Ten Tender Foliage Plants For Your Summer Garden

Big and lush, smooth and sculptural, dark and spikey, light and feathery, foliage is the glue that holds our gardens together. If gardens were canvases, most of the background would be painted in shades of green. Yet so often, the majority of our effort goes into selecting fleeting floral highlights, rather than perfecting the verdant backdrop that will make them glitter like jewels. Take a leaf out of my book, and turn this habit on its head by thinking about foliage first and flowers second.

Next time you step outside, scan your garden and take a guess at how much of the scene consists of flowers. If it's more than 10%, you're doing well. More than 20% and you're going great guns. If it's more than a third, chances are you're enjoying a moment in time which will quickly pass.

Summer offers gardeners a stunning range of foliage in all shapes, sizes, colours and textures. Warmer weather also provides the opportunity to supplement permanent plantings with tender tropicals and leafy houseplants that need a break from indoors. Read on for ten of my favourite foliage plants to bring excitement and drama to your summer garden.

1. Tradescantia ‘Purple Sabre’

This is a superb trailing plant (bottom left) with lustrous, lance-shaped, violet-purple leaves that sparkle like mica in bright sunlight. Tradescantia ‘Purple Sabre’ looks lovely planted in a trough or raised bed where it will drape over the edge. Combine it with an orange fuchsia such as F. ‘Gartenmeister Bonstedt’ or Plectranthus 'Silver Shield' (top) for an eye-catching contrast. The tender stems frequently break off, but worry not, as they root easily in a glass of water, and you will soon have more Tradescantias than you know what to do with. Overwinter indoors or in a frost-free greenhouse.

2. Begonia ‘Benitochiba' AGM

This borderline hardy begonia (bottom right in the image above) produces low mounds of fabulously marbled, almost metallic foliage, flushed with a purplish-pink hue. Being shade-tolerant, it is perfect for lightening up those gloomy corners we all have to contend with, and is very happy growing in a container. All that it demands is decent soil and fairly regular watering. Begonia ‘Benitochiba' is wonderful planted with pink diascias and Cordyline 'Charlie Boy', or among ferns - particularly the Japanese painted fern, Athyrium niponicum var. pictum, which shares similar colouring. For a larger leaf, you should seek out Begonia 'Martin Johnson’ AGM, but you will need to bring this variety indoors for winter. The largest begonia leaves belong to B. 'Torsa' - they measure up to 50cm across!

3. Solenostemon ‘Henna’ (Coleus / Flame Nettle).

I am a massive fan of Coleus, which makes choosing one variety very difficult. Solenostemon 'Henna' would be in my top three, alongside 'Lord Falmouth' and 'Burgundy Wedding Train'. All three are very different. Solenostemon 'Henna' is the archetypal flame nettle with jagged, Chartreuse-green leaves that have a spice-red underside. The plants grow tall, strong, and neat, and will tolerate sun, which causes them to turn a paler gold. Root cuttings in a glass of water and keep them over winter, or buy new plug plants in spring.

4. Hosta 'Great Expectations'

Hostas are completely hardy, but I could not exclude them from this list, as they are unmatched among foliage plants for their beauty and variety. As with Coleus, choosing one is almost impossible, so I will highlight my current favourite, 'Great Expectations', which produces large, puckered leaves that have a yellow centre and green edges. If you can't find 'Great Expectations', look out for 'Orange Marmalade', which is just as covetable. If yellow variegation isn't your cup of tea, I can recommend Hosta 'Patriot', which has ivory and green leaves with stems flushed purple in early spring. For giant, pleated leaves up to 40cm long, Hosta 'T Rex' is outstanding, making it a star in my garden. All will grow happily in pots without winter protection, but mind the slugs and snails.

5. Colocasia ‘Maui Gold’

Colocasias are large-leaved plants that originate from Southeast Asia and India, indicating that they prefer warm climates. In a good British summer, colocasias will produce huge leaves that dangle exotically from their long stalks. When it rains, beads of water race off their surface like mercury. Some varieties are expensive to purchase and quite finicky, so stick with easier options like 'Black Magic' and 'Maui Gold' to avoid disappointment. Colocasias love water - they'll grow as a marginal pond plant in summer - and prosper in a pot provided they are fed regularly. Colocasias should be allowed to die down in autumn. Save the potato-like rhizomes, also known as taro, and replant them in spring to initiate growth again.

6. Zantedeschia ‘Hercules’

The size of this calla lily is something to behold. It’s a monster! An individual silver-spotted leaf might measure 3 feet in length, and the marzipan-scented, white flowers can be carried 6 feet above the ground. Unlike some of my other selections, it will still thrive in a cooler summer, forming a striking, vase-shaped plant. Zantedeschia ‘Hercules’ dies back in winter, and I would recommend keeping it in an unheated greenhouse or shed during this time. Alternatively, move it into a conservatory or porch in October and continue to enjoy the spectacular foliage.

7. Musa 'Ever Red'

Bananas are now a common sight in British gardens and readily available in garden centres. The species you'll most often find is Musa basjoo, a hardy, Japanese banana. Just as hardy is Musa sikiimensis, from Bhutan and India - a striped variant called 'Bengal Tiger' or 'Red Tiger is the one you're likely to find for sale. An improvement is 'Ever Red', which produces huge, paddle-shaped leaves with wider red stripes. Whichever you choose, plant them in a sheltered spot, feed and water regularly, and watch them grow. You won't produce edible bananas, but you will feel like you're in the tropics. Until well established, most bananas benefit from winter protection.

8 Strobilanthes dyeriana

Requiring a little more effort to grow than most of my other suggestions, Strobilanthes dyeriana, the Persian shield, will pay you back tenfold with shocking purple-pink foliage that no amount of photoshopping could improve. Originating from the warm tropical forests of Myanmar, it requires warm conditions, fertile soil and protection from greenfly and whitefly. Persian shield is often grown as an exotic bedding plant in partial shade or dappled sunlight. Here it will happily grow into a small bushy plant up to 60cm high. Lift a few in autumn and keep them as houseplants. They may look a little tired by spring, but will soon bounce back.

9 Canna musifolia 'Grande'

Most cannas are cultivated for their flamboyant flowers, but this variety is prized for its vast, banana-like leaves produced on stems reaching up to 3m tall. The stems and leaf edges have a striking red flush, and growth is rapid. Cannas require plenty of water and regular feeding, and it's best to protect the young shoots from slugs and snails, as just a few nibbles can result in leaves that resemble doilies. Occasionally, orange flowers are produced, but they are not the main event.

10. Tetrapanax papyrifer 'Rex'

'Rex' means king, and if you spy a mature specimen of Tetrapanax papyrifer 'Rex', the Chinese rice paper plant, you'll soon appreciate why. This suckering shrub or small tree produces long, bare trunks topped by huge, deeply lobed leaves that can reach up to 1m across. They're so large that you can shelter beneath them like umbrellas during a shower. Provided with a bit of warmth and shelter, Tetrapanax papyrifer 'Rex' is easy to grow and will dazzle your friends and neighbours with its might and majesty. Mulch plants heavily in winter to protect the roots from frost. Even if the top parts are killed by cold, it will resprout from the base.

Your items