Generally speaking , gardeners turn recurrent plants for their prime , but in this post we focus on repeated plant with beautiful leafage . In my Holy Writ , plant that have both beautiful bloom and striking foliage are even better .
Let ’s front it without making a garden design programme , oftentimes perennial gardens can have period where they are kind of rant without much color or variety . But , if you have plants with striking leaf , that will go a retentive way to remedy the situation and supply you with lots of color and variety throughout the growing season .
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Achillea Vintage Pink
Why Add Perennials with Beautiful Foliage to Your Flower Garden
Here are a few reasons for add hardy perennial with beautiful leafage to your prime garden :
Please note that if the USDA hardiness zone for a finical plant is n’t listed , it ’s because the hardiness zona is ascertain by the sort of the perennial .
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Sun or Part Sun Perennials with Beautiful Foliage
Yarrow
Yarrow ( achillea ) not only has lovely , long - blooming peak , but its fern - like foliage reckon great too . Some think Achillea millefolium to be incursive spreading by clandestine runners , but I encourage to to essay some of the new varieties . milfoil will grow just about anywhere , but looks good in a sunny spot with moist , well - drained dirt . It is stout in zone 3 - 9 .
Beardtongue
Beardtongue ( Penstemon ) is another long - blossom perennial , but if you ’re looking for beautiful deep red foliage , definitely consider adding the Husker Red or Dakota Burgundy kind to your gardens . It is a bad perennial that tolerates most any stipulation in full Lord’s Day . Hardiness geographical zone 3 - 8 .
Artemisia
Silver Mound Artemisia ( wormwood ) – If you do n’t have the cultivar Silver Mound in your blossom garden , plan on adding some soon . The silver leafy vegetable , sleek foliage appear amazing with flowers in a nerveless color range . As an supply bonus , rabbits and cervid do n’t care silver mound . It fly high in most conditions in full sun . Silver Mound can be divide in spring or fall every few geezerhood to keep it calculate good . It is hardy in zones 3 - 7 . There are many other Artemisias that do well in warmer climates . Two of them are “ Powis Castle ” and “ Silver Brocade . ” “ Powis Castle ” is a great Artemisia that has been used successfully for many years . It reaches 3 animal foot tall and 6 feet wide . ( Hardiness zona 6 - 9 ) The other , “ Silver Brocade , ” tops out at 1 foot marvellous and 1 ft astray . It is hardy in zones 3a-8b .
Hardy Hibiscus
Hardy Hibiscus ( Rose Mallow ) not only have Brobdingnagian gorgeous flowers , but their foliage is also quite adorable . Be certain when you take a potpourri of hibiscus that it is winter hardy for your area . They perform best in full sun . Unfortunately , hardy hibiscus are Japanese beetle magnets in my gardens .
Cushion Spurge
Cushion Spurge ( Euphorbia polychroma ) is the most unique plant I have in my gardens . It starts out in the spring with shiny green foliage and yellow bloom - similar bract . The foliage remains attractive throughout the summer and turns showy shades of crimson , orangish and purple in the fall . Beware that all portion of the plant are toxic and should be deal with care . shock spurge is hardy in zones 4 - 8 .
Sedum
Many newer varieties of Sedum have gorgeous foliage and are a real standout in a perennial . Most motley prefer full sun and dry soil .
Perennial Grasses with Striking Foliage
decorative grasses are always a expert option if you are looking for low-spirited - maintenance , attractive leafage options for your landscape painting or flower gardens . There are much limitless variety of ornamental eatage for you to choose from . Be certain to do a little research before you settle on one for your garden . A few of our favorites include :
Perennial Plants with Beautiful Foliage for Shade
A refinement garden can be so adorable and unagitated . wads of gardeners elegy over having primarily spectre , but by total some of these plant to your fishy space , you may create stunning garden .
Hosta
Hosta – First and foremost , when we think of plants for shade gardens , most of us think of Hosta . Although there are many awesome varieties of hosta , they are n’t the only shade plant with beautiful foliage . Hostas typically have tall stalks of shades or royal or blanched flowers . I do n’t really care for the prime shuck of hostas and cut most of them off .
Although many gardeners plant genus Funka in full Dominicus , they do best in part shade ( 3 – 4 hours of filter sun or morning sun ) to full shadiness . For a complete guide to growing Hosta and parcel out more painting , be certain to fit outthis situation .
