Plants with silvery foliage in landscaping. Silver lace for your garden

Their leaves can have pubescence or bluish bloom, have a border, spots or uniform color, be thin and tender or fleshy and strong, open in all their glory in the hot sun, or feel better in the shade, being burned by an incautious midday ray. Let's talk about plants whose foliage, thanks to gray shades, brings peace and tranquility to the flower garden, grace and harmony, freshness and lightness

Gray-leaved plants are completely "gray mice" - they catch the eye and are an adornment of the composition, but they do it nobly and unobtrusively.

Plants with silver (Perovskaya sagebrush, whitewashed cornflower, Pursha wormwood), gray (Byzantine stachis' Silky Fleece ',' Silver Carpet ', three-veined anaphalis), grayish-green (David's buddley, Douglas' spiraea, and Willard's pigeon) are gray-leaved plants. ( keleria gray, magellan spike), bluish ( arabis alpine subspecies Caucasian 'Flore Pleno', pinnate carnation) foliage.

We will not count the number of shades of gray, especially since the perception of color depends on lighting, but we note that in a flower garden, especially made in a natural style, it is advisable to place plants with silver of different shades in order to exclude abrupt transitions and give the composition a natural and natural feel.

Where will "gray" plants be appropriate and desirable?

There are many options.

Judge for yourself:

the silvery color is an excellent backdrop for exotic plants, be it the purple-leaved perilla and pennisetum, the majestic canna or the luxurious eremurus;
ampelous silvery plants can not only be used in hanging baskets as a background and surroundings of colorful annuals (petunias, sanvitalia, bacopa, diastia, lobelia, brachicoma), but also imitate a stream, a waterfall, and be used for so-called spilled flower beds;
the silvery color is light and light, therefore trees and shrubs with silvery foliage (rowan aria, buckthorn buckthorn, willow pear, silvery elk) seem less heavy and voluminous than green-leaved plants with similar crown sizes;
shade-tolerant "gray-leaved" are a magical ray of light in the dark kingdom. It should be noted that there are not so many of them among the "gray" plants. These are the hosta varieties (‘Baby Bunting’, ‘BigMama’), orval (‘Silva’) and I. zelenchukova (var. argentatum), brunners (‘Jack Frost’, ‘LookingGlass’), lungwort (‘Spilled Milk’, ‘Majeste’), Nippon gossip (‘Silver Falls’, ’Metallica Crispa’). It should be noted that the last two species are not quite decorative in the middle of spring, they need early partners. Most of the "gray" plants have pubescence on the leaves (chickweed, acreian euryops, tomentose yarrow) or bluish bloom (seaweed, telepium sedum, valissian fescue) and prefer sunny habitats, unpretentious and get along well on poor dry soils;
gray-leaved plants "reconcile" the excessively bright colors of neighbors, while not drowning them out (spectacular with raspberry echinacea, gatsania and rudbeckia suns, fire candles of salvia);
light blue and white flowers are somewhat lost on a gray background, but in a monochrome composition such subtle transitions avoid monotony;
bright blue flowers ( baptisia, flax) look fresh and cheerful with silver;
silvery foliage plus vertical inflorescences: Veronica spicate subspecies incana, long-leaved mullein, because the Olympic and because the bombucifer are irreplaceable accents for the mixborder;
some of the grays have inconspicuous flowers; however, there are those whose flowers shine especially brightly against the background of the leaves (cute chintz of herb carnation, cheerful euphorbia with lemon inflorescences, purple sparks of crown lichen). Among them there are also spring flowering ( viola 'Silver Samurai'), and decorating
garden with inflorescences in the first half of summer (sunflower ‘Henfield Brilliant’), and blooming at the end of summer (Dubrovnik ordinary), and participants in the autumn flower garden (rod-shaped millet ‘Dallas Blues’, ‘Heavy Metal’);
there are many cereals among the glaucous plants (blue moth, gray fescue, blue sesleria).

they are able not only to complement the mixborder and decorate the cereal garden in the company of “smoky * turfy pike, sharp-flowered reed grass, spreading sporobol, pinkish miscanthus, maned barley, but also become excellent tapeworms.

