Packers, shamrocks and 19 limes
With the football season over, the next large showing of green is St. Patrick’s Day, followed shortly by the spring greening. Then ensues a parade of John Deere equipment across lawns and fields. The green of the Packers and John Deere is the same shade in all our minds but not so with the green of St. Patrick’s Day. There are two varying shades made by competitive paint manufacturers- St. Patty’s Day Green and St. Patrick’s Day. Ireland, in fact, inspired names for other greens: shamrock green, lucky shamrock, leprechaun, Irish spring, Hills of Ireland, Irish ivy, Celtic, Wales, Saxon, Emerald Isles, and even Lucky Charms.
Companies like Dutch Boy, Pittsburg Paint, Glidden, Benjamin Moore, and other paint manufacturers have thousands of names for thousands of colors. One company had 335 greens alone; another boasted 649 greens through the white, yellow, and blue spectrums. How do you name them all?
Certain locations conjure up colors in our mind. Green Bay is one shade of green (as well as gridiron and sporting green if you’re after a football theme). If you prefer the greens of a warmer climate, you can purchase paints named Bermuda teal, Bahama, Key Largo, Key West, or Jamaica. However, Miami and South Beach greens are not the same as Marina Bay or Florida aqua. If you feel these shades sound skimpy, try the greens of Brierwood, Greenwich Village, Avon, High Park, Nob Hill Sage, Palisade Park, Stutcliffe, Thayer, or even Tunsgate. These sound more straight-laced. Santa Barbarbra, Amelia Island, Pixley Falls, Bunker Hill, Cheyenne, Monmouth, Parkside Dune, Stokes Forest, and Napa Valley sound neutral enough if you’re still uncertain. Consider accessorizing with jade. Your choices are limited but still classic; ming, pale, antique, or Euro.
We’ve all heard, “Location, location, location!” and water is another inspiration for color names. Be honest about your proximity, though. You have: watering hole, marsh, almost aqua, tidewater, sea foam, and sea splash. If you’re really out there, select mermaid, surf, green coral, tropical seaweed, kelp forest, or reef. For the brave, hurricane is available.
Whether you live in a warm or cold climate, on a lake, seaside, or in the woods (there’s a green shade named backwoods, by the way), mood is everything. Try coloring your world with shades of enlightenment or insight, artful, grace, or peace. Everyday life isn’t always calm though, and our mood might be more like rain cloud green, camouflage, veil of dusk, or French gray linen. Few of us will ever admit to envy or jealousy and there is a slight difference. If finances have you feeling blue, these shades are highly recommended: greenback, dream of green, free enterprise, and for the truly desperate- estate sale or cold cash. You might find relaxation in a room painted with herb garden, secret garden, or even leisure garden. Garden gnome is available, too, if you are feeling playful. But should you really need to get away, there’s a green named Jack and the beanstalk and it probably goes well with green mile.
Food is behind the names of many greens. There is apple lime cocktail, daiquiri ice, sweet honeydew melon, cucumber salad, and Granny Smith. There’s celery, fresh lettuce, guacamole, pistachio, pea green, sweet pea, crème de mint, mint truffle, peppermint, wintergreen, and kiwi kissed. There’s olive and then there’s olive fringes, olive sprig, Spanish olive, and truly olive.
Limes are big; I found 19 shades. Lime, fresh lime, bright lime, neon lime, key lime, new lime, touch of lime, frosty lime, lime sublime, sugared lime, lemony lime, paradise lime, shimmering lime, lime tart, lime froth, summer lime, dark lime, lime sorbet, and eccentric lime. Finish off with Italian ice cream.
Only a few animals influenced naming greens. Little green frog is a given; iguana, and lizard are available, as well as alligator alley. Less threatening is mantis, hummingbird, and cat’s eye. Brush on some cricket hop for delight.
Of course trees and other plants occupy their space in the Who’s Who of the Greens. Beware though; large areas of similar sounding names are not identical. Green pasture is different than grassy fields is different than prairie, spring meadow, or even meadow green. Fresh cut grass and lawn green are different. Cactus and spring cactus are different. There’s light sage, dark sage, and prairie sage. Do not confuse spring moss with cavern moss or Amazon moss. And lichen is a whole different green. Do you prefer fern, soft fern, or should you go all out with fernopolis? Concerned about offending anyone? Then simply select stem.
There’s a cedar path and an evergreen trail if you can’t choose between whispering pines or frosty pines. You might like pacific pine, Norway pine, rosepine, hemlock, Douglas fir, spruce, or cedar. However, yew or soft juniper may be more appropriate for the space.
Over 150 shades of green have been listed here and I doubt that you will ever think of green as only light or dark!