Wednesday, June 2, 2004

Foliage, fantastic

You might equate lush textures, rich colors, personality and panache with the latest home decorating trends, and you’d be right. But what’s in is really out! Outside that is garden rooms. The latest trend in garden rooms is foliage! They’re the must-have plants for 2004.

Foliage has come into vogue just in time for busy gardeners who want plants that are easy on the eyes, the water bill and the back! And this year’s foliage is so much more than green! Consider silver, chartreuse, hot pink and plum. The Fantastic Foliage collection has all that and more. From simple accents to exotic focal points, these new beauties offer high impact choices for almost any garden spot, from full sun to full shade.

Magilla Perilla is a jaw-dropping plant with a fun-loving name. Bearing purple leaves slashed with pink, green and white, Magilla looks like a giant coleus, but loves heat, too. Use it alone in a container or mixed in beds. It will flourish in full sun to full shade.

Silver Falls Dichondra wins the vote for most versatile. Use it to fix those back-breaking gardening areas. In garden beds, it forms a dense mat that chokes out the most stubborn weeds. And not only is Silver Falls a workhorse, it’s a delicate beauty, too. Tiny fan-shaped leaves dangle from baskets, window boxes and over rock walls, trailing up to 3 ft. in a single season. Silver Falls’ shimmering foliage gives a cooling and clean effect in full sun to partial shade.

Its green-leafed cousin Emerald Falls surrounds stepping stones with a cool, cushiony texture where moss might fail. Its leaves look like little miniature hearts! Emerald Falls is a great component plant for mixed containers, too.

Purple Knight Alternanthera will perform admirably in many capacities. As a tall groundcover the dark metallic leaves look stunning under birches and other similar light- barked trees. Purple Knight takes on its deepest eggplant tones in full sun.

Move over, Dracaena spike; Purple Majesty Millet makes a bold statement in containers or in beds as a dramatic background plant. Maybe you had the good fortunate of seeing it last year at the Mosaiculture International Montréal 2003! Young “blooms” can be used in floral arrangements, and the birds love the fully developed seed plumes.

And finally, for a real “eye opener,” try Peek-A-Boo Spilanthes. You just have to see this “eyeball” plant to believe it. It’s sure to start many conversations at your deck and patio parties. Long pendulant stems hold unique, olive-shaped, golden yellow flowers with a deep burgundy red center Ð they peek up at you just like eyeballs. Be sure to include it in your foliage selections this spring.

Simple and sophisticated are the big messages in gardening this year. Foliage takes a garden to that level while leaving more time to enjoy it. The neighbors will think you hired a professional! We won’t tell.

Look for the Fantastic Foliage collection at www.SimplyBeautifulGardens.com or visit your local garden center and ask for Simply Beautiful plants by name.