Foliage – the forgotten secret of spring garden success

Do you mainly think about the flowers when you’re planning your garden?

I do. With the exception of some rhubarb, I can’t remember when I last chose a plant specifically for its foliage.

Kylie O’Brien’s pond is surrounded by foliage with lots of white lunaria annua (honesty) – just green and white. Very effective.

But when I went out into several gardens this week to see what was working best, my camera couldn’t help picking out the foliage and the foliage combinations rather than the flowers.

A mound of saxifrage and a few white tulips – but otherwise Kylie’s spring garden is about contrasting foliage, underpinned by the grey-blue of the curry plant.

Kylie O’Brien has a country garden that is just under one acre. She relies on foliage at this time of year. She has some white flowers – honesty, tulips and saxifrage – which make an excellent foil to the contrasting greens and grey-blues of the leaf colour.

It’s not just the pure white of pear blossom that Kylie loves – it’s also the fresh bright green of the leaves.

‘Did someone say ‘fresh spring foliage? Delicious!’ Gertrude and Merribel in Kylie’s garden. They must be kept away from the new shoots.

Young stipa tenuissima shoots contrast beautifully with cerinthe in Kylie’s garden.

There are several plants that people decide not to grow because their flowering season is short, such as roses and peonies. But at this time of year, rose and peony foliage is amongst the most beautiful in the garden.

Next up garden consultant Posy Gentles‘ garden:

A lovely contrast of both leaf shape and colour: bright green nigella against red heuchera in Posy’s garden.

Posy has planted lovage around her front garden because of its foliage. Here it contrasts nicely with foxglove leaves.

And Posy’s miniature poodle, Maus, in the spring garden, with her first proper poodle hair cut.

But I can’t resist this tulip – it was planted by the previous owners so Posy doesn’t know what type it is, but it comes up year after year. What would a spring garden post be without tulips?

In my garden: ‘Flaming Parrot’ tulip against emerging peony foliage.

And finally, this is how we all feel – at last, we have the sun on our faces, and the garden is bursting with life. Lottie, the rescue lurcher, joined us five weeks ago, and had been hesitant about going into the garden.

Now Lottie has gained confidence and is outside enjoying herself. As I hope you are. Do share the spring feeling, using the buttons below – thank you!

from The Middle-Sized Garden http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/foliage-the-forgotten-secret-of-spring-garden-success/