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Brighten ShadeBrighten up shady areas in your yard with a splash of natural color. |
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Transcript: Brighten Shade
When summer heats up in Texas, we head for the shady spots of the landscape. However, shady areas lack the light intensity it takes to have beautiful blooms and often they can get kind of dull, dark, and drab. However, we can get some pizazz and brightness into those spots by using variegated plants. There are many options for variegated plants that bring white and yellow foliage to the landscape.For example, with the ivies, this is a variegated type of Algerian Ivy. Algerian Ivy uses a little more water so it's not the best choice for the more arid parts of Texas, but it is a good choice as a ground cover that really brightens up a shady spot.
I like to use the other small dwarf variegated types of ivy in containers spilling over the side. These are easier to keep in bounds, but very beautiful in the landscape.
Instead of the green mondo grass, this variegated type, called Aztec grass, is very attractive. I like to use it along a walkway to draw your eye and attention through the garden or perhaps bordering a bed, really brightening it up a lot.
Some of our tropicals really have gaudy foliage and some attractive variegations such as this alocasia, another plant to add a lot of pizazz to the landscape.
And finally, one of my favorite groups of plants are the gingers. This particular type of variegated ginger is really nice and adds a lot of beauty and interest to a shady spot.
So don't let those shady areas get drab and dull. Brighten them up with some variegated plants.
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Last Updated:
July 6, 2006