Appreciating Plants Like a Piece of Fine Sculpture

It’s taken time, but over the years I have learned to choose and appreciate plants not mainly for their flowers, but what they do in the garden the rest of the year. Blooming isn’t everything. Many perennials only flower for a relatively short period of time. The rest of the year, their role in the garden depends upon a most unsung aspect of their “personalities”—their leaves.

A leaf’s contribution is far more subtle than a blossom’s. Sometimes the color is what makes the passerby stop and take notice. Shape and texture can also play a role.  One of my personal favorites is lamb’s ears. It is truly endearing as a border plant because of the  tight-to-the-ground velvety gray leaves that give it the plant it’s name.  Astilbe and peonies have mid-bed curb appeal because of their multi-lobed, palm-like leaves and bushy stature.  Both have deep wine veining as well which makes their greens “pop”.  Hydrangeas (a bush) and hollyhocks are both tall, back-of-the bed plants whose massive rounded, textured leaves anchor the entire bed. 

As everybody’s favorite frog expressed it, being green isn’t an easy business. A truly effective garden design 'sees' with a sculptor's eyes. . .a medium where form and shape and subtle nuances of texture and tone can become a measure of the artistry involved.