Fun Idea – Did you know that you’re able to spray paint the plume of astilbe plant after they have lost their color . Be sure to use spraying pigment specifically made for plants so that it does n’t harm the plant .
Achillea Vintage Pink
Astilbe
Astilbe is a lovely perennial with plume - character flowers in various shades of pink , reddish blue and white . Astilbe will put on its good show in a shady spot with moist soil , but will do okay in partial Dominicus , as long as the dirt is kept moist . They can be a chip high care in that esteem because they do not care to dry out . The foliage is serrate and can easily be mistaken as a fern when it first come forth in the leaping . Astilbe looks the best when it ’s planted in the great unwashed . It is intrepid in zone 4 - 8 .
Ferns
Ferns are such pretty leaf plants . Did you know that fern frond ( the part that emerges from the soil in spring ) are eatable ? in person , I ’ve never use up them , but I realize they are a slightness in some areas .
If you do a little searching , you’re able to obtain many varieties of ferns with various shades of foliation . Nipponese paint fern and maidenhair fern fern are my favorites , but there are many more cultivar . Although they are beautiful , I recommend avoiding Ostrich Ferns because they can be quite aggressive and take over a garden if embed in the right stipulation .
Lungwort
Lungwort ( Pulmonaria ) has pretty bell - forge blooms in the springtime that last 3 - 4 weeks . When the blooms have melt , clip them off and you are left with silver - recognize , deep - gullible foliage that looks proficient in shadowed areas of your garden the end of summertime . Lungwort ( ugh , despicable name for such a pretty plant ) does best in moist , well - drained dirt , but will let you know when it ’s have too dry . Once it ’s water , it perk up right back up . Hardiness zones 3 - 9 .
More Shade Garden Plants with Pretty Foliage
Coral Bells
Although Coral Bells ( Heuchera ) has jolly dainty flowers on long stem , they are develop primarily for their striking leaves and in my opinion are one of the salutary foliage plants . Over the years , hybridizers have created many , many different types , and you may pretty much have your pick of what colour you want to add to your gardens . Coral bells are one of those plant that will do okay in full shade garden to mostly full first light sun . They make wonderful border plants . Hardiness zone 4 - 9 .
Foam Flower
Foam Flower ( Tiarella ) are very similar to coral Bell , but are more of a woodland industrial plant . They can take dense , pie-eyed spectre , whereas genus Heuchera likes a act of morning sun and soil with good drainage . Their foliage is beautiful too , but more lobed and pointy than genus Heuchera . It is stalwart in zone 4 - 9 .
Foamy Bells
Foamy Bells ( Heucherella ) a cousin of sorts to coral bells are another works grown primarily for their foliation . Actually , they are a mix between coral bell and tiarella . Heucherella grows upright in nuance to fond shade in hardiness zona 4 - 9 .
Jacob’s Ladder
Jacob ’s Ladder ( polemonium ) is a shade plant that has lovely tiny blue flowers in the fountain . Once the flowers fade , the foliage search lovely the oddment of the season . My personal favorite variety of Jacob ’s Ladder is Stairway to Heaven . It has the prettiest vary leafage that has jot of garden pink during the cooler atmospheric condition of autumn . Hardiness geographical zone 3 - 7 .
Cimicifuga
Cimicifuga ( a / k / a white hellebore ) does n’t blossom until belated summer , but up until then , the foliage look great in a refinement garden . It resemble astilbe foliage . And , oh my , if you are in the market for a new shade plant , you must check out the rich vividness of the black beauty diverseness .
Brunnera
Brunnera ( false - forget - me - not or Siberian Bugloss ) – So what good is a flora that has pretty , little forget - me - not bloom that only blossom a few weeks in the spring , it ’s the foliation that continue attractive . The leaves are heart - shaped and have a fuzzy texture and silvern - white or emollient - colour veining . Brunnera is hardy in zones 3 - 8 .
Aruncus
Aruncus ( Goat ’s Beard ) has fern - like foliage and beautiful recollective , feathery plumes . Aruncus prefer a fleck in the shadowiness or part sun with moist , well - drain soil , but it does well as a bog plant too . Because of its height , it makes an excellent background plant life . Goat ’s Beard is most attractive when engraft in groupings of three or more odd - numbered industrial plant . Goat ’s Beard is a North American native plant and is hardy in zones 3 - 9 .
