It is related to the more common spotted deadnettle. Yellow archangel’s shade tolerance makes it a good choice for use in woodland gardens. A clump-forming plant, it reaches one to three feet in height, with a similar spread. The variegation on the plant takes the form of irregularly shaped silver splotches throughout the leaf with a jagged edge. The flowers form in bunches, growing in a ring around the stem. Don’t confuse garden phlox with creeping phlox, which is a low-growing ground cover that blooms in spring. Garden phlox blooms in summer. Variegated Dalmatian iris, Iris pallida ‘Variegata’, has a purple flower and green and gold, sword-shaped leaves. Like many irises, it boasts fragrant blooms. Although this succulent does blossom, it is valued most for its variegated leaves. As with Autumn Joy stonecrop, the flowers of this sedum appear in clusters atop the plant. The flowers tend to bleach out in the sun in very hot areas but can retain a pinkish color in cooler areas. Other variegated stonecrops include:
Phedimus spurius ‘Tricolor’Sedum telephium ‘Lajos’ or ‘Autumn Charm’Sedum alboroseum ‘Mediovariegatum’
While ribbon grass, Phalaris arundinacea, is an attractive plant, beware of its aggressiveness. As a substitute, grow the similar but better-behaved Carex ‘Spark Plug’, a type of sedge. Some other types of maple trees are also prized for their variegated leaves, such as Acer pseudoplatanus ‘Brilliantissimum’ and Acer rubescens ‘Silver Cardinal’. The green and gold color scheme isn’t consistent. The gold is strongest on the newest leaves, while it tends to fade to a creamy color on the older ones. Still, the creamy color is attractive in its own right. Moonshadow euonymus makes a good groundcover as it tends to stay short and spreads out horizontally. The outer branches bear a creamy yellow color, giving the overall plant a bright appearance.
