Best Green-Leaf Plants for Your Garden

Variegated creeping Jenny (Lysimachia congestiflora)

A collage of variegated gold-and-green lysimachia, along with chartreuse hosta leaves and two varieties of fern, provides a perennial tapestry in the shade.

Siberian iris (Iris sibirica), ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)

Two perennials for rich, moist soil unfurl their new green finery and flowers in late spring.

Parsley (Petroselinum spp.)

As the first color of spring in the kitchen garden, a contrast of flat- and curly-leaf biennial parsley creates a textural study in green. Mulching plants lightly in fall helps them survive winter.

Hebe (Hebe cupressoides), juniper (Juniperus spp.)

Rugged evergreen ground covers, including hebes and junipers, join creeping thymes to show off various tints of green combined with flattering hues of bronze and gold.

Japanese maple (Acer palmatum)

An excellent understory tree, the Japanese maple's leaves unfold like graceful fans.

Creeping sedum (Sedum spurium)

Fine-textured perennial creeping sedum thrives in a cracked concrete birdbath that no longer holds water.

Horizontal blue juniper (Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii')

Among a colorful cast of shrub characters, including Harry Lauder's walking stick, blue spruce, chartreuse false cypress, and 'Mugo' pine, ground cover juniper sprawls at center stage.

Hydrangea, hosta

Layers and shades of green dotted with white and orange glow in this shady oasis that also includes lilies, impatiens, and coral bells.

'Peppermint Star' geranium (Pelargonium spp.), Impatiens hyb.

The textures of two annuals form a dynamic contrast. Chartreuse geranium foliage frames and clarifies red impatiens blossoms.

Pine (Pinus spp.), bidi-bidi (Acaena spp.), Japanese blood grass (Imperata cylindrica)

Not a flower in sight, yet this interplay of textures from an ornamental grass, a perennial ground cover, and an evergreen renders an always fresh and intriguing composition.