47. THE BEST OF SILVER AND PURPLE (AND SOME PINK)

If you want to add an elegant, shimmery punch to a flower bed, plant some silvery or light gray foliage plants. Silver brightens the colors that surround it. It adds a modern touch to the landscape.

Blue and purple flowers work especially well with silvery or light gray leaves. Cool pink flowers also shine against silver foliage. Some of the best examples of silvery-leaved plants for flower gardens include dusty miller (Jacobaea maritima), artemisia, bugloss, licorice plant (Helichrysum thianschanicum), and Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum).

When you plant silver plants with purple and pink flowers check to see that they grow to similar heights. Likewise, do not plant drought-tolerant plants mixed with those that require lots of watering. Silver-leaved plants, as a whole, do not need too much watering, because light gray foliage is often an adaptation to dry conditions. Lastly, silver can dominate a bed with its sparkly look, so it is best used as an accent rather than as the main show.

Plants in the wormwood or Artemisia genus are a popular choice among gardeners. These light gray–leaved plants thrive in hot, full sun and poor soils. They are prized for the unusual shapes and color of their aromatic foliage. Check out varieties such as ‘Powis Castle,’ ‘Silver Brocade,’ ‘Valerie Finnis,’ and ‘Silver Mound.’ They can be cut back to keep within bounds, and all are deer resistant.

The many cultivars of Russian sage (Perovskia sp.), with their blue flowers, can be used as a silvery accent in a sunny garden. For a shade garden, try ‘Moonshine’ lungwort (Pulmonaria ‘Moonshine’). Its leaves are completely silvered when mature, and a deep green edge makes the silvering pop.

The list of purple and pink flowers you can plant with silver plants includes purple and pink petunias, summer snapdragon, verbena, pansies, catmint, perennial salvia, annual salvia, sea holly, and more.