all my years working in garden publications, I never heard anyone ask how they could get more green in their gardens. Just ask Kermit, people are more interested in color. What do I plant for year-round color? What trees will produce the most brilliant color in the fall? What flowers will keep color in my garden all summer long?
But green is a color too. And like Kermit says, it’s beautiful. It’s what he wants to be. Kermit is the glue that holds together the entire Muppet clan, keeping them on track, on time with productions and mediating disagreements between performers. In a way, he’s much like green in the garden.
Just like Kermit is instrumental to the Muppets, green is just important in our gardens, and taking it a step farther, in our lives. Green leaves and plants serve as the foundation of our gardens, setting the stage for the flowers and berries that add more color. Flower arrangements depend on greenery to fill out the bouquets. And of course, the lush lawns we strive for are all green! The color is a staple in the Earth. After all, we equate lush green leaves on trees with a healthy environment. But how often do we really step back and appreciate it?
Today is the 45th anniversary of Earth Day, and people will be talking about being green in many different ways. Whether you’re recycling your milk containers or picking up trash along the road, all of our efforts in cleaning up and reducing our carbon footprint are ways of helping keep our world beautiful, clean and healthy. And green!
So to celebrate Earth Day, I thought I would celebrate the color green. Rather than being boring and a background color, there are so many shades of green that brighten up our lives. I love driving my kids to school in the mornings as the sun comes up and seeing the many different shades of green on the trees of the hills around our home. And I’ve started looking at our yard with a new appreciation. The blades of grass each seem to have their own personality. Here are a few of the beautiful green scenes I get to look at every day. Take some time today to go outside and soak up the green around you. It’s just one way to celebrate Earth Day!
One Response
I completely agree!! Of course, I’ve always been partial to the color green. I traveled from South Carolina up to West Virginia during the past month and was surprised at the difference in climate. From budding trees and blooming azaleas at the beach to bare trees in West Virginia, I anxiously awaited the emergence of Spring in my own backyard! It is finally here so I took some pictures of the azaleas and dogwoods to mail my sister in Texas & daughter in DC.