![FULL SUN FOLIAGE](https://cdn.magzter.com/1596011659/1713186258/articles/sKDlbaq4L1713246163234/FULL-SUN-FOLIAGE.jpg)
The shade tables at your favorite garden center offer a full gamut of perennials with foliage as their main feature. (Picture the intricate fronds of hardy ferns, the bold, broad leaves of giant hostas the polka dots on pulmonaria) We've learned well to combine foliage perennials for texture and color in shaded spaces, yet this strategy isn't as often employed in the sun-likely because there we have many more options of plants with flowers as the main draw.
Still, wouldn't it be nice to mix in some leafy delights? To get started, here are a few perennials and shrubby plants that like the sun and contribute interesting color, shape or texture through their leaves. If you look beneath the sun tables' blooms on your next plant-shopping trip, you'll likely find even more to spark your creativity.
Upright, mound-forming border sedums (Hylotelephium) have enjoyed popularity for decades thanks to their ease of care and their late bloom. Their dense heads of tiny pink or white flowers appear in late summer or autumn, feeding pollinators and obscuring any view of the plant's foliage. Prior to blooming, though, the broad, fleshy leaves of border sedum make a good foil to finer-textured sun lovers.
Plus, many cultivars offer a splash of color with their foliage. Autumn Charm (Lajos') remains a very popular variegated sedum, with minty green leaves bordered in soft yellow. Discovered as a sport (genetic mutation) of the wellknown plain green 'Autumn Joy', it has proven very stable-that is, it doesn't tend to revert to producing solid leaves.
But if a solid leaf is preferred, sedum offers plenty of choices beyond green. Dark-leaved sedums, such as 'Back in Black', are versatile companions for spring or summer-blooming neighbors, whether those flower in hot colors for contrast or cooler shades for blending. Lighter-colored cultivars like 'Tiramisu', which boasts foliage in a bronze-tinged blue, are equally useful.
This story is from the May - June 2024 edition of Horticulture.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May - June 2024 edition of Horticulture.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![WEEDING OUT WORRY](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/22795/1736063/8zb1rZvX51718803445529/WEEDING-OUT-WORRY.jpg)
WEEDING OUT WORRY
Two books give perspectives on gardening's importance to mental health
![Prized Perennials](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/22795/1736063/R6HvTloMt1718802795202/PRIZED-PERENNIALS.jpg)
Prized Perennials
GAPS IN THE GARDEN? TRY ONE OF THESE AWARD-WINNING PLANTS AS A SAFE-BET FIX
![A TOAST TO CORK](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/22795/1736063/W4Ota6t7j1718803750852/A-TOAST-TO-CORK.jpg)
A TOAST TO CORK
A trip to Portugal inspired Greg Coppa to peel back the botany of the cork oak
![THE GARDEN CENTER'S GRIP](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/22795/1736063/DFopeTOqj1718803334523/THE-GARDEN-CENTERS-GRIP.jpg)
THE GARDEN CENTER'S GRIP
SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENS when gardeners enter a garden center. We change. Suddenly, somehow, we're overcome with this vague yet powerful, transcendental feeling of liberation, and we become aware of money we probably have and hopefully won't otherwise need.
![OUTSIDE OF THE BOX](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/22795/1736063/IYwwjdygg1718802371617/OUTSIDE-OF-THE-BOX.jpg)
OUTSIDE OF THE BOX
AS BOXWOOD BLIGHT DAMAGES THIS STAPLE EVERGREEN, IT'S TIME TO LOOK AT WORTHY ALTERNATIVES
![NEW MOUNDING ANNUALS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/22795/1736063/H0hnN2t0T1718801669861/NEW-MOUNDING-ANNUALS.jpg)
NEW MOUNDING ANNUALS
Also known as summer snapdragons, angelonias produce spikes of outward-facing flowers throughout the hottest, most humid time of the year.
![AN ANNUAL AFFAIR](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/22795/1736063/dg8Qx7iJQ1718801168950/AN-ANNUAL-AFFAIR.jpg)
AN ANNUAL AFFAIR
Combine a designer's best advice with the year's new varieties for a summer's worth of showstopping containers
![A Big Role for SMALL GRASSES](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/22795/1736063/8Z_fuHQli1718800880661/A-BIG-ROLE-FOR-SMALL-GRASSES.jpg)
A Big Role for SMALL GRASSES
The unexpected benefits of small native grasses
![GOLDENSEAL](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/22795/1736063/X7dhDmyVL1718800599099/GOLDENSEAL.jpg)
GOLDENSEAL
A woodland herb worth guarding
![RICHARD HAWKE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/22795/1736063/DY2WNJ_wX1718799613228/RICHARD-HAWKE.jpg)
RICHARD HAWKE
Try and try again