Bold and Beautiful Perennial Gardens
Richard Liberto

Above: A pernnial garden in late summer displays a variety of textures using annuals and perennials. Forground: Sedium "Autumn Joy." Below Right: Japanese iris (Iris ensata)

It’s easy to understand why many homeowners and some gardeners find the task of planning and designing perennial gardens to be daunting. After many years of contemplating, visiting enchanting gardens and experimenting in my own garden, I have finally arrived at a conclusion: I’ve learned that it isn’t color alone that makes for a successful perennial garden; rather it is the combination of foliage and flower color.

Designs that feature attractive foliage can enhance any garden, particularly entrance gardens and areas near decks, patios and pools. Any garden will benefit from the long season interest that foliage provides. Over time I have developed some basic but no less important principles for creating perennial gardens with foliage plants. The key to using foliage and perennials in the garden is understanding how to select the appropriate plants.

But before I outline those principles, let me share a few tried and true tips:

• Arrange each type of plant either in masses or in groupings and repeat this arrangement throughout the garden.
• Include a few small flowering shrubs and broad-leaved evergreens (dwarf rhododendrons; leucothe or Pieris japonica)
• Fill approximately 40% of the garden with perennial plants having long- season foliage.

The heirloom hosta. "Sieboldiana" is bold and beautiful in any garden.

The solid silver-gray foliage of Pulmonaria "Majeste."

The following are some tried and true principles I’ve discovered for creating well-designed perennial gardens:

Form
The overall form of a plant, in addition to its’ appearance, is of utmost importance. Some plants are wide-spreading mounds, others are upright-vertical and some are cascading, while others are fan-shaped, as in the case of irises. An example of a mounding plant is Epimedium. The ornamental grass, Panicum virgatum, exemplifies an upright or columnar form. Miscanthus and fountain grass, which are also ornamental grass species, are both excellent examples of a cascading form.

Texture
A plants’ texture is in reference to both the total plant and its leaves. Typically, a plant with fine-textured leaves will have a fine overall texture as in the case of artemisia. Coarse-textures plants such as purple coneflower (Echinacea spp.) and black-eyed Susans are generally placed in the middle or to the back of the garden. I will often plant a fine-textured plant adjacent to a coarse-textured one to create a sharp and striking contrast. Coarse-textured plants can serve double-duty by providing great substance to any garden.

A mass planting of black-eyed Susans with Miscanthus "Roland" in this sculpture garden.

Repeating masses
Plants make a stronger visual impact when three or more of the same species are grouped together. I tend to repeat these groupings several times throughout the garden.

Foliage shape
Different leaf shapes lend visual interest to an arrangement of plants. It’s been my observation that people tend to have a fondness for palmate (palm-shaped) leaves. Plants with this type of leaf include rodgersia, hellebore, forget-me-not, perennial geranium and hosta.

Miscanthus "Morning Light" has a distinctive v-shaped habit with variegated foliage and appears luminous in this landscape.

Foliage color
Foliage color is often one of the most difficult considerations for people when planning their gardens. Try to choose foliage with color in mind. Think of it as a tapestry—color weaves a pattern and repetition is vital for a harmonious result. Gray-leaved plants will make an area seem white and brighter. Purple, dark red and bronze foliage recede into the background and make the garden seem smaller. Gold-leaved plants are best utilized in partly shaded conditions where they will enliven an otherwise dark area. Variegated plants, like ribbon grass and Phlox “Harlequin,” help to brighten a shady spot and serve as accents for green-leaved plants.

Add flowers
Finally, when the foliage plants have been placed, it’s time to add flowers that will provide color throughout the season. Effective combinations of foliage plants and flowering perennials can be made. I like to place the perennials so their flower colors complement the leaves of the foliage plants next to them.

Be creative
The real success in gardens results when you know the rules well enough to be able to break them! If you design only according to a set of rules, the result will be boring. Consider adding at least one plant for its boldness or unusual nature. A Joe-Pye plant (Eupatorium spp.) has large salmon-colored flower panicles that are a butterfly magnet. Feather-reed grass or Crocosmia “Lucifer” looks like exclamation points in the garden.

Coreopsis “Goldfink” and Liatris provide striking color and fine-textured form.

The dark green foliage with white spots on Pulmonaria “Mrs. Moon” brightens a shady area in the garden.

Richard Liberto is a professional landscape designer, horticulturist and consultant.