Foliage Plants
Flowers come and go, but foliage endures. The best foliage plants earn their place with leaves that offer colour, texture, and form from spring to autumn—and sometimes through winter too. They're the supporting cast that makes the whole garden sing.
Key Characteristics
- Provide colour and interest independent of flowers
- Create texture contrasts that enliven planting schemes
- Many offer multiple seasons of interest
- Can be used to create colour themes without relying on blooms
- Often more reliable than flowering plants in difficult conditions
Design Tips
Use foliage as the foundation of your planting, then add flowers as highlights. Contrast leaf shapes—spiky against rounded, large against fine. Purple and silver foliage plants work as neutrals, bridging between colours that might otherwise clash.