how foliage saves the summer garden, with ken druse

THERE MAY BE no second within the 12 months when my buddy Ken Druse and I are extra grateful for the vary of textures and colours of foliage we made room for in our gardens than we’re proper now – within the hottest stretch of summer season days when spring’s nonstop flower show is only a distant reminiscence. Ken and I spoke just lately about planning, and planting, for sturdy visible curiosity even within the canine days.

Ken is writer of 20 backyard books, and gardens in a largely shady spot in New Jersey, the place foliage is a serious driver that makes his intensive panorama design work. Whether or not for herbaceous crops nearer to floor stage or in his tree and shrub selections, he’s at all times looking out for the weird choice of a specific plant that has that one thing additional: nice leaves (like Ken’s red-leaf peach, above).

Learn alongside as you take heed to the July 21, 2025 version of my public-radio show and podcast utilizing the participant under. You possibly can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts right here).

foliage, the backyard’s mainstay, with ken druse

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Margaret Roach: Hello, Ken. How are you?

Ken Druse: Hiya, Margaret. I’m high-quality. Just a little bit heat.

Margaret: Toasty [laughter]. Toasty. Are we toasty?

Ken: Each side?

Margaret: Yeah, precisely, it’s been sizzling. I assume the entire nation, all people’s combating one factor or one other, in some locations a lot worse, in fact, than simply sizzling.

Ken: One factor or one other. Precisely.

Margaret: So simply to kind of set the scene, spring is flowers, flowers, flowers, I feel. I really feel just like the bushes are flowering, and the perennials are flowering, the bulbs are flowering. There’s loads. After which I don’t do lots of “annual colour” for summer season. I don’t learn about you. I’ve a number of pots, however not a lot.

Ken: A couple of pots. Precisely. And as you stated, it’s shady right here, however there’s slightly patch of solar and that’s the place the daylilies are. I imply, the orange daylilies on the roadside will bloom in some shade, however I don’t even need these. However the fancier daylilies are on this little little bit of solar, and so they’re form of over. They’re ending, if something. And that is the lull, the July lull, the I assume midsummer lull, which occurs yearly in between these daylilies and perhaps when the summer season Phlox begins blooming. So it’s a quiet time, however right here it’s time for leaves.

Margaret: It’s humorous, my tall Phlox, the Phlox paniculata, have began. They’re already doing their factor. So it depends upon which selection you will have, and what I used to be considering of with the daylilies as effectively, you may have many, many, many weeks of daylilies in case you needed to dedicate tons of area and have nevertheless many various varieties that have been early, center, and late-season amongst daylilies or no matter. However in a median area, we’re going to have a form or two, a range or two, and so we’re going to haven’t the utmost attainable season we might from a specific species of plant.

Ken: I’ve obtained about 15 toes on the entrance fringe of a border, which is the place the daylilies are, and that’s about it.

Margaret: And once more, in case you had 20 completely different sorts, you may need an extended bloom, however you wouldn’t have the mass that you’ve got [laughter].

However the different factor I discover flower-wise that does make me really feel comfortable presently because the summer season heats up, is there’s lots of shrubs and bushes that do have white flowers that I really feel refreshed by in a means. The hydrangeas begin; the oakleaf hydrangeas, as an example, have been blooming right here for a few weeks, and simply these massive white flowers. And I’ve an enormous, massive stand of elderberry, native elderberry, and it simply seemed lovely; I can see all of it from the window all the way in which throughout the backyard. It was simply lined in white flowers, and that feels good.

Ken: It’s even cooling.

Margaret: Sure. Sure.

Ken: It seems cooling [laughter].

Margaret: However I don’t plant lots of summertime flowers. Once more, I’ve an enormous mass of Phlox in a single spot, but it surely’s not like I’m not working a flower backyard, so to talk. It’s extra of a foliage-dominated panorama. And I feel yours is analogous, and yours is much more structural in a means. You employ lots of shapes of crops as effectively. You’re very explicit about… You will have some very dramatic columnar parts and different issues like that that look good on a regular basis. [Above, Ken’s foliage-dominated landscape.]

Ken: It’s actually simply because in love with them [laughter]. It seems like I’ve deliberate it, however well-

Margaret: Effectively, unconsciously perhaps.

Ken: Effectively, typically I’ll transfer one thing, or I notice that one thing spiky may cease you in your tracks, and one thing low and broad is likely to be really feel cooling or lead you to a spot to sit down or one thing. There are issues that you are able to do with foliage, and I like the distinction and the textures and varieties, and gee, I’m simply in love with them [laughter].

