search
plants site
most popular


share

Creating Colorful Foliage Gardens

Learn how to use a variety of leaf colors and textures to create a garden that is always interesting.

Prev  1 2 3 (of 4)  Next
GardenFoliage_Mint Green Leaves With Blue Ivy Plants
Enlarge Image
 
Silver fern, hosta, columbine, and
the blue leaves of euphorbia
gleam in this shady vignette.

The Essential Leaf

Foliage has an essential and complex function in the plant world. It converts sunlight to life-sustaining sugars. In garden design, leaves assume equally important roles. They prolong a border's attractions through the season, giving it depth, flow, and personality. Whereas flash-in-the-pan flowers display vibrant colors timed to guide inbound pollinators, leaves put on a longer-running show.

Leaves build architecture. Used as hedging, ground cover, background, or striking specimen, foliage defines garden contours and skylines.


GardenFoliage_Heart Shaped Foilage Mounded With Dirt
Enlarge Image
 
Burgundy and bright green lettuces
bring a colorful contrast to a
vegetable garden.

In fact, a planting limited to green palettes fascinates as much as a floor show of flamboyant blooms. Of all colors, green is viewed and perceived most easily. Using various shades of green only and interweaving delicate, airy foliage with coarser leaves creates an impressive tapestry that's easy on the eyes. In an all-green garden, a single plant with bold, dramatic foliage assumes the spotlight where flowers would usually stand. It has equal impact.


Continued on page 2:  Uncommon Greenery

 

Related Links

Give yourself a private sanctuary to enjoy your landscape on beautiful fall days.

Attract birds and butterflies to your yard by adding this beautiful, easy-care garden.

Enjoy a stroll through the Washington state garden of Wendy Burroughs. Her garden reflects her guiding principle: every bed, every border, must have a purpose, a reason for being.

Related Videos

Styled by Better Homes and Gardens, this 1,688-square-foot loft is both colorful and contemporary. It's perfect for a si...

Kitchen & Bath Trend Report: Color your decor with something unexpected: appliances! From wall ovens to washers, there's...

Put pumpkins on a pedestal, then fill them with beautiful fall foliage for a one-of-a-kind centerpiece.



Comments

Comments ( 0 )
1871312868

Add your comment

Send to Facebook
 
 

my gardening notebook

hi, Susie
Not Susie?
most recently clipped

Your garden notebook is empty

open my notebook
Close myBhg
MyBhg Quickview

Hello, Susie
BHG.com has special news for you. Find Out find out more

See exclusive offers just for our members. Click here to enter for your chance to win great prizes.

Your ideas and clippings About you
 

 Loading Recent Clippings

Browse through your recent clippings
organized by areas of the site.

 
Close Dashboard
 
ADVERTISEMENT

 

  • Videos
  • Top Tools
  • Calendar
  • Win Daily
Rattle the neighbors with some fresh-from-the-graveyard displays. They're so simple to make, you'll really "dig" it!

You're just a snip away from new plants. Don't believe us? Just take a look at our almost foolproof tips for starting ne...

The end of summer doesn't mean the end of fresh herb flavor. Use these Test Garden tips to make the most of herbs all ye...

Mums in a gourd

Holiday Decorating

Celebrate in style with hundreds of FREE holiday decorating ideas.

View this tool

All Top Tools

Todays Daily Prize




 

 
By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Service.