Foliage First
1. Oversized foliage. It’s easy to be seduced by flowers, but as one of my favorite sayings goes, foliage first. Here we see a mix of foliage types and textures, all commingling to create a vignette full of interest in this mid-Atlantic garden. Note how the matte foliage of the hostas balances the glossy leaves of the bear’s breeches, and finely textured Japanese forest grass grows under the broad mayapple. The variety allows the eye to travel throughout the scene in search of more detail.
Plant combo (click each photo to see the plants tagged):
‘Spotty Dotty’ Chinese mayapple (Podophyllum ‘Spotty Dotty’, USDA zones 6 to 9; find your zone)
Golden Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’, zones 4 to 9)
Bear’s breeches (Acanthus mollis, zones 7 to 9)
‘Frosted Violet’ coral bells (Heuchera ‘Frosted Violet’, zones 4 to 9)
‘Sum and Substance’ plantain lily (Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’, zones 3 to 8)
Light requirement: Full to partial shade
Water requirement: Medium; occasional water during dry months
Foliage First 1. Oversized foliage. It’s easy to be seduced by flowers, but as one of my favorite sayings goes, foliage first. Here we see a mix of foliage types and textures, all commingling to create a vignette full of interest in this mid-Atlantic garden. Note how the matte foliage of the hostas balances the glossy leaves of the bear’s breeches, and finely textured Japanese forest grass grows under the broad mayapple. The variety allows the eye to travel throughout the scene in search of more detail. Plant combo (click each photo to see the plants tagged): ‘Spotty Dotty’ Chinese mayapple (Podophyllum ‘Spotty Dotty’, USDA zones 6 to 9; find your zone) Golden Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’, zones 4 to 9) Bear’s breeches (Acanthus mollis, zones 7 to 9) ‘Frosted Violet’ coral bells (Heuchera ‘Frosted Violet’, zones 4 to 9) ‘Sum and Substance’ plantain lily (Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’, zones 3 to 8) Light requirement: Full to partial shade Water requirement: Medium; occasional water during dry months
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