16 Amazing Ornamental Plants for Green Spaces
Ornamental plants play a role in enhancing the beauty and diversity of your outdoor and indoor spaces but choosing the right ones is a quite difficult task.
Whether you have a lush backyard, a vegetative apartment, or a vibrant community park, these plants, which we tested inspected and some fully grew add color, texture, and structure.
In this short and no-fluff article will explore 16 amazing ornamental plants and their unique characteristics that make them ideal for enriching any vegetative spaces.
Begonias Plant
Begonias, with their wide variety of leaf shapes and colors, are ideal for adding visual interest in a shaded pod or hanging basket setting. They typically grow to about 30-40 cm (1-1.3 ft) and thrive in filtered light with well-drained soil. These South American plants which are also native to Asia and Africa, are valued for both their foliage and flowers.
Bird of Paradise
The Bird of Paradise, reaching up to 1.2-1.8 m (4-6 ft), is renowned for its striking, crane-like flowers. Thriving in full sun and well-drained soil, it's an outstanding plant in any garden. The exotic garden plant requires moderate watering and is relatively easy to care for, making it a popular choice for adding a tropical touch to your outdoors.
Hibiscus can grow to about 2-3 m (6-10 ft) and is cultivated for its large, colorful blooms that are edible in some cases. After maintaining plants like this we concluded that it flourishes in full sun and moist, well-drained soil. Regular pruning encourages more flowers, and its vibrant petals can be used in teas and salads, offering both beauty and utility.
Hibiscus
Dahlia
Dahlia bushes prefer full sun and well-drained soil, they have colorful summer blooms in a wide range of forms and are one of the favorite plants gardeners choose to grow. The flowers are perfect for borders, cutting gardens, or nice features in outdoor planting areas. When choosing the right plants you need to consider that Dahlia varieties range from 30 cm to over 1 m (1-4 ft).
Impatiens
These multi-color outdoor foliage plants reach up to 15-30 cm (6-12 in) and are a popular choice for borders or as ornamentals in gardens. They flourish in partial to full shade with moist, well-drained soil. Impatiens provide a continuous burst of color throughout the summer, making the ornamental bushes a go-to for brightening up full-shade areas.
Astilbe
Astilbe, reaching heights of 30-90 cm (1-3 ft), is a shade tolerant perennial known for its feathery, plume-like flowers in shades of pink, red, white, and lavender. The colorful ornamental thrives in moist, well-drained soil, Astilbe plants add a soft texture to shaded gardens. It's perfect for creating a low maintenance underplanting beneath canopy trees or in woodland settings.
Ti Plant
Ti Plant is a colorful ornamental similar to Astilbe and Dahlia, that grows up to 1-3 m (3-10 ft). It Prefers partial shade and moist, well-drained soil and is a great choice for adding vibrant red color. This tropical plant is low maintenance and can be used for both outdoor landscapes and indoor spaces, offering flexibility in garden design for example in vertical gardens.
Bleeding Heart
Bleeding Heart is a shade garden plant that reaches 60-90 cm (2-3 ft) and prefers moist, well-drained soil in partial to full shade. Its heart-shaped pink or white flowers make it a great outdoor shade plant for landscapes or planters, adding a touch of pink in darker gardens. This plant is a classic choice for cottage-style gardens.
Coleus
These colorful shade garden plants offer a wide range of leaf colors and patterns. Coleus is perfect for adding a bold splash of color and can be easily combined with other shade-loving plants for a vibrant display. The leafy plant with its stunningly colorful foliage, can grow up to 30-60 cm (1-2 ft) and thrives in partial shade and well-drained soil.
Swiss Cheese Plant
With its distinctive split leaves, Swiss Cheese plants create a dramatic tropical effect, making it a popular choice for adding a bold, green statement to any planter. They reach heights of 2-3 m (6-10 ft) indoors and are ideal for larger spaces. The green plant likes indirect light and well-drained soil.
Holly
Holly bushes are great evergreen shrubs, growing up to 2-15 m (6-50 ft) and prefer full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil. We saw that their bright red berries feed birds in the winter and their dense foliage offers shelter. Holly is a popular Christmas decoration plant that adds festive touch to indoors or outdoor.
Plumeria
This tropical flower called Plumeria reaches 2-8 m (6-25 ft) and is celebrated for its fragrant, leathery flowers used in making flower necklaces. It prefers full sun and well-drained soil. Plumerias are drought-tolerant and can be grown in containers or other planters, making them suitable for various garden settings.
Bamboo
There are many types of Bamboo ornamental plants but most of them can reach over 10 m (30 ft) and the high garden plant is ideal for creating natural screens or tall hedges. It thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers moist, well-drained soil. Bamboo is fast-growing and comes in both clumping and running varieties, with the former being more suitable for controlled growth.
Spider Plant
Spider Plant, reaching lengths of 30-60 cm (12-24 in), is a popular choice for indoor spaces and is often planted as a vertical garden plant. For optimal growth, you should it in well-drained soil and indirect light similar to the Swiss Cheese Plant. The plant has easy propagation and adds a nice texture with its arching leaves and baby plantlets.
Myrtle Spurge
Euphorbia Myrsinites is an evergreen perennial. It has sprawling stems growing to 20–40 cm long. This small evergreen bush is also called Myrtle spurge and is great for small spaces because it usually just grows up to 40 cm high.
Hostas, varying in size from 30 cm to 1 m (1-3 ft), thrive in partial to full shade and moist, well-drained soil in pods, containers or on the ground. Known for their lush foliage, they're perfect for ground covers and work well in woodland gardens. Hostas are perennials that cool the soil and provide habitats for wildlife.
Hosta
Sources
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Hibiscus: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis - Wikipedia
Begonia: Begonia - Wikipedia
Bird of Paradise: Strelitzia reginae | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (ncsu.edu)
Dahlia: Dahlias: How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Dahlia Flowers | The Old Farmer's Almanac
Ti Plant: Cordyline fruticosa | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (ncsu.edu)
Swiss Cheese Plant: How to Grow and Care for Swiss Cheese Plant (thespruce.com)
Holly: Holly | Description, Trees, Facts, & Species | Britannica
Hosta: Hosta (Hosta, Plantain Lily) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (ncsu.edu)
Spider Plant: Chlorophytum comosum | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (ncsu.edu)
Bamboo: Bamboo - Wikipedia
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