Yes, These Verdant Green Flowers are the Real Thing!
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Yes, there are flowers that are naturally green! While green blooms aren’t all that rare, it’s less common for folks to know about them. From Irish green to modern chartreuse, green comes in a surprising variety of colors. We’ve also included a bunch of native plants. Add a bit of interest to a flower bed or pop to a bouquet!
We’re all used to oranges and pinks, but a couple of stems of ‘Emerald Tassels’ amaranthus in a flower arrangement steal the show. A vase of ‘Green Halo’ peonies isn’t something you’ll see at the grocery store flower cooler.
Most green flowers aren’t the same color as foliage, and they are often mixed with other colors. Also, we’re talking about natural green flowers, not cut flowers dyed to be “greened” afterward. Beware the pictures online advertising a green dahlia (they don’t exist) or a green snapdragon. If they aren’t fake images, they were probably dyed.
Green Blooming Annuals and Perennials
Green flowers can be enjoyed in many ways. Some add texture or contrast to a bouquet. The shades of green provide contrast to red and more vibrant colors, and they help each other pop.
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Other green flowers are just unusual and breathtakingly beautiful alone (check out those zinnias!), adding modern allure. Yet others do heavy work, adding beneficial pollinators and nature’s verdant lushness.
If this short list inspires you to search for other green flowers online, search for “green _____ varieties” instead of just green tulips or green flowers. You’ll get better results.
Amaranthus
The long, trailing blooms of ‘Emerald Tassels’ remind me of a cat’s tail—except they don’t twitch when I walk by. They add fantastic color and texture as cut flowers (for larger bouquets) and containers. When dried, the blooms turn from green to a light tan color, which looks lovely in fall arrangements. Learn more about growing amaranth flowers.
- Full sun
- Annual
- Summer blooming
- Start indoors and transplant
- Up to 5 feet tall
Sweet William (Dianthus) ‘Green Ball’
You’ve likely never seen a Dianthus like this one. Blooms look like fuzzy green balls, and they are super green! The 3-inch lime green globes sit atop stiff, erect stems on a short plant. Perfect as a conversation piece during your garden tours!
- Usually grown as an annual
- 1–2 feet tall
- Full or partial sun
- Transplant
Dill
We all know about the herb dill, but you may not have thought about using it as a flower. The chartreuse flowers add extra structure to a cottage garden and are great fun in a bouquet, too. And, when you have too many dill heads, they’re fun for arts and crafts.
- Annual
- 3–5 feet tall
- Full sun
- Direct seed or start indoors
False Queen Anne’s Lace
‘Green Mist’ is the variety, and double check the botanical name, Ammi visnaga, to ensure you’re getting the right plant. With dill-like foliage and large flower heads, this pale green blooming plant attracts many beneficial insects like lacewings, lady beetles, and parasitic wasps. If you’re trying to do some natural pest control, growing these flowers is a good start to creating a habitat for the good bugs in your garden.
- Annual
- 3–5 feet tall
- Does best in full sun
- Direct seed and succession plant
Bupleurum
‘Green Gold’ Bupleurum is also known as Hare’s ear, although it doesn’t look like any rabbit or hare ear I’ve ever seen. It bears a striking lime-green flower and pretty green leaves that are perfect for filler in bouquets. Tolerates a wide variety of soil types and pH as long as there’s good drainage. No known diseases or pests.
- Annual
- Full sun
- 1–2 feet tall
- Summer and fall blooming
- Direct sow or transplant
Hellebores
Helleborus viridis, or green hellebore, is a perennial, low-growing flower that can be evergreen in warmer areas. Several green cultivars are available, including ‘Lush Green’ and ‘Irish Luck’. Learn more about growing hellebore.
- USDA Zones 5-9
- About 18–24 inches tall
- Partial sun to partial shade
- Blooms late spring to early summer
Bells of Ireland
No list of green flowers would be complete without this green tower, Bells of Ireland (Moluccella laevi). While technically, the calyx or whorl of sepals form the green display, you’d never know. Long stems are adorned with large, 2-inch, bell-shaped blooms in bright spring green.
- 2–4 feet tall
- Annual
- Transplant after starting indoors
- Blooms late spring into summer
Celosia
‘Green Slyphid’ is a truly chartreuse celosia with trademark feathery plumes and an ethereal effect.
Celosia is a flower that grows very easily from seed. Plant a patch of them and enjoy watching them wave in the breeze. They grow well in pots, too, and have an excellent vase life.
- Full sun
- Up to 40 inches tall
- Annual
- Start indoors and transplant
Zinnias
If you grow zinnias, you’ve likely heard of ‘Queen Lime’. This is the new variety, ‘Queen Lime Blush’. Stunning! The same light green blooms with a dusky pink center on strong stems make this a great cut flower or just a nice addition to your zinnia border along the driveway. If you don’t have a zinnia border along a driveway or path, you should. It’s about the easiest and least expensive hedge of colorful flowers you can get.
