Planting DesignDiscover the right plants for your garden.
Photo by : Proven winner
boast in : Garden Design ’s Top 9 Garden Trends for 2023(“Adding Texture with Foliage Plants " )
When take plant , nurseryman usually suppose of flower first . Often overlooked are plants with foliage interest , which sum a different component to the landscape .
There are many kind of annual , perennials , shrub , and trees that allow for leaf color throughout the grow season . Foliage can be an effective background element or take center level .
front for foliage attributes such as colour , variegated patterns , foliage material body and grain . Some variety switch hues throughout the twelvemonth , while others demo spectacular downfall color . Think about how unlike plants will look together and how foliage complement other feature such as efflorescence , berries , fruit , and barque .
ALSO : Designing With Foliage Over Flowers
Here are some plant suggestion to get you started :
Proven Accents ® Silver Bullet ® artemisia . exposure by : Proven Winners
ARTEMISIA (Artemisiaspp.)
Plant type : Herbaceous perennial , also grown as an annualZones:3 - 9Exposure : Full sunHabit : Upright , mounding , or spreading habitHeight / Spread:1 to 6 base marvelous , 1 to 12 foot wide
Also sleep with as wormwood or mugwort , Artemisiais grow for the silver , white , or grizzly leafage . The barbed redolent farewell are deeply lob or delicately dissected , adding soft texture to the landscape painting . Use as a background plant in a interracial margin , as an accent in arock gardenorherb garden , or in containers in combination with other plants .
take artemisia .
Proven Accents ® Silver Bullet ® artemisiafrom Proven Winners , pictured .
Sprinter ® box . Photo by : Proven success
BOXWOOD (Buxusspp.)
works character : Evergreen shrubZones:5 - 9 , with a few motley intrepid to Zone 4Exposure : Full sunlight to shadeHabit : Dense bushy or upright habitHeight / Spread:1 to 20 feet tall , 2 to 8 feet full
Turkish boxwood has long been used in courtly European design as clipped hedge or sustenance sculpture . The small leave and succinct habit lends itself to being pruned into neatly manicured shapes , lend anatomical structure to the landscape . Use boxwood as hedging to definegarden room , as sculptural focal points , in containers , along pathways , or as a secrecy concealment .
take box .
Sprinter ® boxwoodfrom Proven Winners , pictured .
Heart to sum ® ‘ blush Bride ’ caladium . Photo by : Proven succeeder
CALADIUM (Caladium bicolor)
flora type : Tropical summertime bulbZones:9 - 11 , grown as an annual in cold zonesExposure : Partial to full shadeHabit : upright piano spreading habitHeight / Spread:12 to 24 inches marvellous , 8 to 24 inch wide
Also known as angel wing , Caladiumare grown for the bluff arrowhead - shaped leaves which total in an array of intricate patterns and colours . This shade devotee can be used to lighten up darker areas of the yard . Use as a bedding or container flora . Combine with othershade plantssuch as ferns , hosta , flame nettle , or impatiens .
Read caladium .
spunk to affection ® ‘ Blushing Bride ’ caladiumfrom Proven Winners , picture .
Pretoria canna . Photo by : Proven Winners
CANNA (Cannaspp. and hybrids)
Plant case : Summer bulbZones:7 - 11 , grow as an yearly in cold zonesExposure : Full sunHabit : upright piano habitHeight / Spread:1 - 1/2 to 8 feet marvelous , 1 - 1/2 to 6 feet wide
Large banana - similar leaves fall out in shades of green or striking colorful normal , lending an exotic feel to the landscape . The plant , which are grow from rhizomes , also produce brilliantly dark efflorescence from summer into dusk . multitude in beds or borders , use in container , as a stand - alone focal percentage point , or in combination with other heat - bed varieties .
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ColorBlaze ® Dipt in Wine coleus . pic by : Proven succeeder
COLEUS (Plectranthus scutellarioides, syn.Solenostemon scutellarioides)
plant life eccentric : Tropical annualZones:10 - 11Exposure : fond sunshine to shadeHabit : Mounding , vertical , or trailing habitHeight / Spread:6 to 36 inches tall , 12 to 36 inch wide
Coleus is a popular Victorian bedding plant grown for the foliation , which comes in an endless regalia of shapes and pattern , in chromaticity from undimmed yellow to almost bleak . Grow this versatile tropic annual in bed or edge , container , windowpane box or fall basket . Combine with other plant such as fuchsias , begonia , or elephant pinna for a dazzling summertime display .
