
Shine in the shade
Not all of the most eye-catching parts of your garden are large beds or borders. Just a few plants that look great together can create lots of impact.
Here, a skirt of ‘All Gold’ hakonechloa below bigleaf hydrangea softens the edge of a path. Its golden-yellow leaves take on a hint of pink in fall, which ties the combo’s color scheme together even more. This grass grows best in shade — too much sun can scorch the leaves and cause them to fade to white.
Click ahead to find out more about this combo.
Combo recipe
‘Glowing Embers’ bigleaf hydrangea blooms on old wood, so if you’re going to prune, do so just after flowers fade in late summer.
‘Split Rock’ dwarf hinoki cypress grows very slowly, making it perfect for small spaces. This shrub adapts to a variety of light and soil conditions and is drought-tolerant once established.
A – ‘Split Rock’ dwarf hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) Shrub; blue and green evergreen foliage; full sun to part shade; 2 to 4 ft. tall and wide; cold-hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8, heat- tolerant in AHS zones 8 to 1
B – ‘Glowing Embers’ bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) Shrub; rose-red flowers from summer through fall; part sun; 4 to 6 ft. tall, 6 to 8 ft. wide; cold-hardy in USDA zones 7 to 9, heat-tolerant in AHS zones 9 to 1
C – ‘All Gold’ hakonechloa (Hakonechloa) Perennial; golden-yellow foliage; part to full shade; 12 to 18 in. tall and wide; cold-hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9, heat-tolerant in AHS zones 9 to 1
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work in the garden. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
Find inspiration for this stunning season with colorful container combos and easy annuals for beds and borders.
Conveniently keep bamboo stakes together through winter and ready to use next year.