The 2017 Pantone Color of the Year: Greenery

Photograph (above) by Jalapeño Photography

Each year we anticipate Pantone’s color of the year selection. As a floral designer, color is an important part of our daily dialogue as we discuss floral varieties and color selections. In 2016, Pantone chose Rose Quartz (blush) and Serenity (pale blue), two popular wedding colors (though, it’s a little less common to see them together). This year, Pantone has shown their total commitment to weddings and floral design in general with the selection of – greenery. They may not have intended to make my month, but they have, and I will go on believing that they were thinking of brides and designers all year long.

Pantone’s “greenery” is only one shade of green amid the vast fauna of greeneries available to you and I when we choose varieties for your wedding. Pantone describes the 2017 Color of the Year on their web-site, “Greenery is a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring when nature’s greens revive, restore and renew. Illustrative of flourishing foliage and the lushness of the great outdoors, the fortifying attributes of Greenery signals consumers to take a deep breath, oxygenate and reinvigorate.”

I looked closely at some common greenery varieties that achieve this color and found that certain types of Succulent are a close match, as well as Seeded Eucalyptus and the exotic Green Amaranthus shown far right. The cooler green variety in the third bouquet is Feather Eucalyptus.

But, as we have discussed before on this web-site, there are many, many shades of green and a mix of greenery in your bouquets and arrangements allow us to add interesting tones, depth of color and texture. For example, Bonzai and Silver Dollar Eucalyptus add cool green tones in the first two pictures below, while Pittosporum (far right, is warmer and two toned with a creamy white.)

Greenery themed weddings

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Full, lush greenery is becoming a theme or style category for quite a few weddings. A few brides are making their initial contact with us by stating their commitment to using a lot of greenery. This would not have been the case even two or three years ago. Greenery is, in some instances, taking the place of centerpieces on tables in arrangements or as garland table runners that extend over each end. We will be making “greens-only” arches and chuppahs this year and creating “greens-only” accents for chairs and side tables. When working with garland, the fashion is to use only a hint of a swag, if any.

Technically, it important to note that the “greens-only” look requires us to settle on two or three varieties of greens focusing on a larger leaf, creating a more streamlined look. If we use too many varieties, the arrangement will look busy. A wedding or event that features lots of intense greenery is still intended to make a big impact, in much the same way that bigger floral varieties can be so dramatic. We can blend the “greens-only” parts of your wedding decor with the floral bouquets and arrangements in your wedding by using greens as the common denominator.

Lots of greenery may not be your thing. Please don’t worry, we will continue to talk about the role of colorful blooms in weddings this year. Along with the richer jewel tones, we are going to be using a lot of of white and ivory, blush colors, and pastels for your one-of-kind wedding.

For more information about Pantone and the Color of the Year designation, visit their site by clicking the link below.

For more information about summer greenery varieties, click the link below.

For more information about the 2016 Pantone Color of the Year.