Foliage plants take center stage here, revolutionizing the way we look at garden plants. Overflowing with practical planting ideas, Gardening with Foliage Plants presents a new approach to gardening in which flowers are complemented by the subtle but often overlooked delights of leaves, stems, bark, flower bracts, and berries.

There is more to any plant than just its flowers, despite their tendency to steal the limelight in nursery catalogs and in the minds of many gardeners. Colored stems, beautiful bark, striking leaf shapes, and vibrant foliage are just some of the characteristics that continue to adorn a garden before and after its flowering season. Here, Ethne Clark's fresh ideas and Clive Nichols's stunning, specially commissioned photographs combine to produce an innovative book that will be an inspiration to all gardeners.

Gardening with Foliage Plants encourages individuals to look beyond the transient flowering potential of plants and to experiment with leaf shape, plant form, and shades of green both as the backdrop to a garden's floral composition and as the focal point of its design. Natural landscapes with their long-established habitats provide a source of inspiration to the author and she suggests how relaxed harmonies to be found beyond the garden wall can be reinterpreted to work within the cultivated area. Close analysis of plants with unique and striking characteristics—spiky flower bracts, a graceful arching shape, or enormous paddles for leaves—leads to an understanding of how the plants can be used to best effect in the garden. Detailed planting plans and beautiful illustrations show how to use plans in gardens of all sizes, while simple line drawings portray shape, texture, and form. In addition, there is a comprehensive, illustrated plant directory where species are grouped by foliage type and by color and horticultural requirement.

Combining sumptuous photographs with informative and unique suggestions, this book opens up a whole new world in which flowers become a passing show in contrast to foliage plants—the garden's star player.

About the Author and Photographer

Ethne Clarke is an established gardening writer with a worldwide reputation. She is the author of the best-selling books Herb Garden Design and English Country Gardens and the award-winning Art of the Kitchen Garden. She is a regular contributor to gardening journals and magazines. Born in America, Clarke now lives in England, where she has created a one-and-a-half acre garden from an empty field, incorporating many of the trees, shrubs, and perennials described in this book.

Clive Nichols is a leading garden photographer. He is the author of the award-winning Photographing Plants and Gardens, and his work regularly appears in leading gardening publications.