Plants with Silver Foliage

One of the ways to create an effective moonlight garden is to use silver leaved plants. These perennials all have silver or grey foliage that will capture the dim, night time light to enhance a moon garden’s beauty.

Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ – Zones 5-9. This wormwood is a lovely, bushy perennial plant that tolerates drought conditions once well-established. The Artemisia is often sold in small bedding pots so be aware that it will grow large to 2-3′ tall with a 4-6′ spread. The foliage is aromatic and silver-green in color making Powis Castle a good addition to a fragrance or moonlight garden. In warm climates this wormwood is often evergreen. Keep Artemisia in check with early spring pruning to maintain shape.

Snow-In-Summer (Cerastium tomentosum) – Zones 2-7. A lovely, mat-forming ground cover, Snow-In-Summer has silver foliage and white flowers. These lighter colors make a stunning addition to a moonlight or night time garden because they reflect the evening light. Snow-in-summer can be invasive in some gardens, especially fertile soil, but tolerates poor soil very well. The snow-in-summer plant only grows about 6″ tall and should be divided every couple years.

Bush Morning Glory (Convolvulus cneorum) – Zones 8-10. This perennial is also called Silverbush and has a mounding growth habit and silver foliage that shows off the white flowers beautifully. The spring and summer flowers look like morning glory blooms and, paired with the grey foliage, are perfect for a moonlight garden area. Gardeners should give this perennial plant moderate water and full sun.

Sea Holly (Eryngium giganteum) – Zones 4-8. This plant is actually a biennial and has a very unusual look with dramatic bluish or silver colored flowers and spiky leaves. The Giant Sea Holly grows 3-4′ tall and will self-seed in a garden are that suits it. Plant your sea holly in well-draining soil and full sun. The adult plants do not transplant well because of their large taproots but are easy to grow from seed sown in the fall. Plants can grow spindly if the soil is too fertile or not enough sunlight is provided.

English Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) – Zones 5-8. The classic, silver-leaved herb, Lavender is a common perennial plant in many cottage gardens and fragrance garden landscapes. English lavender grow 2-4′ tall and wide to add a pleasing mass of silver, aromatic foliage to a moonlight garden. Give your lavender plants in average soil with full sun and, once the plants are established, they will provide you with years of drought-tolerant beauty. Deadhead or cut the flower heads before they are completely spent to stimulate reblooming. Prune your lavender in early spring if needed to encourage bushy growth.