How to make a statement in your garden
A statement industrial plant has a certain “ wow ” factor : It may be glorious color — an unusual shadowiness or something shockingly brilliant . Or maybe it is the plant ’s form — architectural lines or diffuse flowing shapes that set the tone for a landscape painting or container . The size of a plant can be so tremendous it makes your jaw drop , or touchy and tiny to cause you to pause and look closely to appreciate its attributes . Even texture can speak volumes — velvety foliage creates a cozy , laid - back feel in the garden while sharp , unfaltering leave generate fervor .
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Plants that demand attention
It can be difficult to apply plants that make such a show of themselves . Sometimes they just need a spot to abide alone . But if you take their top attribute into consideration , be it color , shape , size of it or texture , and play it up with other industrial plant in your garden that accentuate or contrast with it , you ’ll be able-bodied to find a room to utilize all those “ wow ” plants . Here are a few of my favorites that make a program line .
Kangaroo manus ( Anigozanthosspp . and hybrids )
With fuzzy heyday reminiscent of a kangaroo ’s paw , this unequaled plant is certain to induce inquisitive garden visitor vernal and old to stop and touch — they wo n’t be capable to help themselves .
The many specie and cultivars rove so much in tiptop and color you ’ll surely obtain one to accommodate your garden . Dramatic in the back of the perimeter , tall varieties call for tending . But even the shorter kangaroo paws make their comportment bonk in containers or the front of the border with spiky foliage and day-and-night furry flush . bring down back spent bloom to the flat coat to motivate it to bloom even more . It loves live weather , but cool temperature deepen the colors .
TypeTender perennial ( Usually grown as an annual)BloomsRed , orangish , yellow , white , pinkish and empurpled blossom clustering spring through fallLightFull sunSoilSandy , well - drainedSize1 to 6 foot . tall , in flower , 1 to 3 foot . wideHardinessCold sturdy in USDA zones 9 to 11
‘ Variegata ’ elephantine dogwood ( Cornus controversa‘Variegata ’ )
Strong horizontal fork return ‘ Variegata ’ jumbo cornel , also calledwedding bar tree , a singular tiered look in the garden . Young specimens are peculiarly pronounced . Leaves are green with creamy white diversification that can light up a shady location . Planted under the canopy of another nearby tree helps prevent leaves from sear . Used as a focal stage , this tree will draw your eye , then advance it to move across the landscape .
TypeTreeBloomsWhite heyday cluster in belated spring mature to spicy - disastrous fruits in tumble that will appeal shuttlecock to your gardenLightFull sun to part shadeSoilMoist , well - drainedSize35 to 40 ft . tall and wideHardinessCold hardy in USDA zone 5 to 8
Mediterranean spurge ( Euphorbia characias wulfenii )
Mediterranean spurge is so leisurely to produce , it would be a crime not to . And why would n’t you with these striking bottlebrush blooms glowing in chartreuse light-green ?
Even though it ’s only perennial in tender zona , Northern cultivator can savor Mediterranean spurge in containers as an yearly . It tolerates drouth and warmth , making it the perfect choice as a focal point in a rock garden . Used in a aggregative planting , it can make a background to toy up other colorful plant . The foliage comprise a milky sap that can be get to to skin and eyes , so do be careful when contract back spend blooms to the ground to advance more flowers .
TypePerennialBloomsLarge bottlebrush blooms with light-green - yellow bract in former springtime to early summerLightFull Dominicus to part shadeSoilMoist , well - enfeeble to dry soilsSize3 to 5 ft . tall , 3 to 4 ft . wideHardinessCold intrepid in USDA zone 7 to 11
weep redbud ( Cercis canadensis )
Weeping redbud lends a topiary look without the need for constant pruning and maintenance . Its loos branches will softly sway in the breeze — perfect for a comfortable hideout . ‘ Traveller ’ ( above ) looks serious in any season . It get down in early spring with brilliant rose - purple efflorescence dripping from the cascading branches , followed by coppery new parting emerging that maturate to common . In winter you may see the contort trunk and dark barque .
