Adding Indoor Color with Foliage

Did you know that the decorative leaves numerous houseplants could actually provide year-round color and interest to your home? Different foliage plants offer a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, textures, and even aromas so you're sure to find something that sparks your needs. Nearly every color imaginable is available through foliage plants alone, without the brilliant blooms of accompanying flowers, though these make exceptional additions as well. From yellows, golds, reds, and oranges to silver, creams, purples and various shades of green, there's a foliage plant that will easily blend right in to your indoor décor.

Some of the most stunning foliage plants for your home can include the small, round, fuzzy leaves of the Brazilian begonia. With dark green foliage color highlighted by pale green veins and reddish undersides, this is a very striking plant. Then there's the Japanese euonymus with beautiful evergreen leaves edged with white or the large, cream-mottled foliage of the ever-popular Dumbcane plant. Another exceptional beauty is that of Crystal anthurium with large, velvety, dark green and white-veined foliage.

The Rubber plant has large, leathery, dark green leaves and combines well with the interesting tufted grass of Ornamental sedge, which is also dark green but edged with creamy white. Add drama by incorporating the pointy green with purple under-toned foliage of the Purple Velvet plant. Create interesting contrast with the soft, fuzzy white leaves of the Panda plant, also dotted with reddish edges. Set this combination off with the deep-red, heart-shaped leaves of Peperomia 'Luna,' which also happens to provide narrow spikes of white flowers.

Peperomia is also available with large, gold-variegated foliage that blends in nicely with the purple clover-like leaves of Oxalis. For an extra touch, this plant produces pink or purple blooms. If you're looking for something with a wonderful aroma, try the Lemon-scented geranium. Its small, crinkly, green and cream leaves smell just like lemon, and the plant also produces pale mauve blossoms.