It should be remembered that gray-leaved plants will be lost against the background of gray tiles or gray gravel (in this case, it is better to place them in the middle ground, and to pick up green-leaved partners in the foreground).

When placing grays in a container, it is better to choose the color of the latter in beige and brown tones.

Some heat-loving "gray" plants can and should be invited to your garden as an annual crop. These are, first of all, ampelous plants - silver dichondra, woolly gnaphalium, as well as decoration of the herb garden - medicinal sage. The named plants can also be used as an additional crop.

Plants with sire and blue foliage - in the photo:

1. BLOSSOMING IN THE SECOND HALF OF SUMMER anaphalis pearl, a lover of the sun and heat, has rhizomes located close to the soil surface, requires care when weeding and limiting the root system.

2. WORTHY DECORATION a sunny flower garden and especially a garden of fragrant herbs, Louis' wormwood ‘Valerie Finnis’ forms dense, stably decorative clumps when placed on poor, well-drained soils.

3. CHARMING HERBAL CLAUSE has its own secrets - to preserve the decorative effect of the bush, waterlogging and prolonged drought should be avoided, as well as renewed (by dividing, grafting) every 3-4 years.

4. Milk myrtle not very attractive in early spring, but after pruning the elongated shoots it forms a lovely cloud of lemon inflorescences.

in late spring and a reddish-gray rug down to snow.

5. BLUE-BLUE FLOWERSfassen's catnip 'Six Hills Giant' are medium-sized, but numerous, collected in false whorls, and those in a dense brush; decorate the plant from June to September.

6. ANTENNARIUM DOUBLE in a sunny and dry corner of the garden, it forms a slightly sloppy, but sweet and attractive hummock, retains the silver of its shoots and leaves even under the snow. Ruby inflorescences of the 'Rubra' variety adorn the plant in the first half of summer.

7. PROSO ROD ‘Cloud Nine’ enchants with bluish foliage, turning yellow with the onset of cold weather, and drooping beige panicles in the first half of autumn.

8. MEDIUM HOST ‘EL NINO’with a slightly wavy grayish-blue foliage, bordered by a white stripe, expanding over the years, it is magnificent in an openwork shade under an irga, Manchurian maple or K. ginnala, willows, mock-mushrooms, cherries.

9. MANY BARLEY - one of the silvery-pinkish cereals that perfectly complement the gray-leaved plants. The plant is grown as an annual, sometimes self-seeding.

10. ONE OF THE MOST The attractive 'Jack Frost' Brunnera has silvery foliage with a green border and veins. The veins of the lighter 'Looking Glass' steel leaves are almost invisible. Both varieties are beautiful in a shady flower garden, decorative all season.

11. Sage medicinal 'Berggarten' possesses grayish foliage, against the background of which the purple flowers that adorn the plant in the first half of summer are especially effective. In central Russia, they are grown as an annual or a supplementary culture.

GRAY GARDEN SHADES

We are all used to a riot of colors in the garden. But sometimes our eyes get tired and we want to take a break from all this diversity. Today I would like to talk about plants with silvery foliage, which mainly act as background, but at the same time can add sophistication and nobility to the garden, holding back the flashy beauty of brighter colors. After all, silver, as has happened historically, speaks of the good taste of its owner.

Basically, silver-leaved plants are associated with the south. Sea, sun, olive groves, mountains, dust and sparse gray vegetation. But in central Russia there are enough such plants.

And now I would like to tell you about the undersized representatives of this group.

The carnation is pinnate and the carnation is grayish blue. They prefer sunny locations and well-drained soil. Undemanding to care. Very fragrant low plants. They are inferior in size to garden forms. Bloom for a long time.

Wormwood, silvery varieties. I really like these decorative deciduous plants. And in particular, Caucasian wormwood. She was brought by me from the Crimea mountains. It reaches a height of no more than 15 cm. The leaves are pinnately dissected, almost like strings.