Margaret: So that you simply stated “lead you to a spot,” and I feel that’s an necessary a part of what foliage can actually do over an extended season. If one thing has its leaves from—the place we dwell—from Could till October or no matter, that’s an extended season, longer than nearly something’s going to bloom. And it may well lead you to a spot, such as you stated; lead the attention.

And mates, years and years in the past, helped me to be extra deliberate about my factor, which is gold foliage—about kind of putting gold parts, parts of gold foliage, shrubs and bushes—on axis from key vantage factors, like home windows or locations that I sat and seemed out on the backyard. They kind of say, “come hither,” and pull me out, pull my view out, catch my eye all the way in which out to the intense ends of the backyard and make these, as I stated, axial views, lined alongside the way in which right here and there by a gold aspect. Is that how you utilize it, too?

Ken: Just about, similar to you stated, to catch your eye or to deliver your eye to a spot. After which in distinction to that, to not have the gold up shut perhaps, in order that it does have the impression and be form of theatrical, proper?

Margaret: As a result of gold undoubtedly comes ahead towards you. Proper? It’s a screamer [laughter].

Ken: And variegation, too. When it’s white-on-green, it lights up. Typically in a few of the darker locations, we’re fortunate sufficient to have gold try this.

Margaret: It advances. And whereas in case you use darkish purple foliage, it’s slightly bit extra of anchoring, receding, slightly heavier. I really feel prefer it doesn’t scream as a lot because it feels weightier to me. Does that make sense?

Ken: Yeah. I’m occupied with how a lot one can mix these colours of the foliage, have the crimson go to reddish-green, go to inexperienced, go to inexperienced, go to gold. You possibly can actually make kind of spectral preparations.

Margaret: Yeah. So perhaps let’s discuss some particular crops that you simply use or I take advantage of and begin with gold, positive. I feel that’s essentially the most insistent one among all. And I’ll have overdone it [laughter], however that’s one. Are there some that you simply actually are glad to have within the backyard as you look out proper now, presently of 12 months?

Ken: I’m speaking to you, so I’m occupied with you, as a result of I attempted to develop, for instance, Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola,’ the variegated forest grass, one of many few grasses that may develop in shade. And it was such a wimp, and it’s so gradual. After which I feel I attended a lecture by you and also you had ‘All Gold,’ the variability ‘All Gold,’ in an enormous bowl. And I believed I ought to strive that. And that plant is quick and large, so satisfying and so gold. And even in shade; some issues which might be gold in shade flip inexperienced. They don’t actually final so long as they could in slightly extra gentle, however that’s simply fantastic. And my authentic plant, there’s like three little blades and never precisely positive why. I do know they like moisture, however ‘All Gold’ wherever, it’s it [above at Ken’s].

Margaret: That’s a fantastic plant. What about shrubs and so forth? I’ve some gold and conifers and a few of them have gotten fairly giant. I’ve a few the large metasequoias, the daybreak redwoods, I assume they’re known as the ‘Gold Rush’ selection, which might be deciduous conifers. I’ve them up on the hill, so you may form of lookup the hill and so they name out to you, so to talk, from a distance.

Ken: They usually’re actually gold for you? I imply, they actually have colour on the leaves?

Margaret: Yeah. ‘Gold Rush.’ Yeah.

Ken: Effectively, common conifers which might be evergreen, I simply don’t have sufficient solar for many of these. I do have Metasequoia, and I do have water. That’s one factor I’ve is groundwater, and so they love that, so that they develop actually quick. However I’ve ‘Ogon,’ which is similar, I feel, as ‘Gold Rush,’ truly.

Margaret: Yeah. I feel it might be ‘Ogon,’ and I’m translating it.

Ken: You possibly can hardly inform that it’s completely different from the opposite ones.

Margaret: Oh.

Ken: It does very effectively, but it surely’s not so gold whenever you don’t have extra solar.

Margaret: Yeah, I’d say it’s not a screamer. I’ve additionally a few of the Chamaecyparis, as an example, the cultivar known as ‘Crippsii’ of Hinoki cypress, Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Crippsii.’ They usually’ve gotten very massive, as a result of I’ve been right here a very long time, they’re like bushes now. And they’re very gold, in comparison with the metasequoia. And they’re evergreen conifers. And so these are issues that I’m glad to at all times have.

After which I’ve lots of deciduous issues, particularly shrubs. They’re gold. Like a gold-leaf mock orange shrub and a gold Spiraea ‘Ogon,’ talking of that phrase “ogon,” that Japanese phrase for gold. That’s a range identify of lots of issues which might be at a distance, once more, on an axial view from a specific window. And it’s like I simply look out and there they’re, the sentinels.

