Annual Plants With Attractive Foliage

Sometimes gardeners get so caught up and focused on flowers, it can be easy to forget about the power of foliage. These annual plants have fantastic foliage that can add accents to containers, mixed borders or any garden spot that needs some consistent color.

Purple Ruffles Basil (Ocimum basilicum ‘Purple Ruffles’)

This attractive frost-tender herb has large, ruffled leaves that are a bright purple color. Cool weather and poor soil can bring the natural green color of the species basil back, but many gardeners love this basil in container plantings and herb gardens. Purple ruffles basil grows about 2 feet tall and 18 inches wide and prefers full sun. The flowers of this basil plant are lavender colored, but if the leaves are desired for use as a culinary herb gardeners should pinch back the blooms to keep the herb bushy. It is reported that purple ruffles basil has a stronger anise-like flavor than the species basil plants.

Other colorful basil plants grown for their aromatic and attractive leaves include: ‘Cinnamon Basil’ with bronze foliage and stems; ‘Purple Delight’ with large purple leaves; ‘Dark Opal’ with very dark purple leaves that hold their color all season; and ‘Serata’, a green-leaved variety with ruffled, fine cut foliage.

Coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides)

Coleus is a popular annual plant used as a bedding plant, in containers, mixed border or anywhere an extra splash of color is desired in the garden. The plant is toxic, so gardeners should take care if growing indoors with children or pets. Coleus is tolerant of shade and sun, but is not drought tolerant, so in hot summer areas potted plants will require more water.

While coleus might seem a boring plant to some gardeners, there are so many varieties available now that it is possible for home landscapers to find a cultivar to suit any gardening situation or color combination. Plant coleus in masses for the best effect. Coleus is available with leaves in almost any color, including red, orange, green, yellow, burgundy and variegated combinations.

Caladium (Caladium bicolor)

A tropical bulb or tender perennial, caladiums are often grown as annuals and provide lots of color for shade garden areas. The leaves are usually large, broad leaves that are any combination of red, white or green. The caladium plants grow in large clumps of foliage and will reach anywhere from 1 to 3 feet tall. If gardeners want to overwinter caladiums, instead of growing the plants as annuals, they can dig up the bulbs and store in a cool, sheltered area until the danger of hard freezes have passed.

Fountain Grass or Feathertop Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides)

This half-hardy, ornamental grass is often grown in annual gardens, though fountain grass can often be perennial in the landscape because of ready self-sowing. The attractive grass is grown for the clumps of arching foliage and showy seedheads that grace the plant in late summer through autumn. The seeds will attract birds to the landscape and provide winter interest if left to stand. Gardeners should provide fountain grass with a full sun to part shade area and plenty of water. This pennisetum will reach 2 to 5 feet tall and makes an excellent companion plant for other annuals, perennials and container plants.