How to Add Texture to Your Garden: A Guide to Foliage That Works Together
Texture is the difference between the garden that only looks good from the street‚ and the garden that makes you stop and walk in․ It's the way leaf shape‚ leaf surface‚ and growth habits play off each other that counts․ In Tennessee‚ of all the design elements‚ texture is the most neglected․
The garden color schemes described typically are based on the bloom color for a period of two to three weeks․ The foliage texture is what gardeners will be growing from April until the first hard frost․ In evergreen gardens‚ it will provide texture all winter long․ If you've ever looked at a garden bed in August‚ after all the peonies and the irises have gone by‚ and thought this looks flat‚ that's a texture problem‚ not a color problem․
The trick is to combine plants with fine‚ feathery foliage and bold‚ large-leaved plants‚ and then hold them in place with structural and evergreen plants․ Creating a garden like this and one that fits the climate and conditions of Tennessee's Zones 6b through 8a can be simple and‚ best of all‚ not work-intensive
Start With Fine Texture: Japanese Painted Ferns
Japanese Painted Ferns (Athyrium niponicum var․ pictum) are among the most efficient ferns in covering shaded spots‚ often requiring only one square foot for each plant․ Fronds are finely divided and range from silver‚ gray, and burgundy‚ changing subtly from angle to angle․ Color is brightened in early spring and late autumn and toned down in high summer․
They thrive in partial to full shade‚ on well-drained‚ moist soil‚ and are best suited for planting where they will grow under the canopies of older oak trees or on the north side of a house․ Don't judge their potential size by their first-year growth․ By their second or third year‚ these ferns will have formed an 18 to 24 inch wide clump․ To relocate ferns further down an already shady border‚ divide ferns every 3 to 4 years in early spring․
Plant them alongside something with bold foliage, and you don't need a third or fourth variant of fern in the bed to make it interesting․
Add Bold Contrast: Hostas
Hostas are the workhorse of texture in a shade garden‚ with TN Nursery carrying many varieties because the texture within species is quite different․ Some hostas look glossy with almost rubbery finishes‚ and others have heavy ribbing or puckering (those that are quilted in shape are called the Sum and Substance hostas)․ The blue-toned cultivars‚ such as 'Halcyon'‚ have a waxy‚ matt appearance; in the same bed you could have a shiny green hosta just a few feet away․
Hostas do best in rich‚ well-draining soil‚ in morning sun and afternoon shade․ Tennessee's summer heat is sufficient that most hostas will burn if planted in full sun․ When established‚ hostas need about an inch of water per week during dry spells․ The main maintenance concern is the presence of slugs․ As these share the same moist shady conditions that hostas prefer they can be kept at bay by the use of an anti-slug copper tape around the edge of the bed‚ or sprinkling diatomaceous earth on the surface of the soil․
Combining three or four hosta varieties with different textures in one bed creates more variation than almost any other single-genus planting you can do․
Go Vertical and Rough: Maximilian Sunflowers
Especially for those with a low palette and mostly shade‚ Helianthus maximiliani‚ the Maximilian Sunflowers‚ are a sea change․ The truly native perennial sunflowers grow 6 to 10 feet with huge bright blooms from late summer into October‚ just when most perennial gardens are finishing their show․
The leaves are long‚ thin and spiny; hence the common name․ The plant grows from an erect stem which is strong enough that it does not require staking for support at its full height․ It grows best in full sun and in average‚ well-drained soil․ These plants tolerate poor soil‚ but too much fertility may produce floppy plants․ They should not be crowded together‚ as they spread by rhizomes and can form a clump of 3 to 4 foot (90 to 120 cm)․
They're also one of the better late-season pollinator plants for the Southeast‚ attracting both bees and migrating monarchs when many other sources of nectar have already gone to seed․
Anchor the Bed: Boxwoods
Every lush garden needs an element that does not change through the seasons‚ and Boxwoods have filled this void in Southern gardens for over a century for very good reason․ The almost velvety texture of the small‚ tightly packed‚ oval leaves creates a tightly woven fabric regardless of what plant is alongside them․
Boxwoods grow well through cold Tennessee winters and prefer well-drained soil with a pH from neutral to slightly alkaline‚ although clay should be amended to avoid rot․ Boxwoods can tolerate part shade‚ but cultivars will have much denser growth in full to part sun․ They should be pruned lightly at the end of the spring‚ after the first flush of new growth‚ and lightly at the end of summer to shape the hedge․ Pruning isn't done in fall because shoots won't have hardened off before frost and will die in winter․
TN Nursery stocks several types of boxwood for this reason: it is one of the few plants that can be planted as a single specimen‚ a low hedge‚ or a privacy screen when properly spaced․
Soften the Edges: Soft Touch Holly
Soft Touch Holly (Ilex crenata 'Soft Touch') solves a problem ordinary holly creates: you want a shrub with that dark‚ dense evergreen look‚ but the spiny leaves make it a pain to work around․ So‚ you now have tiny‚ round and‚ yes‚ soft leaves․ Use it along paths or at the edge of shrub beds where humans or pets might brush up against it․
Typically a short shrub 3 to 4 feet (0․91 to 1․22 m) tall and wide‚ it has a natural rounded form with little pruning․ It prefers full sun or part shade‚ and unlike boxwood‚ has little requirement for specific soil pH․ Water weekly deeply in the first year so roots can become established; it is largely drought-tolerant once established in subsequent years․
Putting It Together
A well-textured Tennessee garden bed is something fine and feathery low down (ferns)‚ something broad and bold in the middle distance (hostas)‚ a tall texture accent for late season interest (Maximilian Sunflowers)‚ and evergreen structure anchoring the corners or the front edge (boxwood‚ Soft Touch Holly)․ You don't have to do all of the above in every bed․ You can pick two or three that suit your light conditions and let their contrast work the magic․
They can be planted in full shade or full sun and are of interest during spring‚ summer‚ and fall․ These five plants cover every location that you can use in a Tennessee yard․ All of these five plants are available as established plants from TN Nursery for immediate shipment‚ rather than starting from seed or small starts‚ which saves time and work․
"
