Sedum ‘Chocolate Drop’- the foliage as attractive as the flower- and what a combination!
We tend to think a lot – some of us almost entirely – about flower colour when we consider planting in the garden. Leaves last far longer than blooms, so why not go for a combination of flower and foliage that will add texture to flower colour and shape?
Some leaves are striped, others marbled or speckled, while others range from purple, silver and blue, to butter-yellow or lime-green. Geranium (Cranesbill) and succulent-leaved Sedum are good examples of plants that pack a punch with their leaves, as do Hostas and Lamium.
Stipa gigantea- wonderful
You can creat a soft, billowing effect with plants that have feathery foliage, such as Bronze Fennel, or those with masses of leaflets, such as Aquilegia and many of the ferns. Ornamental grasses can also be used to soften displays; many are particularly useful because they are drought tolerant. I grow several here at Old School Garden, and I love the variety they add to a herbaceous border with an evergreen structure of shrubs; Stipa gigantea is especially lovely when the late afternoon sunlight catches its stalks and waving awns.
From flower to seedpod- Agapanthus
To sum up….
Blend foliage plants with flowering ones to keep the border looking at its best over the longest possible time.
Combine foliage and flowers that contrast with each other in colour,shape and texture.
Use plants with ornamental seed pods, such as Agapanthus, Feathery grass heads, such as Pampas grass and evergreen foliage.
Use plants with variegated leaves, such as striped, blotched and marbled, to their full advantage.
Choose flowering plants that have attractive foliage, such as Alchemilla mollis and geranium so that they add interest to the border over several months.
Hostas are usually grown for their foliage- which comes in all sorts of patterns and hues, but the flowers can also be very attractive
Source: ‘Short Cuts to Great Gardens’- Reader’s Digest, 1999
Old School Gardener
Old School Garden 