Foliage Plants for the Flower Border

Foliage plants woven into a flower bed add immense interest by helping to separate the flowers that make up the garden tapestry. They soften the scene and fill in the rough edges.

Herbs for Foliage

There are many herbs useful for contrasting foliage. While some choices may flower, like thyme for instance, they do offer a great break between the other plants in the garden.

1. Sage is a great choice for a gray-green shade. Hardy to Zone 3, it’s a very bushy and shrubby plant to about 18″ in warmer zones. The leaves offer great texture.
2. Artemesia is a perennial with lacy and delicate silver foliage. It forms a pretty mound reaching up to 4′ tall. Hardy to Zone 4.
3. Chinese Basil is a herb with green to purple ruffled leaves. This one has the ‚”wow” factor as it grows from 3 to 6 feet tall. It’s a tender annual, but one worth seeking out.

Tender Perennials for Foliage

Here are two tender perennials for foliage, that do well in breaking up the monotony in the flower beds. In lower zones they will need to planted annually each year or kept in pots and brought indoors for the winter.

1. Dusty Miller is a tender perennial, hardy to Zone 5. It is similar in shape to Artemesia, but the leaves are soft and fuzzy. It is silvery in color and can grow to 30 inches.
2. Bleeding Heart is very leafy and green with the bonus of flowers in spring. The green leaves continue throughout the season. It is a tender perennial, hardy to Zone 5.

Hardy Perennials for Foliage

This is a list of hardy perennials for foliage. Nursery catalogs will offer hundreds of varieties, but the list below includes plants most often seen in garden centers. These are all hardy to Zone 4.

1. Lambs Ears is a perennial with silver velvety leaves that look like they are covered with frost. It will grow to 18 inches.
2. Coral Bells will add purple-red foliage to your flower bed. It is a perennial, growing to 18″. It has lovely bell-shaped flowers in spring.
3. Lily of the Valley is a low-growing ground cover that spreads naturally. It is perfect under trees. It has tiny, sweetly-scented bell-shaped flowers in spring.
4. Hostas are perfect for sun or shade. Many have flowers, but it’s the leaves that stand out. They’ll grow from 1 to 2 feet and are perennial.
5. Ferns have leaves similar to the lacy artemesia. They prefer shade or dappled shade and would be perfectly matched with foxgloves or astilbe. There are numerous varieties and most grow from 1 to 2 feet tall.
6. Euphorbia is a terrific spreading ground cover plant. Grows to about 12″.

Evergreens for Foliage

The choices for evergreens could include small shrubs like boxwood and mungo pines. But there are also evergreen plants like myrtle and ivy. Bergenia is a low-growing evergreen. Its leaves are glossy, turning red in the winter.

Foliage in Garden Design

Breaking up a flower border by artfully adding some greenery between the flowers gives the eyes a place to rest. In garden design, foliage is as important aesthetically as bringing in peonies, roses or delphiniums. And the choices in foliage plants in various textures and from light gray to deep burgundy is outstanding.