Contrasting Foliage is as Beautiful and Colorful as Flowers
When designing a garden, it’s easy to get fixated on flowers and forget that for most plants, the flowers are fleeting. That means it is also important to think about what the foliage will look like before and after flowering. And for many perennials, their foliage is pretty uninteresting and in some cases down right ugly.
We all can think of a few plants that are grown just for their foliage, like hosta, but here are a few lesser-known plants that would be a welcome addition to any garden (even if they didn’t have flowers).
- Amsonia hubrichtii (zone 5 – 9): Not only is Amsonia covered with blue flowers in June, it’s fine and feathery foliage turns a bright yellow in the fall.
- Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ (zone 4 – 8): Use Jack Frost to brighten up the front of a shady border. The leaves are so intriguing by themselves that I consider the pale blue flowers a bonus.
- Heuchera (zone 4 – 9): There is a Heuchera leaf in a color to complement any garden theme. In the Walter’s Garden, Inc.catalog, I counted 40 different cultivars! Besides the foliage colors, the other thing I love about Heuchera is that so many of them are named after food (Caramel and Brownies) or drinks (Southern Comfort and Pinot Noir). I feel a theme garden coming on!
- Sambucus ‘Black Lace’ (zone 4 – 7): Black Lace is a tall upright shrub with lacy foliage and pink flowers in the early summer. The fall brings black fruit that attract the birds to your garden. The texture and color of the leaves will make a unique contrast to other shrubs in your garden.
- Hakonechloa (zone 6 – 9): This is one of my favorite ornamental grasses. Click here to read my blog post with more information about this 2009 Perennial of the Year.
So remember, when you’re designing your garden, don’t obsess over flowers. Consider the impact the foliage of the plants you are using has on the form and feel of garden. The contrast of foliage color, shape and texture is much more lasting than any flowers you might be growing.
If you have a favorite foliage plant that I didn’t include on the list, I’d love to hear all about it.
Beautifully informative! Thanks. I love colorful foliage plants. I usually think of them to enliven shady areas.
I deal with mostly shady areas. I have so much green that variegation is a welcome addition. I just bought a new Steppable that is black.
Shade gardening does have it’s own unique set of challenges. I am planning a post specifically about plants for shady spots so I hope you’ll stop by again and check it out.
Hosta and heuchera are two of my favorites, and I continue to fight both deer and voles so I can enjoy the foliage of the multitude of varieties of each of these plants. My Creme Brulee (apricot foliage) heuchera looked bright as soon as the snow melted. Ornamental grasses in all sizes continue to be a great foliage plant in deer foraged areas. For shade I love any type of fern, the Japanese varieties offer great variegation. For sun, there are so many sedum choices, both low growing and taller varieties, that it’s sometimes hard to make a final choice. My newly added red stondcrop sedum (spathulifolium ‘Carnea’) did well over the winter and I’m anxious to see how it will cover the ground this year. I may mix it with a green sedum ground cover for an interesting effect. And don’t forget sages (golden edge, tri-color), which are also deer resistant. One of my all time favorite foliage plants is Lamb’s Ear (stachys) – also disliked by deer – and for those who do not enjoy thier unruly flower spikes or the beed they attract, there are non-flowering types (Helene von Stein for example) that make wonderful border accents.
Joene,
Thanks for reminding me about a few foliage plants I used to grow but have forgotten about. I also love lambs ear but I didn’t realize there was a variety without the flowers, I’m going to have to try that one.
Years ago when my boys were little we planted an animal garden and one of their favorite plants was Sedum spurium ‘Dragon’s Blood’. I think it either died or got overtaken by some rampant forsythia – I may just have to see if it’s still hidden back there and rescue it today!
I wonder if Amsonia will do well here with all my rain? I keep hearing you east-coasters mention it and the photos I’ve seen look lovely. Thanks for the urging to try it out.
Gen, My sense is that Amsonia might not like your rainy climate but it’s such a fantastic plant that you might want to try just one and see if it adapts. Isn’t it funny how you get introduced to wodnerful plants on friends’ blogs only to find out they won’t work in your garden? Happens to me all the time.