Top 10 variegated plants

Add colour and interest to your planting schemes with these magnificent foliage plants, says Louise Curley

Add colour and interest with these magnificent foliage plants

While many garden plants have leaves of a single colour, others stand out from the crowd thanks to their two-tone or multi-coloured foliage. In some cases a genetic mutation causes this variegation, in others it’s due to a structural difference in the leaves that means we can see more than one colour. Generally variegated plants are bi-coloured with green joined by white, cream or yellow, but a whole range of other colours can appear. These include purple, pink, red and orange, sometimes in several different tones, creating a kaleidoscope effect and appearing as spots, splashes, stripes and marbling or as differently coloured leaf edges. Paler variegated leaves can be used to brighten up shady spots in the garden. Planted at the back of a border, they will also create the optical illusion of making your garden appear more spacious. Green leaves with hints of white or cream are a useful addition to a white border, providing added texture and structure, while continuing the monochrome theme. It’s also possible to match the colour of the variegation with flowers and foliage of other plants to create a harmonious planting scheme. Some variegated plants will revert back to their single colour over time. Remove these stems as soon as you spot them, because they can grow more strongly than the variegated stems.