Plants that have silver foliage or silver leaves are valued in the garden for the variation in light and texture that they can add to the garden border .
The leaves will vary from silvery green to gray, they add color to the garden and are readily for sale available from local and online nursery suppliers.
Use them as feature plants both in the garden and in containers, or use them as contrast plants in the border.
You can find ground cover plants, shrubs, succulents all with great silvery foliage, as well as green leafed plants with silver variegation.
It is interesting to note that many of these plants are also usually tough and drought tolerant. The foliage reflects light and therefore heat, the plant stay cooler and require less water. Some are also more tolerant of saline soils.
The well know ‘Dusty Miller’ ( Senecio cineraria ) pictured right, is widely used in cottage gardens, however with so many plants that have great silvery foliage that are suitable for garden use we provide a brief guide to silver foliage plants for the garden and border.
Silver Foliage plants vary greatly from trees to ground covers, and from perennials from cooler climates to succulents from warmer areas. One thing that all have in common is the ability of the foliage to add an extra dimension to and garden border, or cottage garden.
Some work well as ground covers, other are suitable for growing in pots or containers. We provide a list of plants with great silver foliage or leaves, some common and others a ‘little ‘ harder to find’.
List of Plants With Silver Leaves
- Arcotis – ‘Silver Pink’, ‘Blood Red’ and others.
- Actinotis helianthi – Flannel Flower
- Adenanthus serricea ‘Silver Streak’
- Agave franzosinii
- Agave parryi
- Astelia banksii
- Astelia chathamica
- Artemisia pycnocephela
- Artemisa ‘Powis Castle’ -Wormwood
- Buddleja crispa
- Cerastium tomentosum – Snow in summer
- Conostylis candicans -Grey cottonheads
- Convolvus cneorm
- Cotyledon orbiculata ‘Silver Waves’
- Dudleya pulverulenta – Chalk Dudleya
- Dudleya edulis
- Eucalyptus macrocarpa
- Eucalyptus kruseana
- Helichrysum italicum – Curry Plant
- Helichrysum petiolare
- Kalanchoe rhombopilosa
- Lavendula angustifolia – English Lavender
- Leucophyta brownii – Cushion Bush
- Plectranthus argentatus – Silver Plectranthus
- Santolina rosmarinifolia – Cotton Lavender
- Santolina chamaecyparissus
- Senico cineraria – Dusty Miller
- Stachys byzantina – Lambs Ears
- Senico serpens – Blue Chalk Sticks
- Salvia officianalis – Sage
And of course we have those interesting forms of plants that are usually green, such as the Silver Leaf form or Arisaema Consanguinium.