Gray fescue. I believe that this plant should be present in every garden. This blue "hedgehog" is very effective, which will be a wonderful companion to many plants.

Jaskolka Biberstein. She, like many ground cover plants, is capable of rapid growth. This must be taken into account when landing. Absolutely unpretentious. It blooms with white flowers that resemble stars. Serves as a good background for tulips and other bulbs.

Blue sedge Blue Zinger.

Bush about 25 cm high, not very aggressive. Well tolerates winter. Decorative at any time of the year. Loves well-lit areas or partial shade. Perfect for creating a rock garden. It looks good for me in a dump of white marble chips.

Sedum (sedum) deflected, Lydian, Spanish Are excellent ground covers for alpine slides and rock gardens.

But lungwort will be a good transition from grayish plants to green ones, since its foliage combines these two colors.

I would like to note that plants covered with fluff on the leaves also have different shades of gray.

According to the laws of color, violet, blue, lilac, blue are combined with gray. And colors such as yellow, pink, red look advantageous precisely as accents, and not bright flashy spots.

Well-chosen plants with gray, silvery leaves look expensive and sophisticated.

Look, admire, choose the best ones for your garden!

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Perennials with silvery leaves, stems, and flowers tend to thrive in dry, hot climates, making them great for sunny, dry soil.

They look great on their own, but even more elegant - as a background for flowers in a different shade, for example, cold blue, as in this scheme. If instead you try white flowers, the combination will be even brighter, and dark, almost black leaves will provide an effective contrast.

Necessary plants and planting scheme

RUSSIAN SAGE, OR PEROVSKIY

Perovskia atriplicifolia - 2 seedlings. Zones 5-9 (minimum temperature not lower than -29 ° С)

Replacements. Other perennials from 1 to 1.5 m in height, with blue flowers and / or silvery leaves, such as wormwood "Powis Castle" (Artemisia) or karyopteris clandonensis (Caryopterisxclandonensis).

AN ordinary muzzle

Echinops ritro - 1 seedling. Zones 3-9 (average minimum temperature not lower than - 40 ° С)

Replacements. Other perennials from 1 m to 1 m 20 cm in height, with blue flowers and / or gray-blue leaves, for example, "Heavy Metal" millet (Panicum virgatum) or evergreen oat (Helictotrichon sempervirens).

CABEL BLUE HEAD "BIG BLUE"

Eryngium × zabelii | 6 seedlings. Zones 5-9 (minimum temperature not lower than -29 ° С)

Replacements. "Blaukappe" or other species of erythroat or other perennials from 60 cm to 1 m in height, with blue flowers and / or gray-blue leaves, for example medicinal rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) [b seedlings] or Amsonia "Blue ice" (Amsonia ).

MEDICINAL SAGE "BERGGARTEN"

Salvia officinalis | 3 seedlings.

Zones 5-8 (minimum temperature not lower than -29 ° С)

Replacements. Other perennials between 15 and 45 cm in height, with blue flowers and / or silvery leaves, such as narrow-leaved lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) or Steller's wormwood "Silver Brocade" (Artemisia stelleriana).

BLUE oatmeal "ELIJAH BLUE"

Festuca glauca | 5 seedlings.

Zones 4-9 (minimum temperature not lower than -34 ° С)

Replacements. Aidakh fescue ("Siskiyou"), or other types of blue fescue, or other perennials from 15 to 30 cm in height, with silvery or gray-blue leaves, for example, "Greystone" or "Firewitch" (Dianthus) carnations or Caucasian razuha, it is Arabis (Arabis caucasica),.

Flower garden care throughout the year

Spring... In early spring, narrow gray-blue leaves appear on blue fescue bushes.

From the middle to the end of spring, the rest of the perennials grow: the silvery lace of the Perovskian sage, the gray-green sprouts of the mordovia, the green thorny erythematosus, the silver sage "Berggarten" By the end of spring, large buds appear on the erythematosus.

In areas with mild frost-free winters, by the end of spring, Perovskii can open their inflorescences.

