Dark Foliage Plants Trending in Florida

Dark foliage plants are trending in Florida this year. In fact, horticulturists at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences predict gardeners will add unconventional plants to their landscape in 2020. And specimens with dark foliage more than fit the bill.

Still, ask the experts at ArtisTree Landscape and they’ll add an important caveat. You can create an unconventional look with conventional choices.

Dark palette choices abound

“Plants in a dark palette are not hard to find,” says Landscape Designer Chris Culp. “Consider the Ti plant – a staple here in Southwest Florida. One of my favorites is Black Magic. It pairs beautifully with lighter hues as long as they have the same maintenance requirements.”

Black Magic Ti Plant
Black Magic Ti Plant

Culp also likes Black Diamond crape myrtles for their dark leaves and vivid red blooms. And for shrubs? Copperleaf and Loropetalum are his go-to choices for their rich deep crimson color. “They look fantastic with Gold Mound Duranta and are extremely easy to maintain.”

Copperleaf hedge
Copperleaf hedge serves as stunning backdrop.

Smaller dark-foliage plants can also be considered such as hardy ground covers like Purple Queen and the Purple Prince Plant — both great choices for filling in areas quickly.

Ti Plants contrast beautifully with this Shell Ginger.

“And I haven’t even touched on bromeliads,” Culp says. “The Cherry Cola Dyckia and Imperialis Rubra are amazing and will bloom indefinitely. In fact, you have dozens of dark shade choices in the bromeliad world. You can place them near landscape boulders for an instant one-of-a-kind look.”

Contact ArtisTree

Now that you’re no longer in the dark about dark foliage choices, why not schedule a visit with one of ArtisTree’s award-winning landscape designers? They’ll be happy to get your unconventional project off the ground. Contact Jenni Lassen at 941.488.8897 or jennil@artistree.com. The nationally ranked company also provides landscape maintenance proposals for local HOA communities. Contact Michael Casper for information. ArtisTree serves Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties.

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