Ken: Effectively, I’ve a plant that’s form of new to me, which is Leucosceptrum japonicum ‘Golden Angel.’ [Below, at Ken’s.]

Margaret: In order that’s a perennial, proper?

Ken: Herbaceous, and it’s a mint member of the family. Effectively, it’s not uncontrolled, but it surely’s a pleasant clump. I might make a hedge out of it. And it’s in fairly a little bit of shade. And it’s gold.

Margaret: I’ve that, too. I obtained it from Damaged Arrow Nursery a lot of years in the past, and I’ve an enormous stand of it now.

Ken: You understand what it seems like? It seems like pokeweed, kind of, the leaves.

Margaret: And there are gold pokeweeds, amongst native issues, perennials; I assume pokeweed is a perennial, I don’t know, it’s kind of an odd creature.

Ken: It’s odd, as a result of typically it’s not the place you place it the subsequent 12 months.

Margaret: Effectively, it undoubtedly sows round, however there are gold picks of it, too, apart from the straight inexperienced that’s the straight species. Do you will have any completely different ones?

Ken: Effectively, yeah, I’ve a gold one that appears prefer it’s splashed with inexperienced [below]. It’s actually magnificently lovely. I’m at all times sorry, form of, that the birds prefer it a lot.

Margaret: Oh, they transfer it round [laughter].

Ken: But it surely comes true from seed. A number of these crops don’t; lots of issues which have variegation, after they sow, they arrive up inexperienced, sadly.

Margaret: Proper. And there’s a range that you may get seeds for that’s fully gold, known as ‘Sunny Aspect Up,’ I feel, that’s actually screaming gold. And it may well get to six or 7 toes, a pokeweed.

Ken: Woo.

Margaret: Phytolacca americana. And I like pokeweed, I imply, I do know that it’s obtained that “weed” phrase in it, and that at all times is a deterrent to individuals. However I adore it. And all of the components are toxic different however some individuals do boil then saute the younger leaves. However apart from that, all the things else, as soon as it’s not fully tender little younger leaves and something uncooked and any of the opposite components are all toxic to mammals. So it’s not animals who eat the fruit, it’s birds, as a result of it’s not dangerous to them. In order that’s form of enjoyable to see a chicken selecting over these. They’re such a tremendous colour. They’re like a violet-purpleish colour. Actually lovely.

Ken: They usually’ll stain your palms [laughter].

Margaret: Certainly, certainly, certainly.

Ken: Lovely colour.

Margaret: So key placement of some gold issues, and variegated additionally, it’s going to once more advance visually, to really feel prefer it’s pulling you nearer and act like a beacon to a spot, that’s perhaps farther away.

Ken: And variegated may be yellow and inexperienced, or splashed with inexperienced like that Phytolacca, or white and inexperienced or gray-green. Typically it begins out gold and inexperienced, after which modifications to cream and inexperienced. I’ve an exquisite tree, Cornus controversa ‘Variegata.’ Bear in mind how all of us needed that plant years in the past? Oh gosh. Mine is over 30 years previous now. It’s kind of like a marriage cake tree; it’s in tiers.

Lovely. However there’s native ones, too. I’ve an exquisite Cercis canadensis known as ‘Silver Cloud’ [below]. There’s a few variegated ones, and the leaves are nearly white, and typically I ponder the way it’s alive.

Margaret: In order that’s a redbud, the Cercis canadensis.

Ken: Proper, a redbud, and it truly has the identical flowers, however the leaves are virtually white and heart-shaped. It’s very fairly. There’s a few them.

Margaret: This previous 12 months, in a spot the place I had years in the past a red-leaved barberry, which in fact we’ve all gotten rid of all our barberries as a result of we’ve discovered how damaging Berberis are to the setting, the broader setting, as birds transfer the fruits round into woodlands and so forth. I had this empty area, and I needed that purpley-reddish colour once more. And I obtained a Cercis, a weeping Cercis that I feel known as ‘Ruby Falls.’

Ken: I feel you’re proper.

Margaret: Yeah. And it’s fascinating to observe it begin to form up it. It’s simply settling in nonetheless, but it surely’s pushing, it’s beginning to take off slightly bit, in order that’s going to be high-quality.

Ken: It’s darkish crimson, wine-red, form of like ‘Forest Pansy.’

Margaret: Sure, sure. Precisely. Precisely. In order that’s going to be enjoyable to have that take form, and in that colour. I additionally love a really previous ninebark I’ve, the one which’s known as ‘Diabolo,’ and that actually attracts consideration at a distance. Regardless that it’s dark-colored and recedes in a way, visually it’s massive and bodacious [laughter].

