Texture in the Garden

I think a lot about color in the garden, as most gardeners do. But if we were to end up with a completely monochromatic scheme, all green, we could still have something visually interesting before us. How? With texture.

Textural changes in different parts of a garden bed are as important as color changes. In the garden, utilizing “texture” is less about playing to the sense of touch (think about how we might be drawn to the velvety foliage of Dusty Miller) than it is about using changes in pattern to enliven the sense of sight by breaking up our sight path. A patch of soft and rounded foliage here, a section of wispy grasses there, a low patch of velvety ground cover… these textural changes beautify the garden.  

When I think of the textures of plants in my own garden, I realize I have a lot of rounded leaves (mainly from Rhododendrons and Azaleas), some angular foliage thanks to Irises, and lots of palmate leaves on Geraniums of all sorts. But I have little in the way of highly cut foliage that looks lacy, airy, and delicate. 

Sambucus racemosa Lemony Lace® can offer a type of foliage I currently am missing… highly cut, creating intricate patterns of light and dark as foliage and open spaces work together. 

Now ordinarily, I would be quick to reveal the common name of this plant, saying, “It’s an Elderberry”. But Elderberries have many different looks. I would venture to say that all are attractive, but not all can provide the unusual texture that Sambucus racemosa Lemony Lace® can.

Sambucus racemosa Lemony Lace® is a Proven Winners® plant, indicating to me that I am in for something special the minute I see the trademark white container. The citrus reference in this plant's name sweetens things further, causing me to know that I will be seeing a plant of a special color—lemony gold, in this case. But texture. Well, texture is the selling point for this plant. Its light and lacy look is what speaks to most gardeners.

The leaves of Sambucus racemosa Lemony Lace® are highly cut. As they drape gracefully on this compact shrub, they remind me of the exquisite foliage of Japanese Maples. But a Japanese Maple is typically an investment piece and shares its foliage on a plane that is higher than compact and medium-height garden plants can reach. Sambucus racemosa Lemony Lace®, on the other hand, will not break the bank, and it shows its lacy leaves alongside the low-growing foliage of so much that gets planted in most garden beds. The side-by-side contrast it provides is what takes a garden from attractive to mesmerizing. And I want this contrast in my garden.

Requiring little, this plant with the desirable foliage does well in sun (six or more hours), plus a bit of shade in the remaining hours each day so that it can take a break from the rays. It stays within bounds, never getting too tall or too wide. And it maintains an attractive mounding shape. 

For all of us who expect a lot from our plants, Sambucus racemosa Lemony Lace® will not let us down. It offers up just about everything a gardener could desire: white flowers in spring, red berries, golden foliage, new foliage appearing in reddish tones. But honestly, all I want from it is the texture that its highly cut, intricate, lacy leaves can add to my garden. Picture this plant near a large patch of Irises with their blade-like foliage, made less angular by Tall Sedum and the rounded leaves of Azaleas. Take these shapes, sprinkle in Sambucus racemosa Lemony Lace®, and the textural interest it adds will turn a garden bed into a beauty spot. This special Elderberry draws the eye to it right away, helping us to notice its beauty and also the beauty of all the foliage around it.

Now, one important note when using textural changes to make a garden come alive: It is key that the different textures appear in broad swaths. Using “pinpoints” of different textures can make a garden bed look chaotic. It can also turn a display into nothing too special, just a whole lot of plants crowded together. But if a fairly sizable mass of one type of plant sits beside a mass of another, with Sambucus racemosa Lemony Lace® entering the scene to add its special look, then the overall effect is incredible. 

Flowers? Berries? New leaves in different colors? Sure, I will take them all. I love those adornments. But all we gardeners really need are textural changes to make our gardens come alive. How lucky we are to have Sambucus racemosa Lemony Lace® ready to help us out.