One of the easiest ways to create dramatic looking containers is to contrast fine and broad textures in your plant selections. Here are plants with large, broad leaves.
Contrasting fine textured foliage plants with bold textured foliage plants is one way to create dramatic container plantings.
Bergenia cordifolia– Zone 3-8. Bold, waxy looking leaves make this a popular accent plant to contrast fine textured foliage plants. Bergenia is also available with colored foliage and tolerant to shady conditions. Water your Bergenia more when it is in a sunny area. Bergenia will grow about 12-18” tall and wide in pleasing clumps of large leaves.
Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla mollis) – Zones 4-7. Large, light-green scalloped leaves make this perennial plant a show-stopper in the garden even when the airy, yellow flower clusters aren't blooming. Lady's mantle grows to 2' tall and wide and the bold-textured leaves can be as large as 4” across. The yellow flowers are carried above the foliage all summer and are good for cut flower arrangements.
Hosta– Grown for the bold foliage, hostas are popular shade garden plants. Caring for hostas is easy compared to most plants, and hosta plants do equally well in containers, mixed borders, foliage gardens or shady foundation plantings. In a container hostas will need to be watered frequently, especially if the planter is in a sunnier location, but they do very well as accent plants for a shady patio container or deck.
False Forget-me-not or Siberian Bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla) – Called False Forget-Me-Not because of the blue forget-me-not like flowers that appear in late spring, some brunnera plants are grown primarily for the large, heart-shaped leaves. The green and silver foliage of the brunnera looks beautiful in mixed containers (see picture below) and combines well with other plants since it is neutral in color. It is a bold leaved plant with many potential uses in the garden provided you give it part shade in zones 3-7.
Ligularia– Zone 4-8. Ligularia blooms in midsummer to late summer but is grown for its broad, green leaves that add lush, tropical flare to any garden space. Good for a shady bed or large container, Ligularia flower clusters can grow 4-6' high and 2-3' wide and needs moist, rich soil. A stunning accent plant the clumps of broad leaves are attractive spring to frost and the large, vertical flower clusters make a bright statement in the shade. Ligularia can be grown in sunnier locations further north but still need wet, almost boggy soil, and in some areas gardeners can even line the planting hole with plastic pieces to encourage soggier soil conditions. Ligularia is a good choice for pond edges and the broad leaves contrast nicely with more finely textured foliage plants like cardinal flower lobelia, Iris or marsh marigolds.
Caladium bicolor– Caladium is hardy in zones 9-11 but is usually grown as an annual bulb that is replanted each year or dug up and overwintered in a sheltered area. Caladium grows 12-24” tall and 12” wide and makes a good container plant because caladiums need well-drained soil. Caladium plants are tropical bulbs grown for their beautiful foliage and come in many pattern designs in green, white, and red. Plant Caladiums after danger of frost has past and enjoy the season long color the disease-free foliage provides.
