Gardening with Margaret Matthews
Grey power in the garden
Most gardens are suffering stress at the end of this oh-so-hot summer. Many of us have lost plants, and some that have survived are in need of rehabilitation.
Before we rush off to the nursery to buy replacements, perhaps we should consider whether the original plants were the right ones for their situation. It is better to have a healthy, well-grown plant, even if it is not our first choice, than a sickly specimen planted because we have admired it in someone else’s garden, where it may have had ideal conditions.
There are many plants with grey, silver or very pale foliage which are useful in providing colour contrast in the garden. However, most of these plants have another very important function, for despite their often fragile appearance, they are extremely tough, being resistant to heat and drought. Many of these plants, not surprisingly, originate in the Mediterranean countries where they often grow in rocky outcrops and crevices in the stony hillsides, so life in our suburban gardens must be relatively pleasant, event in a hot dry summer.
Silver plants sometimes occur as a ‘sport’: a single abnormal plant arising from a mutation in the species. But there are many families of plants with grey and silver leaves.
This summer has provided us with ample evidence that some plants cannot withstand prolonged hot temperatures, so we should cut our losses, throw the sad specimens onto the compost heap and replace them with some strong, tough plants that will still be performing at the end of a long hot summer.
Grey and silver-foliaged plants make a great foil for species with dark green leaves. They come in many forms, from tiny succulents for the front of the border, to trees and background shrubs. At times, when there are few flowers, they help provide interest in the garden.
Roger Spencer, horticultural botanist at the Melbourne Herbarium, wrote an excellent book entitled ‘Growing Silver, Grey and Blue Foliaged Plants’ (Kangaroo Press). It is at present out of present, but should be available from libraries.
It was Gertrude Jekyll, doyen of English Edwardian gardeners, who first thought of planting beds of individually coloured flowers and discovered how useful are the ‘silvers’. One of her favourite colour schemes was orange flowers, complemented by plants with grey, silver or glaucus leaves. Gertrude Jekyll, you will not be surprised to learn, was an artist as well as a gardener.
The following is a list of some grey and silver plants you might consider for your ‘hot spots’. It is by no means complete. Explore your local nurseries and peek over your neighbour’s fence for more ideas.
Artemisia: (many species from groundcovers to the tall shrub Wormwood).
Catmint: (Nepeta) – small bush.
Centaurea: (herbaceous perennials, several with silver leaves).
Cerastium: ‘Snow in Summer’ – silver leaves and white flowers. Groundcover.
Cotton Lavender (Santolina): small bush.
Euphorbia: several of varying height.
Houseleek (Sempervivum): succulent for edge of border.
Lambs’ Ears (Stachys lanata): edge of border.
Lavender (English and Italian grey-leaved forms). Approximately 75cm.
Ross Campion (Lychnis coronara): clumping plant with deep pink or white flowers.
Sage (herb):
Salvia: some with grey leaves. Varying in height to 75cm.
Saxifraga: small plants for front of border.
Sedum: Succulents for front of border.
Verbena: Groundcovers. Some with grey leaves.
Veronia (Hebe): Some grey-leaved species of varying height.
Some garden tasks for March
Finish planting bulbs; order new roses; prepare vegie beds; sow new lawns and renovate old ones. Think about dividing perennials. Look forward to autumn rose flush.
Margaret Matthews' February article
