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Fabulous Foliage: Using Color and Texture in the Garden

When choosing shrubs for my own gardens, the first thing I look at is the color and texture of the foliage. This may seem an odd way to choose flowering shrubs, but when you consider most shrubs have short bloom times, it begins to make more sense. Contrasting foliage will remain attractive during the entire season and so drab areas in the garden are avoided.

If you are planting shrubs, combine small leafed barberry, a lacy Black Beauty Elderberry and a compact, large, bold- leafed Pee Wee Hydrangea. Your goal is to place plants of different leaf texture (size and shape) next to one another.

With perennials you could start with a grass-like plant like a daylily, iris or sedge. Next choose a plant with larger heart shaped leaves like a hosta or Brunnera. The third plant chosen may have a complex leaf with a lacy look such as a fern or astilbe. Place them next time you are at the Garden Center and see how well they go together.

Choose plants whose leaves are attractive on their own, as well as in combination with the other plants in the landscape. Try to break up the look of the garden by using a combination of textures and colors, rather than large masses of plants with similar foliage types. Conifers, with their wide variety of colors and textures give us many opportunities to focus on foliage.

For instance, blue globe spruces contrast nicely with the dark green Mugo pines, green creeping junipers, and even gold thread false cypress. Larger plants with dark green leaves, like rhododendrons and other evergreens, can be used as a backdrop to highlight smaller, more colorful shrubs like the ‘My Monet’ weigela, ‘Crimson Pygmy’ barberry, or even ‘Magic Carpet’ spiraea. Using these guidelines will make the garden more attractive throughout the year. So remember to look at the foliage of your plants, rather than just the flowers. Blooms fade all too quickly, but attractive, contrasting foliage lasts all season long!

Trendy New Trees & Shrubs

Sunny Knock Out Rose - The newest Knock Out! This stunning shrub rose also has all the hardiness and pest resistance of the Knock Out roses in a buttery shade of yellow. This one is sure to be a new favorite!

 Double Pink Knock Out Rose - This extremely hardy, disease resistant shrub rose is a true gardening delight. The double pink blooms cover the plant from summer to fall with little to no extra care needed.

‘Dream Come True’ Rose - This fragrant grandiflora is a 2008 AARS winner noted for its beautiful peach and yellow bi-color blooms and dark green foliage. It is also one of the most disease resistant grandiflora roses available today.

The American Beauties Collection of Native Plants - This plant collection offers hard to find native PA plants that are perfect for naturalizing and sustainable gardening. These plants were chosen by experts on native plants and wildlife for both beauty and also because they provide food and habitat for local wildlife. 

Miniature Evergreens for Rock Gardens and Bonsai - With the growing interest in both rock gardening and bonsai, specimen plants can be difficult to find. Our miniature and dwarf evergreen stock is carefully chosen for maximum hardiness and minimal care once established.

Weigela ‘My Monet’ - This colorful dwarf weigela really is an outstanding plant. The foliage offers a bright mix of white, pink, and green that will perk up any shady nook in the garden, and the hummingbirds will go crazy over the dark pink tubular flowers. A real hit in 2007.

‘Winter Green’ Japanese Umbrella Pine - This new cultivar shares the same coarse-textured, prehistoric-looking needles and broad pyramidal shape as the original, but is bred for a more uniform shape and a darker green winter color that really make it stand out in the landscape! This unique tree is perfect for specimen plantings and rock gardens.

Services to Make Life Easier

   We offer landscape design, planting, local delivery, and expert advice on gardening, pests, and plants. We can also special order hard to find items on request.

Contact the Tree and Shrub Manager

   My name is Mark Helbling II, and you can contact me by e-mail at trees_shrubs@reillyssummerseatfarm.com or by calling the Garden Center at (412) 364-8662.