Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz are crusaders for garden foliage. “Gardening with Foliage First” is their second book on this topic and greatly expands their 2013 book “Fine Foliage.” Their goal is to be your “personal design coaches,” and they tackle that project with great enthusiasm, starting with your choice of leaves. Flowers come later.
The authors have created a long list of vignettes of plant combinations. Some are simple, two or three plants, while others are very complex and may include ornaments. The setting can be in a large garden bed, or a simple pot. Flowers are allowed, but they must compliment the foliage and be chosen for embellishment. They are not the stars of the show.
The plans all have crazy names. For example, “The Ticklish Porcupine” includes a prickly pear cactus (Opuntia engelmannii) surrounded by Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima). Why these designs work is carefully explained, along with general culture tips. Best is how the design will change with time. Attention is also drawn to potential problems, such as the invasiveness of the above-mentioned feather grass.
Excerpted from the Summer 2017 Arboretum Bulletin.