Love those leaves!
Plants ca n’t hold out without leaves — they manufacture food . But leaves do n’t have to be simply utilitarian ; they can be lead performers , too . All in all , great leafage can keep your garden interesting and colorful much longer than almost any prime . In truth , they are the workhorses of a container combo . ( In truth , of any garden combo … just arrest out the gorgeous options in this beautiful book , Fine Foliage : Elegant Plant Combinations for Garden and Container . ) Which leaf plants will operate best in your container ?
A neutral dark-green foliage , like Boston fern , can thread a various bunch of flower color and configuration together into one arresting container . Or take a plant with vivid leaves , such as acoleus , and make it the centerpiece of a combo with pale pastel or white prime . possibly your color dodge did n’t follow out the direction you expected and clashes with thecontainer . A cascade of leaf can mask thepotso it does n’t show as much . Better yet , just sweep up foliage and try on a container with leave of absence only . Make it interesting by mixing up the textures and colors . You ’ll never leave out the flowers !
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Best foliage plants for containers
Boston fern ( Nephrolepis exaltata )
Sometimes all you need is some bright immature foliage to perk up up a container . face no further than Boston fern . The arch fronds provide alone texture to a jazz band and swing in the breeze to append movement , too . Keep the soil moist , and if you survive in a juiceless mood , cloud the leaves . This tender perennial does n’t grow quickly , so choose a specimen that ’s the right size for the container when you found — it wo n’t get much liberal .
TypeTender perennial ( normally turn as annual)BloomsNALightPart to full shadeSize8 to 24 in . tall , 12 to 36 in . wideHardinessCold hardy in USDA zones 10 to 12
Coleus ( Plectranthushybrids )
Big and bluff , like Kong ™ Rose in the photo above , or pocket-size and demure , there ’s a flame nettle for any emplacement in any container . Colors range from green , yellow and red to deep browned and vibrant orange , as well as many combinations . The range of size and colors makes it one of the most versatile foliation industrial plant for container . It ’s a fast raiser , reaching 6 to 36 in . tall , so start with small works . Keep the soil moist and pinch out the flowers to keep the industrial plant compact and acquire lots of leafy side branch .
TypeTender perennial ( usually grow as an annual)BloomsInsignificant patrician or white flowers all summer and fallLightFull sunshine to full shadeSize6 to 48 in . tall , 10 to 30 in . wideHardinessCold hardy in USDA zones 10 to 11
cringe Jenny ( Lysimachia nummularia )
crawl Jenny is an easy - to - grow perennial — whatever the quietus of your plants in the container like , it ’ll be happy . The smart gold foliation of ‘ Aurea ’ slop over the bound is a peachy way to soften the lip of a pot . This is a fast spreader , so you may originate with a little plant and by midsummer you ’ll have a lush shower of gold . Plant it at the boundary of the pot and stand back . But keep shears handy and snip stems if they produce too long .
TypePerennialBloomsYellow flowers in summerLightFull sunshine to full shadeSize3 to 6 in . tall , 12 to 18 in . wideHardinessCold - intrepid in USDA zones 3 to 9
Croton ( Codiaeum variegatum pictum )
The Jackson Pollock of houseplant , croton offers outside containerssplashy foliage in green , red , chicken , orangish and fatal . leave straddle in shape from large almond shapes to curly or strappy and thin . Choose tall works to stomach out above the others in the container . Try pop varieties such as ‘ Petra ’ , above , ‘ Andrew ’ , which has narrow green leaves with creamy white-hot accent , speckled green - and - yellow-bellied ‘ Eleanor Roosevelt ’ , and ‘ mum ’ whose red , green and yellow leave-taking squirm and turn .
Crotons need bright brightness to make their colors crop up . In cold - wintertime neighborhood , bring croton indoorsbefore frost and set it in a high - light area to winter .
TypeTender perennial ( usually maturate as annual)BloomsNALightPart to full shadeSize1 to 4 ft . improbable , 1 to 3 ft . wideHardinessCold hardy in USDA zones 10 to 12
Persian shield ( Strobilanthes dyeriana )
Iridescent purple leafage make a great demarcation or backdrop for plants with bright - coloured flowers . Persian cuticle also has sick blue bloom in late summer or fall — you may leave them or pinch them off . This tender perennial can rise quite orotund , but with a turn of pruning you could keep it as brusque as 1 foot . It ’s adaptable , but the leafage semblance is best in part refinement . Do n’t lease the soil get too ironical or it ’ll drop leaves . And it can beoverwintered indoorsas a houseplant .
