Design a garden with large-leaved perennials

 Top 10 Perennials with Big Leaves

Whether you’re just starting out designing a garden with big-leaf perennials or you just happened upon one or more at the nursery that you can’t resist, adding an architectural giant to any landscape can instantly transform it from drab to vibrant. But choosing a big-leaf perennial can be daunting; after all, the plant will take up a lot of space and draw significant attention. So it’s important to choose wisely. The following picks include some of my favorite big-leaf perennials.

1. An attractive talent that few plants can match

Name: Sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera and cvs.)

It may seem unusual to recommend an aquatic plant as your favorite big-leaf, sun-loving perennial. But if you submerge the sacred lotus in a pot and place the pot on the ground, the plant will create a stunning display alongside your other perennials. Its distinctive, round leaves can grow to over 2 feet in diameter, and they have a striking beauty that few plants can match. In shades ranging from soft yellow to pink, rose, and white—not to mention combinations and bicolors—the impressive blooms rise just above the leaves, each lasting a few days before the petals fall, revealing a decorative seed pod that grows. The success of the sacred lotus in the outdoor garden depends on planting it in a non-draining container (a lotus pot or other pot without holes) that will retain the water it needs to thrive.

2. It’s tall, tropical, and hardy

Name: Japanese fiber banana (Musa pasju)

The tropical look has gained popularity, perhaps in part, since the introduction of the hardy Japanese fiber banana. Gardeners in colder areas like zone 6 (zone 5, with protection) now have the ability to grow tropical bananas without having to replant them every year. Japanese fiber banana is not for the faint of heart or gardeners with very limited space, as the plant grows large. It dies back to the ground each winter, but if well watered and fed, it can easily reach 15 feet in a single season. Bananas are hungry and thirsty plants; the soil is fertile, and the more you feed and water them as they grow, the bigger they will grow. Individual leaves can reach 6 feet long and 2 feet wide.

3. A Strong, Spiky Statement

Name: Bear's Breeches (Acanthus spinosus and hybrids)

A plant known for its bold, almost thistle-like leaves, bear's breeches is unsurpassed at creating a strong architectural presence. Most plants sold as Acanthus spinosus in garden centers are actually hybrids, but that doesn’t make them any less desirable, as all bear’s breeches are worth the investment. The leathery leaves are deeply lobed and lightly prickly at their tips; they can reach up to 2 feet long and 18 inches wide. Good drainage is essential; bear’s breeches hate heavy clay soils that are cold and wet, especially in winter. This plant is the most sun-tolerant of all the acanthus species, and needs at least half a day of sunlight to thrive, even in the South where other species are in the shade. The white and dark purple hooded flowers appear in early to mid-summer on 3-foot-tall spires.

4. Attractive masses of small leaves

Name: Cupweed (Silbium perfoliatum)

Cupweed is one of three species of Silbium (also known as rosinweed) that are useful for adding to the back of the border or for naturalizing in open lawns and lawn plantings. Some may consider it coarse, but cupweed’s thick leaves (and tall stature) are perfect for breaking up the monotony of small-leaved perennials. Since it is a prairie native, cupweed is a great complement to ornamental grasses. Its leaves, which can be over a foot long and nearly as wide, grow opposite each other, clinging to the stem to form a “bowl” that collects rainwater, supporting a variety of grassland birds and beneficial insects in its native habitat. The daisy-like, bright yellow flowers appear in mid to late summer, and the seeds, which mature in the fall, are a favorite of finches.

5. Give This Thick Ground Cover Plenty of Space

Name: Butterbur (Petacites japonicus and cvs.)

If you need a bold, aggressive ground cover that covers a large area, butterbur may be the right choice. When it comes to plants with large leaves that give an almost rustic feel to the garden, there’s no denying that butterbur may be the right choice. Its 30-inch-wide leaves, borne on nearly the same tall stems, are round or kidney-shaped and have slight teeth around the edges. Greenish-white flowers appear at ground level in late winter or early spring, and they often go unnoticed. If a larger plant is on your wish list, look for giant butterbur (P. japonicus var. giganteus), which has leaves that can reach 4 feet wide on 6-foot-tall petioles. Both plants thrive in moist areas or at the water’s edge.

6. A Golden Piece for the Shade

Name: 'Sun King' Spikenard (Aralia cordata 'Sun King')

I'm often looking for something new and different to break up my hosta/helleborus/heuchera rut in my shade garden. There's nothing wrong with any of those plants (I grow them all), but sometimes I need something unusual to break up the monotony. Enter 'Sun King' spikenard. This golden god will brighten and illuminate shady corners. And its bushy habit and compound leaves, which can grow up to 3 feet long, are a welcome change in shape and texture, contrasting well with the broad leaves, but are bold enough to provide a great foil for lacy leaves or thin leaves. 'Sun King' will mature to 6 feet tall and wide and shows excellent resistance to deer and other garden pests.

7. Don’t Miss This Size of Silver Leaves

Name: Cardoon (Cynara carduculus*)

Cardoon is a wonderful ornamental plant, closely related to the artichoke, that has come into its own. In mild climates, the basal leaves, found most of the year, are a curved mound of deeply divided and lightly whorled, silvery green leaves with a pure white underside. Individual leaves can grow up to 3 feet long, forming clumps up to 5 feet across when properly grown. Cardoon needs rich, well-drained soil and occasional deep watering in dry climates. In early to mid-summer, the thick flower stalks bear large, spiky buds that open to thistle-like purple flowers. Cardoon benefits from being cut back hard immediately after flowering, forcing out new basal leaves, which will keep it attractive until late fall.