Foliage plants

Foliage plants are what hold a planting scheme together between the flowers. Broad leaves create weight and calm, finer foliage brings movement and variegated or silvered forms can lift darker corners. From hostas and ferns to heucheras, grasses and other ornamental foliage plants, this collection focuses on varieties chosen for the part their leaves play across the border, not simply for one moment of bloom.

A considered mix of leaf shapes makes planting feel layered rather than crowded. Large foliage can ground lighter perennials, upright forms introduce structure and lower-growing varieties soften paths and border edges. Many plants grown for foliage also change as the season moves on, developing stronger tones, fresh growth or seedheads that carry the garden beyond summer. Matching each variety to its preferred light, soil and moisture will help the foliage settle in and perform at its best.

For UK gardens, foliage is especially valuable because it gives continuity through a long growing season. Use foliage plants for shade beneath trees and shrubs, repeat textural varieties through mixed borders or combine evergreen and deciduous forms so the garden keeps its structure as the seasons change. Flowers may come and go, but well-chosen foliage gives the planting its rhythm from the moment growth begins.