How And Where To Use… Variegated Plants

Tamsin Westhorpe throws some light on how variegated planting can add sparkle to your garden

- Tamsin Westhorpe

IMAGINE how dull the garden would be if plant foliage came in just one shade of green? Thankfully,there is a wonderful collection of variegated plants to ring the changes, helping to transform a border by adding contrast and interest.

Variegation is the result of different amounts of pigment in leaves and can be a natural anomaly. Plants display spots, stripes, freckles and splashes of white, gold, red, pink, yellow or silver. Lucky for us, then, that this dramatic foliage means we can plant large collections of the same genus and enjoy the contrast. The most useful of the variegated plants are those that grow in shade, completely transforming a dark corner of the garden – as if the lights have been switched on. With a plethora of different variegated hostas on offer there is no excuse to have a dark and dull display. Add some sparkle to your hosta collection with the likes of the new ‘Half and Half’ from Bowdens (bowdenshostas.com) or the readily available ‘June’.