“If you want a big impact then try variegated plants,” says Martyn

Love them or hate them, variegated plants can have a big impact in the garden. Martyn Cox looks at why variegation occurs and the best variegated plants to use

VARIEGATED plants are like Marmite – some gardeners love them to bits, while others have a deep, irrational and strong dislike for them. And not just for the odd variety, I hasten to add, but anything with leaves that are speckled, spotted, striped, marbled or in some way adorned with more than one colour.

I know exactly how the grumbling gardeners feel, because I used to count myself among their ranks. As far as I was concerned, every variegated plant was an abhorrent creation that really had no right to exist. My plant snobbery led me to regard any garden containing some as an affront to good taste.

However, over the years I must admit that I have mellowed and have come to appreciate variegated plants. They can illuminate dimly lit spots, add lightness or definition to a border, and cleverly lead the eye from one side of a display to the other. Evergreen forms are particularly valuable in winter, providing a shot of colour when everything else has died down.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of everything variegated. The leaves of variegated hydrangeas deflect from their flowers, the foliage of Fatsia

japonica ‘Spider’s Web’ looks like it has been sprayed with weedkiller, and the green, gold and red foliage of

Houttuynia cordata ‘Chameleon’ jar with anything in the near vacinity.

There are hardly any variegated plants in the wild. Most start life as a shoot that appears by chance on a pure green plant. Described by botanists as a ‘sport’, this distinctly different stem might be caused by a natural cell mutation or occur as a result of viral infection.

The mutation or infection prevents or inhibits cells from being able to produce chlorophyll, the green pigment vital for photosynthesis. Complete lack of green matter leads to white areas forming, while orange, yellow and light-green variegation result from reduced production of chlorophyll.

Sports are sometimes thrown out by plants in an average back garden, but the majority of variegated plants known to gardeners have arisen from shoots that have popped up on stock held by nurseries. If growers think its features are desirable, they will attempt to propagate by taking cuttings.

Over time, this has resulted in a raft of variegated plants being introduced by growers across the world. There are trees, shrubs, conifers, climbers, perennials, grasses, bulbs and many other types of plant available. The majority have two-tone leaves, but there are varieties adorned with three or more different colours.

The key to using variegated plants in the garden is to take a ‘less is more’ approach. Lots of variegated plants together is overpowering, inharmonious and will create a chaotic effect – this is largely because these plants stand out from the crowd, instantly drawing the

eye. Too many means you won’t know where to focus.

A few carefully placed variegated plants can make a big impact. For example, evergreen shrubs will add life to winter borders, while the odd perennial can be used to punctuate summer displays. Shade lovers are effective at illuminating a gloomy corner or wall, and if placed alongside a path or drive the lighter parts of variegated specimens show up well at night.

Plants with speckling or light marbling do not show up well from a distance. In order to earn their keep, place them close to the front of beds and borders with darker leaved plants behind, or set them close to the windows of the house so they are within plain sight.

Selecting the right planting partners is important. All variegated plants will look good alongside green-leaved types, but those with cream or white markings work equally well with silverleaved species. Those with brightyellow variegation are perfect rubbing shoulders with golden-leaved plants.