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Plants with variegated foliage can institute a bunch of interest to your garden .

Variegated plants are plant with streak , edging or splotches of different color .

a plant with variegated foliage with white and green colours

Usually , leaves will be in a compounding of two color – green and white or gold and green , though other variations are potential .

It is important to introduce vary plants with care , as too much diversification can cause a frenzied force , distracting the eye and detracting from the overall burden .

Sometimes , variegated plant life divide view : some gardener know them , others avert them like the infestation .

a plant with white, purple and light and dark green leaves

“ I ’m a pragmatist when   it come to motley foliage , ” shares Colin Skelly , a Master Horticulturist .

“ Ordinarily I ’m not puff to them as individual specimens , but when design , variegate plants are often a useful addition of foliage magnetic declination or to force the eye . ”

variegate plants can sometimes detract from the natural look in a garden , but if they are carefully used , variegate flora can break up monotonous super C , or invigorate a darker more shaded recession of your space .

Acer negundo green leaves in the sunlight

We ’ve produce a inclination of 50 interesting options which you might like to consider .

There are literally thousands of cultivars with variegated foliage ; tree diagram , shrubs , crampon andall sorts of herbaceous plant , so any list can only ever be highly selective .

However , it can be unmanageable to know where to start when choosing variegated plants for your garden , so this tilt may assist you to explore at least some of the options available .

Acer platanoides ‘Drummondiii’ with variegated green and cream leaves

Variegated Trees

Variegated tree diagram can be statement pieces and can act as dramatic centrepiece for your planting schemes .

Here is a list of dandy variegated Tree to look at :

Large Variegated Shrubs

Large shrubs can take shape the anchor of a garden intent .

They can be used as stand - alone piece to complement trees with variegated leaves , or they can work well at the back of border , oraround the bound of a garden .

Our top pick are draft below :

Acer pseudoplatanus f. variegatum ‘Simon-Louis Freres’ with pink, cream and green leaves growing outside

Small Variegated Shrubs

Smaller shrubs are also significant in filling in sundry borders and filling in under - level planting below and between trees and larger shrubs .

There is a huge range of unlike options of this type too .

One of the most popular variegate shrubs isEuonymous fortuneiiand its varieties , such as ‘ Emerald Gaiety ’ and ‘ Silver Queen ’ , are immensely popular .

Castanea sativa ‘Albomarginata’ growing outside with cream and green leaves and catkins

These are not only pop as stand - alone plants but also for use in formal hedges , or mixed hedgerows .

Some little shrubs are not only attractive but also serve other functions .

Many on this list are swell for garden wildlife andsome shrubby herb also supply edible yields .

Cercis canadensis tree with purple and green variegated leaves

Some great alternative to take admit :

Variegated Climbers

I in particular enjoy adding plants with variegated foliageagainst walls or fencing , where they can impart interest to what could be rather boring features .

Hedera whorl and other ivies can be excellent choices for shaded , compass north - facing paries .

They not only look effective , but also provide a spot for nesting razz , and benefit other wildlife in your garden .

Cornus controversa ‘Variegata’ with variegated leaves growing outside with white flowers

Some of the best and most interesting climbers with variegate foliage to consider are :

Herbaceous Plants With Variegation

Once you have placed your independent trees and shrubs and considered climbers for walls or fences or other structures , you will of course call on your attention to the lower layers of planting , and consider the vast smorgasbord of herbaceous plant life .

Non - woody plant also have an astounding identification number of options with beautiful variegated foliage .

Here are just a few of the interesting and attractive options that you could consider :

Cornus kousa ‘Gold Star’ with cream and green leaves and four-petal cream flowers

If you do decide to place motley plants in your garden , make trusted to explore the environmental requisite and the growing needs of the plants you are considering .

Remember , it ’s important that you select the right plant for the right spot .

unclouded horizontal surface can be especially crucial , since often , variegation will fall or disappear if the appropriate levels of sparkle are not available .

Ligustrum lucidum ‘Excelsum Superbum’ growing outside

diversification can be lost , and leaves will no longer have the same appearance .

