FULL SUN FOLIAGE

IT'S A BIT MORE CHALLENGING THAN IN THE SHADE, BUT WE CAN FIND DELIGHTFUL LEAVES TO EMBELLISH SUNNY SPACES

- MEGHAN SHINN

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.