Look beyond flowers to the wonderful world of foliage! Choose foliage plants to provide year round colour and interest in the garden. Create a tapestry of colour by mixing and matching different foliage colours and textures. Here are a few plants that you would grow for their foliage alone.
Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’
• A low growing plant with decorative, heart-shaped leaves.
• The green foliage is dusted with silver. Looks like a blanket of frost, hence the name ‘Jack Frost’.
• Plant on mass to brighten dark areas
• During early spring, tiny clusters of blue flowers
• Part/full shade
• Likes a cool, well drained spot
• Dry tolerant once established
• Fertilise regularly and protect from snails.
Abelia ‘Kaleidoscope’
• Compact growth habit 70 cm tall x 90 cm wide
• Fabulous foliage colour! The new growth is bright yellow and green, during spring and summer it turns a deeper golden yellow and green. In autumn and winter the foliage is a combination of bright orange and fiery red. It also displays brilliant red stems and dainty white flowers in summer.
• Likes a sunny well-drained spot. It will grow in light shade, but foliage colours are more intense in full sun
• Grow it as a specimen shrub, plant it on mass, clip it to form a hedge, or grow it in pots on a patio or balcony.
• Water well for the first season, once established it will tolerate dry conditions.
Euphorbias for Foliage colour
• Full sun
• Dry hardy
• Grow in most soil types that are free draining
• Ideal for coastal regions, Mediterranean-style gardens and dry/gravel gardens. Perfect for pots
• Decorative foliage year round
• Easy to grow with little maintenance
Euphorbia ‘Ascot Rainbow’
• Unique variegated foliage and flowers.
• Flowers from late winter through spring.
Euphorbia ‘Silver Swan’
• Striking, variegated foliage of grey green with silvery edging year round.
Spikes of creamy coloured flowers produced from late winter through spring
Euphorbia ‘Craigieburn’
• Beautiful deep blue-green foliage accented by red new growth.
• Displays vibrant lime-green flowers in spring.
Hebe ‘Black Beauty’
• Compact shrub 1 m x 1 m tall
• Dark purple/black foliage
• Containers and garden displays. Makes a great low hedge.
• Purple flowers in summer.
• Full sun
• Grow in most soil types that are free draining
• Great contrast to silver leafed plants
• Once established fairly dry tolerant
Buddleia ‘Silver Anniversary’
• Evergreen shrub 1.5 m tall x 1.2 m wide
• Felted silver grey foliage
• Fragrant ivory-white flowers with a yellow eye during summer
• Butterfly attracting, hence the common name Butterfly Bush
• Grow in most soil types that are free draining
• Prune back hard at the end of winter to remove previous seasons stems and promote new, dense growth
• Great contrast to burgundy leafed plants or hot flower colours. Can be grown in large tubs.
Lophomyrtus ‘Krinkley’
• Evergreen shrub 2 m tall by 1 m wide
• Decorative chocolate red foliage
• Great hedging or topiary plant. Use the foliage in fresh floral arrangements
• Plant it in full sun for best colour
• Trim regularly to promote compact growth
• Water occasionally during long periods of dry
• Lophomyrtus ‘Rainbow’s End’ has rose, pink, green and cream foliage. The colours become more intense during winter.
Helichrysum ‘ Ruby Clusters’
• Compact shrub 30 cm tall x 40 cm wide
• Decorative silver foliage with contrasting pink flowers buds in spring and papery white summer flowers
• Grow in most soil types that are free draining
• Full sun, dry tolerant.
• Remove spent flowers and prune to shape in late autumn.
• Makes a beautiful edging plant. Well suited to cottage garden schemes or pots on the patio.
