Add Soft Grey to your Plant Palette

I have had the opportunity to see so many residential yards over the years and the one failing I see over and over is a garden that is 'flat'. What I mean by that is that the plants are all the same color of medium green foliage. The result is a dull plant palette............... There is no contrast! Yes there are usually some flowers but basically the plain green garden is dull.

Here is one way to breath life into a dull garden............

add plants with foliage that is 'Soft Grey'.

Cerastium tomentosum

Snow-in-summer

These look great in large swaths, placed under trees or at the edge

of a perennial planter these have a meadow effect.

Olea eurpoea

Olive

Add an Olive as an anchor.

Plant medium green foliage beneath such as Cascading Rosmary.

Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca Pendula'

Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar

These add drama and distinction.

Sedum spathulifolium 'Cape Blanco'

Cape Blanco Stonecrop

I am always delighted by Sedums.

It is such an easy plant and the tiny foliage flowers of

the Cape Blanco are simply irresistible.

Senecio mandraliscae

Kleinia

These look great in a massing. Plant next to Mexican Feather Grass. The result is that of large brush strokes of an impressionist painting.

Agave parryi var. truncata

Artichoke Agave

These are the punctuation of the garden.

Plectranthus argentatus

Silver Plectranthus

These are so soft and gentle.

Dianella revolute

Plant in groupings of 5 -7 along a garden border.

Dymondia margaretae

You can walk on this groundcover.

These plants can be placed in massings or groupings. The result is a Monet painting. Suddenly the medium greens come to life in contrast to the grey green foliage. Voila the garden becomes art. I have used all these plants with great success!