Colorful foliage, such as this polka dot plant, can brighten gardens all season long.

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Although many plants tempt you with showy flowers, those blossoms may be short-lived. If, however, you choose summer annuals and year-round perennials with fabulous foliage, their pleasure won’t “leave” as quickly.

Golden glow

Yellow leaves warm up a garden. Combine them with plants having orange or red blossoms and leaves to heat things up. Golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra “Aureola” or “All Gold”) is good in partial shade, as are gorgeous hostas “Sun Power” and “Gold Standard.”

Both are perennials in our USDA Hardiness Zone 7. Several varieties of annual coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides), such as “Jillian” and “Sizzler,” also burn with golden color. Plant any of these glamorous selections en masse, or use as a gleaming accent in the garden.

Purple passion

If you’re obsessed with purple, remember it makes a strong statement. Pick plants with purple leaves to pair with plants in yellow or blue-gray hues.

Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus), a sun-loving annual, has dramatic purple leaves with iridescent highlights. Another sunny annual, purple fountain grass (Pennisetum purpureum), sports fuzzy purple plumes.

Sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas “Burgundy”), also an annual, provides a cascading reddish-purple trail from the edges of containers. Even darker, black mondo grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus “Nigrescens”) thrives in sun to partial shade year-round in Zones 5–10.

Seductive silver

Silver, gray and white leaves lighten up a shady garden. Under trees, dead nettle (Lamiastrum galeobdolon) stars as a silvery groundcover that is deer-resistant.

The stunning Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum), a deciduous fern, has a touch of green and burgundy in its silvery-gray fronds.

The heart-shaped leaves of new cultivars of brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla), such as “Jack Frost,” shimmer in a shade garden too. Silver, gray and white also combine well with most other colors.

Perennial wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) exhibits silvery fernlike foliage and can be used in a container or as a low border. It thrives in heat and direct sunlight, as do dusty miller (Artemisia stelleriana) and the annual licorice plant (aka trailing dusty miller) (Helichrysum petiolare).

Perennial lamb’s ear (Stacchys byzantina) is a sultry silver with a wooly texture.

Vivacious variegation

Coleus is the best example of an annual with versatile leaf variation — from subtle to showy. With multiple color combinations, a variety of leaf shapes, and textures ranging from sleek to fuzzy, coleus is a vibrant choice.

Selecting companion plants usually involves choosing one of the colors in a variegated leaf.

Caladiums grow from tubers which produce sizable heart-shaped or angel-winged leaves in greens, whites and pinks. They typically have contrasting borders or veining, and prefer partial shade to full sun.

The annual polka dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya) looks paint-splattered. You may be infatuated by the patterns of varieties in the Splash and Confetti series.

Fifty shades of green

Using a mixture of texture and shape, you can create an interesting garden with only gradations of green. A shady location is ideal for hostas, which range in color from chartreuse to emerald to blue.

The shape of hosta leaves can vary from oval, to round, heart-shaped, or sword-shaped. Leaf texture varies too, from smooth to deeply ridged.

Lush feathery ferns make a verdant statement in a shade garden as well. Showy oversized elephant ears (Colocasia esculenta) provide a touch of the tropics in filtered sunlight.

Chartreuse creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) and sweet potato vine (“Sweet Caroline Light Green”) pop when they drip over the edge of a container or form a groundcover.

Growing from three to six feet tall, canna is a showstopper, producing tropical foliage and bright blooms. Canna thrives in full sun. Its leaves are typically green; however, they can be bronze, maroon or variegated.

Although the main function of a leaf is to provide chlorophyll to feed the plant, luscious leaves tantalize us with sensuous pleasures.

Lela Martin is a Master Gardener with the Chesterfield County office of the Virginia Cooperative Extension. She is also the co-chair of the 2018 Bumblebee Jamboree, held at Maymont on June 16 from 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. See http://bit.ly/2018BBJ.