Lovers of texture, drama, silver foliage and tactile plants will adore these special sensory garden additions. These fuzzy leaf plant options will leave you all aglow
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Diversity in a garden keeps things interesting – and one way of ensuring this is by including different textures, colors, and heights. Most gardeners adore bright or dramatic tones, plants that are capable of magnificent structures, and impressive foliage, whether that’s large leaves, variegated tones, or sweeping arches of ornamental grass. But how about fuzzy leaf plant options that catch the light, tickle the fingers and dazzle the senses with their silvery, furry folds? Plants with furry leaves are ideal for children’s gardening schemes, moonlight themes or sensory garden ideas where you are looking to elevate all the senses. Here are five fuzzy plant options that can enhance your sensory garden landscaping. Boost A Sensory Garden With Herbs
Fire up your senses with heady fragrance by sowing some of Park Seed’s curated herbs alongside your fuzzy leaf plants. Visit the Gardening Know How Shop.
Garden plants with hairy, fuzzy, or downy leaves can add unique texture and visual interest to gardens. The soft hairs, scientifically known as trichomes, come in many shapes and forms from fine velvet-like coatings to woolly tufts. Beyond aesthetics, they serve a variety of functions for plants such as insulation, moisture retention, and deterring pests.
If you’re looking to add some hairy foliage to your garden, here are some great options
Lamb’s Ear
With its thick coat of fine silver-white hairs lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina) is one of the fuzziest foliage plants. The soft velvety leaves evoke the texture of a lamb’s ear, giving rise to its common name. Lamb’s ear grows as a low, spreading mat with spikes of small purple flowers in summer. It thrives in full sun and tolerates heat and drought once established. Plant lamb’s ear in a dry, sunny place where you can stroke it as you walk by—in a pot or between stepping stones. It will soon spread out by rooting stems.
Mullein
Mullein (Verbascum spp) is fuzzy all over. The foliage the stalks, and even the yellow flowers are fun to stroke. The large soft leaves add form, as well as texture, to the garden. Mullein’s fuzzy, green-gray rosettes of leaves and tall spikes of yellow flowers make it easy to identify. The green surfaces of a mullein leaf are obscured by their many hairs. It’s a biennial plant, so enjoy its soft fuzziness while it lasts.
Jerusalem Sage
Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa) is a Mediterranean perennial that bears dense whorls of yellow flowers in summer atop woolly stems and leaves. The oblong leaves are coated in fuzzy white hairs on both surfaces. Growing up to 3 feet tall, Jerusalem sage is excellent for the back of sunny borders and cottage gardens.
Cotton Lavender
Cotton lavender (Santolina chamaecyparissus) features slender, finely divided gray-green foliage that resembles Italian cypress trees. The ferny leaves are dotted with glands that make them aromatic when brushed. Tiny yellow button flowers top wiry 18-inch stems in summer. This Mediterranean native thrives in hot, dry conditions.
Spider Flower
Spider flower (Cleome hassleriana) is an annual that bears round palmate leaves with five leaflets, each up to 6 inches across. The leaves are finely hairy and emit a pungent scent. Tall flower stalks carry showy pink, white, or purple spider-like blooms from early summer until frost. Spider flower thrives in full sun and tolerates heat and humidity.
White-Woolly Verbascum
White-woolly verbascum (Verbascum lanatum) is named for its conspicuously woolly leaves. The large oblong leaves are densely covered in white felt-like hairs. Plants produce tall stems topped with dense spikes of small yellow flowers in late spring and early summer. This short-lived perennial grows in full sun and adapts well to both dry and moist soils.
Mint-Scented Geranium
Mint-scented geranium (Pelargonium tomentosum) has large, soft leaves—pale green on top and whitish underneath—covered with long, silky hairs. It reminds me of an angora sweater. With average soil and water, it grows to about 3 feet high and wide. In spring, it bears clusters of dainty, white blossoms. Grow this frost-tender plant as an annual or houseplant in cooler climates.
Foxglove Beardtongue
Foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) produces lance-shaped green leaves up to 5 inches long coated with fine white hairs. Tall spikes bear white to pink snapdragon-like flowers from late spring into summer. This perennial cottage garden classic does best in full sun or part shade and average, well-drained garden soil.
Viper’s Bugloss
Viper’s bugloss (Echium vulgare) gets its common name from its spotted stems and snake-like shape. The bristly, lance-shaped leaves are covered in irritating hairs that dissuade pests. Dense clusters of bright blue to pink funnel-shaped flowers bloom from late spring into summer. This biennial or short-lived perennial adapts readily to many conditions.
Angel’s Hair Artemisia
Fine, threadlike foliage gives angel’s hair artemisia (Artemisia schmidtiana) its name. The ferny leaves are covered with silvery hairs, giving the foliage a soft, feathery texture. Growing 12 inches tall and 2 feet wide, it bears tiny yellow flower panicles in late summer. Artemisia thrives in full sun and dry conditions including coastal and desert environments.
Pussy Willow
Pussy willow (Salix spp.) is named for its furry catkins that appear in early spring before leaves emerge. The fuzzy gray buds are fun to stroke. These multi-stemmed shrubs thrive in moist soil and full sun. Regular pruning keeps growth in check. Hardy in zones 4-8.
With their fuzzy foliage in shades of silver, gray, green, and more, these hairy leafed plants provide unique texture and visual appeal in the garden. They also attract pollinators while resisting pests. Give them plenty of sun and excellent drainage and they’ll thrive with minimal care. Fuzzy leaves can make tactile, interactive additions to gardens and landscapes.
Choosing Plants with Soft, Fuzzy Leaves
Furry plants are enticing, cheeky, shamelessly out of the ordinary – and with their velvety folds, they beckon to be touched. When choosing fuzzy leaved plants, give some thought to the best place in your garden to showcase both the way they look and the way they feel. Places where they can be enjoyed up close as people pass by are particularly effective. Grow these fuzzy plants near a border’s edge, the backdoor or front door of your home, along a sensory garden path, near a herb garden, by a pond or water feature, or anywhere people can walk by. If they will be grown as part of a themed corner, such as a sensory garden, be sure these plants with furry leaves are somewhere they can be stroked.
Silver Sage (Image credit: Rick Siu / Shutterstock)
Salvia is typically grown for its pollinator friendly flowers, but silver sage (Salvia argentea) is one of the few plants in the genus valued for its soft, fuzzy leaves. Its silvery fuzziness is hard to resist a touch. The short-lived perennial has low-growing basal clumps that can reach 3ft (90cm) across.
The large, oval leaves are covered with silver hairs, giving this plant a distinctive wool-like appearance. Hardy in USDA zones 5-9, plant these types of sage plants in the rock garden or in a dry area of the border. Drought-tolerant silver sage does well planted alongside drought tolerant lavender, yarrow or Russian sage.
Grow this plant in water and you will love it’s hairy leaves
FAQ
What garden plants have fuzzy leaves?
- Silver Sage.
- Rose Campion.
- Cobweb Spiderwort.
- Lamb’s Ear.
- Panda Plant.
What plant has hairy leaves?
Panda plant
Panda plants are typically grown just for their foliage. If you see one, you’ll notice that their leaves are covered with soft silver hairs, which contribute to its fuzzy appearance.
Which plants have hair on their leaves?
Many other plants have hirsute or hairy surfaces. Some other hairy plants include Kalanchoes, African violets, and begonias to name a few.
What is the fuzzy leaf plant called?
The common name mullein is Latin for mollis or soft in likely reference to the hairy velvety leaves. Rosettes of large silverly green pubescent leaves form at the ground in the first year and look similar to lambs ear.