NLGD - Focus on Foliage
If you have a semi-enclosed courtyard or small space, try hanging creepers from above to help give that exotic feel. These are usually grown as houseplants in the UK but in their native countries are plants of warm, moist habitats. So these plants need to be taken into a cool spot indoors once summer is ended.
Japanese maples - what a sumptuous colour! My favourites are these dark red-leaved ones, but they also come in both green and gold colours too. The leaves are exquisitely divided to give this textural appearance, and the overall shape of these miniature trees or shrubs is usually very architectural.
Hostas are a key group of foliage plants, in size from tiny 'mouse ears' to this one 'June' and even larger, making mounds of fresh green foliage all summer. Most put up wands of white or pink flower in early summer. A great plant but best not used if you have damp, clay soil as the slugs just love to chew them!
Liguarlia 'The Rocket' has these wonderful shaped leaves in generous mounds that last all summer, rising to 1.5m. It has dark stems that contrast well with the foliage, and tall bright yellow spires of flowers that are loved by insects in July & August. Prefers some shade. You could definitely imagine this plant in a dinosaur-era setting!
Brunnera macr. 'Hadspen Cream' has heart-shaped cream-splashed leaves all summer, making good ground cover in a shadier, drier spot. Tiny sprays of blue flowers appear in May & June. Ht & spr 40cm.
Our native harts-toungue fern, asplenium scolopendrium, provides dark green interest for most of the year, rising to 60cm ht and 45cm spread in time. Cut the old foliage off in spring.
Blechnum spicant, the deer fern, is a lovely little evergreenfern with its textural foliage mounding to ht 30cm, spr 45cm.
Ferns and grassy-leaved hakonechloa offer a gentle green border of textures and shapes.
Variegated brunnera do well as summer-long ground cover in a shady spot. Skimmias have winter flower or berries and offer evergreen structure.
Ferns edging a shady path
Heuchera 'Silver Scrolls' is a semi-evergreen hardy plant mainly grown for its red-veined silvery foliage. Dainty sprays of small flowers in early summer. Ht & spread 35cm. Needs some sun to perform well.
Pulmonaria 'Sissinghurst White' has white flowers from early to late spring above white-spotted leaves which last most of the year. Ht 30cm, spread 45cm.
Epimedium 'Sulphureum is a semi-evergreen groundcover plant which will spread slowly to make low mounds 20-30cm ht, Pale yellow flowers in mid spring and red-edged leaves.
Sarcocoosu humilis, the dwarf sweet box, has evergreen glossy leaves all year and wonderfully scented white flowers in winter. One for near a path or entrance. Ht to 60cm.
massed woodland flowers in spring - simple but very effective
Meandering paths encourage one to pause and notice the details of the planting.
Textures and colours in a shaded planting bed
Secret path leading to bench.
In the UK we are able to grow some more mediterranean-style evergreen plants such as the cordyline (which is native to the pacific rim especially NZ and Australia).
Q