Today’s Garden Ideas

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We all seem to think that the leaf color of a plant is green. Sure they may be a light green or a deep forest green but green nonetheless. But take a look around you. Not only are there varying shades of green but leaf colors actually range from the black of the taro to the purple leaves of the Carpet Bugle. There is red leaf color like the Coleus and silver leaf color like Lamb’s Ear. Why you can have a garden full of color without a single blooming flower. Just look to the leaves!!

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Choosing Plants

Leaf colors are a great way to keep the garden vibrant during those times of the year when the flowers are not blooming. Consider planting between your colorful flowers Variegated Liriope. The leaf color on these plants is a striking gold or white and green. Hosta, a shade plant, shows off its blue-green leaf color very well when planted against a large shady tree. For winter look to the conifers as their leaf color ranges from gold to blue.

Creating Mood with Leaves

Leaf color can also be used to create light or dim an area that seems overly bright. For dark corners of your garden or under shady trees try using brightly colored grasses like Miscanthus. The grass like structure of the leaves and the leaf color give the sense of ligt waving through the area. On a windy day the sensation is quite spectacular.

For very bright areas look for leaf color in dark greens, maroons, and blacks. The taro plant has nearly black leaf color and very effectively shadows an extremely bright area. Carpet Bugle, a small ground cover that grows 6-8 inches tall has leaf color of maroon or dark purple. And, on the opposite end of the height spectrum is Japanese Maple with its bronze red leaves.

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Using Your Leaves Effectively

The final advantage to adding colorful foliage to your garden is the ability to use the various leaf colors in flower arrangements. Instead of cutting all your flowers to take inside and leaving your garden empty try cutting a few different leaf colored plants you have growing in your garden. The flowers combined with the various leaf colors can provide a very aesthetically pleasing combination of color and texture. And, the foliage will outlast the flowers so you can use them over and over again with new flowers from your garden.

To find leaf colors that are best suited to your needs and climate visit your local public gardens or nursery. There should be several experts who will be more that happy to discuss leaf color and show you the right leaf color that will work in your garden.