When in bloom, flowers are deemed to be the highlight for most outdoor gardens. But you can always rely on foliage plants for a garden delight. These plants, primarily grown for their long-lasting leaves, have more to offer than a backup display when flowers are in hiding. Give your garden a treat by choosing the right set of foliage plants to include in your space.
Choosing foliage that can add fine textures, bold shapes, and radiant color to your crusty outdoor space is a great decision you’ll ever make as a beginner or seasoned gardener. It is also best to pick foliage selections that can fill in shady patches without sacrificing your garden’s visual interest. Below is a list of good foliage plants that you can grow yourself outdoors:
Ferns (Pteridophytes)
You might be used to seeing lovely ferns growing in forests and woodlands where they nuzzle under the shade of tree canopies, but they can be just as attractive in outdoor gardens. They are most tolerant of cold temperatures and can be grown all year across the country. That is why ferns are known to have a strong survival instinct.
Also, ferns are beautiful to grow in rich, well-drained soil. With an abundance of organic matter, this foliage plant can thrive well under minimal attention. Other than regular watering and mulching during dry seasons, ferns won’t require much from you.
Elephant Ears (Colocasia esculenta)
With the elephant ears’ striking size, it can instantly add a more dramatic effect to your outdoor garden. They are most recognized with their large arrow- or heart-shaped leaves with ornamental veining, hence the common name.
This foliage plant has a distinct tropical flair that enjoys being partially submerged in water when grown. Though elephant ears are only hardy to zones eight and above, they can quickly grow as large tubers that you can keep for the winter and grow the following season again.
Lungwort (Pulmonaria)
Though lungwort can grow impressive flowers during early spring, they aren’t known to last very long. But this foliage plant prides itself on its splattered leaves that are entirely washed off with white or silver and remains a welcoming sight for the rest of its growing season.
Lungworts can be a bit slow to spread, being a short foliage plant in nature. But as they grow, they can eventually serve as beautiful outdoor carpets with gleaming flashes of iridescence. With this, lungworts prove themselves as a worthy pick for an outdoor foliage plant.
Amaranthus Tricolor (Amaranthus gangeticus)
Amaranthus tricolor’s foliage can be so bold that it leads every gardener into thinking why these plants even bother blooming. They can grow into magnificent sunbursts of oranges and yellows. It can be easy to think that common tricolors are already audacious as they are, but you should check out some of Amaranthus’ cultivars like the “Perfecta.”
These plants with flashy foliages can definitely light up your outdoor garden on the cloudiest and dullest of days. Amaranthus tricolor is one of the easiest foliage to grow from seed and can grow all year long.
Coral Bells (Heuchera)
Coral bells were once known to be attractive plants with delicate pink bell-shaped flowers and ruffled green leaves highly favored by hummingbirds. But because of plant breeders going wild in developing several hosta varieties, this leaves coral bells no choice but to adapt Heucheras and produce bronze or purple patterned leaves.
Most, if not all, Heuchera plants thrive well in locations with partial shade. But you can also grow them under direct sunlight; only be sure that they get enough moisture to grow well. If grown correctly, coral bells may form into tidy clumps perfect for containers and edging borders.
Canna (Canna indica)
Who can even miss the tropical flair that canna plants give off? They have boastful flowers in crimson shades of red, orange, and yellow and wide banana-like leaves that can be something in between striped red or green. But even without these flashy blooms, canna can still be a standout in any outdoor gardens.
A few gardeners choose to remove canna’s flower stalks so they can focus solely on growing leaves. When growing one, it is best to know that they particularly love heat and water. You may also plant them in containers and place them in an outdoor water garden to create an accessible tropical paradise for yourself.
Caladiums
Also known as Angel Wings, caladiums can give your outdoor garden a unique look. This foliage plant has huge, arrowhead-shaped leaves in an imposing blend of red, white, pink, and green. Just as they are excellent and easy houseplants, caladiums are also delightful to grow outdoors. When growing one yourself, it is best to place them under partial shade.
Takeaway
You don’t have to always rely on flowers in making your outdoor space a delightful place to stay and look at. With the set of foliage plants listed above, create a haven for yourself without worrying about the growing season ending.