TypeTreeBloomsRose - majestic blossom in early spring before foliage emergesLightFull Sunday to part shadeSoilMoist , well - drainedSize15 to 25 foot . grandiloquent and wideHardinessCold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9
Earth thistle ( Echinops ritro )
Sturdy and statuesque , globe thistle throws sphere of spiky steel - blue or white blooms into the air like a talented juggler . Though its thistlelike foliation attend harsh , it ’s not actually thistle and is less prickly than it might visually imply .
apply globe thistle to give sharp texture in the back of the border of an otherwise soft garden . Deer- and drought - resistant , this Fe tough plant appeals to many pollinators . When bloom fade , deadhead them on the prow to keep seeds from spreading , then as bloom stalks finish , cut the stem down to the ground to encourage more flowers to form .
TypeTender perennial ( Usually grown as an annual)BloomsSpheres of spiky snowy or blueish flowers midsummer to fallLightFull sunSoilDry , well - drain , even piquant or lean soilsSize24 to 36 in . tall , 18 to 24 in . wideHardinessCold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8
Globe artichoke plant ( Cynara cardunculus )
marvellous and Junoesque , artichoke is more than just a delicious side dish — it ’s an impressive specimen alone or as a back - of - the edge eye - catcher . Coarse , thistlelike foliage with a silvern cast commands attention . Multiple strong efflorescence stalk emerge from this textural tempest to make tasty edible bud . Wait too long to harvest and they lose their tenderness , so if any buds start showing majestic color , let them end blossom — they’re beyond eat up and you wo n’t regret reserve them to put on their pollinator - well-disposed show .
TypeTender perennial ( usually arise as an annual)BloomsEdible flower buds open into fragrant purplish globes in late summerLightFull sunSoilOrganic matter - ample , moist , well - drainingSize3 to 5 ft . tall , 2 to 3 ft . wideHardinessCold stout in USDA zones 7 to 10
Mangave ( AgavexManfreda )
Plant breeders have outdone themselves selecting interesting cultivar of this cross between Agave and Manfreda . rise up from a spiky rose window , the long , arching succulent leaf blades often have soft prickle on the edges , which may be square , rippled or curled . Foliage color range from greens to silvers to blue - greens to Bourgogne tinge greens , usually with striking stripes or speckles , such as ' King Cobra ' above , that intensify with sunlight . It really glow when potted in a unique planter .
Wet soil in coolheaded weather is a formula for catastrophe , so get it get dry between lachrymation in winter . In moth-eaten geographical zone , winter mangave over as a houseplant in a bright , sunny window .
TypeTender perennial ( Usually grown as an annual)BloomsInfrequent burgundy - browned or scandalmongering flower in midsummerLightFull sun to part shadeSoilMoist , well - drainedSize4 to 28 in . tall , 12 to 42 in . wideHardinessCold stout in USDA zones 7 to 11
Foxtail lily ( Eremurusspp . and hybrids )
Just when you thought the outflow flower show was over , foxtail lily spring into action . And what a show it is ! From a nondescript clump of strappy leaf near the primer emerge glorious spikes of affectionate color shooting skyward several foot tall . Planted against a backdrop of shrubs with dark green or burgundy foliage , foxtail lilies will virtually glow as they tower above their garden familiar . thin a few for bouquet indoors — they make an excellent gash flush . The russet scab of folio die back afterwards in the summertime after the salad days slice , so blend foxtail grass lily in borders with previous - summer - unfolding - perennial that will take up the space .
TypePerennialBloomsLong spikes of lily-white , pink , scandalmongering , orangish , or brown flush from the bottom up in late spring to other summerLightFull sunSoilRich , well - drained Size : 3 to 6 ft . tall , 1 to 2 foot . wideHardinessCold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8
