Burgundy Variegated-Leaf Perennials

Japanese Ferns

• The Japanese ferns (Athyrium niponicum pictum) “Silver Falls” and “Burgundy Lace” form small mounds of leaves in burgundy and green. “Silver Falls” has intense-silver leaves with maroon-red veins, and “Burgundy Lace” has finely cut pewter-gray leaves, with new growth featuring variegation in wine-burgundy. Good in containers and presented in mass plantings, these deciduous woodland plants thrive in full to partial shade and grow 12 to 16 inches tall in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9.

Fancy-Leaf Coral Bells

• The fancy-leaf coral bells (Heuchera) “Silver Scrolls” and “Burgundy” have eye-catching, round-lobed foliage and grow in full to partial shade. The foliage on “Silver Scrolls” emerges silver and burgundy, matures to silver and finally almost-black. Its ivory-pink blossoms come out in late spring to midsummer. “Burgundy,” from the Harvest Collection, produces silvery leaves with green veins that take on a burgundy flush in cool weather. Its butterfly-attracting ivory blossoms come out in late spring to early summer. Both fancy-leaf coral bells grow in USDA zones 4 through 9 and are outstanding selections for borders or mixed tubs.

Ornamental Grasses

• The ornamental grasses Japanese blood grass “Red Baron” (Imperata cylindrica “Red Baron”) and variegated fountain grass “Fireworks” (Pennisetum setaceum “Fireworks”) offer burgundy variegated foliage. “Red Baron” sprouts blades 18 to 20 inches tall with green bases and burgundy tips that intensify until they appear to glow in USDA zones 5 through 9. To maintain its burgundy color, pull out the occasional all-green shoots. “Fireworks” puts out burgundy-purple blades 35 to 47 inches tall with hot-pink edges in USDA zones 9 through 10. Grow “Fireworks” as a container plant in cooler climates and invite this perennial inside for the winter.

Evergreen Foliage

• Enjoy the burgundy variegated leaves on the evergreens Cranesbill geranium “Katherine Adele” (Geranium × oxonianum “Katherine Adele”) and carpet bugle “Burgundy Glow” (Ajuga reptans “Burgundy Glow”) in USDA zones 3 through 9. The near-white flowers on “Katherine Adele” come out amid deeply lobed green leaves heavily splashed with maroon-burgundy in late spring to midsummer. An evergreen perennial in mild climates, it grows 12 to 16 inches tall. “Burgundy Glow” displays green leaves dappled with smoky pink and cream that mature to burgundy and bronze tones. This evergreen grows 4 to 6 inches tall and bears deep-blue blossoms mid-spring to early summer.