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Beautiful chevron-patterned wooden doorway flanked by Queen Mum Agapanthus on a brick entryway at Southern Living Idea House

3 Plants to Add Texture to Your Garden Design

  1. Home
  2. 3 Plants to Add Texture to Your Garden Design
  • By Carmen Johnston
  • August 6, 2019
Add Texture to Your Garden Designs with Blooms and Foliage

Gardening is an art form. This is especially true in the sense that a garden, much like a painting, is never truly finished. After you are finished planting and primping your garden, it’s helpful to take a step back and evaluate the end product as a whole. During a recent project, we discovered our “finished” product was not quite finished. Upon closer inspection, we realized there was an abundance of empty space on both sides of our stunning entryway. All of the different elements we had created looked lovely by themselves, but in order to unite them, we added these three plants for adding texture and visual interest.

Queen Mum™ Agapanthus

Thin blades of grass or soft, velvety leaves both work wonders. I like to use plants that offer a combination of both texture and blooms, which is why we went with Queen Mum™ Agapanthus.

The Queen Mum Agapanthus is a strong plant, which functions as an element of texture as well as a powerful bloom. Just as expected, she reigned supreme in the garden. We wanted the texture to be natural, as if it had been there all along, so we decided against planting in a strategic row, instead we scattered the plants randomly throughout the empty space. The blades of foliage are bold and strap-like, while the blooms are a soft white and vibrant violet. Queen Mum is a perennial for zones 8-11.

Jubilation™ Gardenia

At the edge of the entryway, we planted clusters of Jubilation™ Gardenia. This plant also serves two purposes within the garden. Its dark, glossy leaves provide yearlong interest and the petite, white blooms release a wonderful fragrance throughout spring and summer. I recently planted these in my own garden and they are still blooming to perfection now.

Early Bird™ Crapemyrtle Lavender

As you make your way down the sidewalk of the Idea House, you’ll be greeted by the Early Bird™ Crapemyrtle Lavender we planted on either side. Throughout the year, it provides an array of texture fit for every season. In May, its blooms are a sweet shade of lavender, which reappear at the end of summer. Near the end of bloom season, it provides pods that work great in any and every flower arrangement. When winter arrives, you’ll be surprised with rustic twigs as its leaves say farewell.

 

Carmen Johnston

Get garden advice and plant care tips from industry expert, Carmen Johnston. Carmen integrates her first-hand experience with plants in The Southern Living Plant Collection with her vast knowledge of gardening to help readers solve garden problems.
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Plants Featured In The article

Agapanthus

Queen Mum™ Agapanthus

Agapanthus orientalis ‘PMN06’ PP24651
Gardenia
Jubilation Gardenia bloom cluster amongst shiny dark green foliage

Jubilation™ Gardenia

Gardenia jasminoides ‘Leeone’ PP21983
Crapemyrtle

Early Bird™ White Crapemyrtle

Lagerstroemia hybrid ‘JD900’ PP22698

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