In early spring, trim the fescue to a height of about 10 cm and remove the dried tops of the muzzle and erythematosus. And when Perovskii and Berggarten sage grow, cut the first to 15 cm and the second to about half its height. Add more mulch if needed to cover the soil.

Summer... In a warm climate, Perovskii blooms all early summer; in other areas, it looks best from mid to late summer. The spherical buds of the muzzle appear already at the beginning of summer, and throughout the second half of it, it opens its silvery-blue flowers. Mordovnik also adds a rich blue color, revealing its silvery buds from mid to late summer.

Sage "Berggarten" does not usually flower, but its silvery-gray leaves look great all summer long. Fescue also attracts attention with its leaves, but in the middle of summer it also blooms with green-blue flowers, from which later yellow-brown seed pods appear.

If Perovskia flowers bloom in early summer, then in the middle of summer you need to cut it by half or two-thirds to prevent self-seeding, stimulate more lush growth and possibly another flowering.

Trim off the dried heads of the muzzle flowers to the bottom leaves or to the base of the stem, but you can leave them until the end of the season. During the summer, the lower leaves may dry out and fall off; remove them if you like. Cut off the dried stalks of the fescue immediately above the leaves, otherwise they will turn brown and the seeds will begin to spill out. You can do this earlier if you don't really like its flowers. Water your garden on dry days.

Autumn and winter... Perovskia, mordovnik and eryngium often bloom at least throughout early autumn, and their dry stems and seed pods are of great interest in winter.

Sage "Berggarten" retains the beauty of the leaves until winter.
Fescue leaves in mild climates last all winter.
Fescue should be planted every 3-4 years in early fall. Or you can leave the garden alone until spring cleaning.

If you only have space for a small front garden, then this rectangular garden will look great on its own. If space permits, you can repeat this pattern one after the other as many times as you like to get a long border.

For a change, you can replace some perennials with the proposed alternatives.

Silver curbs look stunning along a driveway or footpath (silvery plants do well in open and dry areas - along paved areas they are) or at the base of a dark house wall.

When choosing plants to plant in the store, be sure to look at the herbs on sale. Some herbs have silvery or gray leaves and in addition have a pleasant aroma and sometimes a rich spicy taste.

For example, common sage used as a condiment (Salvia officinalis) usually has gray-green leaves, and some artificially bred species such as Berggarten are distinctly silvery. Many types of lavender (Lavandula) are also gray-silver.

Using gravel instead of shredded leaves, bark, and other organic materials as mulch is not a good idea, as you will have to replant your plants every few years. But if you are growing silvery plants in humid climates or wet soil, then some gravel will keep the leaves and stems from rotting.

However, do not cover the entire surface with gravel - instead spread it in a ring 15 to 30 cm in diameter around the base of each plant. Better to use gravel the size of beans or finer: when replanting plants, you can simply dig it into the ground.

As part of creating an original landscape design, it is extremely important to correctly combine bright plants and less saturated colors, which could serve as a good background. Of course, this does not mean at all that the background colors do not need to be given due attention, on the contrary, their careful selection will largely determine the success of the project being implemented. Landscape designers are very fond of silvery cineraria - this plant cannot leave anyone indifferent, its delicate leaves and velvet texture immediately attract attention. In order to enrich your garden with such beauty, it is important to know the basic rules for growing and caring for a plant, which will be discussed in this article.

Cineraria silvery - annual or perennial?

Cineraria silvery, which looks like a low bush, is one of the perennial plants, but it is easiest to care for it in the first year. The fact is that from the second year inflorescences begin to form, represented by small yellow flowers that do not carry any decorative benefit, and to maintain the original type of cineraria, the inflorescences are removed. To avoid this need, some people prefer to grow silvery bushes as a biennial or biennial.

Also in this matter climatic conditions are of great importance. If cineraria is grown in a cold region with short summers, then it is unlikely to survive the winter, and it is treated like an annual. And in warmer regions, the bushes are sprinkled with sawdust or dry leaves for the winter, and in the spring those parts that are still frostbitten are removed and new shoots begin to grow. Such overwintering saves time and effort in growing new seedlings next year.

