Keith Hansen

Have you ever walked into a garden, and immediately your eyes were drawn to a plant that just popped out with color? You might be thinking of flowers, but there are also many foliage plants that rival flowers for attention-getting in the garden.

A current trend in landscaping is using plants with yellow, golden or chartreuse foliage. Many years ago when I was living in Austin and Corpus Christi, if I saw a plant with yellow or golden leaves, that usually meant it was suffering from severe iron deficiency. Fortunately, here in East Texas our acidic soils allow iron to be readily available, so we don't typically have that problem.

One of the most common of the gaudy foliage plants is an ornamental sweet potato cultivar called "Margarite" or "Marguerite." It is a vigorous vining plant that will quickly fill in bare areas and more. The color of the leaves is bright chartreuse and hold up very well in full sun all the way to shade. It's growing in the IDEA Garden, and you will also see it used in commercial and private landscapes. The dark leaved "Blackie" ornamental sweet potato variety makes a striking contrast when the two are grown together. The chartreuse leaves show off the dark purple leaves perfectly.

Another interesting way to use this plant is in a large container. It is lovely cascading over a tall pot, wall or balcony.

Ornamental sweet potatoes are vigorous growers that like East Texas conditions and may need to be occasionally whacked back to keep them from occupying a neighboring plant's territory. Sweet potatoes are annuals, dying with the first freeze, but they also produce small tubers you can save for planting next year.

To see a striking combination of chartreuse and dark purple plants visit upper section of the IDEA Garden by the stamped brick patio. Towering in the corner of a wet area is a large clump of black-leaved elephant ears called Colocassia "Black Magic." They are elegant and outstanding just by themselves. But, right in front of them is a slightly shorter variety of an elephant ear relative called Xanthosoma "Lime Zinger" with large, bright chartreuse leaves.

Both of these varieties have large, bold leaves that make a quite a statement in the garden. The dark foliage of "Black Magic" is a perfect background for the chartreuse or lime-colored leaves of "Lime Zinger." These are growing in full sun, though they will also do well in partial shade. Elephant ears do well in moist areas of the garden.

Duranta, also called Skyflower, is an old-fashioned tender perennial that is enjoying a revival, partly due to its recent designation as a Texas Superstar. The most common variety has green leaves and sky-blue flowers in late summer and fall that eventually turn into round, golden fruits. Some new Duranta varieties have recently begun to show up in gardens, including Duranta "Gold Edge," which was designated a North Texas Winner's Circle in 2004.

As the name implies, the leaves of "Gold Edge" have a bright gold edge surrounding the green leaves. It rarely blooms, but it is the colorful foliage that is the main attraction. The plant grows as a small woody shrub, quickly reaching about 3 to 4 feet tall by mid-summer. Duranta is a tough plant, making the best show when grown in full sun, though "Gold Edge" will also do fine in partial shade. Duranta "Gold Edge" is not reliably hardy in this area, so you would need to take cuttings to ensure a continued supply.

For an exciting contrast, grow any golden leaved plants in combination with dark, purple or burgundy-colored foliage plants such as Coleus "Merlot," Alternanthera "Purple Knight," Plectranthus "Chocholate," Chocolate Plant (Pseuderanthemum), or other dark-colored foliage plant.

A couple of other golden leaved varieties I have enjoyed that make excellent groundcovers are Golden Oregano (Origanum vulgare "Aureum") and Golden Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia "Aurea"). Both are very low, rather slow-growing plants, so they are not rampant invaders but nicely fill in empty spaces in the front of a flower border. Golden Oregano can be seen in the IDEA Garden in the herb section near the main patio. Its leaves are not only golden yellow, but also very fragrant when crushed. It does best in full sun.

The variegated Creeping Jenny is also in the IDEA Garden, located in a shaded, damp section of the garden. It contrasts nicely with the bronze ajuga growing next to it. Its bright yellow foliage lights up low light areas.



Keith Hansen is Smith County horticulturist with Texas Cooperative Extension. His Web page is: http://EastTexasGardening.tamu.edu. Texas Cooperative Extension educational programs are open to all individuals without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin.

Keith Hansen
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