Color Subtleties: What I learned about green from a cactus
July 10, 2007 § 2 Comments
There are times when I catch myself staring at the cactus sitting on the kitchen windowsill. It’s one of those tall cacti, about 30 inches, whose growth shows up in rings of color moving up the long stalk. If you stare at the cactus long enough, you can appreciate the gradation of greens from the olivey older growth to the bluer-green new growth. The colors also have kind of a muted, dusty quality that’s hard to find on a paint chip.
Studying the combination of greens really makes me appreciate how many greens are mixed together in nature. And how you can copy some of those combinations in your own decorating to achieve a refreshing color palette. Whether it’s in your home or on the exterior, feel free to mix some greens and see what you get. Next time you’re killing time in a paint store, check out Benjamin Moore’s apple blossom 479 with corn stalk 542. Or garland green 429 with desert green 443.
You don’t have to mix paint colors to get the effect. Mix up the greens in your landscaping. Add some yellow-green shrubs to a garden of blue-green hosta. Look more closely at the color combinations in the countryside as you drive by. With all its variety within the family, green is a fabulous hue. And if you have a cactus nearby, check it out. Really look at the color green.
Your Home & Color Coach 
i forgot to mention
i think i am going with the certainteed “weathered wood” roof..good choice with the colors i have picked??
2nd choice was driftwood
thanks again
nancy
Hi Nancy,
Both of those roof colors are terrific. Good choices.
-Barbara
Your Home & Color Coach