Re: foliage tapestry was: space deserving plants

Well, Monica, IMO you combine what pleases your eye.  Personally, I
am not terribly fond of silvers and yellows together, so tend to not
do that much, but there is always the odd combo that breaks the rule.

I think that when you use colored or variegated foliage, you want to
provide sufficient relief by using solid color leaves, whether they
are - say, a very dark green to offset a light variegation or simply
a solid gold to emphasize a yellow variegation.

A Medieval tapestry bed sounds a nifty idea!  First step would be to
identify plants that grow well where you are by leaf color. They
would all need to be able to grow in the same type of conditions,
i.e. shade, sun, soil, moisture.  They should also be plants whose
foliage stays in good shape throughout the season.  Flowers are a
bonus, but don't count unless they would clash so badly they'd give
you a headache.  Don't forget shrubs; many have quite marvelous
foliage and they can provide height and bulk in a bed that is
difficult to achieve with only perennials.  You can also look at
annuals or the tender perennials sold as annuals...for instance,
purple leaf Cannas...great foliage plants.  I've been growing
'Wyoming' for 25 years and use it all over the place.  It will grow
as a foliage plant in more shade than you'd think...don't get many
flowers, but it's the foliage I like in the first place.

Then, consider foliage shape.  I always like to make sure that bity
leaves are near something with a nice solid large leaf for
contrast...don't forget the strap shaped leaves, either.

Make a list for starters....plant name, foliage color, foliage size
(teeny, small,  medium, large), foliage shape (narrow, round, oblong,
etc.) and ultimate size would be good column headings.

So, you've now got a list of plants with leaf color, size and shape. 
Hopefully the list includes plants with both light and dark foliage
(of any color, making sure to include the red end of the spectrum) as
well as some in the middle.  You might do a bit of research into
Medieval tapestries and pick one that pleases you to use a guide. 
You would not be trying to recreate the actual picture, but think of
the light and dark areas as well as the major colors to give you a
pattern to think about.

Depending on what plants you end up with, you can then think about
grouping them.  Personally, I think this works better in person than
on paper, so you'd need to acquire as many of your list as you can,
preferably 3 each at least.  Take them all out to the bed you have
prepared and set out the pots and see which you like best next to
which...much easier to do in pots than after you've planted them:-) 
Likely, if you did have an actual tapestry in mind, your combination
of pots will not in the least resemble it, but the juxtaposition of
color, light and dark may hark back to it.  Shift the pots around
until what you have pleases your eye and go for it whether or not
it's like what you started out with in your mind.

Plant away and the next year or the one after - when the plants have
started to fill in -  take a photo to share with all of us:-)

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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----------
> From: monica@theturcottes.com
> The question is: What are you favorite combos of foliage?  Do you
combine the green-blues with the silvers only or the greens to the
yellows only together?  do ever the two palettes work together?
> 
> I picture a bed that looks like an old Medieval Tapestry but can't
quite figure out how.
> 
> Monica

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