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From aubergine to plum to chocolate, dark foliage makes the perfect foil to bright flowers. We pick 10 top varieties to plant nowLandscape architect Capability Brown was fond of placing deep purple copper beech trees among the greens of oak and willow; the variation of leaf colour slowed the viewer’s gaze and offered focal points within the landscape. I was reminded of the power of this simple trick in my own humbler herbaceous border. This spring I planted tubers of dahlia ‘Bishop of York’ for their pale yellow flowers, but, come summer, it was their dark foliage that made the most impact. The near-black leaves offered a foil for the flowers in front and behind, making the rudbeckia and scabious pop, but also breaking up the continuous greenery. My small border appeared a good deal larger.If you have room, dark-leaved trees are hugely worthwhile as a backdrop. Against a fence or an open view, flowers can fade; against deep colour they become emboldened. Besides copper beech, which, for its scale, belongs in a park, favourites include black cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera ‘Nigra’), red Norway maple (Acer platanoides ‘Royal Red’) and the purple filbert hazel, Corylus maxima ‘Purpurea’. Continue reading...