Yes, green!
The colour of lavender buds before they turn blue, the leaves and the stems –
the palest and softest of blue grey greens.
Photo by Maria Florent
My friend Sue Ellen asked me what this colour was and I knew it immediately,
but finding a colour chip to show her proved more elusive.
Here is her question:
I have been reading a novel in which there is a woman wearing a dress described as "lavender green." I had (& have) no idea what colour that is ... and neither does Google! The best G does is the song, but, even though I sing the first verse frequently, I would not have connected it with an actual colour. So, I thought I'd ask the only person I know who is both English and an artist .... what colour is "lavender green"?
SE
...and my slightly edited but long winded answer:
I’ve always thought of it as being the grey green on the flower bud before it opens.
There is a green lavender called Lavender green absolute – which seems to be a brighter green than my soft imagined lavender bud green – but that doesn’t get us near to an actual shade.
.
So off on the search and the best I can come up with is a lavender grey on Wikipedia,
but it's not a green.
Lavender grey is also mentioned as one of the three major variations in A Dictionary of Colour in 1930.
I even searched on a couple of large paint companies and Pantone – no go.
So bottom line is – we don’t know so we could mix our own version and name it and patent it!
— But then —
Oh! Oh! Oh! I’ve found it…
Scroll down on here:
It’s the NBS-ISCC colour system – 1955!
Colour Number: 122
Reference is for Lavender green (H)
H stands for Horticultural Colour charts, R.F. Wilson
So this is the book we need
– Horticultural Colour Charts, R. F. Wilson –
I hope it has colour chips!
M
So off to Abebooks to see if they have a copy or maybe the new version of the RHS colour chart has it – Hmmm... Birthday list?!
Lavender's blue, dilly, dilly Lavender's green When l am King, dilly, dilly You shall be Queen! Call up your men, dilly, dilly Set them to work Some to the plough, dilly, dilly And some to the pond. Some to make hay, dilly, dilly Some to cut corn While you and I, dilly, dilly Keep ourselves warm.