Glancing through a recent garden design book, I noticed that some photos jumped off the page. They showed colorful, mostly purple blooms silhouetted against frothy silver foliage. Why did these scenes elicit a “wow?” It had to be the shimmering silver backdrop that made the scene so vibrant.
It was effervescent. It was magical. And with some planning, it would be mine.

After researching silver shrubs that thrive in the Upper Midwest, I purchased Iceberg Alley® sageleaf willow. Iceberg Alley grows 6 feet tall and wide, and in a few years, it should provide that silvery haze I so admired. Along with pussy willows, it’s one of the few chrome-colored shrubs to withstand winters in Minnesota. It’s hardy to USDA Zone 2. I’m also reassessing and rearranging
other silver-leafed plants already in my garden, hoping to use them to greater effect.

Plants with silver foliage hail mostly from regions that are hot and dry. Their shimmering gray surface is an adaptation that allows the plants to survive high temperatures and little rainfall. These
plants thrive in bright sunshine but can usually handle light shade as well.

The Perfect Foil

Gardeners most often choose silver plants to act as foils to bright colors, pastel hues or dark leaves, but silver foliage offers a host of other benefits as well. Silvery-gray draws the eye to its location in
the garden, so it can help you emphasize a particular plant grouping or object.

The color shines at night, softening and mellowing its partners and blending the garden together. Silver also helps to combine colors that you might find conflicting, such as lime and magenta,
pastels next to brights, or royal blue and orange.

Silver plants are the perfect edger. A silver band of lamb’s ear or mugwort (Artemisia) will outline a pleasantly curving garden bed. Gray leaves also coordinate beautifully with the silvery colors often used in hardscaping and home facades.

I hadn’t realized just how many great plants have silvery hues until I started taking stock. The artemisias—a large genus of fragrant plants offering hundreds of species choices—come first
to mind. With these plants, the foliage is the star, as the flowers are few and intermittent. Because each variety offers a special characteristic, I have several and am in the process of making better use of them, pulling them from the far reaches of my garden and bringing them front and center.

Artemisia varieties for your garden

• The popular Artemisia ‘Silver Mound’ is a soft froth of glinting foliage, a perfect companion for adjacent plants. It’s the one you’re most likely to find in your neighbors’ gardens.
• ‘Silver Brocade’ has broad leaves and is about 8 inches tall. It lays on the ground, making a super border plant.
• Upright ‘Powis Castle’ reaches 3 feet in height and creates a dramatic backdrop for other perennials.
• ‘Silver King’, another upright version, is silvery-white and spreads quickly. It works well as a fast-growing groundcover on steep sunny slopes.

More Than Mugwort

But silver foliage isn’t limited to artemisias. Lamb’s ear, a garden stalwart, hosts purple fronds in summer and thrives in problem areas such as dry shade and poor soils. If you’re seeking
shimmering annuals, reach for dusty miller or licorice plant. Russian sage, Japanese painted fern and some lavenders offer nearly silver foliage. Rose campion (Lychnis spp.) sports silver stems. If you have room for a conifer, your choices expand to include a few silvery spruce, fir and juniper varieties.

My garden is full of deep maroons and bright chartreuses. Now that I’ve discovered silver, it has entered the mix in a big way. Can you think of a color that doesn’t look great when backed by a
silver haze? I haven’t found one yet.

This article originally appeared in the Nov/Dec 2021 edition of Northern Gardener® Magazine

More on Silver Plants

• Silver Plants: An Elegant Garden Edition | Northern Gardener
• How to Care for Artemisia | The Spruce

Diane McGann is a Stillwater-based master gardener and an award-winning garden writer.