This going of diversification is called ‘ reversion’.1Variegation . ( n.d . ) . University of Washington Botanic Gardens . recollect March 27 , 2023 , fromhttps://depts.washington.edu/hortlib/keyword/variegation/

If it take place , ensure the plant is getting the clean level it needs and prune out the reverted department as soon as you notice that it has appeared .

red and yellow leaves of a sweet gum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua) growing outside

If you do this , and the plant is in a worthy place , it should retain its pleasing appearance .

References

Salix integra ‘Hakuro-Nishiki’ with pink, white and variegated leaves growing outside

Acer campestre ‘Carnival’ plant with red and variegated leaves growing from its branch

Acer palmatum ‘Butterfly’ with variegated star-shaped leaves of green and cream

Aralia elata with cream flowers and green leaves growing outside

Aucuba japonica ‘Golden King’ shrub with yellow-spotted green leaves growing outdoors with other shrubs in the background

Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea  ‘Rose Glow’ shrub with deep red foliage

close up of Elaeagnus x ebbingei ‘Limelight’ with yellow and green leaves

Elaeagnus pungens ‘Maculata’ with green centres and yellow edges on the leaves

Euonymus japonicus ‘Ovatus Aureus’ with green and yellow variegated leaves

Ilex aquifolium ‘Argentea Marginata’ holly shrub with spiky leaves

laurustinus shrub with pink and white flowers growing outside with a blue sky behind it

Cistus x hybridus ‘Gold Prize’ in the Summer with white flowers and yellow centres and variegated leaves in the background

Caryopteris x clandonensis ‘White Surprise’ with long green leaves and white edges growing outdoors

Winter creeper shrub growing outdoors

Fuchsia magellanica var. gracilis with pink flowers, some still in buds

Hebe × franciscana ‘Variegata’ with purple flowers and variegated leaves growing in a pot outdoors

Leucothoe fontanesiana ‘Rainbow’ shrub with long green and pink leaves

Pieris japonica with red and green leaves growing outside

Salvia officinalis ‘Tricolor’ shrub with purple, green and white variegation

Thymus citriodorus (Pers.) Schreb. ‘Aureus’ plant with small leaves

Vinca major ‘Variegata’ growing outside in soil with purple flowers and green and cream foliage

Actinidia kolomikta with green leaves and pink tips growing outside in the rain

Ampelopsis brevipedunculata ‘Elegans’ with blue and purple rounded fruits

close-up of a leaf from a Hedera colchica ‘Dentata Variegata’ shrub with white and green variegation

Hedera helix ‘Glacier’ shrub with white and green variegated leaves

Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris with white flowers and green and yellow leaves

Jasminum nudiflorum with small yellow flowers growing on the stem

Jasminum officinale ‘Argenteovariegatum’ with yellow and green variegation on its foliage

Lonicera × italica Harlequin (‘Sherlite’) with pink flowers and leaves growing outdoors

Lonicera japonica ‘Mint Crisp’ shrub with yellow flowers growing in front of a wire fence

Trachelospermum jasminoides tricolor with pink and white flowers growing outside

Astrantia major ‘Sunningdale Variegated’ growing amongst blue myosotis flowers on the ground

aubrieta ‘Purple Cascade’ plant with lots of small purple flowers

close-up of the leaves on a Brunnera macrophylla ‘Hadspen Cream’ plant

Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Variegatum’ plant with lots of variegated leaves

Hostas ‘Cathedral Windows’ plant with big variegated leaves growing in the ground with other shrubs in the background

Iris japonica ‘Variegata’ plant with white and purple flower and long leaves

Iris laevigata ‘Variegata’ with a purple flower and its long thin variegated foliage behind it

Mentha suaveolens ‘Variegata’ plant growing outside in a garden bed

Nepeta ‘Six Hills Gold’ plants growing in a cluster with lots of purple flowers

Phlox paniculata ‘Becky Towe’ plant with bright pink flowers and variegated foliage