Description of the plant

The plant belongs to the Asteraceae family and has other names as well - rose flower, sea cineraria, silver dust. There are about 5 dozen main varieties of cineraria, which can be conditionally divided into two groups: decorative deciduous and flowering. The latter can often be found on window sills as home flowers. However, due to their unusual shape and color, deciduous varieties are also popular, but more in landscape design. Silvery cineraria is good for decorating gravel gardens, alpine slides, masking curbs, etc. Given the high ornamental value of the plant, before a cold snap, you can cut off several beautiful branches and place them in a vase. They will look good not only fresh, but also as an original dried flower.

This type of plant has leaves of an unusual lacy shape, which are covered with a whitish felt bloom, which explains the name - the flower really looks silvery. Plant height usually does not exceed 25 centimeters.

The ground plant also has its own medicinal properties, although it is not used so often in traditional medicine. Plant-based remedies can be useful for intestinal diseases and bronchial asthma.

Sowing and growing plant from seed

Cineraria seeds can be purchased at the store, or harvested from a flowering plant. Practice shows that the best option for growing a plant is to sow seedlings at home, and only after that transplant into the ground. Direct sowing into the ground is not recommended only for this variety of cineraria, there are varieties that can be sown with a similar method. But silver dust shoots are tender and maximally unadapted to weather adversity, so it is better to wait until they get stronger. You can start planting from the end of May.

The seeds are very small, so they are not added in drops - they are simply poured onto the surface of well-moistened soil in a seedling container and pressed a little with your fingers. After that, the container is tightly closed with foil or glass to create the proper conditions for growth. Watering is done as needed, but with extreme care, it is best to do this with a spray bottle. The necessary conditions are good lighting and a temperature of about 20 degrees. The first shoots should appear within 10 days, and it should be noted that the germination rates of this variety are very decent.

When each of the sprouts has two true leaves, you can start picking on individual vessels. The root system is very delicate and does not tolerate trauma well, so you have to be careful. When one sprout is separated, it is taken out together with a lump of earth so as not to damage the roots and to ensure quick adaptation in the new soil. After one and a half to two months, the seedlings will take the form of small attractive bushes, the size of which reaches 10 centimeters, and when the weather is already warm outside, you can start transferring to the ground.

When and how to plant seedlings in the ground

The time for disembarkation must be chosen so that the threat of night frosts has completely passed. The plant is sun-loving, and well-lit areas are perfect for it. The soil should be slightly acidic or neutral, loose in structure. During transplantation into the ground, it is also worth leaving an earthen lump, since when cleaning it, there is a high probability of trauma to the root system. For planting, it will be enough to dig a shallow hole, moisten it, place the plant and carefully dig it in. This is a spreading plant, so the distance between the bushes should be about 20 centimeters, and between the rows - 25.

Special attention should be paid to watering, since with an excess of it, the plant will begin to rot, and with a deficiency, it will turn yellow and dry. In general, cineraria tolerates heat well, so it does not require frequent watering. You need to bring water between the rows at the root, it is better not to wet the leaves themselves.

Video: planting flowers Cineraria

The process of planting ready-made seedlings in the ground is quite simple and has no special secrets. However, in order for the flower bed to meet all expectations, it is better to make sure once again that everything will be done correctly. This video will help with this - it demonstrates the procedure for planting cineraria.

Propagation by cuttings and dividing the bush

In addition to the seedling method of growing from seeds, the plant can also be propagated by dividing bushes or cuttings. The first approach is used infrequently, although it is not inferior in its effectiveness to others. To carry out the procedure, you need to remove the bush from the soil and divide in such a way that each part has both ground shoots and roots.

Cuttings are carried out at the beginning of summer at a time when lateral shoots begin to appear on the bush. They should be carefully cut using a sharp knife and then placed in small containers with well-moistened soil. To root the cuttings, you need to create a greenhouse effect by covering the container with polyethylene. After about 20 days, the roots have already formed, and the cutting can be transplanted into the open ground. This is a convenient way for those who do not have the opportunity to grow seedlings in large quantities, but want to plant a lot of plants. All of the described breeding methods give a good result, but which one to choose is up to you.

