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Ideas for sun-loving colorful foliage?
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Posted by chris44 9 (My Page) on Fri, Nov 24, 06 at 21:07
| I'm new to tropicals, live in San Diego and am working on plants for an all new tropical landscape in my yard. I'm interested in creating lots of contrasting colorful foliage textures (versus lots of flowers). I love Coleus but have no shade!
We just created a fenced in front courtyard with a pathway up to the front door. This area is to the left of the entryway against a garage (and I'd like to keep the tallest plants not much higer than the garage roof.)
It's a sun-blasted area unfortunately. I'm envisioning a "canopy" of something loose and leafy Scheflera-like. Giant philodendron? I'd love to underplant with something fern-like (again the no-shade issue), dark & lime greens and then some deep colored varigated foliage beneath that. Ideas? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Ideas for sun-loving colorful foliage?
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| Why don't you post your question on the California Forum? |
RE: Ideas for sun-loving colorful foliage?
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Maybe Polka dot plant for the dark understory plant (sorry, the botanical name escapes me at the moment), but it comes with pink/red and also white/green. You could use the dark variegated tradescantia, but it can be invasive. Both like a bit of shade, so you should get your taller plants going first to provide the shade. Ponytail fern (asparagus 'Meyers') is a nice lime green and will take a bit of sun.
Plectranthus varieties are another good one with diffent foliage types.
Loropetalum 'Plum Delight' might be something you'd like. Cannas have some lovely foliage, but they also get tall unless you can find a dwarf variety. Cleopatra is one of my favorites, also Tropicana. Tall and leafy....maybe Azara dentata or microphylla. |
RE: Ideas for sun-loving colorful foliage?
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