Part of the joy of picking plants for your garden is choosing varieties with interesting foliage as well as flowers. From variegated foliage to deep contrasting-coloured stems, here are five of my favourite plants for foliage interest.
Aloysia citrodora (lemon verbena)
Remember those fizzy spangles? The foliage of this plant smells beautifully of those – a fresh lemony-sherbet fragrance. It grows up to 2.5m tall with long pointed leaves, which you won’t be able to resist. Flowering in summer, the tiny white or purple flowers add a delicate elegance to the plant.
- Flowers in summer
- Hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK
- Grows up to 2.5m tall
- Well-drained soil
- Full sun
- Sheltered
Cordyline australis (cabbage palm) ‘Torbay Dazzler’
This is an evergreen palm with unique gold-green colours and a brilliant explosion of leaf fronds. It’ll give your garden a touch of the Mediterranean with the long sword-shaped leaves. Also, they are a low maintenance pick and don’t demand pruning, simply remove any dead, damaged, or disease foliage as needed.
- Evergreen
- Hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK
- Grows up to 4m tall
- Moist but well-drained or well-drained soil
- Full sun or partial shade
- Sheltered
Coprosma repens (New Zealand laurel) ‘Pacific Sunset’
Next is a really vibrant plant that will bring masses of colour to the border or in a pot on a patio. Each leaf is like a gemstone – a mass of colours from coral red to chocolate bronze. During spring give it a trim to keep it looking symmetrical and tidy.
- Evergreen
- Hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK
- Grows up to 1m tall
- Moist but well-drained soil
- Full sun or partial shade
- Sheltered
Juniperus squamata (flaky juniper) ‘Blue Star’
This plant is a beautiful ground cover conifer with star-like pointy foliage in enchanting bluey silver. It will give great ground cover as it grows to 50cm tall, and is low maintenance all year round – what’s not to love?
- Evergreen foliage
- Fully hardy
- Grows up to 50cm tall
- Well-drained soil
- Full sun or partial shade
- Exposed or sheltered
Choisya ternata (Mexican orange) [Sundance]
The common name, Mexican orange blossom, is due to its masses of gold foliage that put on a show all year round. What’s more, if you crush the leaves it’s meant to smell orangey but the scent always reminded me of Vicks VapoRub! Nonetheless it’s a wonderful medium to large-sized shrub to add to your garden for some structure and form.
- Evergreen foliage
- Hardy through most of the UK
- Grows up to 2.5m tall
- Well-drained soil
- Full sun
- Sheltered
These five picks for foliage are just a start, there are many plants that put on a show with their leaves and stems. Visit your local garden centre and see what deciduous or evergreen plants you can find to add fantastic foliage to your space.
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David Domoney is a Chartered Horticulturalist, Broadcaster, and Author. David has worked with a number of the UK’s leading garden retailers as a plant buyer and strategic consultant. With more than 30 years experience, in horticulture, David is as passionate about plants now as he was when he bought his first plant at a village fete.
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