Flowers aren't the only way to add color to a garden. How to paint with foliage

When we want to adhd colour to nan garden, astir of america group our sights connected flowers. But galore leaf-forward plants tin outlast and moreover outcompete those pinch colorful blossoms.

For starters, foliage plants don’t wax and wane aliases person a constricted bloom time. In addition, galore tin brighten up shady spots that don’t connection capable sunlight for flowers. And they thin to beryllium little attraction since they don’t request pruning aliases deadheading to support blooming aliases look their best.

Foliage plants tin adhd depth, texture and opposition to beds and containers, serving arsenic focal points aliases backdrops for different plants. There are galore species, varieties and cultivars to take from.

All of these perennial plants tin beryllium treated arsenic annuals extracurricular of their hardiness zones, isolated from for nan ornamental grasses, which would apt beryllium impractical and excessively costly to works for a azygous season.

GROUND COVERS

Consider Heuchera, aka coral bells aliases alumroot, which is arsenic (if not primarily) weighted for its large, heart-shaped aliases rounded frilly leaves arsenic for its gangly flower stalks that bloom from outpouring done summer. It’s disposable successful a dizzying array of leafage colors, from muted greenish and pick to agleam chartreuse and bold maroon, copper, reddish and purple. There are besides variegated varieties and immoderate pinch chopped leafage veins. You tin works Heuchera arsenic a azygous specimen aliases arsenic a crushed screen successful portion shadiness to portion sun (perennial successful zones 4-9).

Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macryphylla) is different beautiful foliage works that useful good arsenic a groundcover. Among nan choices are “Jack Frost,” a assortment that boasts silvery foliage that contrasts nicely pinch surrounding greenery, and “Jack of Diamonds,” which has giant, overlapping, heart-shaped leaves pinch acheronian greenish veining (perennial successful zones 3-8).

Sweet murphy vine, often planted astatine nan extracurricular separator of containers for a spilling effect, will quickly screen crushed (or a trellis) pinch vining heart-shaped, lobed aliases lacy green, chartreuse, purple, green, red, bronze, burgundy aliases purple leaves (perennial successful zones 9-11).

And Artemisia, besides known arsenic mugwort aliases wormwood, adds an attention-grabbing, silvery touch to beds and containers, peculiarly successful moon gardens, for which plants are selected for their expertise to “glow” successful nan moonlight. The fragrant works besides resists cervid and rabbit browsing (perennial successful zones 3 aliases 4 done 8, 9 aliases 10, depending connected variety).

MID-SIZE MARVELS

The polka dot works (Hypoestes phyllostachya) is simply a statement successful a cookware (or plot bed), its vibrant foliage splashed pinch pink, achromatic aliases reddish blotches aliases dots. Typically increasing 12 to 18 inches tall, pinch immoderate varieties reaching 3 feet, nan works thrives champion successful portion sun (perennial successful zones 10-11).

Angel wings (Caladium), prized for their intricately patterned, arrowhead-shaped foliage, tin turn up to 2 feet tall. Each works sends up individual leaves of pink, red, achromatic and/or green, their veins and, often, colored margins brightening partially shady spots (perennial successful zones 8-12).

With hundreds of varieties successful different heights, colors, leafage sizes and shapes, there’s apt a Coleus for each plot aliases container. Most for illustration shade, immoderate tin tolerate sun, and each quickly turn into dense clusters to supply near-instant gratification (perennial successful zones 10-11).

STATEMENT PLANTS

Pink Muhly writer (Muhlenbergia capillaris), native to Eastern North America, shines successful autumn pinch its pink, airy inflorescences, which technically are flowers, but not successful nan colloquial sense. In winter, its plumes slice to silver-gray. At conscionable 2-3 feet gangly and wide, you tin works 1 arsenic a standalone aliases statement respective up to create a short hedgerow (zones 6-9).

Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) is simply a 3-foot-tall delight pinch gray-green blades and melodramatic red, purple and orangish autumn colors that persist done winter. It’s besides a North American prairie autochthonal that serves arsenic a larval big for respective skipper butterfly type (zones 4-9).

Just astir anyone tin adhd a tropical flair to beds and borders pinch “Black Magic” elephant ears (Colocasia). The traffic-stopping works quickly grows to a tallness of 3-5 feet by midseason. Its astir black, deep-purple, heart-shaped leaves often surpass 2 feet successful length. Outside nan plant’s hardiness range, gardeners tin excavation up and shop its tuber successful autumn for replanting nan pursuing outpouring (zones 9-11).

___

Jessica Damiano writes regular farming columns for nan AP and publishes nan award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You tin sign up here for play farming tips and advice.

___

For much AP farming stories, spell to https://apnews.com/hub/gardening.