Gray, White Foliage Plants for a Perennial Garden

Choosing to grow white and grey toned foliage plants in your garden is a matter of taste. Ideal for creating a soft, elegant feel amid brighter green foliage and colorful flowers, white and grey foliage plants are popular in natural style gardens. They can also add a feeling of brightness to a shady corner. The following white and grey colored foliage plants are readily available.

White or Grey Foliage Plant - Wormwood

Also known by its scientific name, Artemesia, this aromatic perennial is hardy in middle to southern US zones. It has frosty silver foliage that grows in spreading clumps. It is hardy and tolerates drought well. Artemesia, or wormwood, is a popular perennial plant in all its hybrid varieties.

White of Gray Foliage Plants - Russian Sage

This perennial has tall silvery stems with tiny leaves. In the summer, small lavender flowers cover the top halves of all the stems. These plants tolerate drought and heat. They grow into bush-like shapes two to three feet tall and provide a wonderful backdrop for lower growing plants.

White or Gray Foliage Plants - Dusty Miller

Like its common name implies, Dusty Miller stems and leaves are coated with a fuzzy, or dusty, white coating. These plants are often sold as annuals, but may come back year after year in temperate climates. The plants have purple flowers in the summer.

White or Gray Foliage Plants - Lamb's Ear

Another aptly named plant, the lamb's ear has a multitude of fuzzy white oval shaped leaves that grow in clumps. It will spread readily and create an attractive ground cover. They have purple or pink flowers on longer stems in the summer.

White or Gray Foliage Plants - Dwarf Blue Fescue

More light blue-green than white or grey, dwarf blue fescue still has that silvery color that is prized with some gardeners. These spiky bunches of ornamental grass grow about six to ten inches tall. It is evergreen.

White or Gray Foliage Plants - Speedwell

While some varieties of this popular Veronica plant have bright green leaves, some hybrids have lovely silvery or white foliage. Tall varieties with bright purple spikes of flowers are attractive to add to your white and gray foliage garden.

Using white or gray foliage plants in your garden provides neede contrast and brightness to a predominantely green palette. Growing a garden is like painting a picture. You must take into account the overall aesthetic of the finished product. Choosing the correct foliage perennials is important if you want to make a last impression with your garden.