phylrae, i agree w/ all the above posters; excellent suggestions. we grow soooo many bold variegation woodies here>>> take a look at our website photos and if something strikes you, i can give you the i.d. if you just say something like "the Shrubs pg., photo 4". eventually all the photos will have captions- but not yet!! best, mindy www.cottonarboretum.com/ a teaching website off the top of my head, for small shrubs, i would recommend: deutzia chardonnay pearls (bright yell foliage) mini. varieg. weigela (not monet- weak plant) various variegated deutzia diervilla cool splash sambucus madonna var.philadelphus cotinus ** don't forget, 'large' shrubs don't have to be large; you can keep them pruned smaller, incl sambucus, 9 bark etc.Even some trees can be coppiced so that they are shrub size, i.e. robinia freesia(sp); catalpa aurea, acer negundo (there are bold gn/wh and gn/yell varieg. varieties)etc. perenn: new yellow and gn varieg phlox persicaria lance corporal and red dragon falopia variagata liysimachia golden alexander and atropurpurea hakonechloa aureo marg. ass.colocasias like black beauty filipendula varieg and aurea ligularia britt marie crawford Here is a link that might be useful: The Cotton-Arbo retum

That Ninebark is such a pretty contrast. Which variety of Ninebark is it? I wouldn’t have room for a full size, but I notice there’s a new dwarf version, ‘Tiny Wine’ but it’s still too big for me @ 4ft x 5ft. Although, I believe I’ve read that you can cut them to the ground every year. I do like the contrast of the foliage between the Amsonia and the Baptisia. It’s a pretty trio. OH…no feathery foliage w 'Blue Ice'. Yes, I can see that, now that you mention it, the leaves of my 'Blue Ice' are rounded, and similar to the Baptisia. Too bad. I think the hubrichtii is going to be too large for me there. Very pretty combo with the ‘CMoonlight’ and the Alliums. I do enjoy your border. And the Penstemon idea, is noted. Yes, I love a lot of plants that need sharp drainage but nowhere on my property can I provide it. Although I've had 'Dark Towers' for a few years and seems to be tolerating that location. And I saved seed last fall and winter sowed them and have a bunch of little seedings. Maybe I could use that as the dark foliage contrast. Thanks for the help. :-)

For Donn's purposes I have both spring and August of this bed from the other side. Donn, this bed shows the tulips at the end of their bloom. Not visable at this distance, there are also several patches of Fritillaria imperialis also just finishing up and a huge patch of Anemone blanda. Earlier there were MANY patches of daffodils. Next, (unfortunately not photographed) the garden turns mauve with lots and lots of tall alliums, the koren lilac visable across the driveway and a large area planted in a creeping thyme. I'm telling you this to give you an idea of just how many bulbs you can plant around your grasses For Debbie, The new grasses that you see from this side starting from the lower left; Eragrostis trichoides & Miscanthus 'Strictus' Going around the bend, Pennisetum orientale & Pennisetum alopecuroides Going around from the same end, to the left of the first clump of Rudbeckias is Achnatherum calamagrostis Further along between the variegated Arundo and the next clump of Rudbeckia is Molinia 'Moorhex'. I must say that all of the smaller Molinia cultivars are really worth while! Please excuse the dying birch they are slated to come down this month ~ I will miss them :o( A.

Sounds like a good idea. If it is just a mutation in one of the meristem layers that no longer can produce chlorophyll (periclinal chimera) taking cuttings and division would be the only way to reliably propagate the sport since the meristematic layers should stay in tact. Seed propagation should produce albino or green plants (this happened when I raised seeds off of variegated spider plants). There are truly stable genetic mutations that allow for variegation to be transmitted through seed and does not rely on keeping a defective meristematic layer in tact (cyclamen, some hostas...). It'll be interesting when it flowers and you are able to raise some seeds off of it to see. Sincerely, David