13 Ways to Use Color and Texture in Your Landscape Design

You could fill your yard with all one type of plant — African iris as far as the eye can see…zzzzzzz… sorry, we dozed off there for a minute. 

Look, we love African Iris as much as the next guy, but that would be super boring. 

Great landscaping incorporates color and texture, and that means using different sizes, colors and varieties of plants. 

You want your eye to land on interesting stuff as you stroll around your yard. You don’t want your party guests to be so bored with your landscaping they fall asleep, tumble into the pool and drown.

That’s on you. 

What are some great ways to include color? How do you add texture to your landscape? 

Let’s take a look:

Color in Landscaping: Think Outside the Bloom

Sure, you can load up on bright petunias and begonias to add color to your landscaping.

But that’s what boring people do. And, honestly, flowers are a lot of work. All that watering and fertilizing and deadheading. 

If you want low-maintenance gardening and you also want color, think foliage. We’re lucky here in Florida — lots of great foliage plants explode with color.

Check out a few sure things:

1. Crotons

Before you roll your eyes and say EVERYBODY has crotons, hold on a minute. 

Yes, it seems like everybody has the same few crotons. Petra and Mammy are everywhere, and with good reason. They’re showstoppers and hard to beat when it comes to color in your landscape. 

But there are thousands of varieties of croton. Check out ‘King of Siam.’ It still packs a color punch, but with intriguing curly, twisty leaves that will make your landscaping stand out. 

Or try ‘Magnificent.’ Its vibrant splashy color will wow you.

2. Copperleaf ‘Louisiana Red’

This knockout shrub has intense colored foliage in tones of red, maroon, bronze, deep olive and dusty peach. The colors actually change with the seasons, stage of growth, and amount of light.

Who needs flowers? 

Ok, we all need flowers. Here are a few favorites to add punches of color in your landscaping:

3. Liriope ‘Super Blue’

Known for having the showiest blooms of all the liriope, this beauty adds amazing bluish-purple color in mass plantings. Get a bunch. 

4. Iris ‘Regina’

Its beautiful purple-blue flowers offer a lovely scent. 

Even when it isn’t blooming, its jade green foliage ads texture in the landscape year-round.

5. Colorful Hibiscus and Bougainvillea Trees 

Want flowers for colorful landscaping but not a lot of maintenance? Flowering trees need less maintenance than shrubs or a hedge that need trimming every few weeks. 

Hibiscus is famous for its brightly colored trumpet-shaped flowers and the trees are easy to maintain. 

Not much beats the spectacle of a bougainvillea tree in full bloom, with flowers of red, pink, purple, orange or gold. 

6. Firebush

You can probably picture this showy shrub just from its name. It’s a natural to add color to your landscaping. 

Firebush produces clusters of bright orange to red tubular flowers that add spectacular color in the landscape. 

Bonus: it’s one of Florida’s best plants for attracting butterflies and birds, including hummingbirds. Its berries are gobbled up by a variety of birds.

Plant it in full sun for best flowering.

How Do You Add Texture to the Landscape?

Lots of fun ways. Our countdown continues...:

7. Split Leaf Philodendron 

This popular house plant is also a dramatic standout in the garden. 

Its giant leaves grow up to 2 feet long and 18 inches wide, with “splits” that make them look like elephant's ears.
 
Its leathery-looking, glossy, dark green foliage adds impressive texture in the landscape. 

8. Bromeliads 

How do you add texture to the landscape? Say hi to super cool bromeliads. They’re actually a triple threat, adding color, texture, and interest to your landscape.

There are more than 2,500 species in a wide range of colors, sizes and textures.

Bromeliads don’t just add great texture to your landscape, they provide intriguing dinner party conversation.
 
Write this down on your arm and refer to it when the conversation lags:

“Did you know bromeliads use specialized cells to collect water from the air? And they have little cups that collect rainwater and debris and they use the nutrients collected in the cup.”

You’re instantly fascinating. 

A few of our favorites: 

Aechmea blanchetiana ‘Orangeade’

This is a stunner with brilliant orange leaves arranged in a tight rosette form, stiff and edged with small spines. It wins for both color and texture. Flower stalks emerge from the tight center of the rosette, made of many flowers with showy red bracts. Plant it in full sun, then stand back and stare. 

Alcantarea ‘Imperialis’

The leathery leaves of this giant beauty add great texture, but it’s a winner in the color category, too. Its colors range from green to silver to red, usually with deep red on the underside of the leaves.

Save it some space. It can measure up to 6 feet in width and 5 feet in length. 

Alcantarea ‘Odorata’ 

When it’s young the leaves are pale green with silver banding, and as the slender leaves grow mature, they change to a silver– bluish color. 

Showy, fragrant yellow flowers will show up — eventually. It can take 3 – 5 years to flower. This variety prefers mottled sunlight or afternoon shade. 

9.  Pink Muhly Grass 

That’s right — pink grass! This stunner adds a pink hue to your landscape but it’s real gift is texture.

The cotton candy-like plumes of this amazing ornamental grass almost glow when the sun shines through them, so plant it in full sun. 

In the spring and summer, the slender, long shoots of grass are green. As the fall approaches, the plant produces soft, fuzzy pink plumes. 

How to Add Texture to Your Landscape Besides Plants?

Lots of fun ways: 

10. Add Texture to Your Landscape with Hardscape

A paver patio adds texture. So does a brick walkway or a stone retaining wall. Or a fire pit. 

11. Add Texture with Furniture

A great outdoor furniture set in weatherproof wicker adds intriguing woven texture to your outdoor space. 

12.  Textiles Add Texture

Layer on outdoor rugs, throw blankets and pillows. They add texture to your landscaping and provide comfy coziness on cool nights. 

13. Planters Add Texture to Your Landscaping

Lots of planters are slick and shiny, and they add a nice reflective gleam to your landscaping. For texture, look for woven wicker planters, or clay pots with lumpy, bumpy surfaces. 

Ready for Color and Texture in Your Landscape? Talk to Us 

It can be tricky to create a vibrant, interesting array of plants in your tropical landscaping. Too many look junky. Too few are boring. Some require too much maintenance. Some won’t like your yard’s conditions.

That’s why we’re here. 

Tropical Gardens offers expert landscape design services in Sarasota FL to create a backyard tropical paradise that will make you want to spend every spare minute outside. 

Color? Check. Texture? Check? Outdoor bliss? Check. 

We can’t wait to get started. 

Give us a call or fill out our form today! Our team of Sarasota plant pros will design your perfect plant paradise, then keep your leafy beauties happy and healthy, from the minute they go in the ground and for years to come.