These unique, durable perennials are perfect for planting in the garden
Silver foliage is a useful tool in garden design because it offers subtle variety that easily combines with all other foliage and flower colors. Unlike attention-grabbing chartreuse hostas or in-your-face burnt orange heathers, silver-leafed plants provide a soft glow in the subdued light of a shade garden. They don't scream for attention; They pull you in gently.
Truth be told, there are few plants with silver leaves. Commonly referred to as "silvery," the leaves have fine white hairs, leaves in shades of gray, and occasional foliage with a true metallic silver sheen. Add to that the contrast of white combined with gray-green, resulting in muted "silver" leaves (especially when played against the dark green leaves of a neighboring plant), resulting in a wide range of foliage colors and patterns combined. Referred to as "Silver". Honestly, this article should be called "Evergreen perennials that look silvery or grayish-silvery or white-white-from-a-distance," but I was sure the authors wouldn't. Choose the same.
Below are some of my favorite silver leaf plants. They've all passed the durability test, as I've gotten to the point where I'm less accommodating of plants with weak systems or require horticultural gymnastics to keep them alive. All of these are winners who deserve a place in your shade garden. Check out three ways to use silver to brighten up your shade garden.
1. Athyrium ‘Branford Beauty’
A 'Branford Beauty' painted fern makes an elegant focal point
Branford Beauty's Painted Fern is a striking hybrid between Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina, Zones 4–8) and Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum, Zones 4–9). With its sleek, upright but curved-enough edges, it can be used as a focal point or planted in drifts. Fronds are soft gray to silvery-grey. Compared to 'Ghost' Painted Fern (Athrium 'Ghost', Zones 4-9), another hybrid between Lady Fern and Japanese Painted Fern, I find 'Branford Beauty' more vigorous and prefer its arching form. The upright leaves of 'Ghost'.
2. Lamium maculatum ‘Purple Dragon’
'Purple Dragon' Lamium covers the ground all season
Lamium is an easy-to-grow, shade-loving groundcover. Its fast growth and rambling habit create just the right amount of blending when it emerges through its neighbors. 'Purple Dragon' is a particularly striking and vigorous cultivar with almost-silver foliage and purple-pink flowers standing above the foliage. While some Lamium cultivars die back and form bare patches, 'Purple Dragon' continues to form a thick mat of foliage. If purple flowers don't suit your color scheme, other types of lamium may. 'White Nancy' is a good cultivar with white flowers and silvery green leaves, and 'Shell Pink' is a strong cultivar with pink flowers above green leaves with a broad silver band in the center. 'Purple Dragon' spreads indefinitely as the stems root and spread in the ground. Compacted and wet soil, especially in winter, can cause crown rot.
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3. Brunnera macrophylla ‘Sea Heart’
'Sea Hard' Prunera tops for handling heat and humidity
For many years, the cultivar 'Jack Frost' was the standard silver-leaved prunera. It was an instant sensation after its introduction in 2000, and in 2012 it was named Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Society. 'Jack Frost' is a really nice plant, but I think it is outshone by the cultivar 'Sea Heart'. Like 'Jack Frost'—dramatically framed by silvery, heart-shaped evergreen veins and a spray of blue flowers in spring—'Sea Heart' is a more vigorous plant, with large and bright foliage. Heat and humidity. Everything about this plant improves the game over its predecessors. Although 'Jack Frost' may still be readily available, I urge you to seek out 'Sea Heart' as it will be well worth the time and effort. You are still in the leaves If you're looking for more silver, consider the cultivar 'Silver Heart,' which has fewer green veins on its leaves and sparkles from spring to fall. Or for a touch of muted silver, try 'Emerald Mist', whose dark green leaves are sprinkled with silver flecks around the perimeter. Whichever prunera you choose, locate it in part sun and plant it in consistently moist rich, well-drained soil. Remove spent flower stems to the ground as they distract from the large heart-shaped leaves.
4. Helleborus × iberkensis 'Annas Red'
'Anna's Red' hellebore has flowers as prominent as the leaves
Many new hellebores come on the market every year. Interesting foliage and colorful flowers are the hallmarks of these new hybrids, and 'Anna's Red' hellebore is a wonderful example of this breeding. Glossy dark green leaves with bright green veins covered with pink marbles slowly turn to creamy silver. Although the silver pattern fades as summer progresses, bright green veins remain. The outward-facing purple-red flowers in early spring add to the beautiful foliage. Slow to establish, hellebores are long-lived and don't need dividing, so plant them where they can be undisturbed. They look great next to other spring bloomers such as wood anemone (Anemone nemorosa, zones 5–8) and epimedium (Epimedium spp. and cvs., zones 4–9) and Japanese primrose (Primula cipbolti, zones 4–7). . While hellebores survive in shade, they grow best in dappled sunlight or, better yet, direct sunlight.
5. Asarum Splendens
Chinese wild ginger brings the drama
Chinese wild ginger is a vigorous groundcover that spreads easily by underground rhizomes, eventually covering a large area with a thick green mat. Its incredible heart-shaped foliage is deep green, with silver spots and dramatic stripes. Add those unusual purple-brown flowers that hover at ground level to attract insects for pollination, and you've got a hit. Because of the green color, I find it works well when planted around tall silver-leaved plants like ferns, where the glossy green ginger leaves set off the muted silver fern foliage and the silver spots tie the two together. Chinese wild ginger prefers well-drained organic soil and may be susceptible to root rot if planted in poorly drained soil that is too wet. In its northern range, it benefits from dense winter mulch to protect it.
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