Coloured Foliage
Bring life to your garden without the hassle of growing flowers
Flowers shouldn’t get all the shine
There is no denying that a beautiful bloom in vibrant colours can lift the spirit. But flowers are fleeting, and what do you look at for the rest of the season?
Master gardeners and landscapers have figured this out and now we are bringing you in on the secret.
Colourful foliage is the answer.
Robert Frost put it so well in his poem Nothing Gold Can Stay
Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
…
Much can be said for his figurative discussion of the fleeting nature of life, but today we are taking his words literally. He speaks of those first new leaves that sprout – the light, almost translucent and often red, yellow or even lime green beauties. Unfortunately, these don’t last and while we love a good rich green, we want more.
These are our favourite plants with coloured foliage that add colour and vibrancy to any garden:
Red Robins (Photinea x fraseri)
This beautiful plant, originally hailing from the east and southeast, (anywhere from Japan to Australia) has striking bright red new growth, which matures into shades of reddish copper and finally evolves into a glossy deep green. It can even give you flat topped clusters of small white flowers and some varieties even show small red fruits towards the end of summer. Red Robins make great topiaries and hedges, and will spread into a considerably large plant, giving cover, privacy and adding interest to your garden.
Variegated Hostas
These are the answer to your mundane shade garden woes. Hostas have always done well in shaded, even very cold gardens, they are hardy, give great cover and add some variety to your shade garden. (Because let’s be honest – these gardens can get gloomy!)
“Persian Shields” (Strobilanthes Dyerianus)
According to The Gardener.co.za, this quick-growing shrub has uniquely coloured leaves that have a distinctly metallic sheen, the rich purple and green colours gleaming with a silver overtone. Strobilanthes develop into wide, spreading shrubs a little over 1 m in height, producing small mauve flowers in early spring. They do best in light to deep shade.
Nandina domestica
This beautiful tree is well suited to smaller gardens because it does not have a vigorous root system – feel free to plant all kinds of shade loving plants under it, for a unique and colourful addition to your garden. With reddish leaves, even purple, maturing into green and producing beautiful bunches of perfect red fruits on thin stalks, this is a true beauty and eye catcher in any garden.
Never-never plant (Ctenanthe Oppenheimiana)
One of the many clump-forming perennials with attractive foliage, this is a most useful plant for growing in deep shade. The reverse of each leaf is rosy red or purple, while the upper surface is grey-green with silver stripes. During the heat of the day the leaves curl to reduce transpiration, creating a two-tone effect. This plant very rarely flowers, but its beautiful foliage is a year-round feast for the eyes.
Embrace those leaves
Cultivating plants with vibrant foliage gives you so many options. Whether you use them as hedges, borders or topiaries, these plants can add interest, and variety, and cut down on your garden maintenance, Foliage growth (usually) needs less plant food and fertilizer than flowering or fruit bearing plants, and could even help your garden become more waterwise.
For an EXTENSIVE LIST of plants with black, red and purple foliage, go to: Blackwoods.co.za
Other great resources include
Eckards.co.za For the Love of Yellow
