In the green

There is often so much emphasis on flowers in the garden it can be easy to forget that the most important colour is green. Green is everywhere of course but can be overlooked as we delve into the subtleties of different shades of pink or blue. Is the cerise flower of that Geranium too strident, or are the flowers of that Salvia bluey-purple or mauve and will it go with the reddy-pink of the Sedum next to it? Much time is spent making sure flower colour works, whether in close combinations, in the overall context of a planting scheme or from one season to the next.

Less time is usually given to consideration of the different shades of green that foliage comes in. It is often limited to thinking about the broad categories of green, gold, purple and grey (or silver) and indeed striking contrasts can be created by combining these, such as the Golden Philadelphus (Philadelphus coronarius ‘Aureus’) with the purple-leaved Elder (Sambucus nigra ‘Guincho Purple’) or the purple leaves of a Heuchera (such as H. ‘Palace Purple’) with the silvery foliage of Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’.

It is green foliage however that, for the majority of the year and in most of the garden, will form the backbone to any scheme. The different shades of green combined with the great variety of foliage shape, from feathery to strappy and from cut to rounded, will provide a visual texture that pulls everything together, providing volume, shape and a link through the seasons.

At this time of year, as the tree blossom begins to subside and before the flowering shrubs and herbaceous perennials have gathered momentum, we appreciate green the most. The vibrant new foliage comes pumping through and for a brief period in May all is lush and soft with calming shades.  

In cool, shady parts of the garden foliage combinations come into their own and will imbue a sense of lushness and calm. Many shade-loving plants such as Bergenias, Hellebores and Japanese anenomes have either big and /or, dark leaves, (all the more for capturing the available sunlight) and these combine very well with the light, feathery leaves of ferns, Astilbes and Aquilegias. Throw in the strappy foliage of grassy type plants such as Carex elata ‘Aurea’, Liriope muscari or daylilies (Hemerocallis) and you will have a stimulating feast of texture for the eyes that will encompass shades of green from forest to apple, dark to light and yellow to blue (enough to make a Farrow & Ball colour chart look limited!).

There is also plenty of opportunity to combine greens and leaf shape in sunnier areas. The bold architectural leaves of Echinops, for instance, will contrast beautifully with small-leaved Potentillas, while the large light green leaves of Alchemilla mollis and the grassy mid-green of Stipa tenuissima (Ponytail grass) will invigorate any scheme. For a partially shady area try a combination (pictured) of bluey-green Nepeta ‘Six Hill’s Giant’ (Catmint) with feathery Melissa odorata (Sweet Cicely).

You have probably noticed that most of the plants referred to also have blooms, so next time you are planning the planting in your garden make sure you look after the foliage and you will find that, to some extent at least, the flowers will look after themselves.