Now is the time big, beautiful plants shine in the garden

It is the season for big plants.

Gardens are bursting with growth, in some cases stuffed to the gills, and the plants that are drawing the most attention are those with the biggest leaves. Standing out among, and sometimes over, the crowd, this bold foliage brings order to the chaos of finer textured plants and offer a lush, almost tropical look.

Hostas are often at the top of the bold foliage list, but the options go far beyond those shade garden favorites.

Rogers flower (Rodgersia) is an eye catching plant for moist spots in part shade. It has large, heavily veined leaves, each with seven leaflets, and astilbe-like flowers that can reach more than 4 feet tall. The foliage color varies from green to bronzy purple depending on variety.

As long as it is planted in the right spot, Rogers flower is not difficult to grow, but it can be difficult to find at local garden centers, particularly because it doesn’t look like much in early spring when many shoppers are on the hunt.

Ligularia, which sports large rounded leaves, is easier to find. Flowering in late summer with bright yellow flowers that are either tall spikes or daisy-like, depending on the variety, this is another plant that appreciates a good amount of moisture and a part-shade spot. Some varieties, like the Ligularia dentata ‘Desdemona’ that thrives along a drainage stream in my yard, can be aggressive reseeders, so it’s best to cut off the flowers before they seed.

Oredenia, which is an unusual hybrid of Mukdenia and Oresitrophe, is low growing — just 14 inches tall — but brings bold foliage to the front of the garden. ‘Fusion of Fire’ has large, notched leaves that turn a brilliant red in autumn. Pink flowers add interest in spring.

‘Fusion of Fire’ is well suited to the filtered sun under a tree canopy but can be grown in part sun so long as it has enough moisture, without which it’s likely to go dormant before it has the opportunity to put on its autumn show.

Perhaps the largest foliage plant in my garden is taking its time getting some size. Planted just this spring, the ornamental banana (Musa sikkimensis) ‘Ever Red’ is said to be hardy to zone 5 so long as it’s provided with a thick blanket of mulch over the crown in winter, but so far it’s been a slow grower. Even though it’s not yet 3 feet tall, a far cry from the 10 or more feet it is said to grow to, it is already sporting 2-foot-long green leaves with purple-red stripes.

Although it’s too soon to tell how ‘Ever Red’ will perform for the long haul, its enormous, striking leaves are already a showstopper in the garden.

Bold foliage plants earn their keep in any garden, filling big spaces, providing a rest from the finer foliage that often makes up most of a garden and creating moments of interest that work in any yard. And they are at their best right now.