Foliage-Driven Plant Combo

Hard-working shrubs are at the core of this vignette. Evergreen shrubs provide year-round structure and add interest via their variety of color and texture. They include a variegated boxwood with a tight, rounded form; a frothy blue conifer with an upright habit; and Yucca 'Color Guard' whose variegated straps of upright foliage add an architectural presence. Flowering shrubs with colorful foliage include Weigela Wine and Roses and Magic Carpet Spiraea and they provide three seasons of interest thanks to colorful foliage and abundant blooms over a long season. 

Stachys b. 'Helene von Stein' forms a mat of gray-blue, weed-suppressing, fuzzy foliage and echoes the color of Chamaecyparis l. 'Barry’s Silver'. Berberis t. 'Concorde’ and Sedum 'Blue Pearl’ both offer low-to-the-ground burgundy accents that look perfect in contrast to the silver of the lamb’s ear. 

And finally, Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' is a top-performing ornamental grass that offers unparalleled performance over an incredibly long season. It’s tall narrow habit introduces an upward visual lift to the composition. Feather reed grass is relatively early to flower and when in bloom it provides movement as it catches the breeze. When its flowers fade, it remains interesting until cut down in late winter to make way for the next season’s display. 

This plant combination will provide months of low-maintenance beauty in your water wise landscape. Thanks to its multi-season showing, it is well-suited to adding curb appeal to a front yard garden.  It will do best in full sun and is suitable for gardens in USDA Zones 6 — 9. 


Growing Conditions

Zone: 6, 7, 8, 9
Exposure: Full Sun, Part Sun
Water Needs: Average, Drought-tolerant, Low, Regular / Even

Design Considerations

Style: Naturalistic, Northwest Eclectic, Waterwise, Wildlife Friendly
Features: Attracts Pollinator, Drought Tolerant, Fabulous Foliage, Low Maintenance, Uses Easy-to-Find Plants, Varied Foliage, Texture, and Form, Wildlife Friendly
Focus: Curb Appeal, Mixed Border, Pleasing Seasonal Flow, Saving Water, Small Space, Uses Easy-to-Find Plants
Seasons of Interest: Pleasing Seasonal Changes, Three Seasons of Interest

Care and Maintenance


Maintenance Level: low
Maintenance Tasks: Cut Back to Rejuvenate, Deadheading



Plants In this Combo