12 Plants with Colorful Leaves for Brightening Up Your Garden
Green is gorgeous in its own right, of course. But for more eye-catching hues, there are plenty of plants with colorful leaves to include in your garden. As blooms come and go, these spectacular plants will keep your garden colorful even when they’re not flowering.
Blue Fescue
Blue fescue (Festuca glauca) is an ornamental grass that forms tidy mounds of steely blue leaves. The color is most vibrant in spring and fall, turning a darker blue-green in summer. In areas with mild winters, this plant is evergreen.
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: up to 1 foot tall
Zones: 4-8
Caladium
Available in countless shapes and colors, caladiums are a top pick for shady garden beds or containers. Their bold, tropical foliage looks terrific from early summer until frost. Caladiums grow from tubers planted just underneath the surface of the soil.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to full shade (depending on variety) in well-drained, evenly moist soil
Size: 18-24 inches tall; dwarf varieties grow about 12 inches tall
Zones: 9-10
Although only hardy in frost-free areas, caladiums are easily grown as an annual or tender bulb that can be dug up and overwintered indoors in colder climates.
Canna
The oversize leaves of cannas look bold and beautiful no matter where you plant them. These tropical beauties are available with green, bronze, black, variegated, or striped foliage. As a bonus, they also develop flowers in red, pink, orange, yellow, or bicolor. Start them from rhizomes planted directly in your garden after frost danger has passed in spring.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in consistently moist soil
Size: Up to 6 feet tall
Zones: 7-10
Like caladiums, cannas can be grown as annuals north of Zone 7, or dug up in the fall to overwinter indoors, then replanted in spring.
Coleus
Once only a shade plant, new varieties of coleus have been developed to grow as well in the sun as they do in the shade. So check the label before you buy to make sure you get the right variety for your light conditions. Coleus comes in a mind-boggling array of solid and mixed colors like purple, red, orange, pink, and yellow. Almost foolproof, coleus is a snap to grow, but they can get thirsty and need extra water during dry spells.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to full shade (depending on variety) in consistently moist soil
Size: 18 to 30 inches tall
Zones: 10-11
Grow coleus as annual plants in areas colder than where they are hardy, or bring the plants indoors to overwinter them.
Hosta
These shade-loving perennials will brighten even the dreariest spot with their pretty foliage. Depending on the variety, hostas can produce blue, chartreuse, emerald green, and variegated leaves. Arching spikes of pink, lavender, or white flowers are a bonus burst of color in summer.
Growing Conditions: Part shade to full shade in well-drained soil
Size: Can vary from 4-inch-tall miniatures to 4-foot-tall giants
Zones: 3-9
Coral Bells
Coral bells (Heuchera spp.) make a brilliant addition to any garden. These tough, low-growing perennials produce finely cut leaves in a gorgeous assortment of chartreuse, purple, red, bronze, green, and silver. The colorful foliage also can be speckled, splotched, or veined in contrasting colors. Spikes of small pink, red, or white bell-shape flowers are an extra treat.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 3 feet tall
Zones: 3-9
Smoke Tree
Named for its feathery summer flowers, smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria) is prized for its large, gorgeous blue-green or purple foliage that turns red, orange, or yellow in the fall. You can also find varieties with lime green leaves that turn deep, rich red and orange in autumn.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in well-drained soil
Size: 10-15 feet tall
Zones: 5-8
This small tree can easily be pruned into a shorter, shrub form. Frequent pruning will also encourage more fresh, colorful leaves to grow.
Ninebark
Dark purple, almost-black foliage makes ninebark (Physocarpus spp.) a must-have shrub for your garden. This easy-care plant is as tough as it is beautiful, standing up to heat, drought, and winter cold. It also has few insect or disease problems. In midsummer, the plants develop ball-like heads of white flowers. There are also varieties with chartreuse, bronze, or green leaves.
Growing Conditions: Full sun in any soil
Size: Up to 8 feet tall
Zones: 3-7
Tiger Eyes Sumac
An extra-colorful variety of native sumac (Rhus typhina), ‘Tiger Eyes’ is a beautiful addition to any landscape. As it grows, these plants develop chartreuse foliage that gradually turns bright yellow as it matures. The tree’s rosy-pink stems add color year-round, even after dropping its leaves for the winter.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 6 feet tall
Zones: 4-8
Sweet Potato Vine
For almost instant color, you can’t beat sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas). This plant has long, trailing stems that grow quickly to fill containers and garden beds. Varieties such as ‘Marguerite’ (shown here) feature glowing chartreuse leaves. Others have bronze or dark purple foliage. Newer varieties stay more compact, so check the label to get the right size for your space.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in consistently moist soil
Size: Stems reach up to 6 feet in length
Zones: 9-11
Sweet potato vines are often grown as annuals in colder regions, but are perennial in frost-free climates.
Yucca
Some types of yucca (Yucca spp.), such as 'Color Guard' shown here, offer yellow or white variegation that helps this plant really stand out in the landscape. In addition to their striking colors, yuccas add bold texture to the landscape with their spiky, evergreen leaves.
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained, dry soil
Size: 1-3 feet tall
Zones: 4-11
Japanese Maple
Japanese maples (Acer palmatum) come in a wide variety of colors, sizes, and leaf shapes. Some, like 'Red Dragon' shown here, offer brilliant year-round shades of purple and red. Others have yellow or orange leaves. And many of them take on their most intense hues in the fall. They can be grown as small trees or multi-stemmed shrubs.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil
Size: 8-25 feet tall, depending on variety
Zones: 5-8