TypeTender perennial ( commonly grown as annual)BloomsPale blue in late summerLightFull sunlight to part shadeSize18 to 36 in . tall and wideHardinessCold hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11
Sweet spud vine ( Ipomoea batatas )
cascade of burgundy , brown , gold or variegated leaves make this tender perennial popular . fancy ™ Emerald Lace is a cultivar with deeply cut leaves . Also look for the Sweet Caroline serial , with a compact habit that ’s great in containers . once in a while prune the tips of the stems back a duo of inches to keep this vine under control . Give it full sun to part subtlety for the dependable leaf color . It grows promptly , so you could start with a small industrial plant and reap crowing advantage in no fourth dimension .
TypeTender perennial ( unremarkably grown as annual)BloomsNALightFull sun to part shadeSize4 to 12 in . tall , 18 to 72 in . wideHardinessCold hardy in USDA zones 8 to 11
Caladium ( Caladiumhybrids )
bombastic leaf , 6 to 18 in . long , in red , pinkish , green or white , such as those of ‘ Candidum ’ , make caladium a dandy focal point or supporting histrion in part Sunday to shadow . The blooms are n’t glossy and can be snipped off . These leaves spring up from a tuber that can be bug out indoors . Being tropic , caladium will not tolerate cold temperature : Wait until the same time you ’d industrial plant tomatoes before you put one outdoors . Throughout the growing season , keep the soil moist or the leave-taking may wither .
TypeTender perennial ( normally grown as annual)BloomsNALightPart to full shadeSize1 to 2 foot . tall and wideHardinessCold - fearless in USDA zones 9 to 11
Coral bells ( Heucherahybrids )
You may opine of this as a perennial you grow in your garden . But you ’ll find ones with colorful leave in shades of Burgundy wine , unripened or gold . With all that color , and at 6 to 18 in . tall , this plant is a capital foliage plant for container . All cultivars will bloom , but some blooms are n’t showy , so snip them off if you like . Since this is not a fast - growing plant , for a container jazz band you may want to start with a heavy specimen .
TypePerennialBloomsWands of violent , pink , ashen or dark-green flowers in belated springLightFull sun to part shadeSize6 to 24 in . tall , 10 to 36 in . wideHardinessCold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9
Hakonechloa ( Hakonechloa macra )
Cascade Range of chartreuse leaf , like those of ‘ Aureola ’ , are howling at the sharpness of a container . This grass can uprise 12 to 24 in . marvelous and panoptic , but the all right texture keeps it from overcome a combo . This graceful perennial grass tolerates ghost to full Dominicus , but the brightest leaf color will be in part shade . It can be slow - growing , so in a container it ’s a proficient melodic theme to commence with a declamatory specimen .
TypePerennialBloomsYellow - green bloom in late summerLightFull sun to full shadeSize12 to 24 in . tall and wideHardinessCold dauntless in USDA zones 5 to 9
cosmetic kale ( Brassica oleracea )
The colors of this tender perennial usually intensify with cold temperatures . canonical folio color is gloomy - green , but it can be tinct with shades of Red River and purple , even white . And the leaves may be profoundly cut or very ruffled like ‘ Emperor Rose ’ . As you plant in a container , tip the little potato so the stem leans on the edge of the pot . That ’s the best elbow room to show off the colourful leaves .
TypeTender perennial ( usually maturate as annual)BloomsYellow in summer , but usually only appear in 2d yearLightFull sunSize8 to 18 in . marvellous and wideHardinessCold hardy in USDA zone 7 to 11
Rex begonia ( Begonia rex )
A silver - leafed king begonia like ‘ Rum Painkiller ’ is a nifty pick for perking up a shady corner . While most cultivar have other colors , such as red , mixed into their leave , it ’s the silver that makes them stars . Keep these tender perennials out of direct sunlight or the leaves will scorch . Moist , but not tight , soil is idealistic . And feed them with awater - soluble organic fertilizerat half strength every two weeks .
TypeTender perennial ( ordinarily produce as annual)BloomsNot showyLightPart to full shadeSize8 to 12 in . tall and wideHardinessCold hardy in USDA zones 10 to 11
