Perennials Forum FAQ
What are some perennials that are good for foliage display?
- Ruth Anne (IL. zone 5a) - I would like ideas for perennials that offer foliage interest, not only by way of color, but possibly by shape, size, and texture. Thanks!!! PS - has anyone tried the coral bells varieties with silvery foliage ( I think they are: v.pewter veil, and I forget the other!! I don't know about the bloom, but the foliage is striking)
Barbara (MA/Z5) - 'Noah Williams' is a variegated form of Veronica spicata 'Icicle'. It's easy to grow, will take quite a bit of shade and flowers from mid summer till hard frost. If you like the variegated look, keep an eye out for v. gentianoides 'Variegata', shiny green leaves edged in white and blue flower spikes.
Bob in zone 6 (Ontario) - Do biennials count? One of my favorites happens to come true from seed: it's a strain of Lunaria annua with very attractive variegated leaves and white flowers.
Barbara - Ajuga reptans 'Burgundy Glow'. A carpet several feet in diameter, in bloom. Also, varieties of Hosta and Houttuynia cordata.
Neil Allen ILZ5 - You might check out eryngiums; they're certainly spectacular, any many seem to have some sort of variegation -- blue/white gray/black, etc.
Cindy in zone 5 - There is a beautiful variegated wallflower- I think it is called 'Bowles Mauve'. The green and white foliage is great but the bronze and purple flowers are absolutely striking.
Pam - CoralBells 'Pewter Veil' is an extraordinary plant; the flowers are diminutive. But the leaves of this plant are exceptional...steel gray with deep purple/pink veining. An easy grower. Whenever I think of perennials grown mainly for foliage, the entire hosta family comes to mind. And, then, thinking only of foliage plants, my mind immediately goes to the ornamental grasses, especially the variegated or veined grasses like the Japanese blood grass, the flaxes! Just beautiful... The 'Husker's Red' penstemon offers exceptional foliage; its white flowers are almost unnecessary. And most of the hardy geraniums hold their own with foliage, as well as the scented pelargoniums.
April (Z6)NC - I've found that certain daylilies have very nice foliage through the summer even after they have bloomed. Palace Lantern, Mountain Violet, Becky Lynn, Kenneth Kobb, Malaysian Monarch, Neal Berry and Chininese Cloisonné.
Tamara MI/Z5 - Berginias have a very succulent looking leaf and very nice flower stalks in the spring.They are also easy to divide. Jacob's ladder has a very unusual leaf. Hepatica is also one of my favorites for leaf interest. Actually I probably grow most of my perennials for leaf interest now that I think about it. Silver mound is very nice and I grow it near some fescue clumps. Jack -in the pulpit has a nice leaf for much of the season and then dramatic red berries after.
Amanda - One of my for attractive foliage is pulmonaria (trout plant). It has blue and pink flowers in spring plus low green foliage with silver spots - likes part shade. I have the old-fashioned one, but also a newer variety whose name I have lost. (Mrs. something) It has stiff lance-shaped leaves and very distinctive markings. The other success I've had this year is columbne. I started a lot in a new bed. It hasn't bloomed yet, but with all the rain we've had, the foliage is gorgeous and has been commented on. Who knows if it will look good next year. (We usually have extreme problems with leaf miners.)
Dominique - I have grown coral bell, but they eventually disappeared in rough and tumble of the perennial beds. I was not overly impressed, although I had unnamed, anonymous cultivars and that is perhaps the reason. I like perennials that have spectacular foliage, but I like them bold (BIG) rather than colorful. That’s why I stay away from the edger hostas, or those with edged leaves; however I love those like "Colossal" or Big Daddy".
Beside the Hostas, there are many perennials with large, spectacular foliage (I'll stick at that end of the spectrum). Some one mentioned Bergenia, which have evergreen, glossy leaves about 15 cm across, usually with red overtones. In front of the border, in moist shade they are absolutely gorgeous.
Ligularia have nice foliage, although the cultivar "The rocket", has by far the best of the many ligularias I grow. It has glossy, dark green, deeply cut leaves. It seems (in my garden anyway to be slug resistant whereas other ligularias are perfect slug attractors!
Astilboides tabularis is a beautiful underused plant. I has large, round leaves (40 cm across) on 75 cm stems. It seems to be well behaved, and it is sufficiently open to be underplanted with a low ground cover. It produces white flowers reminiscent as astilbes (they are related). Their close allies, the Rodgersias have similar flowers, but very different leaves made up of few large leaflets (reminiscent of horse chestnut leaves). Not so well behaved (actually, it is probably one of the most vigorous invasive perennial around, but it is fairly easy to control), is Petasites japonicus giganteus. It produces non descript flowers very early in the spring, and has enormous (2 feet across +) leaves on 3 foot stalk. I have a large colony (30 sq. feet) and it is absolutely spectacular. Even bigger, but unfortunately not very hardy are the Gunneras. Mine has survived 3 years in my garden (with protection under (a lot) of snow), but it has not flourished. I grow it more as a curiosity than for ornament.
There are some ornamental rhubarbs (Rheum palmatum, R. emodi) that have very spectacular foliage (1-2 feet across). They grow about 3 feet tall, although the flower stalks can reach 6 feet. They are beautiful, unfortunately underused plants for the back of the border.
