Coarse texture
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Fine texture
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Medium texture
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When we speak of texture as a design element in the garden, we are not talking about how something feels, but rather how it looks like it feels. A spiky Iris leaf may look sharp, but it is actually smooth to the touch. Plant texture relates to the size, shape, and orientation of its leaves. There are three types of plant texture: fine, medium, and coarse.
Plants with coarse foliage are those with large leaves and/or large gaps between the leaves. Hostas, Bergenia, and Tall Bearded Irises are all coarse foliage plants. Since they carry the most visual weight in the garden (we tend to notice them first), they should be used sparingly and should be spaced out. Using too many coarse textured plants in the garden makes it feel intimidating and small.
Plants with fine foliage are those with small, feathery, or narrow leaves with few gaps between them. Ferns, many groundcovers, and Silver Mound Artemisia are all fine foliage plants. They carry little weight visually and when used alone they tend to blur together into one large mass of plants. However, when they are used to complement coarse foliage plants, they help to create a visually cohesive look for the space.
Plants of medium texture are those that fall somewhere on the spectrum between coarse and fine texture; their leaves are not large, but are not very small either. Many plants fall into this category and it’s a good chance that what you have growing in your garden now are medium textured plants. The trick is to strategically add both coarse and fine textured plants between them to create a balanced look.
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