Six Fun Foliage Annuals

Quicksilver^™ Artemesia

Foliage plants are often overlooked in favor of the flash of flowers. However, foliage can be just as eye-catching, and since foliage never fades, the color impact is always present. I love the fuzzy, silver foliage of Quicksilver. This plant grows really fast and will fill a lot of space in your garden quickly and look great all summer. It will quickly outgrow small containers, so choose large ones and if you use it in a combination recipe, choose other super-vigorous plants, like Snow Princess^® and Supertunia^® Vistas.

If King Tut Cyperus had a little brother, this would be it, and he would be a popular little dude. Perfectly sized at 2 ½-4’ tall, Prince Tut^™ is ideal for large combination containers, pond side plantings, and low spots in the landscape that tend to retain water. It grows quickly to form an impressive clump and is more floriferous than King Tut^®, producing similar but more plentiful, finely textured plumes. This is a heat tolerant plant that can be grown in the north and south.

Sweet Caroline Bewitched Green with Envy^™ Ipomoea

Speaking of awesome foliage plants, ornamental sweet potatoes are some of the easiest plants to grow. Green With Envy is not your run-of-the-mill Ipomoea. It has large, textured, maple-leaf shaped foliage with dramatic pointed edges. While sweet potato vines are one of the most common plants used in combination recipes, we often overlook what great landscape plants they are. They grow best in sunny spots, but will perform well in shady areas as well.

Sweet Caroline Bewitched After Midnight^™ Ipomoea

After Midnight has the same wickedly pointed foliage as Green with Envy, but in a bold purple-black color. Unlike other sweet potato vines, these are more mounded than trailing. While it will spill over the side of a container, it also has enough height to fill in the middle of the container. In effect, you get a BOGO (buy one get one) plant--it’s both a filler and a spiller. While sweet potato vines are one of the most common plants used in combination recipes, we often overlook what great landscape plants they are. They have the best foliage color in sunny areas, but will perform well in shady spots as well.

Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Jet Black^™ Ipomoea

The deep black, heart-shaped foliage of Jet Black has the densest color in full sun, but is a stunner wherever you grow it. Black-hued plants are a lot like the perfect little black dress that can be dressed up or down to make it work for almost any occasion. Plant Jet Black with white for the ultimate contrast planting or use it as the perfect complement to any vivid hue. While sweet potato vines are one of the most common plants used in combination recipes, we often overlook what great landscape plants they are. They do best in sunny spots, but will perform well in shady areas as well.

Purple Chablis^™ Lamium

Dry shade is just about the toughest spot to fill with colorful plants, but Purple Chablis takes it all in stride, thriving even in full shade. Its silver and green foliage almost glows there under the trees, and its pretty purple flowers are an added bonus. It is also wonderful to use in containers where it will spill over the edge like a silvery waterfall. While shade tends to be its primary use, this plant will also grow in full sun, although you'll need to make sure to give it plenty of water there so it doesn't dry out. While it is often used as an annual, Purple Chablis is hardy to zone 5 so you can enjoy it for many years to come.