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ColorBlaze ® Dipt in Wine coleusfrom Proven Winners , pictured .
Primo ® ‘ Pretty Pistachio ’ , ‘ Mahogany Monster ’ , and ‘ Black Pearl ’ coral bells . pic by : Proven Winners
CORAL BELLS (Heucheraspp.)
Plant type : PerennialZones:4 - 9Exposure : Partial sun to partial shadeHabit : Mounding or spreading habitHeight / Spread:6 to 18 inches marvelous , 12 to 30 inch broad
Named for the cernuous doorbell - shaped flowers , coral bells are principally grown for the evergreen or semi - evergreen leafage , which come in a range of colors and shapes . This versatile perennial is tolerant of unlike Light Within and soil conditions and needs small maintenance , making it virtually foolproof even for beginning gardeners . Use in a woodland border , as aground screen , pathway edging , or in containers in combination with other plant .
scan coral toll .
Primo ® ‘ Pretty Pistachio ’ , ‘ Mahogany Monster ’ , and ‘ Black Pearl ’ precious coral bellsfrom Proven Winners , pictured .
Dusty Miller . Photo by : Nataliia Politova / Shutterstock
DUSTY MILLER (Jacobaea maritima, syn.Senecio cineraria)
Plant eccentric : Herbaceous perennial , usually grow as an annualZones:7 - 10Exposure : Full sunlight to partial shadeHabit : Upright shaggy habitHeight / Spread:6 to 24 inches marvellous and wide
Grown for the velvety silver foliation and delicate lacy texture , stale miller goes with a wide stove of colour palettes , from soft pastel hue to bold tropical color . It is most often grown as an annual and performs best in full Lord’s Day . Use as a background plant in a motley border , mass as a bedding industrial plant , or place in containers in combination with flowering annuals .
Elephant ear plant . Photo by : Garden World Images / Alamy Stock Photo
ELEPHANT EAR (Colocasiaspp.)
flora type : BulbZones:8 - 11Exposure : Full sun to fond shadeHabit : vertical vase - shaped habitHeight / Spread:2 to 8 groundwork improbable , 1 to 8 foot wide
Giant spirit - shaped leaves up to 2 feet across resemble elephant pinna , hence the common name . leaf occurs in colour of green , purple , or virtually black , some with striped or speckled design . In colder climates , the large bulb can be get the picture and stored indoors to replant the next spring . Use in containers or industrial plant in bed with other tropical looking for plants such as canna lily , coleus , or sweet Irish potato vines .
understand elephant ear plants .
Maidenhair fern . Photo by : Janet Loughrey
FERNS
Zones:3 - 11Exposure : Partial sun to shadeHabit : Varies by genus and speciesHeight / Spread : Varies by genus and specie
One of the most valuable plants for shade gardens , fern sum up a lushness to borders , layer , and containers . flora can range from bantam forest floor specimens to giant tropical Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ferns . Foliage is commonly fleeceable , but can also take place in shades of ash grey , white , amber , orange , or purple . Sword - mold leave with delicately dissected edge complement a wide range of spectre - have sex groundcover , perennial , and shrubs .
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Shadowland ® ‘ Autumn Frost ’ hosta . Photo by : Proven success
HOSTA (Hostaspp.)
industrial plant eccentric : PerennialZones:3 - 9Exposure : fond or mottled shadeHabit : mound spreading habitHeight / Spread:2 inches to 4 ft tall , 5 inches to 6 feet encompassing
One of the most democratic perennial for shadowiness gardens , the bold leaves of hosta come in an array of colors , radiation diagram and embodiment . Plant sizing ranges from lilliputian thumbnail specimen to varieties as big as motortruck tyre . Hostas are exceptionally hardy and reliable , coalesce well with other woodland plants such as ferns , coral bells , and bleed eye . acquire in container , forest borders , or lot plantings .
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Shadowland ® ' Autumn Frost’from Proven Winners , visualize .
Lamb ’s spike . Photo by : Julia Senkevich / Shutterstock
LAMB’S EAR (Stachys byzantina)
flora type : Herbaceous perennialZones:4 - 9Exposure : Full Sunday to partial shadeHabit : mound spread habitHeight / Spread:6 to 18 in marvelous , 12 to 36 inches panoptic
Grown for the silvery leafage with a soft muzzy grain that resembles lamb ’s ears , hence its unwashed name . Native to the Mediterranean , plants grow best in full sun and well - draining soil , and are drought - tolerant once establish . Use as a quick - growing ground cover , border or footpath edging , or as a rock music garden specimen .
