Are variegated plants an eyesore?
Variegated plants are definitely a ‘Marmite’ subject– you either love them or hate them. They’re also a very Englishgarden one. I personally like Marmite, but generally am not a fan of variegated plants – some of them are just so ugly and look sick. Whenever I see a variegated plant it makes me feel quite sad. They always look so unhappy.
This is not to say I hate all variegation, because as with all things there are always exceptions to the rule. But, in particular, I hate Aucuba japonica ‘Crotonifolia’, Farfugium japonicum giganteum (giant leopard plant) and Aquilegia vulgaris ‘Woodside Strain’, with its irregular yellow spotting, which is just awful. These plants look as though weedkiller has been liberally sprayed around and has left them looking sick and in need of help.
In the past I’ve been asked to launch variegated plants at flower shows – one being Euonymus fortunei ‘Harlequin’, which in truth I grew to like if only because it became hugely popular. We even have our own variegated perennial – Oenothera Freefolk Rosy. It has a subtle variegated edge around the leaves, which is very delicate and I’m happy with that.
The main reason people use variegated plants is to create a feeling of light and shade in their borders – but there are lots of other ways to create this effect, many of them far better, without resorting to the use of splotchy foliage. You can use plants with silver, lime-green, yellow or purple foliage for a far more attractive result. The most important thing is to use varying leaf shapes and plant forms. For instance, long, strappy leaves, filigree-cut ones and large, bold, round ones look great together, and they all make great foils for flowers. They’ll catch the light in different ways. You can use silver leaves as ground cover or for mid-height interest in a sunny spot, and lime-green or yellow in darker positions. Only use dark-purple leaves selectively, though, as they can be a bit recessive.
Of course, we don’t ban variegated plants at Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants – I have to put my commercial head on as some customers really like variegation! So, we grow and sell a variety of different variegated plants. But personally, I’ll rarely allow any in my own garden.
Variegation has always had me in awe. I love how it punctuates the
