Bark, stems and leaves
When we think of garden plants, our initial thoughts are usually of flowers, but don't forget that the bark, stem and the leaves are just as important. Leaves are excellent ways to bring colour, shape and form into the garden.
Varieties of trees and foliage
Take a look at the slideshow below for some inspiration.
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Acer griseum, commonly called the paper-bark maple, has an attractive pendulous foliage and is ideal for a small garden. Other acers with colourful bark include: Acer davidii, known as the snake-bark maple, which has purple-green bark with vertical white stripes. A. ‘Sango-kaku’, known as the coral-bark maple has a wonderful coral coloured bark and good autumn foliage colour.
The evergreen eucalypts and deciduous birches are also excellent for their handsome trunks. Eucalpytus pauciflora and its subspecies are particularly good. E. pauciflora subsp. niphophila is suitable for a small garden as is Betula utilis, and when the latter is planted in a block of three or five, a coppice look is achieved.
And on the subject of winter stems and bark, consider using plants like the common dogwood - Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ - its almost upright, vibrant red stems will brighten up the garden in winter.
Other dogwoods to consider are Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’, which has orange-red stems as the name suggests. For yellow stems there is C. stolonifera ‘Flaviramea’ and for dark, almost black stems, choose C. alba ‘Kesselringii’. This cultivar also has attractive, purple-green foliage.
If you have room to grow a mixture of dogwood varieties, they will bring your garden alive during the dreary winter months. If you are lucky enough to have a pond, plant them along the edge so they reflect in the water - as demonstrated here at RHS Garden Wisley.
Leycesteria formosa is an attractive, fast-growing shrub that can be reduced to ground level in spring to encourage rejuvenation. It has long, hanging, heavy racemes of white flowers in summer, followed by purple fruits in autumn. Its foliage is not to impressive but its hollow, green stems give a good winter display. On the negative side, it does seed around the garden so can be a nuisance.
Leaves are also an excellent way to bring colour, shape and form into the garden and here are some of my favourites. Euphorbia mellifera, an evergreen shrub grows to quite a size but don’t let this put you off, Its flower stems can be cut hard back and it will quickly rejuvenate. Its acid-green evergreen foliage always stands out in a crowd and its brownish coloured flowers in spring give off a lovely honey scent, hence its common name - the honey spurge.
Acers give wonderful autumn colour and some types also have attractive trunks. Pictured here is Acer palmatum ‘Katsura’, which has typical tiny palmate leaves, which emerge pink in spring, later turning to green and then back to pink again in late summer, followed by a glorious red in autumn.
A. palmatum var. dissectum has, as its name suggests, a dissected palmate leaf that is deep red-green in summer turning orange-flame in autumn. All acers, particularly the dissectums, do suffer from wind scorch so a slightly shady, sheltered spot will be needed to ensure the leaves remain in tact throughout the summer in order to ensure a good autumn colour display.
Another shrub for good autumn colour and handsome foliage throughout summer is Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’. This gorgeous shrub has oblong purple-wine coloured foliage that becomes duller towards autumn when it turns vivid red. My favourite though is Cotinus ‘Grace’, which has a much larger leaf than C. coggygria ‘Royal Purple’, and because it has a greyness to its deep red foliage, this gives it more depth and translucency, particularly when seen with sunlight behind.
Melianthus major is a very architectural plant with a wonderful sea green to glaucous blue evergreen foliage, making it a useful plant to associate with others.It has tawny-crimson flower spikes in spring - and it rejuvenates from the base, so this one works well when you want to fill a space and then later reduce it in size when it becomes too big.
Glossy leaves are always a welcome to break in the border and Fatsia japonica fits the bill in most situations, and its tolerance to shade makes it a great candidate for an awkward sunless spot. This is another cut-and-come again plant that will take hard pruning.
Finally, add some variegated plants too - such as these Yellow Wave Phormimums. Try not to place too many different variegations side-by-side, as this can look too busy and will be tiring on the eye.