We’ve arrived in December and it is difficult to believe that the end of 2016 is near. Throughout this year each month we’ve shared some special thoughts with you about the seasonal impact in the garden of a particular color. The final color in our series is silver; a color described by some as being cool like the color gray but a lot more fun! To many, silver represents prosperity and wealth as well as glamour and prestige but I think as it relates to gardening there is a certain elegance to the color.
Can you hear the silver bells? After all, Christmas is just around the corner so the color silver feels right at home in the winter. Over the years couples planning, a winter wedding often built the theme of their celebration around the combination of silver with other colors such as blue or red. In the garden, silver can be found in the needles of the blue spruce and if you don’t have room for the 50-foot version of this evergreen there are smaller sizes available too. Even in the snow, the silver-colored foliage of Blue Festuca grass stands out in the winter landscape.
Not unlike the transition from winter to spring the color silver can brighten the shady areas of your garden. Lamium Purple Dragon is a groundcover made for the shade and if the silver foliage isn’t enough the pretty purple flowers will knock your socks off. The texture of Japanese Silver Fern is both elegant and eye-catching but the color silver isn’t just for the shade. Dianthus Firewitch has pretty silver foliage to go along with its bright pink flowers. I have personal experience with this plant where I’ve grown it in containers with a Southern exposure for years. Finally, for a spectacular container combination try growing Silver Dusty Miller or Silver Petunias with Red Geraniums and trailing Variegated Vinca Ivy.
As spring yields to the summer heat, you’ll find that the color silver doesn’t fade away. Lambs Ears likes it hot and dry and its velvet-like foliage deters undesirable pests. Silver Mound Artemisia and its fern-like foliage contrasts nicely with taller ornamental grasses or if you have a sunny spot with poor soil conditions try Sea Holly which has been known to thrive even at the beach. Finally, if you are looking for a container plant that can stand up to the heat try Lavender Cotton also known as Santolina which will give you pretty yellow blooms to go with its silver foliage and in many areas of this country it will retain that foliage even in the winter.
Finally, just because the leaves are turning shades of red, yellow and orange doesn’t mean that the color silver can’t be found in the fall garden. Perennials such as Catmint and Russian Sage have silver-shaded leaves to go along with their flowers which are shades of purple and blue and succulents such as Sedum also have silver colored varieties too. The dictionary definition of elegance is to be pleasingly graceful and stylish in appearance and I think that fits the color silver pretty well.
