Woodie’s Picks: Plants For A Bold Visual Contrast In The Landscape
For many, the world of gardening and landscaping can be seen as an art. The gardener often has a particular vision in mind and will paint the landscape with blooms and foliage to create a vibrant tapestry of color to admire throughout the seasons. While some may aim for a more subtle and classic look, others live for bold vibrance and contrast to really make their outdoor space the spectacle of the neighborhood.
If you are looking to plant outside the box and bring your bold landscape visions to life, this is the blog for you. Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of planting contrasting hues in the landscape, and then dive into a few of our favorite eye-catching plant varieties to make a bold statement in the late summer season.
Benefits of Contrast In The Landscape
Create Visual Interest and Excitement
The most obvious benefit to introducing contrast to your landscape design is the visual interest and excitement it brings. While the central concept that comes to mind when you think of contrast is likely colors, there are a handful of ways to create interesting juxtaposition in the landscape. Whether you are combining plants with different textures, like the delicate fronds of ferns against the bold, lustrous leaves of hostas, or you are using both small and large elements like large evergreen trees paired with smaller flowering shrubs, the visual interest these differences create is unmatched.
Emphasize Focal Points and Frame Views
Strategic use of contrast when planting can also work to draw the eye to specific areas or features of the landscape. To create a clear focal point, you may consider choosing a tree with fiery foliage, like a maple tree, or vivid texturized blooms, like a Crape Myrtle. These focal points in your garden anchor the design and provide visual direction.
Add Depth and Dimension
Layering plants with varying textures, colors, and sizes creates a sense of depth and dimension. In introducing contrasting elements, you will easily transform a flat, empty space into a visual playground of beauty. Place the juxtaposing elements thoughtfully throughout your landscape to help define different areas of your home and guide movement within your outdoor space.
Our Favorite Bold Blooming Plants for The Late Summer Garden
Now that you understand the importance of contrast in the landscape, you can move on to deciding what bold features you want to incorporate into your own design.
Twilight Magic Crape Myrtle
First on our list of bold blooming defiance in the landscape is the Twilight Magic Crape Myrtle. This striking specimen boasts deep purplish-maroon foliage and abundant ruffled pink blooms. The dramatic contrast in color, paired with the tree’s unique textures and moderate mature size (16 to 20 feet tall and wide), makes this the ideal statement piece in smaller landscapes looking to make a big splash. Hardy in USDA zones 7-9, the Twilight Magic Crape Myrtle is praised for its hardiness to the elements and low-maintenance care regimen. Use it as a specimen plant, for mass planting, in borders, or even in containers for a steady supply of color and interest.
Hibiscus Summerific Perfect Storm
While on the topic of eye-catching color and contrast, we’d be remiss not to mention the Hibiscus Summerifc Perfect Storm. With its gigantic pale pink to red blooms against its distinctive dark maroon foliage, it’s genuinely the perfect compilation of bold shapes, color, and unrelenting beauty. The Hibiscus Summerific Perfect Storm produces huge 8-inch blooms in tones of white, pink, and red. The Striking near-black foliage makes the large blooms pop. Native to North America, these plants not only contribute to your yard's beauty but also aid in the health and biodiversity of your local ecosystem. Use Summerific Perfect Storm Hibiscus as a striking specimen plant, a bold border, or in containers, placing it in full sun in moist, well-drained soil and giving it ample space to grow.
White Cloud Muhly Grass
For an element of texture to bring visual contrast in the late summer landscape, White Cloud Muhly Grass is a superior planting pick. This upright, clumping ornamental grass features slender, deep green foliage that is the pillar for the billowy clouds of white plumes that rest above it. With the dreamy white flowers emerging in late summer, now is the perfect time to get your White Cloud Muhly Grass in the ground. Use this gorgeous grass in sunny, well-drained areas for low-maintenance, drought-tolerant landscapes, and consider it for rain gardens, borders, mass plantings, and containers.
Carolina Sapphire Cypress
To bring towering height and icy cool tones to your landscape, look no further than the Caroline Sapphire Cypress. This dense evergreen boasts a pyramidal form and striking silvery-blue, lacy foliage against reddish brown, flaky bark. Growing to heights nearing 70 feet, the Carolina Sapphire provides year-round color, texture, and interest to the landscape. The tree is most popularly used for privacy screens and windbreaks, but it can also be used as a stand-alone focal point!
Shop Eye-Catching Landscape Plants Online Today
By thoughtfully pairing colors, textures, and sizes, you can create a landscape that feels dynamic, inspiring, and uniquely your own. Whether you’re drawn to the fiery blooms of a Hibiscus, the airy plumes of Muhly Grass, or the bold foliage of a Crape Myrtle, these plants prove that contrast is the key to transforming your yard into a true work of art. Start planning today, and let your garden become the bold, eye-catching statement piece of your neighborhood.