10 Best Low Growing Silver Foliage Plants for Your Garden

Table of Contents

10 Best Low Growing Silver Foliage Plants for Your Garden

What are low growing silver foliage plants?

Low growing silver foliage plants are a great addition to any garden. They are ornamental shrubs that provide attractive, gray or silver foliage, which is perfect when used as a highlight in your landscaping.

Why choose silver foliage plants for your garden?

Silver foliage plants offer color options beyond the typical green hues found in most gardens. They create a dramatic contrast with other plants, are drought tolerant and require minimal maintenance. Plus, silver foliage plants can be grown in containers, making them an excellent choice for small spaces.

How to incorporate silver foliage plants in your garden?

Silver foliage plants can be used as edging plants or groundcovers in front of taller shrubs, they can be grouped together to create impact, or scattered throughout a border to provide contrasting interest. Now, let's look at the 10 best low growing silver foliage plants.

10 Best Low Growing Silver Foliage Plants

1. Blue Star Juniper
2. Lamb's Ear
3. Artemisia 'Silver Mound'
4. Ice Plant
5. Silver Mound Sage
6. Snow-in-Summer
7. Senecio serpens 'Blue Chalk Sticks'
8. Cushion Bush
9. Sedum 'Silver Mist'
10. Silver Carpet Lamb's Ear

1. Blue Star Juniper

The Blue Star Juniper is a slow-growing evergreen shrub that provides dramatic silver-blue foliage. It only grows up to 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide, making it ideal for small garden spaces or containers.

2. Lamb's Ear

Lamb's Ear is a low-growing perennial with velvety silver leaves that feel like lamb's ears when touched. This plant produces pink-purple flowers in late spring to early summer and grows to around 8 to 12 inches tall.

3. Artemisia 'Silver Mound'

Artemisia 'Silver Mound' is a mound-forming perennial that grows up to 1 foot tall and 2 feet wide. This plant has soft, silver-gray foliage and yellow-green flowers that appear in late summer.

4. Ice Plant

Ice plant is a ground-hugging succulent that produces brightly colored blooms in shades of pink, orange, and purple. This plant prefers full sun and requires well-draining soil. The blooms only last one day but are replaced by more blooms throughout the season.

5. Silver Mound Sage

Silver Mound Sage is a decorative subshrub that has fine silver gray foliage and produces small blue-purple blooms. This compact plant reaches up to 24 inches high and wide and prefers full sun and well-drained soil.

6. Snow-in-Summer

Snow-in-Summer is a low-growing perennial that begins blooming in late spring, with small white flowers, followed by silver leaves that persist throughout the season. This plant is drought tolerant and does well in sandy soil.

7. Senecio serpens 'Blue Chalk Sticks'

Senecio serpens 'Blue Chalk Sticks' is a low-growing, spreading succulent with blue-gray leaves that can form a dense mat over time. This plant does best in full sun and requires very little water.

8. Cushion Bush

Cushion Bush is a compact, rounded shrub that grows 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. It has silvery leaves and produces yellow flowers in late spring. This plant does well in full sun or partial shade and prefers well-draining soil.

9. Sedum 'Silver Mist'

Sedum 'Silver Mist' is a ground-hugging perennial with gray-green leaves that are covered in tiny silver hairs. In summer, it produces pink blooms that attract butterflies and bees. This plant thrives in full sun and well-drained soil.

10. Silver Carpet Lamb's Ear

Silver Carpet Lamb's Ear is a low-growing variety of the more well-known Lamb's Ear plant. It has soft, hairy leaves that are greenish-gray with silver highlights. It produces pink-purple blooms in early summer and grows up to 6 inches tall.

Low growing silver foliage plants are a great addition to any garden. Not only do they offer unique color options, but they also provide contrasting interest when used as a highlight with other plants. Ornamental shrubs like these require minimal maintenance and are drought tolerant. You can incorporate them in a variety of ways, such as edging plants or ground covers in front of taller shrubs, grouped together for impact, or scattered throughout a border.

Why low growing silver foliage plants are a great addition to any garden

Low growing silver foliage plants are a great addition to your garden because they provide a contrast in color to traditional green plants, require minimal maintenance, and are drought-tolerant. Plus, silver foliage plants can be used as edging plants or ground covers in front of taller shrubs, grouped together for effect, or scattered throughout a border to provide contrasting interest.

The benefit of using ornamental shrubs in your landscaping

Ornamental shrubs provide color, texture, structure, and privacy to your landscaping. They also enhance the overall aesthetic appeal of your garden space while minimizing maintenance requirements.

How to care for low growing silver foliage plants

Most low growing silver foliage plants need well-draining soil, full sun exposure, and occasional watering. Pruning is necessary to maintain the plant's shape and size. If you're unsure how to care for a particular plant, consult a local plant specialist, or refer to care instructions for that specific species.

FAQ

Can I grow low growing silver foliage plants in containers?

Yes, low growing silver foliage plants are great container plants. They are small enough to fit into most pots, and their beautiful foliage adds beauty to your balcony or tabletop planter.

What is the best soil type for these plants?

Low growing silver foliage plants grow best in well-drained soil. Soil types like sandy loam, chalky soil, and acidic soil all work well.

Do they require full sun or partial shade?

Most low growing silver foliage plants prefer full sun exposure. Some will tolerate partial shade, but make sure to read care instructions to determine the sun exposure needs of the specific plant you choose.

How often should I water them?

Most low growing silver foliage plants like well-draining soil, so make sure not to overwater them. A good rule of thumb is to water them once a week during the growing season, and reduce watering during the dormant season.

Are these plants deer-resistant?

Some low growing silver foliage plants like Blue Star Juniper and Artemisia 'Silver Mound' are deer-resistant. However, others like Senecio serpens 'Blue Chalk Sticks' are not.

Do they attract bees and other pollinators?

Some low growing silver foliage plants produce colorful flowers that attract bees and butterflies to your garden space. Flowers from plants like Sedum 'Silver Mist' can provide nectar and pollen for insects during the summer months.

How often should I prune these plants?

Low growing silver foliage plants benefit from annual pruning to maintain their shape and size. This is usually done in late fall or early spring.

What other colors look good with silver foliage plants?

Low growing silver foliage plants look great with a variety of colors, including pink, blue, purple, and white. These colors contrast well with silver foliage and help to create a striking aesthetic in your garden.

Can these plants be grown indoors?

Most low growing silver foliage plants don't do well inside, but they might survive by placing them in bright indirect light. You'll need to ensure there's no waterlogging in the pot to prevent root rot.

How do I propagate low growing silver foliage plants?

Low growing silver foliage plants can be propagated using seeds, cuttings, or division. Depending on the plant species, you might need to pay attention to the timing of year or environmental conditions to propagate them successfully.