When we think about planting a summer garden, it's easy to go straight to flowers—bright, cheerful blooms in every shape and size. But if you really want to elevate your garden’s beauty and texture, it’s time to give foliage the spotlight it deserves.
Foliage plants are selected not for their flowers, but for the incredible beauty of their leaves. Think of them as the backdrop dancers that often steal the show. Their color, shape, and structure add depth, contrast, and drama—and in some cases, they are the show. Whether it’s the bold chartreuse of a hosta, the deep purple of a coleus, or the architectural flair of a canna lily, foliage offers a longer-lasting visual punch than most flowers. And here’s the best part: many of these plants are surprisingly low maintenance.
If you're rethinking your garden design this summer, consider going beyond blooms and letting leaves lead the way. Here are three ways to incorporate foliage plants to stunning effect:
1. Foliage as a Focal Point
Every great garden design benefits from a strong focal point—something that stops you in your tracks. Large-leaved plants like elephant ears (Colocasia or Alocasia) do just that, with bold shapes and impressive height. They look just as striking in a pot as they do anchoring a garden bed.
In shady areas, reliable standbys like hostas or the glossy, deeply lobed leaves of Fatsia japonica bring drama with very little fuss. If you're going for movement and softness, try Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa)—it flows gently with the breeze and adds a graceful touch to containers or borders.
2. Foliage for Contrast
Foliage is your best friend when you want to create contrast in the garden. Leaves come in all shapes, sizes, and colors—far beyond basic green. A wonderful example is pairing a variegated liriope with a finely cut Japanese maple. The bold stripes of the liriope highlight the deep red or burgundy of the maple’s delicate leaves, creating a striking contrast in both color and texture.
Even without a single flower, you can build combinations that pop. Try mixing rough with smooth, tall with trailing, light with dark. Texture and tone go a long way in creating visual interest that evolves as the season progresses.
3. Design a Foliage-Only Garden
One of the most inspiring garden ideas I’ve seen is creating an entire space using only foliage. That’s right: no flowers, just leaves. It might sound counterintuitive, but the result can be absolutely stunning. You can lean into a cool-toned theme with silver, blue-green, and deep plum, or turn up the volume with tropical reds, golds, and lime greens.
Plants like Persian Shield, with its metallic purple shimmer, and Heuchera (coral bells), which now come in a rainbow of leaf colors, are perfect for this kind of design. In hot, sunny spots, sedum, echeveria, and other sculptural succulents bring a clean, modern look with almost no upkeep.
Bonus: Foliage Is Fuss-Free
One of the best parts about designing with foliage? It tends to be lower maintenance. Many of these plants are shade tolerant, drought resistant, and don’t need constant grooming. You get season-long impact without the high-maintenance routine of deadheading or chasing blooms.
If your garden feels like it’s missing something, it might not be more flowers—it could be the grounding, soothing, and often show-stopping presence of foliage.
So this summer, let the leaves do the talking. Whether you’re planting a single container or reworking an entire bed, incorporating foliage-first plants will give your garden layers of beauty that last well beyond bloom time.