Fern-leaf Bleeding Heart
Fern - leaf bleeding pump ( dicentra ‘ luxuriant ’ ) The fern - alike leaves are aristocratic - green and finely divided , creating a delicate and lacy show . Unlike other varieties of shed blood heart the foliation seem great all summer . Fern - leaf bleeding heart also blooms the total summer . Fern - leaf bleeding meat will tolerate shade , but does in effect in part shade ( at least 3 hours of sunrise or separate out sun ) . Hardiness zona 3 - 9 .
Barrenwort
Barrenwort ( Epimedium ) has dainty pink flowers on stringy stems in the spring , but its grow mainly for its ever - changing , colorful foliage . The center - shaped leaves emerge in the bounce as a bronze - purpleness , modify to bright gullible in the summer and back to bronze - purple in the fall . Barrenwort is a rare plant that does well in dry shade . Hardy in zones 4 - 8 .
Aralia Sun King
Aralia Sunday business leader ( Japanese nard ) is a herbaceous perennial , although some bear on to it as a shrub . Its gorgeous Paris green foliation makes a beautiful dividing line to other plants in a repeated garden and really brightens up a shade garden . It raise peanut flowers afterwards in the summertime . I do n’t think I ’ve ever find out my aralia sun king bloom . Aralia sun king is one of the expert plants for time of year - farseeing color in a perennial garden . It is winter hardy in zone 3 - 9 .
Perennial Groundcovers with Beautiful Foliage.
Before choose a ground cover for your garden , be sure to do a little research on the variety you desire to establish . Groundcover plants are called groundcover , because … well , they treat the ground . Many ground cover plant will just take off and wo n’t stop at boundaries .
Deadnettle
I love both deadnettle ( lamium ) and bugleweed ( ajuga ) in my shade gardens , but many gardeners do n’t care for them because they can be fast-growing . Both of these pretty groundcovers are easy to weed out where you do n’t want them . Plus , they have really pretty blooms and foliage .
Bugleweed
There are so many varieties of Bugleweed ( Ajuga ) and they all have unique and stunning foliage . It will spread out wherever you let it , but it is very wanton to weed out . Hardiness zones 3 - 10 .
Herman’s Pride/Archangel
A cousin-german to lamium is Herman ’s Pride or Archangel ( lamiastrum ) has gorgeous metallic silver splotch on it ’s green foliage . It gets a spoiled reputation for being a vigorous spreader , but is fair well behaved and easy to manage in my spectre gardens . It ’s also tough as nail and will grow in most soils . It is hardy in zones 3 - 8 .
Perennial plants with variegated foliage are a great choice to add variety to your gardens.
False Sunflower
False Sunflower ( Heliopsis ) change sunstruck and sunburst have beautiful intricate off - white and green variegate foliation that is a standout in the landscape .
Have you ever seen an iris with variegate farewell ? They are unequaled plant and look bully in your late saltation garden .
There are several form of sedum that have motley leaves , including many ground covering variety .
Penstemon – Dakota Burgundy
Variegated Yellow Loosestrife Golden Alexander
Variegated yellow loosestrife golden alexander ( genus Lysimachia punctata ) is a pretty , well - behaved , non - encroaching variety of loosestrife . It is dead gorgeous in recent spring with long root word of middling yellow flower . Hardy in zones 4 - 8 .
Pro Tip – some plant with variegated foliage will revert to their self-coloured foliage parent industrial plant . To aid forbid this , clip or pinch off the prow of the plant with square - colored folio . Sometimes the variety ca n’t be helped .
Annual Flowers and Plants With Beautiful Foliage
Okay , yes this clause is all about perennials , but there are many annual plants and flowers with stunning foliage too . If you choose annuals over perennial , these ideas are for you . Or , if you ’re like me and you revel a combining of annual plants and perennial flora , here are some ideas for you too . Many of these work great in container gardens .
Take a walk through the specialty annuals area at your local nursery and you ’ll find lots more approximation of annual plants with endearing foliage .
Happy horticulture , Julie
Silver Mound Artemisia and alyssum
More Great Things on Gingham Gardens
More position to find Gingham Gardens :
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Sedum Atlantis
Blue fescue ornamental grass with sedum groundcover
Touch of Class Hosta
Rainbows End Hosta
Maidenhair Fern and Japanese Painted Fern
Foliage of Pulmonaria
Coral Bells (unknown variety)
Tiarella
Heucherella (foamy bells)
Jacob’s Ladder
Brunnera
Barrenwort (Epimedium)
Ajuga or Bugleweed
