Often when combining plants to create dramatic containers you want to select plants with contrasting foliage type and color. Choose some fine cut foliage plants for contrast and interest in the garden.

Asparagus Fern (Asparagus deniflorus) – Fine-textured, bright green foliage that will provide clouds of lacy filler material for container or hanging basket arrangement. Tolerant of part shade, keep the asparagus fern moist if it is in full sun.

Rosemary (Rosemary officinalis) – Zone 7-10. A perennial herb with pine needle like foliage, Rosemary is highly aromatic. Rosemary is moderately drought tolerant and prefers well-drained soil and full sun making it a great choice for container plantings. See more about how to grow rosemary. 

Coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata) – Hardy to zone 3. All Coreopsis are popular perennial plants, but C. verticillata is known as “Threadleaf Coreopsis” because of the attractive fine cut foliage. Recent popularity with hybridizers has resulted in an increasing number of flower color choices so Coreopsis lovers have a lot to choose from! Coreopsis plants bloom for weeks through the summer and fall months.

Cottage Pinks (Dianthus spp.) - Dianthus have been popular cottage garden plants for generations and the narrow silver or green colored foliage adds a flair to mixed borders or container plantings. There are perennial, biennial and annual forms of dianthus plants available but all form pleasing rounded clumps.

Some of the taller cottage pinks even make excellent cut flower plants because of the tall, strong flower stalks.

Ferns (Dryopteris spp.) - An obvious choice, perhaps, ferns are popular in the garden for good reason. They are gorgeous! I love the named varieties with variegated or colored foliage, like Burgundy Lace or Autumn Brilliance ferns. The fine cut foliage makes a beautiful background for the other perennials and beautiful plants in your landscape. Most ferns prefer moist, shady areas making them nice additions in shady corners. 

Annual Lobelia (Lobelia erinus) – Not to be confused with the perennial Lobelia known as cardinal flowers, the annual form of Lobelia is a popular container and hanging basket plant. Delicate looking foliage often cascades over planter edges in pretty billows of color. Lobelia flowers are usually blue and look like miniature snapdragons covering the foliage for weeks in the summer.

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) - Zone 4-9. While fennel is actually a vegetable plant it is often brought into mixed borders, foliage gardens or container plantings because of the attractive lacy foliage. Like most vegetables, fennel prefers sun and well-drained soil. Fennel plants are typically green, but reddish-brown varieties exist that can add some dramatic colored foliage to the container planting. Tiny yellow flower clusters are only a bonus, since it is fennel's foliage that takes center stage.

Wormwood (Artemisia spp.) - A wonderful foliage plant Artemisia has silvery green foliage that is deeply cut and textured. Artemisia prefers full sun and well-drained soil and the drought tolerance of the plant makes it a great choice for container plantings. 'Silver Mound' and 'Silver Brocade' are two compact cultivars good for containers. Artemisia adds not only fine-cut foliage texture but also some colored foliage interest as well with the soft silver color that blends well with other plants.

Plants with fine cut foliage are beautiful accent plants, both individually or in groupings. Combine them with vertical accent plants, bold foliage selections and rounded form plants for dramatic container groups.