Ken: It’s like Zone 2 or one thing. It’s actually super-hardy.

Margaret: Actually, yeah, are they Northwestern natives?

Ken: I don’t know. I’ve seen them in Canada.

Margaret: Yeah, precisely. However I feel they’re western [Correction: there is a Western species, but the more common one, opulifolius, is Eastern North American]. Lovely. There’s lots of selections of ninebark. There’s gold ninebark, ‘Dart’s Gold’ is without doubt one of the originals. I’ve had that eternally.

Ken: A dwarf one that appears similar to it, I can’t precisely keep in mind.

Margaret: However these are the sorts of issues that you may take into consideration so as to add.

Ken: These are simply plant-’em-and-forget-them issues. These are nice for the outer edges of the property.

Margaret: Yeah. And with a few of my older ones, I’ve reduce them again; I’ve reduce them again to the bottom, rejuvenated them, so to talk, in the event that they’ve gotten too massive or no matter, I’ve rejuvenated them much more than as soon as. So that they’re very robust creatures.

Ken: In Canada, lots of people, for some motive, develop them as low hedges and prune them. And so in Montreal, you may drive round and see low hedges in entrance of virtually each home, of gold.

Margaret: Effectively, that may be attractive.

Ken: I don’t know the way that occurred [laughter].

Margaret: Oh, fascinating. So Physocarpus as a hedging plant. Huh. Fascinating.

Ken: I do know I’ve informed you about my crimson peach that I’m so excited by [photo, top of page]. There are lots of red-leafed peaches, and I’ve a red-leaf peach that I take advantage of as a cutback as a result of it retains pushing nice, attractive new crimson development. And now you’re getting me occupied with so many issues. I’m occupied with Cotinus ‘Grace.’ Do you develop that?

Margaret: So the varied smoke bushes and smoke bushes. Sure. And I do have a Cotinus ‘Grace’ in a spot the place I misplaced a Korean maple proper by the driveway whenever you first are available. And I put a Cotinus ‘Grace’ in there and it’s simply beginning to form up lastly after a number of years. But it surely’s indescribable actually the colour. I don’t even know what colour to say  I feel these leaves are, do you? [Laughter.]

Ken: I say blue-green, and the brand new development is form of reddish, pinkish-orange and-

Margaret: Precisely. So that you’re principally saying it’s a kaleidoscope.

Ken: I feel it’s a hybrid with an American Cotinus [note: it’s a cross between Cotinus ‘Velvet Cloak’ and the native Cotinus obovatus].

Margaret: Sure, it’s. And mine’s flowering, and so it has these frothy form of foam of flowers as effectively.

Ken: Effectively, I don’t let mine flower as a result of I need the foliage, and I reduce it again. Normally I reduce it again to about 2 toes each different 12 months, however each eight years proper to the bottom, after which depart it alone for a few years. And it goes to 4 or, effectively, it’s an enormous plant. It may well go to eight toes, I feel.

Margaret: Oh, effectively, this one’s a lot greater than that as a result of I’m not slicing it again. I’m attempting to fill an area the place a big-

Ken: Oh, the flowers, proper?

Margaret: Yeah. So it’s fairly massive. It’s most likely 12 toes or so excessive proper now.

Ken: We’re speaking about tall issues and large issues, and hastily it involves my thoughts that there are superb groundcovers, too.

Margaret: Oh, in fact. In fact. Yeah. Yeah. However earlier than we go any additional in colour, I don’t wish to run out of time. The opposite aspect—and by a few of the examples we’ve been giving we’ve been alluding to it however not saying it out loud—is texture. I imply, that’s the opposite factor is to kind of paint these footage with textures, proper?

Ken: Texture and scale. Ferns for ferny texture, and issues like I do know you like the California native Darmera peltata, which it’s humorous, it has early pink flowers on spikes [above], like nearly a hydrangea ball of flowers.

Margaret: Proper? It’s like bare; there’s no different sense that there’s a plant however this spike with these tiny little flowers, these assortments of little tiny flowers on it, comes up out of the bottom [laughter]. It’s loopy.

Ken: After which it fades, after which the leaves come up.

Margaret: They usually’re large. I feel it’s known as the umbrella plant or one thing. And well-named, proper?

Ken: It has a wavy edge. And for me, about each third or fourth 12 months, I get the autumn colour, which is spectacular.

Margaret: I don’t get that.

Ken: Typically the leaves simply flip brown. However some years I get crimson I can hardly consider; it has nice, nice colour. There’s one other native plant that has massive leaves, Diphylleia cymosa [below]. You understand that plant?

Margaret: Yeah. I’ve grown it for an extended, very long time.

