Perennials With Decorative Foliage to Enhance Your Garden!

With the wide range of colors of certain perennials and so many possibilities of shapes and textures, when foliage plays the game of associations, the possibilities are endless.

Most gardeners choose their perennials based on their flowers. It’s no surprise, since it’s usually the flower that amazes us the most with its beauty, scent or originality. However, how many perennials grace us with their beautiful blooms for just a few weeks? Then what’s left? Foliage that we have to “put up with” for the 20 or more weeks of the summer season. So, it might as well be decorative.

Leaves, All Different!

Prepare yourself for a major horticultural shock! Not all foliage is green, shiny, and elliptical in form! A close look at a perennial bed reveals that no two foliage plants are alike.

In some cases, we may be attracted by the color or shape of the leaves. In other cases, it may be the texture that attracts attention. Some leaves are so soft that we can’t help but want to pet them. This is the case of lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina) or the classic ‘Silver Mound’ artemisia (Artemisia schmidtiana ‘Silver Mound’) which seems to be making a comeback in gardens. Others, on the contrary, seem unpleasant because of the presence of thorns or bristly hairs. The globe thistles (Echinops spp.) and the sea hollies (Eryngium spp.) are among them. Finally, other foliage has wrinkled or deeply furrowed leaves, such as rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum), rodgersia (Rodgersia spp.) or meadowsweet (Filipendula spp.).

The Leaves, All Beautiful ?

Well, almost. Some leaves tend to deteriorate throughout the summer season. In some cases, like the bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) or the oriental poppy (Papaver orientale), their foliage can completely disappear after flowering! So you have to be careful not to rely on them to bring “leafy beauty” to flowerbeds. You also have to keep away the foliage that risks being eaten by insects or damaged by diseases. But apart from these few exceptions, the majority of perennials offer interesting foliage all year round.

Why This Sudden Interested in Perennial Leaves?

One of the basic uses of leaves is to serve as a backdrop for the flowers. Also, in a context where we want to weed less and less, a dense leaf cover has that great advantage. And finally, when perennial blooms are rare, the foliage of perennials must succeed in preserving the aesthetic appearance of the flowerbed.

Foliage can be used to create moods. For example, fine, deeply cut foliage creates a sense of lightness and relaxation. Larger foliage transports the viewer to a more magical, supernatural world. All colorful leaves draw attention in a specific direction.

How to Use Decorative Foliage?

It’s easy to guess that combining different foliage adds interest to the garden. As with everything, you have to know how to use the right amount. Adding a plant with contrasting foliage to a uniform foliage set immediately changes the situation, for the better. However, it’s often by overdoing the contrast and texture that we eliminate the desired effect. Too much is like not enough! We then end up with a “difficult to read” garden, where it’s harder to visualize and absorb what we see. In extreme situations, we even have an expression to describe this exaggeration: the flowerbed looks like a pizza… with pineapples! It’s confusing.

In short, moderation is also important in this art of combining foliage. It’s better to choose a few general characteristics, then integrate contrasting foliage that stands out from the decor and captures attention. For example, in a border where green dominates, add a grass with dark red or burgundy foliage, such as ‘Blackhawks’ big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii ‘Blackhawks’). In a shady border, filled with plants with large, broad leaves (hostas, for example), slip in a small clump of ferns with finely cut foliage. In an mass of low plants, add a touch of verticality with a taller plant with fine, slender foliage, like blazing star (Liatris spicata).

Some Examples of Beautiful Combinations

Here are some combinations that give good results. Between tall bearded irises (Iris x germanica), place a carpet of purple-leaved bugleweed (Ajuga spp.). Alongside a large clump of astilbe (Astilbe spp.), place an equally large clump of bishop’s hat (Epimedium spp.). The slender, thin leaves of daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.) are accompanied by an upright plant with variegated foliage, such as a garden phlox (Phlox paniculata) or a false dragonhead (Physostegia spp.). Then, alongside the smooth, elliptical leaves of garden phlox, we place the embossed, toothed leaves of meadowsweet (Filipendula spp.). We can also let a ground cover of snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum) run at the foot of a grouping of perennials with green and rather broad leaves.

So, yes, the flowerbed is mainly composed of an assortment of colors and flowering periods. You can create interesting arrangements by playing with heights. But you reach the higher level of refinement when you focus on the combinations of color, shape, and texture of the foliage. The possibilities are limitless and there is plenty of room for creativity. The only rule of thumb is to let your imagination run wild and be daring!