Finally, if you are blessed with the appropriate climate, there are the large, monocarpic Meconopsis, M. regia, M. napaulensis, etc. Actually, they are may be worth a try in warmer areas. The blue poppies are very difficult to grow in areas with warm (rather not cold) summers, but these guys may be worth a try. They form large rosettes (3-4 feet across) with leaves similar (but much bigger) to those of a light green dusty miller. They take 4 or 5 years to bloom, and then die, Agave Like. They are evergreen and they would provide added winter interest in areas that are not covered in snow (not my case).
Kirk Zone9 - I fell in love with the leaves of Filipendula rubra 'Venusta' in a garden before I had ever seen its beautiful blooms. The leaves are very impressive, I wondered which of the Rodgersias it was. It is hardy to Zone 4. I also have Filipendula palmata, it's leaves are just as beautiful. It is just a smaller plant. Filipendula rubra grows to 7 feet tall.
Matt - True, ferns are excellent for foliage display. There are so many ferns out there, but unfortunately not many gardeners really research and discover the vast splendor. Some of the less commonly known ferns for incredible foliage texture/shape are: Adiantum species [a good one is A.venustum],Polystichum setiferum 'divisilobum' and other varieties,Asplenium scolopendrium [Phyllitis scolopendrium]varieties, Woodwardia species.
Some with foliage color are: Athyrium nipponicum 'pictum' [Japanese painted fern], Dryopteris erythrosora [autumn fern], Blechnum penna-marina[little hard fern] Some other perennials I like are Rubus pentalobus, R.tricolor, Tellima grandiflora, true Geraniums, other species of Alchemilla [besides A.mollis] So many plants, so little time. Hope this helps a little.
Susan /Z7 - Rudbeckia maxima (foliage looks like glaucous cabbage leaves), Artemesia and ornamental grasses. This fall, I planted an ornamental golden oregano called 'Jim's Best'. I like lemon-thyme for its variegated pattern on a very tiny scale. Baptisia has a nice fountain effect of blue foliage. Also, Nepeta sibirica has a gray green effect and en masse provides alot of texture. Andie (MO/Zone 6) Don't forget our old friends the peonies. The foliage works as a shrub after the flowers have faded.
Janet OH/Z6 - A favorite foliage plant of mine is Corydalis. Although it flowers all summer, the blooms are quite small, and it is the leaves which catch the eye - light green, deeply cut and dainty, and a nice mounding plant. Helleborus are extremely interesting and very unique. Oxalis triangularis have deep purple, clover shaped leaves. It's not quite so hardy. I managed three years growth, leaving them in the ground over winter. And Allium giganteum - I like the shape of the tall straight stems topped by large pompoms. Even after blooming, they maintain garden interest for months.
Barbara (MA/Z5) - I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Siberian iris as good foliage plants - pest free and a good sword-like shape. I have also been pleased with amsonia t. salicifolia, a spring bloomer that stays shrublike for the rest of the season. Thalictrum glaucum is the mainstay of one border - even after cutting back, the clean blue-green foliage is a standout.
Susan - Hi, Two of my favorites are the variegated albutilons that have lovely maple like leaves and in this part of the world (Northern Ca) seem to bloom all year; the other is the Madarence geranium, which has large fern like fronds, plus beautiful deep pink flowers in the spring...last hear the flower head on ours was almost 3' across! Don't forget the shrubs, like purple smoke tree that are wonderful mixers. Susan
Sue - Can I throw in another couple of things I enjoy. Firstly nearly any Euphorbia, I don't think I've grown one yet that I don't like and the flower heads just last for months and some are shrubby so they last all through the winter here in England and look brilliant with the frost on them. Another plant I've finally bought this year is Melianthus major, it has big jagged gray green leaves and is supposed to be just about hardy here if given free draining soil and a bit of protection. Hopefully next year I'll have a big, six foot mound of these leaves to watch all spring and summer.
Kim - My favorite for foliage is acanthus spinosus (spiny bear's breeches). It looks kinda like a cross between a holly and a fern, with some REALLY wicked looking spines on the leaves. The only ones that are truly nasty, though, (at least in my experience) are the ones that form on the flower stalk. Gloves are a definite requirement when cutting this one. My Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Perennials lists it as hardy to zone 7, but I've been having no problems with it in my zone 6 garden. With some winter protection, it might work for you, too.
Barb Mich z5 - I planted Malva sylvestris this year for the first time, and loved the glossy dark green foliage, though it hasn't blossomed yet. It is a cousin of hollyhock, and leaves are similar. I bought seeds listed as a perennial, but some catalogs call it biennial, must wait and see!
Kitty - Since no one has mentioned it, the foam flower (not sure of the Latin) has wonderfully shaped green leaves that turn copper over the fall and winter months. The spiky flowers appear in the spring and it maintains a lovely clump formation. It grows best in the shade and thrives on neglect. A truly wonderful addition to my garden!
Glenda (IN/Z5) - No one has mentioned Baptisia australis (false indigo) I have had one in my garden for about 12 years now, it is beautiful and thrives on neglect. It's about 3 or 4 foot tall and about 6' across. The foliage is a beautiful pale green that stays nice all season, I leave it up until spring for winter interest. Oh, the flowers are great as well.
I also grew artemesia 'Powis Castle' this year and thought it was a beautiful large silver plant--a giant silvermound that didn't break up in the center.
Perennials Forum FAQ Page
| Perennials Forum
| Other Forums