XLV
How many shades of green are there
In the English countryside?
The colour has but one name
Though the range of shades is wide.
There's the yellowish green of the primrose leaf
In it's neat and furry whorl,
And the pinkish green of poplar leaves
As they start to unfurl.
The lamb's ear, softly velvet
Has a greenish-silvery sheen
And the jagged leaves of the feverfew
Are an acid, limey green.
The holly, which is blackish green,
In Spring has bronze green tips,
And wild rose fruits are a brownish green
As they ripen into hips.
Conifers come in many hues
Of gold and blue-grey-green;
And hostas all display their leaves
In shades of greenish cream.
The new seeds of the honesty
Are a greeny purple shade
And certain types of lichen
Glow in orange jade.
When September's dews chill the air
And Summer is almost dead,
The green of our land is tinged with
A touch of rusty red.
So - how many shades of green are there?
The only aswer can be:
As many tones of blue as you find
In the sky - the rivers - the sea.
Winkworth Arboretum
May 1988
