While color and form were important factors in choosing the plants, a mix of bold and fine textures makes the backbone of the ­design. Here are some of the most spectacularly textured plants in this garden. See how some of these plants can be used in a garden in A Stunning Modern Landscape Design for a Contemporary Home.

‘Moonshine’ lungwort

Name: Pulmonaria ’Moonshine’

Zones: 4–9

Size: 12 to 15 inches tall and 15 to 20 inches wide

Conditions: Partial to full shade; moist, well-drained soil

Native range: Hybrid

A shade-loving, deciduous perennial, ‘Moonshine’ lungwort forms a mound of broad, rounded leaves with white edges and a stunning texture.

‘Storm Cloud’ agapanthus

Name: Agapanthus ‘Storm Cloud’

Zones: 7–10

Size: 3 to 5 feet tall in bloom; 2 to 3 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; well-drained soil

Native range: Hybrid

This dramatic South African perennial blooms in summer. It has large, bold, straplike foliage and deep purple flower clusters on tall stems.

Orange New Zealand sedge

Name: Carex testacea

Zones: 6–10

Size: 1½ to 2 feet tall and wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soil

Native range: New Zealand

Finely textured, bronze-green leaves age to an electric orange in the cool season. This arching, mounding evergreen grass is ideal for massing and spilling over rocks.

‘Lemon-Lime’ heavenly bamboo

Name: Nandina domestica* ‘Lemon-Lime’

Zones: 6–9

Size: 3 to 4 feet tall and wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; well-drained soil

Native range: Japan, China, India

A fluffy evergreen shrub with chartreuse emerging foliage that fades to a nice green, this plant has cut-leafed branches that form a fluffy, lime-colored mound.

‘Hidcote’ English lavender

Name: Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’

Zones: 5–8

Size: 1 to 1½ feet tall and wide

Conditions: Full sun; dry to medium, well-drained soil

Native range: Southern Europe

This fragrant evergreen subshrub is a star for its deeply purple blooms, lasting scent, and fine-textured foliage.

‘Rainbow Sunrise’ New Zealand flax

Name: Phormium tenax ‘Rainbow Sunrise’ syn. ‘Maori Sunrise’

Zones: 7b–11

Size: 2 to 4 feet tall and wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soil

Native range: New Zealand

An upright and dramatic evergreen perennial, this plant has bold, curved leaves and an open habit.

*Invasive Alert:

Heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica)

This plant is considered invasive in AL, FL, GA, MD, MO, and SC.

Please visit invasiveplantatlas.org for more information.

Robin Parsons is a member of APLD and the owner and operator of Spring Greenworks, LLC, a landscape design company based in Seattle.

Photos, except where noted: doreenwynja.com

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