Best plants with Silver and grey foliage
Sometimes, silver hits the spot. Silver and grey foliage plants are ever popular and it is easy to see why. Soft silver and grey blend well with many colours, blues, lavenders, strong magenta and red. Many silver leaved plants originate from the Mediterranean and hot parts of the world and like dry conditions, which also makes them drought resistant.
Below are some of the most attractive silver and grey foliage plants, which in the main are fairly forgiving and easy to grow.
Artemisa Valerie Finnis
A. Valarie finnis is one of the softest, most silver of the Artemisia group. It likes to grow in full sun in well-drained soil. In good conditions it will grow up to 1m. This variety of Artemisia looks fabulous, teamed up with another silver blue favourite, Nepeta. Check out summer planting ideas.
Perovskia Russian Sage
Another impressive silver blue combination, Russian Sage.It is fully hardy, has an upright form and grows to around 1.5m. A bonus is that it has aromatic leaves and flowers which the bees just love- more bee friendly plants.
Eryngium Sea Holly
This combination of blue and silver is a strongly architectural plant with spikey flowers. There are a number of different varieties from low growing to around .5m. All are hardy and look good with grasses and other silver plants.
Stachys bysantina
Stachys byzantina also known as Lamb's ears is irresistible to the touch with soft downy silver-grey leaves. It is hardy, and the insignificant flowers are strangely attractive to bees. Its soft leaves make it a great addition to a sensory garden.
Lavender
Some lavender are more silver than others, illustrated is Lavandula angustifolia. One to look for is Lavandula angustifolia ' Silver Mist' and other is ' Silver Sands'. Lavender like dry sunny conditions. If your garden suffers from winter wet, check out the next plant.
Nepeta
Nepeta is a lovely plant in its own right, but is also a good silver blue substitute if conditions are not ideal for lavender. Loved by bees (and cats) it is fully hardy and tolerant of most garden conditions.
A wide range to choose from there is also an upright variety N.parnassica.
Lynchnis Coronaria
The silver foliage supports bright magenta pink flowers which really stand out. Like many silver/grey plants, it needs to be planted in well drained, dry soil, in full sun. H7 but short-lived, even shorter in wet areas.
Brunnera macrophylla
This variety, 'Jack Frost' has the best grey leaves of the Brunneras. It is spring flowering and has blue flowers very similar to forget-me-nots. Good for ground cover, ideal with spring bulbs and tolerant of partial shade.
Collection of silver/grey
A stylish collection of silver and grey foliage plants around a garden obelisk. I took this image in a NGS open garden at Oak Tree House, North Kilworth. The great thing about visiting NGS gardens is to pick up ideas for planting in our own gardens.