Using mostly evergreen, foliage plants is a bold choice in a garden. In this small London garden, garden designer Alasdair Cameron has ensured cohesion by using a limited palette of plants that are mostly evergreen. “In such a small space, I like to keep things simple, otherwise it gets too busy and makes the space look smaller,” says Alasdair. He has used a mainly green, white and pale-pink palette, with evergreen yew domes, tree ferns and ‘curtains’ of climbing plants such as scented star jasmine and stauntonia for year-round interest. Although the planting spaces are relatively small, the effect is full and tranquil and, most importantly, the space works incredibly well.
Best foliage plants
- Mind your own business (Soleirolia soleirolii) - spreading plant with tiny evergreen leaves. Can be used as ground cover, as an alternative to a lawn or in a living wall.
- Stauntonia hexaphylla – an evergreen climber with apple green leaves and small but deliciously scented flowers in early spring.
- Muehlenbeckia – a deciduous shrub with small dark green leaves. Grow as a climber or ground cover.
- Yew (Taxus baccata) - an excellent alternative to box, that can be clipped into balls and topiary.
- Hebe rakaiensis - a compact, rounded evergreen small shrub that is another great alternative to box.
- Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’ - attractive shrub with pale green leaves.
- Hart's tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium) - glossy, crinkled evergreen leaves.
- Shuttlecock fern (Dryopteris filix-mas) - large fern with stunning fronds that looks especially attractive as it unfurls
- Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) - evergreen climber with star-shaped, scented flowers.
- Prostrate rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis Prostratus Group) - a prostrate form of rosemary, with blue flowers in early spring.
- Tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica) - an eye catching trunk and fern-like foliage.
Here are five tips from Alasdair on using evergreen foliage plants in the garden.
Consider the different shades of green
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Thinking of foliage plants as just ‘green’ belies the many different shades there are to play with. For example, mind-your-own-business (Soleirolia soleirolii) is a bright, almost electric green; Stauntonia hexaphylla, a favourite climber of mine, is an appley green, while Muehlenbeckia has a more brownish hue.
Consider foliage textures and proportions
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When you're using just one colour, foliage texture and proportion take on a far greater importance. I think spheres of Taxus baccata, Hebe rakaiensis and Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’ look great together – the leaf sizes are similar but they provide both different shades and textures.
Make sure you have some flowers in summer
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Use evergreens for winter interest and structure, but make sure you have some summer flowers nearby. Evergreens can feel a bit dark in summer. Alastair adds annuals, such as ammi and orlaya, to bring subtle colour. Seasonal lifts also come courtesy of Rosa ‘Cécile Brünner’, long-flowering Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’, the spring blossom on a pleached panel of Malus domestica ‘James Grieve’ at the rear of the garden.
Be sure to include ferns
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Ferns are great plants for a green garden and for foliage – they have so many different textures and shapes – and they are especially good when they unfurl. I love the glossy, crinkled leaves of the hart’s tongue fern Asplenium scolopendrium and the shuttlecock clumps of the male fern Dryopteris filix-mas.
Think about vertical and horizontal surfaces
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Think about the different planes in your garden and how to dress them. I use Trachelospermum jasminoides like a curtain of foliage, and I love the way prostrate rosemary sprawls across the tops of walls or planters. Steps can be softened by ribbons of Soleirolia soleirolii.