Green comes in many forms, from dark and subtle to bright and vibrant. Chartreuse is far from subtle; a combination of green and yellow, it can look electric. To some people, leaves of this hue look anemic, but for many of us the color adds another element of beauty and texture to the garden. Chartreuse makes a beautiful combination with other plants and allows us to expand our color palette.
A garden with shade is the perfect place to highlight the uniqueness of chartreuse, but the color also looks great in sunny areas. One way to showcase it is to scatter specimen plants across the garden, drawing attention to each part of the landscape. Drifts of chartreuse are effective in areas where flowers are less prevalent.
My family has a cabin in Wisconsin, located on a site that receives minimal sunlight. Despite the shady conditions, I’ve been able to fill the perennial beds with color using chartreuse foliage. I’ve added several 'Sun King' aralia, which look amazing planted behind shorter perennials for shade. The cool climate allows me to grow ‘Gold Heart’ bleeding hearts in part sun alongside ‘Walkers Low’ catmint (Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low) and peonies (Paeonia).
Here are some excellent perennials, shrubs and trees for adding yellow-green foliage to your garden:
PERENNIALS WITH CHARTREUSE LEAVES
Several kinds of perennials have chartreuse foliage, and their various sizes make them easy to use in gardens.
‘Sun King’ aralia (Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’; USDA Zones 4–8), gives the appearance of a shrub as it grows to four feet tall. The plant's stature combined with its coarse leaves provide a tropical feel while illuminating dark areas of the garden. Sites with part shade provoke the best color, but this plant will also take full shade. There the leaves will be a darker green. Aralia looks stunning in small groups or as a specimen. It is a beautiful complement to shade-loving perennials like fernleaf bleeding hearts (Dicentra eximia), ferns and hostas. Read more about 'Sun King' aralia.
‘Gold Heart’ and ‘White Gold’ bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis; Zones 3–9) bring life to the early-season garden as they quickly grow to three feet. The pink flowers of ‘Gold Heart’ are eye-catching against its chartreuse foliage; as are the pure white blooms of ‘White Gold’. Both have similar growth habits, reaching two to three feet tall and not quite as wide. They please the eye when planted in groups or singly. For companion plants, consider other shade lovers like goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus), bugbane (Actaea racemosa) and even the aforementioned aralia. Read about 'Ruby Gold', a bleeding heart with golden leaves and red flowers.
If you're looking for a stunning ground cover, look no further than hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra; Zones 5–8), mounding to about 12 inches tall and 18 inches wide. Several cultivars offer yellow foliage that trends more toward lime with increased shade. These include ‘Aureola’, whose yellow leaves are edged with a narrow stripe of green, and ‘All Gold’, which emerges brassy in spring but will take on more lime tones as the trees leaf out. To maximize the color and take advantage of the hakonechola’s texture, which is somewhat unique amid shade plants, consider a mass planting. The narrow, arching foliage allows this plant to look good with any other shade plant, and it especially suits Asian-style and woodland gardens. Read about other ornamental grasses for the shade.
The mounds of coral bells (Heuchera; Zones 4–8) are small, but they have a massive impact. The bright green foliage of cultivars like ‘Twist of Lime’ is compelling in borders, small groups or mass plantings. This 8- to 12-inch rounded selection glows in the shade and looks good with other groundcovers as well as annuals like impatiens. A few hours of sun will help produce its brightest leaves. Different heuchera cultivars can also be combined to create a range of colors. Read about a related perennial, 'Spicy Lime' heucherella.
SHRUBS WITH CHARTREUSE LEAVES
Chartreuse foliage adds another element to the beauty and structure of woody plants.
Golden Spirit smokebush (Cotinus coggygria ‘Ancot'; Zones 5–8) has all the features of smokebush, but with chartreuse foliage. At 8 to 15 feet tall and wide, the stature of this shrub makes it excellent as a single specimen, but it also looks good planted in multiples as informal hedge. The foliage pops alongside purple-leaved smokebushes and plants with blue foliage, like the compact shrub ‘Blue Shadow’ fothergilla (Fothergilla x intermedia ‘Blue Shadow’). Site Golden Spirit in full sun to part shade.
The texture of Tiger Eyes sumac (Rhus typhina ‘Bailtiger’; Zones 4–8) gives an exotic look to a hardy plant. Be sure to give this plant some room in the garden, because although it grows just three to six feet tall, it will spread by suckers over time (though not aggressively). The leaves’ lime-green color lasts all season before shifting to bright orange in fall. Sumac is terrific for sunny or partly shaded dry places where many plants won't survive, and it looks excellent planted as a specimen or in groups along unmanaged areas. The color combines well with purple-, pink- and orange-flowering perennials, like salvias, border phlox and daylilies (Hemerocallis).
The foliage of Lemon Candy ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Podaras 3’; Zones 2–8) shines in the garden. Though it’s often advertised as growing three feet tall, this shrub stands six feet high in my garden. It looks gorgeous alongside rhododendrons and perennials with purple flowers. Try it as a mixed hedge using purple-leaved cultivars of ninebark to showcase the color contrast. ‘Lemon Candy’ also holds its own as a specimen. It takes full sun or part shade.
Dogwoods (Cornus) are loved for their reliability. The cultivar ‘Garden Glow’ (C. hessei ‘Garden Glow’) is no exception, and its bright foliage contributes long interest from something not often regarded as a foliage plant. 'Garden Glow' prefers full sun to part shade. It can be repeated as a wonderful informal hedge, as it reaches four to five feet tall and wide. It also shines near shade perennials like ferns and hostas.
The texture of false cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Lemon Thread’; Zones 4–8) looks bold in the garden, and the foliage is evergreen, allowing you to enjoy it year-round. Though it can attain a height of 12 feet, it will take decades to get there. Lemon Thread false cypress is an excellent companion plant for Japanese maples and dwarf conifers. It looks stunning in rock or gravel gardens where it can bask in the sun.
TREES WITH CHARTREUSE LEAVES
Early-spring pink flowers make redbud (Cercis canadensis; Zones 5–9) a favorite, but 'Hearts of Gold' goes a step further. The new growth emerges chartreuse. As the leaves mature, they darken, with stark contrast developing between the different shades of green as the foliage shifts. This 20 to 25-foot-tall tree is ideal for understory areas, but it also grows well in open sites. Its small size allows for effective combinations with colorful perennials and shrubs. Redbud topped our list of 10 great early-blooming trees and shrubs for the garden.
The foliage of 'Autumn Moon' Japanese maple (Acer shirasawanum ‘Autumn Moon’; Zones 5–8) appears everchanging. The spring growth emerges yellow with a touch of orange. In summer, the foliage boasts a combination of orange, salmon and chartreuse, leading to the grand finale of fall, when the leaves become gold and red. This selection resists burning in full sun, but also performs well in shade. Japanese maple, a favorite for both its deciduous leaves and its striking winter architecture, is often grown with boxwood (Buxus), ferns and grasses. Consider planting several kinds to highlight their differences.
Images credits: 'All Gold' and ‘Aureola’ hakone grasses, ‘Twist of Lime’ heuchera and ‘Gold Heart’ bleeding heart courtesy of Walters Gardens; Golden Spirit smokebush by F.D. Richards/CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED; Tiger Eyes sumac by F.D. Richards/CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED; Lemon Candy ninebark and Garden Glow dogwood courtesy of Garden Debut/Greenleaf Nursery; Lemon Thread false cypress by F.D. Richards/CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED; Autumn Moon maple by Joel Bradford/CC BY-ND 2.0 DEED.
