Shade and Two-Color Plants

Two-Color Plants for Shade

• Variegated plants that tolerate shade include shrubs such as variegated five-leaf aralia, silverblotch dogwood, both with white and green foliage. Canadian gold euonymus has gold and green foliage. Shady perennials include variegated feather reed grass, sedge carex elata and golden hakonechloa. Hosta has many varieties of two-color leaves that can tolerate shade as well.

Considerations

• Plants with green and white leaves often work well for shade since the white areas brighten up gloomy dark areas. Sometimes in shade areas, dapples of sunlight appear and wash out the variegated foliage, but this depends on the time of day. Plants with variegated foliage often need more care than their greener cousins. The lack of chlorophyll slows the growth and can weaken the plant. Sometimes an all green branch will appear. Remove these if you see them as they can take over and the whole plant will wind up one color.

Reasons for Variegation

• Two colors develop in a plant from a natural mutation or genetic mistake, seedlings that have genetic variations or a virus that causes variegation but does not harm the plant. In Holland in the 17th century, a virus infected tulips giving them a streaked appearance. The variegated tulips started a giant demand for tulips called Tulipmania. Flowering maple has variegated foliage due to a virus. When planted in the shade, the tree often recovers and reverts to solid green leaves.

Variegation Patterns

• The pattern of variegation depends on which cells have the non-green variation. The pattern does not have any bearing on whether the plant prefers shade or some light. Patterns can look uniform like plants with a light border on the edge. The pattern can also seem unpredictable with streaks or speckles. Sometimes seed from variegated plants will produce an all-white plant which will not survive because it lacks photosynthesis ability.