Features of plant care at home

To ensure the normal growth and development of the plant, it is necessary to provide it with all the conditions necessary for this. For cineraria, the following parameters are important:

high quality soil. The best option would be a commercial mixture for ornamental crops;
the temperature should be set at an average level of 20 degrees, while there should be no sharp fluctuations;
for irrigation, you need to use warm water that was previously settled. Greens cannot be moistened, moisture should only fall on the soil;
the light should be intense, but diffused;
feeding is done only during the period of plant development;
it is necessary to promptly remove faded or unwanted flowers and dried leaves;
you can use special solutions for the prevention of diseases.

Plant diseases and pests

As for diseases, most often problems arise if, when watering, moisture gets on the leaves themselves - this can cause gray rot (the disease manifests itself in the form of an abundant formation of gray mold on the bush). Light brown spots on the leaves are a sign of Alternaria. Problems such as rust and odium can also be encountered. All the ailments described are treated with special preparations that can be purchased at garden shops.

Photo of Cineraria silvery in a flowerbed

Once seeing this flower, it will be difficult to confuse it with any other plant in the future. Luxurious leaves of an unusual shape, covered with white velvet - a wonderful picture that can decorate any flower bed. Looks great when placed around the perimeter - bright flowers against the background of silvery cineraria create an excellent composition.

Usually a garden with only flowers looks too colorful. therefore plants are always added to flower beds, which soften the colors a littlee. In Europe, it is most often boxwood - also trimmed in the form of cubes or balls, it contrasts perfectly with any flowers. In our climate, such a contrast can be spherical thuja, as well as plants that always bring coolness and freshness to any flower beds - these are plants with silvery foliage.
Most of these plants are created this way for a reason - they have either pubescence or a light leaf surface, and due to this they heat up less in the sun. All of them are lovers of heat, sun and sand (although, as usual, there are some exceptions).
Silvery plants always add a southern note to the composition, combining beautifully with both bright and delicate flowers.

Purist... The most popular plant, new varieties are larger and higher than usual.

Sometimes the foliage is very beautiful tulips - as here or in other bulbs, for example, hazel grouses and daffodils.

Lungwort... Dry forest plant - it grows well under trees. There are completely silvery leaves, there are speckled, this species is called sugar honey.

Fern... it nippon kochen, there are now several varieties of similar coloration. Grows in the shade.

Hosts - also shade-loving, and this is especially true just blue. They are not purely silvery, but there are varieties whose leaves are covered with a silvery coating.

Cuff... In general, it is rather green, but it also has a silvery coating and looks very beautiful in any compositions. She doesn't care where to grow - in the shade or in the sun.

Carnation... Most species and varieties have silvery foliage.

Catnip - a plant that grows very quickly and blooms all summer with blue-purple flowers. Here he is with the rose.

Lavender... In our climate (Moscow region), it grows best grown independently from seeds, and not in all areas. It didn’t take root on mine, but it’s been growing at my mother-in-law in the north for twenty years. It is very important for lavender that the soil is sandy, without soldering.

Similar to both lavender and catnip veronica gray.

One of the most famous plants - gypsophila... It has silvery, but very thin and almost invisible foliage. Ideal partner for roses.

Likhnis crown - it also has a wonderful contrast between gray foliage and bright flowers, but it is biennial, so it must be planted in a place where it can sow on its own.

Plants with silvery leaves are also very good:
- splinter - a ground cover plant, looks great over a large area, but can be aggressive.
- sagebrush - Most species have silvery pubescence or gray leaves, and almost all of them tend to grow rapidly underground - shoots must be limited.
- some stonecrop

Silvery foliage also in some cereals (for example, fescue, elimus), geraniums (Renard's geranium), varietal Veronica and even roses.
From trees everyone knows willow, silver goose, sea buckthorn... A very beautiful tree - poplar silver, but it is huge, so it is worth looking in nurseries for its smaller varieties.
I don't write about annuals.