Pantone’s "Greenery" is a Natural Choice for Trend-Savvy Florists

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Trend-savvy florists are celebrating Pantone’s selection of ‘Greenery’ as the 2017 Color of the Year. Unlike last year, when people were hesitant to embrace the dual baby-soft shades of pink and blue, this year’s versatile yet vibrant green is getting rave reviews from designers across the country.

This neutral is a natural for growing your floral business

While consumers think of green as a color, most florists consider it a neutral. Forget black, white and gray, the colors consumers generally consider neutrals. People with a green thumb see Pantone's Greenery as the neutral as that’s a natural complement to fresh flowers in organic designs. For many designers, this energetic yellow-green feels like the essence of spring with the promise of new growth, making it a natural choice for the fresh start of a new year.

Green - more than just a color

What is surprising about putting a green on center stage is that it’s usually considered a background color, not the star of the show. No longer can you simply add a few live plants to a room or insert some leaves into a bouquet and think you’ve tagged a green color trend. This dramatic hue brings its own colorful personality into the limelight. Green is more than just one of three secondary hues found on a color wheel. It’s a trendy term that refers to a ‘back to basics’ healthy lifestyle, an earth friendly social movement, or the color of money with a prediction of economic growth. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, describes Greenery 15-0343 as a “symbol of new beginnings, fresh and revitalizing.”

Why choose a zesty green?

Pantone makes its trend selection based on products that are already in the marketplace rather than items projected to be there in the future. Look around and you can find bits of this vibrant green everywhere. Search online and you will find it popping up in fashion, furnishings and floral product lines as a part of the on-trend movement of ‘living well’. ‘Greenery’ is a statement of minimalism. Unlike the ‘green with envy’ vibe of Pantone’s luxury based 2013 selection ‘Emerald’, this year’s green reflects a desire to simplify life and reconnect with nature

 A trendy twist for everyday designs

[rev_slider alias="pantone-2017-2"][/rev_slider] For several years, we have been in the midst of a green movement that has initiated changes for the floral industry. Influenced by ‘going green’ lifestyles, consumers now request flowers and plants with more options. Seasonal. Sustainable. Locally grown. Certified. Organic. Green. While 'greenery' usually makes us think of plant material, there are a lot of perky green fresh flowers to choose from as well. Roses, carnations, hellebores, hypericum, hydrangea, ranunculus, Fuji mums, button mums, bupleurum, trachelium and green trick dianthus just to name a few. If you can’t pull enough of this popular color into your designs with floral materials try adding decorative accents like OASIS™ Diamond Wire, OASIS™ Midollino Sticks or OASIS™ Flat Cane to the mix. Even containers have perked up with colorful offerings like the ECOssentials Cylinder, ESSENTIALS™ Rectangle Bowl or Bouquet Vase. These bold container choices can be helpful in creating arrangements for weddings as well.

Full circle for wedding bouquet trends

[rev_slider alias="pantone-2017-3"][/rev_slider] Foliages have come full circle in wedding trends. For several years, brides didn’t want 'greens' added to their bouquets. That was unfortunate because foliages are often less expensive and can help keep the cost down. Fortunately, brides are now seeing the beautiful blend of color and texture that natural foliages can add to a design. They are even requesting all foliage bouquets, in the search for something a little different. These designs fit beautifully into current trends such as '’woodland’, ‘natural materials' and 'rustic-modern'. We’ve seen a preference for trendy shades of green increase in the past few years. Increasingly, blue greens, gray greens, grass greens, and this year’s pick—yellow greens have been featured in popular wedding color palettes. Add visual interest to accent these rich hues with accessories such as OASIS™ Raw Muslin, OASIS™ Raw Jute, OASIS™ Mega Beaded Wire, OASIS™ Beaded Wire, OASIS™ Flat Wire, OASIS™ Button Wire or OASIS™ Aluminum Wire.

The bright green of new growth

The colors we surround ourselves with affect our moods. Pantone Greenery is a color that can remind us of new growth. This popular pick reflects a new and upbeat direction for optimistic retailers. Offer your customers innovative designs featuring floral materials that highlight this trend. Seek ways to use green as both a perky color and a positive attitude to help grow your floral business this year. How do you plan to incorporate the trendy Pantone pick Greenery in your product mix for 2017?