BIG BOLD LEAVES ENHANCE THE SUMMER EXPERIENCE IN GARDENS IN WOODLANDS

Very much like the arrangement of succulents in this trough garden that I have on my deck table, the bold leaf elements in gardens in woodlands stand out and stop the eye in an otherwise jumble of the summer garden. 

It is important to give my visitors a place to rest their eyes and mind on a bold leaved plant as we walk along paths or into garden rooms. Dozens of plant combinations encountered in my gardens can be overwhelming to the psyche.  Even I become a bit claustrophobic at the end of summer when the jungle of summer growth seems to press in on me. 

To somewhat remedy this, I have interspersed plants with giant leaves at appropriate intervals.  So, this morning I took a stroll around the gardens starting at my side door and this is what I came across. 

Some of the plants, like the leaflets of this 3' tall Amorphophallus are tucked into a bed for a dramatic impact. 

When I find interesting pieces like this ornate metal chair I like to add summer Caladiums with colorful bold leaves as a foil for the fine textures of a dwarf Cryptomeria and Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost'. 

I like to grow Heuchera in pots and this bold H. 'Autumn Bride' leaf is a calming influence for the riotous colors of the Caladium patterns that always get all the attention. 

A 6' tall Edgeworthia chrysantha is a great background mass with Geranium machrorrhizum skirting it's feet. 

This year the native Callicarpa americana leaves have expanded to 8". You can get a sense of the scale as it closes the gap on the right side of a free standing gate. 

One of my favorite plants reminding me of a spray of water is the Japanese Roof Iris (Iris tectorum) with an almost horizontal leaf habit. Here seen along a gravel path this seedling found a happy and appropriate home. The white or purple blooms in spring are fleetingly beautiful. So, the other values of this plant, to me, are more important: it is drought and shade tolerant, likes more acidic soils (never lime this Iris); in mild winters it is evergreen; it reproduces by seed and rhizomes and is very easy to transplant out of an area where it might colonize without your permission. 

Fine Fern, medium Hosta and bold Begonia grandis textures complementarily arranged in a corner of my entry courtyard. 

I love this dramatic cascade of Hosta cultivars including H. 'Guacamole' at the top and white edged H. 'Patriot'. The waterfall effect of large leaves surrounded by medium and fine textures is a show stopper beside a set of rustic stairs. They are planted in large pots sunk into the ground to protect their roots from voles and to keep the roots happily bound. I fertilize the individual pots with Osmocote twice a season and give them an occasional sprinkle of water. 

Huge dramatic Canna Lilies add a lot to woodland gardens. I don't depend on many flowers forming on them because of shady conditions, but, the leaves add so much of a counterbalance to the vast feeling of a woodland canopy that I like to keep a couple of them going.  My favorite is the "Canna Banana" so called because of it's botanical name Cana musa (musa being the genus name of Banana and the shape, color and size of the 8' tall stalks of leaves.) 

Above, Canna Banana massed at the edge of the woodland

Oakleaf Hydrangea cultivars such as this Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snowflake' have spectacularly large leaves having shapes reminiscent of Oak tree leaves (genus Quercus). 

Above, Compare the shapes of H. q. 'Snowflake' on the left with H. q. 'Snow Queen' on the right. 

Helleborus x hybridus seed freely in my gardens and I expect they do so in yours. If they are enhancing their preferred new locations they survive my editing hands.  Here a number of mature seedlings soften the base of a stacked stone wall. The Arborvitae Fern, actually a selaginella, growing on the top of the wall is a great counterpoint of fine texture. 

A singular Helleborus leaf adds a sculptural statement while dangling over an Autumn Fern seedling. 

At the peril of the future of one of my paths I have planted two thugs seen on the left (above). Lamium maculatum (Deadnettle) and Tetrapanax papyirfer (Ricepaper Plant) hovering over the Deadnettle is an experiment  and could be one that I regret in coming years.  But, you know how it is when you fall in love with a plant, all sensibility is lost for awhile. On the right of this collage image is a much safer alternative to this bold presence in the garden ..... a beautiful cement impression of the actual Tetrapanax leaf. This sculpture was made by my friends Amelia Lane and Beth Jimenez at Lasting Impressions. 

Long spectacular wands of Tricyrtis leaves arch over a delicate arrangement of Japanese Painted Ferns and Oxalis in a mossy stone terrace that butts up to the house foundation. They, too, found their own home. I find the carefree effect, a charming one. 

Above, is another impressive arching leaved plant. The Giant Solomon's Seal stands almost 5' tall and placed at the edge of a path it is difficult to miss. My 105 lb. German Shepherd is only 10 feet away so, this image is not a trick of depth perception.  Below, Marcus is guarding Carolina Elephant's Foot (Elephantopus carolinianus). A bold native 'splat' of basal leaves with a stem of flowers about to bloom. It seeds freely in a path topped every year with Cedar chips. 

Any time of the year is a good time to no longer be timid about experimenting with large leaved plants for a textural punch in your summer gardens in woodlands.