Twenty Silver Foliage Plants for the Garden and Container.
Plants with silver foliage or grey leaves are extremely popular in the garden border for the colour that they give year round. They have the advantage of looking great with so many other plants that are indispensable to many landscapers.
Plants with silvery grey foliage can add contrast to the garden or can act as a neutral background plant, they include a range of Australian native trees and shrubs, as well as imported or exotic silver foliage plants, many with such good foliage that can be a feature by themselves.
One that we use is Plectranthus argentatus or ‘Silver-Plectranthus’ soft silvery foliage that adds a lift to all parts of the garden, particularly shaded positions. Other favourites include Artemisia species, the taller growing species add height to the garden, while the low growing mound forming types can create a silvery carpet and work as a ground cover plant
Most work well as an accent plant against a green background, check out some of the best from our list.
Silver foliage plants include:
- Stachys byzantina – Lambs Ears
An old time favourite with soft felty foliage, excellent as a ground cover plant. It will spread to over 1m and will form a dense silvery matt. - Plectranthus argentatus – Silver Plectranthus
Excellent as a ground cover plant, easy care - Buddleja crispa – Butterfly Bush
A taller growing shrub with silvery green foliage that adds interest to the rear of the boarder. - Senico cineraria – Dusty Miller
Very widely used and has been a garden favourite for years. Soft grey foliage and yellow flowers. - Conostylis candicans -Grey cottonheads
A clump forming perennial, yellow flowers with grey green foliage. From western Australia and drought tolerant, - Artemisia pycnocephela – Sandhill Sage or Beach Sagebrush.
From California and an excellent low growing grey foliage plant for coastal areas. - Artemisa ‘Powis Castle’ -Wormwood
Another all time favourite, drought tolerant, easy to prune and good ‘true silvery grey’ foliage. - Senecio serpens – Blue Chalk Sticks
With upright spikes this low growing succulent provided blue grey foliage and texture as well. A well drained soil and a frost free position are essential. - Astelia banksii
A very attractive silver leafed strap like foliage plant. From New Zealand and suited to coastal conditions. - Astelia chathamica
This species has a cultivar named ‘silver shadow’. Taller than above with flax like foliage. - Adenanthos sericea ‘Silver Streak’
This is the Woolly Bush, foliage is a silvery green, soft to touch and as it can reach 2m, is excellent for adding a bit height to the garden. - Arcotis – ‘Silver Pink’, ‘Blood Red’ and others.
A hybrid with silver foliage and colourful flowers as well. Drought tolerant as well. - Actinotis helianthi – Flannel Flower
Soft wooly silvery foliage on an iconic Australian native plant. - Eucalyptus macrocarpa
This is red flowering low growing species with grey green foliage. - Eucalyptus kruseana
Very unusual Eucalyptus, brilliant silvery foliage with yellow flowers. - Salvia officianalis – Sage
Looking for Silver foliage for the herb garden?This is the plant for you. - Lavendula angustifolia – English Lavender
Another widely used plant with silvery grey foliage, purple flowers as well. - Convolvulus cneorum
An upright shrub with white flowers, and good silvery foliage. - Cerastium tomentosum – Snow in summer
Useful ground cover plant, white flowers in summer, drought tolerant and silver foliage as well. - Dudleya pulverulenta. – The Chalk Lettuce
Rosettes of silvery green foliage on this low growing succulent. - Tanacetum densum ssp. amanum
And that is just 21 of the many silver foliage plants that you can use to add variation, colour and texture to any landscaping scheme.