Bloom Color
In this year’s letter I want to talk about Bloom Color – one the of most asked about questions at the nursery. Can I get this Jacob’s Ladder in pink? Is this purple aster more towards the blue family or the red family?
So, no we don’t have a pink Jacob’s Ladder, but if find such a variation, we invite you enter the world of plant propagation and patenting. Just remember where the original plant came from…
We grow over 95% of our plants from seed produced at our nursery, right on our own land. (We NEVER dig plants from the wild!) The original seed source was collected from within a radius of 50 miles. That means you know that our perennials are local and well-adapted to the area. But, with individual seed, you can find variations in the plants in both size and bloom color.
Case in point, one of our favorites, Tradescantia ohiensis - Spiderwort, can vary from deep purple to sky blue to white or variation within. One of my favorites was a white with a purple eye – who purchased that one anyway? Oh well, the next year’s crop will provide interest too.
Color is all around us. We see it all the time. Most of us have no idea the impact color has on our lives. This impact of the many colors in our environment is usually not conscious. Sometimes we get an uneasy feeling in certain rooms or very relaxed in another, but we call this a mood. The "color of mood" can be what is surrounding us.
Color is a vibration of light. In dim light, the color we see will seem different than in bright sun light. Everyone doesn't see the color frequency in exactly the same way. For example, I see a color I call blue-green, which to me is blue with a touch of green. Someone else may call the color green-blue, because he sees more green than I do. Even color-blind people are affected by color.
So, when a customer asks for the bloom color, sometimes the answer is not as specific as they may want. And, how specific of a color are they looking for? Could it be sunny yellow, golden yellow, pure yellow, rosy yellow, buttercup yellow, tangerine yellow, school bus yellow, saffron yellow, the list goes on.
In the catalog, you will note that we use the short version of the color name. Because, while I see saffron yellow, in your garden, it might be sunny yellow. Happy growing and enjoy the yellow flowers!
