PRACTICAL GARDENING RESEARCH What to grow. What to buy. How to choose.
GARDEN GEARATLAS
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. How our links work

Explore / Foliage gardens

Foliage gardens

Choose the leaves for the place.

Compare foliage plants by light, soil moisture, mature habit and seasonal care. Match species and cultivars to the space you can maintain.

Plant comparison →
Coleus leaves with deep burgundy centers, bright lime-green margins and scalloped edges.
Coleus. Editorial photography · Kauwotgungcheia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized/compressed; image credits.

A useful place to start

Choose foliage for the place and the season.

Start with the named plant, then compare its light, mature footprint and care decisions. Different leaves need different routines.

  1. 01 / Match the light and shape

    Coleus Sun, Color, and Pinching: Change the Right Thing First

    Separate cultivar color, exposure and branching before moving or cutting coleus.

  2. 02 / Plan the summer position

    Place Fragrant Hosta Where Evening Flowers and Summer Moisture Meet

    Put fragrant flowers within reach while allowing for mature leaves and moisture.

  3. 03 / Keep the crown healthy

    Heuchera Crown Depth and Summer Stress: Inspect Before You Bury or Divide

    Distinguish planting depth, winter lifting and summer stress before intervening.

Get to know the plants

Outdoor ornamentals

Coleus

Coleus scutellarioides

A tender foliage plant whose light tolerance, shape, and need for pinching depend on the named selection.

Part shadeFull sunBright indirect light
Growing reference

Outdoor ornamentals

Fragrant plantain lily

Hosta plantaginea

A green-leaved hosta species grown for broad foliage and large fragrant white flowers that open toward evening.

Part shadeShade
Growing reference

Outdoor ornamentals

Japanese painted fern

Athyrium niponicum var. pictum

A deciduous fern with silver, green, and purple fronds for a sheltered, moisture-retentive shade planting.

Part shadeShade
Growing reference

Outdoor ornamentals

Hairy alumroot

Heuchera villosa

An eastern North American alumroot with substantial textured foliage and airy flowers, useful where summer heat challenges other heucheras.

Part shade
Growing reference

Foliage gardens: the field guides

Clear explanations. Practical next steps.

The next useful connection.

A successful setup brings the plant, growing conditions and equipment together. These related topics help you work through the next decision.

Groundcovers →Flowers & pollinators →Houseplants →Container gardening →