Frost-Hardy Foliage That Loves a Cold-Climate Garden

When winter cuts a bleak swath through other plants, these edibles and perennials flourish brilliantly

Charlotte Albers November 23, 2012

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Foliage is what really counts. Flowers, stems, bark, fragrance — all of these are important, but when looking at plants from a design perspective, it's the leaves that I care about, and anything that has a long season of interest is worth taking note of.

Plants with good form that persist through cold weather are an important component in my Vermont garden, where frost hits by mid-October. While I cut back, pull, dig and haul in my seasonal rounds, I'm thankful for the stalwarts that remain, somewhat belligerently, their foliage glistening with beaded raindrops as flocks of Canada geese fly south overhead.

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Here are two of my favorite edibles, Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris) and kale (Brassica oleracea), easily grown from spring through early winter in cold climates. Both are vitamin-rich leafy greens that taste delicious when lightly sautéed with garlic in olive oil.

They're cold-season annuals best grown from seed in early spring or fall, but many garden centers are expanding their offerings of edible transplants for the home cook. They're beautiful in a potager or vegetable garden but even more lovely in a large container that gets direct sun.

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This clump of lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina, zones 4 to 9) sparkles with frost on cold mornings. Its textured foliage holds up through freezing rain, hail and hard freezes, making it one of the most resilient plants that I grow.

This cultivar, 'Helen Von Stein', has sporadic flowers and large leaves that grow on fuzzy stems. Of Mediterranean origin, the plants require full sun and well-drained soil that isn't too rich, so throw some gravel into the hole when you set the plants into the ground. They're especially useful along walkways and near boulders, as their soft textures contrast nicely with stone.

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After I sow lettuce seeds directly into compost-rich beds in August, my plants are ready to harvest by late October but are almost too pretty to pick! Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is another cool-season crop that looks good planted along walkways or tucked into beds or containers.

Look for pretty heirloom types like 'Speckled Trout' or 'Merlot', which can be ordered by mail or purchased in cell packs at garden centers.

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With the onset of cold weather, most perennials are cut back to the ground, but lady's mantle (Alchemilla mollis, zones 3 to 7) continues to thrive, collecting droplets on its ruffled leaves and looking perky under gray skies. I grow it around Summersweet shrubs, which turn yellow late in the season.

In mid-June the plants throw up airy, romantic chartreuse-colored flowers that partner well with peonies, blue Bachelor Button (Centaurea spp, zones 3 to 8) and tall white phlox. The flowers are good to cut too — but I like the plant for its dependable form when everything else has withered.

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Coral bells (Heuchera spp, zones 3 to 9) are a must-have in planting schemes, lasting well into early winter with good form. In fact, they're one of the best plants for overall functionality — used as a massing ground cover or as accents, they look good pretty much all the time.

Look for unusual colors like burgundy or chartreuse, and variegated forms with silver accents, and place them in containers by your door and along front walkways. Those of us with short growing seasons know the value of this perennial.

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With its formal outline of tiny boxwood, this edible garden at the Montreal Botanical Garden is a feast for the eyes. Pebbled 'Lacinato' kale (Brassica oleracea 'Lacinato'), also known as Tuscan kale, combines with cabbage and sorrel in this mid-November composition that shows the power of symmetry and repetition.

Tuscan kale, a main ingredient in minestrone, has been grown in Italy since the 17th century and is among the plants listed in Thomas Jefferson's gardens at Monticello in 1777.

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Evergreen hellebore (Hellebore x hybrida, zones 5 to 9) looks great with a carpet of leaf litter or trailing ground covers, like lamium or golden creeping Jenny (Lysamachia 'Aurea', zones 3 to 9). It doesn't seem to be bothered by slugs or defoliating insects, and it holds its form through the slush and snow, looking cool and unflustered at the end of the year.

Some varieties have upward-facing blooms, but most have a demure, nodding inflorescence that opens early in the season.