Seven Reliable Perennials With Fantastic Foliage

In the garden, all the horticultural attention is inevitably drawn to flowers. Their shape, their colour, their fragrance… that’s what catches the eye, and that’s generally what we want: a garden in full bloom! Yet, what remains most visible 80% of the time is the leaves. After all, many perennials bloom for only a few weeks each year. A brief period of dazzling beauty, then the flowers fade away.

Because flowers are ephemeral, we need to give more love to the foliage of perennial plants.

The golden aralia (Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’)

Aralia is a welcome respite of coolness in shady gardens. Where hostas and ferns (which also have attractive foliage) dominate, this perennial forms a rather rounded bush of broad, golden or lime-green leaves. In northern climates, its unusual flowering, in clusters of white umbels, appears quite late. It is therefore rare to see the small, decorative black berries. No pests or diseases are known to affect it. Remember that this plant emerges late in the spring. It is often thought to be dead, but a few weeks later, it has quickly caught up with its neighbours.

H.: 90 cm (36 inches); L.: 90 cm (36 inches); Zone 4 (USDA Zone 5)

The painted fern ‘Burgundy Lace’ (Athyrium niponicum ‘Burgundy Lace’)

All ferns have beautiful, decorative foliage, but the painted fern stands out from the rest. At first glance, its foliage takes on grayish hues rather than green. Then, in the case of ‘Burgundy Lace’, a burgundy central vein is added, extending onto the rest of the foliage. Another important quality of painted ferns is their tolerance for drier soils than other ferns. And with a thick layer of mulch, they can even be grown in a partially sunny spot.

H.: 45 cm (18 inches); L.: 45 cm (18 inches); Zone 4 (USDA Zone 5)

Siberian bugloss ‘Jack Frost’ (Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’)

An undeniable classic for shady gardens, Caucasian forget-me-not charms us with its delicate, springlike blue flowers. Throughout the rest of the season, we enjoy its large, heart-shaped leaves, richly marked with silvery-grey. It’s a reliable and hardy plant. Unlike true forget-me-nots, it doesn’t self-seed readily. Keep a close eye on the cultivars ‘Alexander’s Great’ and ‘Alexandria’, which have even more silvery foliage than ‘Jack Frost’.

H.: 40 cm (16 inches); L.: 40 cm (16 inches); Zone 4 (USDA Zone 5)

Hibiscus ‘Midnight Marvel’ (Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Midnight Marvel’)

With their enormous flowers that can reach 30 cm in diameter, perennial hibiscus have quickly become favourites in sunny gardens. From the end of July, the ‘Midnight Marvel’ hibiscus produces large, 20 cm diameter red flowers. These blend perfectly with its dark burgundy foliage. Like the aralia, this hibiscus blooms late in the spring.

H.: 120 cm (48 inches); L.: 120 cm (48 inches); Zone 5 (USDA Zone 6)

Heucherella ‘Capture the Flag’ (Heucherella ‘Capture the Flag’)

It would have been too easy to include heucheras in this selection of decorative foliage. But heucheras are well known, and indeed, you can’t beat them for their colourful leaves. So, I’m offering you its close relative, the heucherella. The heucherella is a cross between the heuchera and the tiarella. It has inherited the beautiful foliage colours of the heuchera, but it also boasts more decorative and abundant blooms. The ‘Capture the Flag’ heucherella is particularly interesting for its golden foliage marked with a red spot in the centre. It’s a small border plant that will bear pale pink flowers in early summer.

H.: 25 cm (10 inches); L.: 45 cm (18 inches); Zone 4 (USDA Zone 5)

‘Chocoholic’ bugbane (Actaea ‘Chocoholic’, formerly Cimicifuga racemosa ‘Chocoholic’)

I planted it in my garden simply because of the name! Who doesn’t love chocolate? But in the end, this silver candle, when planted in less-than-ideal conditions, has proven its tenacity in faithfully regrowing and growing larger each year. I’d even say it’s more massive than other dark-leaved varieties like ‘Brunette’ or ‘Atropurpurea’. Also, ‘Chocoholic’ has chocolate-brown foliage (!) right from the start in spring. And it stays dark all summer long!

H.: 90 cm (36 inches); L.: 60 cm (36 inches); Zone 4 (USDA Zone 5)

Sedum ‘Back in Black’ (Sedum ‘Back in Black’)

We love sedums for their extreme drought tolerance. In the realm of easy-to-grow plants, it doesn’t get much better. This sedum variety has an upright habit and foliage that blends shades of khaki green, brown, and very dark gray. A full-sun plant, its foliage retains its dark colour year-round. The flowers, which appear in summer, are a beautiful carmine pink that harmonizes perfectly with the foliage.

H.: 60 cm (24 inches); L.: 60 cm (24 inches); Zone 3 (USDA Zone 4)

To truly appreciate colourful perennials, the secret is restraint. It’s within a sea of green foliage that you place the touch of colour that will enliven the whole display. Trying to cram too many colourful foliage plants together will only create distractions. You must also ensure that the blooms harmonize with the other plants flowering at the same time. Sometimes, a small touch of colourful foliage is all it takes to transform a boring flower bed that doesn’t quite live up to your expectations.