By Teresa Woodard

It’s no blarney. Emerald green is the hot color this spring and not just for St. Patrick’s Day.  Pantone, the creative industry’s color authority, has designated this radiant jewel tone as the 2013 color of the year in its Fashion Color Report.

“The most abundant hue in nature, the human eye sees more green than any other color in the spectrum,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “As it has throughout history, multifaceted Emerald continues to sparkle and fascinate. Symbolically, Emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today’s complex world. This powerful and universally-appealing tone translates easily to both fashion and home interiors.”

In the green gardening world, it’s easy to be fashionable this year.  Still, here are a few ways to update your outdoor spaces with this lush green color:

• Emerald foliage:  Be lavish with green foliage favorites like hostas, ferns, heucheras, canna lilies and begonias.  Plant them in mass or fill up containers in monochromatic color schemes.
• Emerald flowers:  When it comes to flowers, green is harder to find.  Look for Zinnia ‘Envy’, Bells of Ireland (Moluccella laevis), Gladiolius ‘Green Star’, Helleborus ‘Green Gambler’, Alocasia ‘Green Velvet’, Hydrangea ‘Limelight’, and Echinacea purpurea  ‘Green Jewel’.
• Emerald accessories: Dress up porches and patios with pillows in trendy green trellis patterns or oversized botanical and flame stitch prints.  Try spray painting a chair or bench emerald green.  Shop for green pots or candles in recycled wine bottles. Even create a table top mosaic in emerald jewel tone tiles.