Read lamb ’s ear .
Lilyturf . Photo by : Simona Pavan / Shutterstock
LILYTURF (Liriopespp.)
flora type : Grass - corresponding evergreen herbaceous perennialZones:4 - 10Exposure : Full sun to partial shadeHabit : mound clumping habitHeight / Spread:8 to 24 in magniloquent and wide
Strappy putting surface or variegate leaves add together ok texture and structure to the landscape . regal , pinkish , or white bloom spike seem in late summer . This flying - develop earth cover is drought resistant and low maintenance once established . Mass along a slope for erosion control or usance as tract or border edging . Makes a goodsubstitute for turf lawnin areas without regular foot traffic .
' pinkish - a - Blue ' lungwort . pic by : Proven Winners
LUNGWORT (Pulmonariaspp.)
flora type : Herbaceous perennialZones:3 - 9Exposure : Partial to full shadeHabit : Mounding spread habitHeight / Spread:6 to 12 inches tall , 1 to 2 feet wide
Grown for the spear - form leaves that are green , silver , speckled , or model . Clusters of bell - shaped flowers appear in early spring , occurring in hues of disconsolate , pink , or white . Plant this shade fan in a woodland garden alongside hellebores , bleeding pump , hosta , andspring blooming bulbsfor a dazzling former season show .
Read lungwort .
' pinkish - a - Blue’from Proven Winners , pictured .
New Zealand Flax . exposure by : John Glover
NEW ZEALAND FLAX (Phormium tenax)
flora type : Evergreen perennialZones:9 - 11Exposure : Full sunlight to fond shadeHabit : upright piano spiky habitHeight / Spread:1 to 12 feet improbable , 1 to 6 feet extensive
The thick steel - like foliage of New Zealand flax lends bluff structure and texture to the landscape . Leaves come in shades of green , burgundy , orange , crimson , pink , and gold , some with bicolor or pinstripe patterns . Use as a focal point in a container or the landscape . Potted specimen can beoverwintered indoorsin cold-blooded region .
Ginger Wine ® ninebark . Photo by : Proven winner
NINEBARK (Physocarpus opulifolius)
Plant type : Deciduous shrubZones:2 - 8Exposure : Full sunshine to fond shadeHabit : vertical arch or bushy habitHeight / Spread:3 to 10 feet tall , 3 to 12 feet broad
Ninebark has multi - seasonal appeal . The lobed circle or ellipse foliage comes in shades of greenish , purple , burgundy , gold , orange , or multi - hues . Some varieties have newfangled foliage growth that changes colouring as the season progresses . This carefree shrub can be planted in mixed delimitation , as hedge or showing , or used as a focal point in the landscape .
Read ninebark .
Ginger Wine ® ninebarkfrom Proven Winners , see .
Pink Muhly grass . Photo by : atiger / Shutterstock
ORNAMENTAL GRASSES
Plant eccentric : PerennialZones:3 - 11 , depend on genus and speciesExposure : Full sunshine to partial shadeHabit : Upright , mounding , or spreading habitHeight / Spread : Varies by genus and species
decorative eatage add texture , drive , and sound to the landscape painting . There are stacks of smorgasbord to choose from in unlike colors , sizes , and material body . foliation is often come with by attractive seedheads that occur from belated fountain to fall , depending on the variety . These reliable plants are virtually maintenance costless , adding wintertime interest and providing food and protection for wildlife .
Read ornamental skunk .
' Escargot ' begonia . Photo by : Dwi Windarvanto / Shutterstock
REX BEGONIA (Begonia rex-cultorum)
works type : Tropical perennialZones:10 - 12Exposure : Part to full shadeHabit : Upright mounding habitHeight / Spread:8 to 24 inch improbable and wide
Also known as fancy leaf begonia , these ticklish bet plants are valued for their highly cosmetic leaves , which come in a wide scope of colour and patterns . These aureate tropical perennials can be grown outdoors in warmer month and treated as yearbook , or overwinter indoors as houseplant . They are most often displayed in containers or terrariums , but can also be used as bedding plants in umbrageous areas .
register begonia .
See more on theProven Accents ® line of foliage plantsfrom Proven Winners , get container recipe and planting theme .
