Invest in silver

I’ve long been an advocate of incorporating plants with silver foliage throughout the landscape. In my early years of gardening with my mother, the classic bedding plant dusty miller (Senecio cineraria) and perennial lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina) were mesmerizing to me and have never left my plant toolbox.

In garden centers, while I naturally gravitate toward my established favorites and those “what-the-heck-is-that?!” plants, I always gather a wide range of silver plants to feature throughout my garden beds and containers.

The classic, neutral contribution of silver not only combines well with everything; it soothes the eyes and makes surrounding colors more vibrant. Consumers certainly gravitate to the hot colors of yellows, reds and oranges offered by both flowers and foliage, and we all know the value of cooler colors like maroon, green and blue.

Silver foliage contributions, thoughtfully injected into the garden, may tone down and accent the bolder color schemes while harmonizing with those cooler and more subtle compositions. While attracting direct attention, silver foliage can make a great backdrop for the entire range of colors, including pastels and whites.

Deserts and arid regions are rich in a wide range of plants with silver foliage, as this feature reflects and scatters sunlight and the accompanying drying heat. With many silver plants already well adapted to hot and dry conditions and less-than-ideal situations, they may also have the additional benefit of being lower maintenance and can be invaluable in xeric landscapes.

Woody plants, perennials and annuals all have silver foliage selections. I feel silver plants, whether used as a focal point, backdrop, groundcover or in compositions, can play definitive roles in the garden, as they have the unique ability to intensify other colors. Every presentation I’ve given on planting design mentions the importance of the crisp contribution of silver in the garden as that clean, bold and bright component that can unify the composition.

These planting scenarios include areas in sun and shade or as limited as a small container. In shade gardens, the reliance on texture and foliage contributions becomes paramount, and shade-tolerant silver foliage candidates offer that punch and pop of illumination to create more allure in those spaces. The subtlety of illumination and contrast that silver plants provide is near limitless, and these elegant garden components have additional heft in moonlit and evening gardens.

In 2005, the book “Elegant Silvers: Striking Plants for Every Garden” by Jo Ann Gardner and Karen Bussolini was published. I remember the renewed excitement it generated about silver plants and the cool elegance they provide. The range of silver plants available to the consumer has only increased over the years.

While I’m also a huge fan of the use of classic white flowers, I realize that their contribution may be only fleeting when compared to the lengthy duration of impact that foliage will provide. I was fortunate to visit Sissinghurst Castle Garden in England, created by poet Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson, and enjoyed the famous “White Garden” at dusk.

As the sun was setting, the white flowers and silver foliage took on an amazing glow, and the space, while admittedly monochromatic, was mesmerizing. Silver foliage played a primary role in offering interest and reinforced in my mind its value in any landscape setting.

The perennials featuring noteworthy silver foliage aren’t hard to locate in the garden center, and a wide range exists for use in sun, shade and everything in between. In reminiscing on the past, the most common silver perennials for full sun were the demure ‘Silver Mound’ artemisia (A. schmidtiana), along with the rambling selections of ‘Silver Queen’ and ‘Silver King’ artemisia (A. ludoviciana). The vigorous options may have their use, but their spread is legendary.

The breeding in artemisia selections is quite impressive, and I’ve become a huge fan of the new GardenGhost and ‘Parfum d’Ethiopia’ wormwoods. Although not hardy for us in the Midwest, the selection of Makana Silver is texturally fetching as well. Lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina) continues to be commonly available, and the new selection, Little Lamb, is a quaint, reduced-size version (shorter flowers, too) also with excellent groundcover potential.

Silver foliage perennials for full sun with amazing flowers include the scampering snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum) and rose campion (Lychnis cornaria). Hardy to Zone 5, garden sage (Salvia officinalis) has some remarkable silver options with ‘Berggarten’ and the new Silver Scent. Another silver herb, among many, for consideration is ‘Silver Anouk’ Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas).

That silver glow in the shade garden can be provided by a host of perennials. I tend to lean on the various false forget-me-nots (Brunnera macrophylla), of which there are now dozens of selections. The classic ‘Looking Glass’ offers significant silver, and any of the varieties with that silver patina (i.e., ‘Jack Frost’, etc.) will be attractive in groupings and repeated elements. Lungworts (Pulmonaria sp.) offer a wide range of selections with variable silvering and spotting.

My two favorite varieties for maximum silver are ‘Majeste’ and ‘Diana Clare’. The early flowers are an added bonus from these deer resistant garden stalwarts. Regarding coral bells (Heuchera), the hybrid variety ‘Silver Gumdrop’ is stellar and one of many “silvery” options. Japanese painted ferns (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum) and their hybrids are excellent for pronounced color in the darker recesses of the garden. The painted fern variety ‘Silver Falls’ offers the most silver in my opinion, and the hybrid ‘Ghost’ is excellent, with a robust size (30 inches) and substantial silver presence.

There is no shortage of silver seasonal plants available, and some of these might be hardy in your climate. While I still use ample dusty miller every year (my favorite selection is New Look), I’ve seen many other options. The bold cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) can offer some silvery stature in the garden, and the variety ‘Porto Spineless’ is a textural masterpiece. Silver shield (Plectranthus argentatus) will become a beach ball-sized silver mound, and for a trailing/groundcover option, the popular ‘Silver Falls’ Dichondra has few equals.

Newer on the radar, the Angel Wings Senecio (Zone 8) and Silver Swirl Centaurea (Zone 6b) are the brightest of silvery white in full sun. Rounding off some of my favorites, the biennial silver sage (Salvia argentea, Zone 5) offers not only silver but the softest of leaves to invite tactile engagement. I also lean on silver lace (Tanacetum ptarmiciflorum) — a shrub in warmer climates also called “silver fern.” In more shade, rex begonia selections with prominent silvering (like Jurassic Arctic Twist) can offer some illumination as well.

The examples mentioned above are certainly not exhaustive and barely scratch the surface of potential availability, promotion and sales potential. Regardless of how silver foliage plants are used in the landscape, whether as accents, design partners or more robust role players, these plants ignite visual contrast and intrigue, and they should have ample availability and promotion. The silver-hued foliage contributions provided by this increasing gamut of plants simply work: by brightening up spaces, unifying compositions and drawing the eye. Invest in silver, and your customers will as well.

Mark Dwyer is currently the garden manager for the Edgerton Hospital Healing Garden in Wisconsin. For 21 years, he served as director of horticulture at Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville, Wisconsin. He also operates Landscape Prescriptions by MD, a landscape design and consultation business. mcdwyer@zoho.com