Ken: Actually?

Margaret: I don’t get fall colour. I’ve had it for greater than 20 years.

Ken: I don’t assume it has fall colour. Do you get berries?

Margaret: I do. I get some fruit. However yeah, I’ve been informed that in our colder zones. I’ve it within the shade as a result of I used to be informed it was a shade plant in its native haunts, which I even neglect the place these are.

Ken: North Carolina? [Note: It’s native to the Blue Ridge Mountain region of the Southeast, including North Carolina.]

Margaret: And I wish to say I most likely obtained it from like Plant Delights, or perhaps it was from Heronswood out in Seattle again within the day or one thing. I don’t know. However somebody put it forth years and years and years in the past. And I feel in my local weather, I ought to have given it slightly extra gentle, slightly extra solar. That’s the factor with lots of issues from the Southeast, whenever you deliver them up right into a cooler area, you may have given them slightly extra gentle.

Ken: And vice versa as a result of typically warmth equals gentle. I feel some issues which might be rising in shade, I’ll put with the west-setting solar, as a result of they need slightly extra gentle as a substitute of warmth. Though now we’ve got a lot warmth.

Margaret: Sure. Now we do dwell in Atlanta [laughter].

Ken: I attempted to develop Diphylleia cymosa, I name it a three-strike plant, as a result of I needed to transfer it. And at last I discovered a spot in lots of shade truly right here. And it’s alive. It’s not implausible. And it’s horrible as a result of I like that plant. I like the flowers and the fruit, it’s lovely.

Margaret: It’s a ravishing plant.

Ken: Yeah. And one other plant I get actually, I used to be going to say indignant about, is Astilboides. I can not develop Astilboides.

Margaret: And I obtained that, as I’ve stated many occasions on the show, it most likely, oh gosh, it’s obtained to be 30 years in the past at a neighborhood botanic backyard or close by botanic backyard that was on the route the place I used to drive each weekend from town to upstate for the weekends. And I ended in; they’d a plant sale. I ended in and I purchased that. And in addition one of many Rodgersia, one other big-leaf plant. That they had each of them within the botanic backyard. And I plopped them in, didn’t know what I used to be doing, and I imply, they’ve simply been eternally and lusty and no matter. And it has an enormous—talking of one thing that must be known as the umbrella plant that could be a paler inexperienced than the Darmera, however is larger, even an even bigger leaf throughout, the diameter of the leaf.

Ken: I can’t image it. However I do have some tender crops in containers, largely Alocasia varieties and-

Margaret: Oh, good. So let’s discuss a few of the tender ones within the final minutes right here actual fast. Yeah, good concept.

Ken: I attempt to develop Colocasia, which go dormant, and I can by no means do it. A few of these have black leaves which might be gigantic, like 2-foot arrowhead leaves.

Margaret: So these elephant ears that don’t persist within the winter like a houseplant, proper?

Ken: I don’t know; I simply can’t carry them over. And Xanthosoma is expounded and that has chartreuse leaves, however the Alocasia have been doing rather well for me, particularly carrying them over within the sunroom, the place it goes right down to about 55 levels. And I simply am rising one, that is the second 12 months I assume, known as ‘Darkish Star’ [above on bench at Ken’s]. It has arrow-shaped leaves. It’s actually massive, but it surely suits in a pot, and it has black stems. It’s so lovely. Superb factor is over the winter, normally they get mealybug or crimson spider or the leaves simply get tattered, after which whenever you deliver it again out, it throws out a flush of latest development. ‘Darkish Star’ didn’t miss a beat. It was lovely proper via the winter.

Margaret: Effectively, we’ve run down our time, however between that, that’s a good way to complete, as a result of I feel despite the fact that we each stated we don’t develop lots of annual flowers, we each do have “funding crops” that we stashed both in our sunrooms or the basement or no matter. The opposite one being the pineapple lilies, Eucomis, to place up in pots. So I’ll discuss to you once more quickly, sure, sure?

Ken: Thanks, Margaret.

Margaret: Thanks very a lot for some inspiration to get via the canine days.

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MY WEEKLY public-radio show, rated a “top-5 backyard podcast” by “The Guardian” newspaper within the UK, started its fifteenth 12 months in March 2024. It’s produced at Robin Hood Radio, the smallest NPR station within the nation. Hear regionally within the Hudson Valley (NY)-Berkshires (MA)-Litchfield Hills (CT) Mondays at 8:30 AM Japanese, rerun at 8:30 Saturdays. Or play the July 21, 2025 show utilizing the participant close to the highest of this transcript. You possibly can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes/Apple Podcasts or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts right here).