- Full sun
- Annual
- Blooms summer into fall
- Direct seed
- 30–40 inches tall
Lisianthus
‘Rosanne 2 Clear Green’ is a truly green lisianthus with trademark ruffled blooms on long stems. This heat-loving native loves dry days and warm summer nights. It’s notoriously slow-growing, so most gardeners plant plugs rather than seeds.
- 28–36 inches tall
- Annual
- 140 days to maturity (start them early!)
- Start indoors and transplant
- Full sun
‘Green Halo’ Peonies
‘Green Halo’ peonies have large, 6- to 7-inch blooms with a light green base from which a tuft of creamy white petals arises, creating a green glow. This is a sought-after peony for a gardener who enjoys something unusual. It has great vigor and generous blooming, and it is carefree and low maintenance.
- USDA Zones 3–8
- Full to partial sun
- About 30 inches tall
- Mid-spring blooming
Hydrangeas
Green hydrangeas like ‘Fairytrail Green’ add a larger green bounty to your yard. Arching branches topped with large misty green blooms make excellent cut flower selections. If your gardening climate is too chilly to leave them out over winter, they can also be grown in containers. See how to grow hydrangeas.
- USDA Zones 6–9
- Partial shade
- 4–5 feet tall
- Plant in spring or fall
Native Flowers can be green, too!
Canada Milk Vetch (Astragalus canadensis)
This perennial native is common throughout the United States and Canada. Its unique leaf shape and texture are reason enough to plant it, and the nectar is loved by bees. The tall, green spikes of flowers remind me of lupines.
- 36 inches tall
- USDA Zones 3–8
- Blooms mid- to late summer
- Full to partial sun
Spider Milkweed (Asclepias viridis)
This beauty has a typical tall, single-stemmed milkweed shape with a hydrangea-looking flower on top. It’s much shorter than other milkweeds and has the ability to spread, making it a good choice for gardens. Plus, milkweed attracts Monarch butterflies, who need all the help they can get. It’s also rarely bothered by deer.
- USDA Zones 5–9
- Full to partial sun
- Blooms early summer
- Transplant
Coneflowers
Echinacea cultivars have taken the gardening world by storm—I have three or four myself. With breeders working nonstop to develop new colors, we’re not limited to purple anymore. Several green-blooming cultivars are out there, including ‘Alan’s Pride’, ‘Prairie Blaze’, and ‘Green Twister’. They bloom continuously from summer through fall and last for weeks as cut flowers. See Green Envy and more coneflower varieties.
- USDA Zones 3–9
- Full to partial sun
- Blooms in summer
- Start indoors and transplant or direct seed
Short Green Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora)
As the name suggests, Short Green Milkweed tops out around a foot tall. Its light green blooms shift to darker greenish purple as the season progresses. It prefers drier locations and is deer-munch–resistant. It is also a host for Monarch butterflies. Learn more about growing milkweed.
- USDA Zones 3–9
- Full to partial sun
- Blooms early summer
- Transplant or fall sow
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Arisaema triphyllum, or Jack-in-the-Pulpit, grows best in woodland shady locations with rich soil and some moisture. It forms shiny green berries in summer, which turn red in autumn. It’s native to the eastern half of the country, where the hardwood forests start to take over from the short-grass prairies. Even better, it’s deer-resistant.
- Up to 24 inches tall
- USDA Zones 3–9
- Early spring blooming
- Fall outdoor sowing or transplant
Spring Blooming Bulbs
Gladiolus
Glads are among my favorites, and I grow them every year. If you haven’t had a green gladiola yet, you’re missing out. Their green apple color sticks out like a strobe light in a bouquet. ‘Green Star’ is a favorite; a dozen planted together will make a splash. Succession plant every two weeks for an extended bloom season. See how to grow gladioli.
- Spring planted bulb
- 4 feet tall (or more)
- Summer blooming
- Full sun for best color
‘Pride of Ireland’ Bearded Iris
A light yellow-green bearded iris is perfect for contrasting with other spring flowers. Intersperse it with white irises for a spring color palette that will last year after year.
- USDA Zones 4–9
- About 3 feet tall
- Full to partial sun
- Blooms in late spring
‘Spring Green’ Tulips
Rounding out a spring-blooming selection, these tulips are white to pale green with deeper-colored accents and anthers. Plant tulips with other spring bulbs or in a bed with early spring greenery for a complementary and designed look. See our chart on spring-flowering bulbs (which you plant in fall).
- USDA Zones 3–8
- Full to partial sun
- 18 inches tall
- Blooms in late spring
Did this list of green flowers surprise you? Do you have any favorites? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Andy Wilcox
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