Add interest to the landscape with variegated plants

Gardeners are always looking for ways to spice up their gardens. We scour garden center benches for new annuals, unusual perennials and trendy tropicals, or we plant hip containers to brighten insipid spots in our borders. And while these are all reasonable ways to add appeal, there is another way. Choose plants with variegated foliage.

Variegation is caused by pigments in plant cells and it appears as differently colored marks, patches or streaks in leaves. It occurs in myriad colors and can be sharply defined or softly blended. Leaf edges, centers or veins on plants can also offer valued variegation.

Groundcovers

Burgundy Glow carpet bugle (Ajuga reptans) is a dense, mat-like ground cover that shows off pink, white and green leaves. Plant it beneath a purple-foliaged shrub for a pleasing color combination.

Liven up shade gardens with spotted dead nettle (Lamium maculatum). Beacon Silver, White Nancy and Pink Pewter each have silvery-white leaves with green margins and bloom in deep pink, bright pink or white.

Perennials

Choose either Jack Frost or Alexander's Great false forget-me-not (Brunnera macrophylla) to brighten up a shady border. Clouds of blue forget-me-not flowers bloom for six weeks in spring. Mounding plants grow 12 to 15 inches tall with large, heart-shaped, richly textured, frosty foliage. Plant either beside Japanese painted ferns for a match made in heaven.

We relish the showy sulfur yellow bracts of spurge (Euphorbia epithymoides) in the spring, but the foliage of Bonfire is colorful long after the bracts have faded. Bonfire is aptly named with foliage flaming in shades of purple, red, orange and chartreuse.

Sun loving and summer blooming, Sunburst false sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) has cream and green variegated foliage. It grows up to 3 feet tall and wide. Planted in front of a dark green backdrop, it will stop visitors to your garden in their tracks.

Coral bells (Heuchera) are becoming a mainstay in partly shaded gardens. Midnight Rose has burnished black leaves spattered with rose in spring, turning to pink and cream as the season progresses.

The creamy variegated foliage of Stairway to Heaven Jacob's ladder (Polemonium reptans) blushes pink in cool weather. Its upright habit makes it an ideal neighbor for a mounding dark green or blue hosta.

The family of lungworts (Pulmonaria) gives us an abundance of varieties with fuzzy foliage splashed with silvery white in varying degrees. Combine any of them with snowdrop anemone (Anemone sylvestris) for a sparkling spring-blooming duet in a partly shady spot.

And then there are all the variegated ornamental grasses and hostas!

Shrubs

Ivory Halo dogwood (Cornus) grows 5 to 6 feet tall and is an excellent candidate for a shrub border. Early spring-blooming bulbs planted at its feet will highlight its red stems.

Euonymus 'Canadale Gold' is a densely-branched, evergreen shrub with yellow-margined green foliage. It grows up to 3 feet tall and wide. Tolerant of most growing conditions, it is beautiful combined with other shrubs in a foundation planting.

Branches of green, white and pink foliage explode from Nishiki willow (Salix integra "Hakuro Nishiki"). New growth is most colorful, so seasonally prune this shrub or small grafted tree. Its colorful stems also offer winter interest.

Design considerations

When placing variegated plants in the landscape, consider the distance from which they are most often seen. Plants with bold variegation are easily seen from a distance. Delicately-variegated plants are best planted where they can be admired up close - next to a path, near a deck or patio, or in a container.

Variegated plants, especially those with bold variegation, draw the eye directly to them. As a result, two or more planted in proximity create uncomfortable tension - the eye doesn't know where to focus. Use variegated plants as accents; used in mass, they may be visually overwhelming.

Variegated plants are very valuable to gardeners. They brighten shady areas, unite color combinations of neighboring plants, and provide built-in color and interest throughout the season. Choose a few variegated plants and add visual appeal to your landscape.

• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist and the garden center manager at The Planter's Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield. Call (630) 293-1040, Ext. 2, or visit planterspalette.com.