The weather this spring and early summer across much of North America has been somewhat of a tempest in a teapot. The amount of rain that has fallen in the month of May in some places has exceeded that of the entire year before, and June was no better.

	Iresine herbstii

But what does this sort of weather do to our bedding plants and perennial favorites? We all know that water is essential for plant growth, but like any nutrient or food, too much can be just as deadly as not enough.  For annual and perennial bedding stock, the result is usually decreased flower production or even root rot that sees the entire plant collapsing and leaves you with nothing to enjoy for the rest of summer in that location.

I have found, however, that plants with colorful leaves seem to hold up better in this sort of weather than those that rely on flowers to make there existence more enjoyable. Variegation of foliage, as discussed in an earlier article by Jim Kohut, is one way that developers have made some plants more attractive. This, for the most part, utilizes green and one other color - usually yellow or white. But there are many other forms of foliage coloration that can be appealing in the garden.

Creating Magic With Solid Colors

Solid yellow, blue and black are some of the most common finds in the foliage of garden center plants today. The wide variety of plants that display these shades allows for color foliage gardens in any sun or soil conditions. Hostas or plantain lilies are by far the most familiar of the perennials that offer abundant masses of solid yellow or blue foliage. However, colorfully leafed Hostas are strictly for shadier sites and tend to crisp up at the edges in direct sunlight. Combined with variegated-leafed cultivars, hostas have proven to be an excellent resource for shady foliage gardens.

Hosta ‘Blue Angel’

For sunnier sites, solid colors have been most apparent in the line of ornamental sweet potato vines that have not only swept the gardening industry, but are appearing in containers, baskets and even urban boulevards. These ensure that even during the heaviest torrents of rain, the planters will look spectacular. Recently, I was driving into work and noticed that the city folks had planted the concrete planters along the boulevard with lime-colored potato vines, magilla perilla and some dwarf petunias (to appease those that demand flowers).

The planters were really beautiful even though we’ve been experiencing heavier than normal rainfall this spring and early summer, leaving the petunias far from prolific in bloom. The mix of lime (chartreuse) green and intense pinks accented with the dark perilla was genuinely refreshing and made the planters stick out, even though blooms were virtually absent from the overall display.

Other solid colored foliage plants that I have found to out-perform the weather, providing continuous interest and a durable display in poor conditions, would include;

Ornamental Grasses

Carex comans ‘BronzeForm’ - bronze New Zealand hair sedge (annual)
Festuca glauca - blue fescue (perennial)
Helictotrichon sempervirens - blue oat grass (perennial)
Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens’ - black mondo grass (annual)
Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’ - purple fountain grass (annual)
Saccharum officinarum 'Pele's Smoke’ - purple sugar cane (annual)

Annuals & Summer Bulbs/Corms

Begonia semperflorens - bronze-leafed wax begonia (fibrous begonia)
Canna x generalis ‘Wyoming’ - Indian shot plant (bronze)
Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ - Bishop Of Llandaff dahlia (deep bronze)

Shade Perennials

Ajuga reptans 'Black Scallop’ - Black Scallop bugleweed
Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing’ - purple cow parsley
Hosta spp. - gold or blue varieties
Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ - golden creeping Jenny

Sun Perennials

Geranium pratense ‘Midnight Reiter’ - purple-leaf cranesbill
Heuchera villosa 'Purpurea’ - hairy alumroot
Lysimachia ciliata ‘Firecracker’ - Firecracker fringed loosestrife
Penstemon digitalis - Husker’s Red beardtongue
Sedum 'Purple Emperor' - Purple Emperor stonecrop

The Power Of Variegated Foliage

Though many automatically think of yellow or white on green foliage when they hear variegation, the truth is that there are many other color combinations that provide a mix of color to plant foliage. As mentioned earlier, the magilla perilla has an interesting blend of deep maroon and hot pink. The pink really catches the eye juxtaposed against the darker color. This is a lesson an artist learns early in his or her career, that nature always makes a play at contrasting light and dark. Magilla is a testament to that.

	Coleus ‘El Brighto’

Another brightly colored annual very familiar to most gardeners is the coleus species, also known as dead nettle. Their overwhelming variety of color blends makes them suitable for many color schemes. For the longest time, garden centers and bedding plant stands had only ever offered these gems in mixed packs of either smooth or heavily lobed leaves. Today, the industry has picked up on the demand by designers and now offers many of the coleus varieties in single cultivar packs, so that control-freak gardeners (like myself) can focus on the color theme of the garden. Coleus has long been considered a shade annual, but development in the genus has resulted in some very sun-tolerant varieties - especially in the ‘Solar’ series. No more do you have to run out and water in the morning and evening if you feel that your coleus are getting too much sun.

Many ornamental grasses, both perennial and annual, offer significant variegated foliage for color in the garden. One that immediately jumps to mind may not be overtly considered by most as a grass, but rather as a vegetable - that being Zea mais ‘Quadracolor’ or Japanese Variegated Corn. This tall broad-leafed grass boasts multiple-color variegation in the foliage with a creative blend of green, yellow, red and rosy-pink. It makes a great accent plant in a large bed of smaller foliage plants.

One cannot forget the spectacular late summer display achieved by planting ornamental cabbage or kale. Like coleus, ornamental members of the Brassica family are available with both broad and lobed leaves. Varieties come in creamy white to pink or even purple. Unlike most of the foliage annuals, these ones will persist until a killing frost, providing color through the summer and autumn. Harvesting makes them ideal for fall holiday decorating as well.

Similary, summer Poinsettias (Amaranthus spp.) provide a plethora of foliage color for the garden. Joseph’s Walking Coat (A. tricolor and A. 'Joseph's Coat’) when fully mature is ablaze with brilliant red, yellow and green stripes which defy conventional variegation and band the leaves laterally instead of along the veins. A. tricolor is far simpler having primarily bicolor bracts of intense magenta and maroon - occasionally displaying a creamy yellow center as well. Prince’s feather (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) is another amaranth that has dark purple leaves and burgundy red flowers to give the plant a very regal appearance.

Don’t Forget The Foliage

Colored foliage is something that is often overlooked by both the growers and the consumers of bedding plants, yet it is often the saving grace of a successful display in times when the weather is far from ideal. Whether your personal preference is to have a garden full of perennials or annuals, or even if your primary focus is on the floral display that the bedding plants you select offer, consider whether there is a similar cultivar with colorful foliage.

Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’

Remember, green is only nice if it can be distinguished from the remainder of the garden denizens. Sporting colorful foliage, whether as simple as a purple-leafed plant here and there or to the extreme with a showcase of intensely colored leaves, your garden can take on a new existence if it can offer both floral and foliage interest.

So when meandering through your garden prior to the arrival of your guests for those delightful summer backyard barbeques, take a moment to determine whether you need some additional foliage color. You can always add some strategically placed annuals next year. Or, if you just can’t wait, pop by your local garden center and check out what colorful foliage perennials might still be available for you to plant this year. You never know what special garden partner you may find!

Until next time – enjoy the remainder of summer and happy foliage gardening!

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