Ivydene Gardens Plants:
Sword-shaped Leaves Garden Use List

To locate mail-order nursery for plants from the UK in this gallery try using search in RHS Find a Plant.

To locate plants in the European Union (EU) try using Search Term in Gardens4You and Meilland Richardier in France.

To locate mail-order nursery for plants from America in this gallery try using search in Plant Lust.

To locate plant information in Australia try using Plant Finder in Gardening Australia.

"Sword-shaped leaves are typical of spiky plants such as yucca, cordyline and phormiums. They often have vivid colourful leaves, and you can find unusual species such as astelia, which are silver.

The spiky shapes of plants with sword-like leaves contrast brilliantly with dome-shaped plants.

Try planting spiky plants with dome-shaped plants or surround a single, large specimen with a surface mulch of round pebbles or cobblestones for impact." from How to be a Gardener by the BBC.

Agaves are sold by The Real Garden and Athelas Plants.

Aloe Vera, Crinum, Iris, Ixia and Hyacinth have sword-shaped leaves.

The Seed Site provides images of different shaped leaves.

Surface soil moisture is the water that is in the upper 10 cm (4 inches) of soil, whereas root zone soil moisture is the water that is available to plants, which is generally considered to be in the upper 200 cm (80 inches) of soil:-

• Wet Soil has Saturated water content of 20-50% water/soil and is Fully saturated soil
• Moist Soil has Field capacity of 10-35% water/soil and is Soil moisture 2–3 days after a rain or irrigation
• Dry Soil has Permanent wilting point of 1-25% water/soil and is Minimum soil moisture at which a plant wilts
• Residual water content of 0.1-10% water/soil and is Remaining water at high tension
• Available Water Capacity for plants is the difference between water content at field capacity and permanent wilting point

Sun Aspect:-

• Full Sun: At least 6 full hours of direct sunlight. Many sun lovers enjoy more than 6 hours per day, but need regular water to endure the heat.
• Part Shade: 3 - 6 hours of sun each day, preferably in the morning and early afternoon. The plant will need some relief from the intense late afternoon sun, either from shade provided by a nearby tree or planting it on the east side of a building.
  Dappled Sun: Dappled sunlight is similar to partial shade. It is the sun that makes its way through the branches of a deciduous tree. Woodland plants and underplantings prefer this type of sunlight over even the limited direct exposure they would get from partial shade.
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight each day, with filtered sunlight during the rest of the day. Full shade does not mean no sun.

The overall amount of sunlight received depends on aspect, the direction your garden faces:-

North-facing gardens get the least light and can be damp

South-facing gardens get the most light

East-facing gardens get morning light

West-facing gardens get afternoon and evening light

Acid Site - An acid soil has a pH value below 7.0. Clay soils are usually acid and retentive of moisture, requiring drainage. The addition of grit or coarse sand makes them more manageable. Peaty soil is acidic with fewer nutrients and also requires drainage.

Alkaline Soil - An alkaline soil has a pH value above 7.0. Soils that form a thin layer over chalk restrict plant selection to those tolerant of drought.

Bank / Slope problems include soil erosion, surface water, summer drought and poor access (create path using mattock to pull an earth section 180 degrees over down the slope). Then, stabilise the earth with 4 inches (10cms) depth of spent mushroom compost under the chicken wire; before planting climbers/plants through it.

Exposed Site is an area that is open to the elements and that includes cold, biting winds, the glare of full sun, frost and snow.

Path Edges - Soften edges for large masses of paving or lawn with groundcover plants. Random areas Within Paths can be planted with flat-growing plants. Other groundcover plants are in the Rest of Border.

Seaside Plants that deal with salt-carrying gales and blown sand; by you using copious amounts of compost and thick mulch to conserve soil moisture.

Under Hedge requires ground cover that tolerates bone dry, poor soil.

Woodland ground cover under the shade of tree canopies.

Soil:-

Soil Moisture:-

Sun Aspect:-

Plant Location:-

Common Name

with link to mail-order nursery in USA

Flowering Months

Flowering Colour

Plant Type
(Per = Perennial) with link to
Plant Description Page,
Companion Plants to help this plant Page,
Alpine Plant for Rock Garden Index Page
and/or
Native to UK WildFlower Plant in its Family Page in this website

Leaf Shape

Comment

AC = Acid Site

AL = Alkaline Site or
AN = Any for Acid, Neutral or Alkaline

BA = Bank / Slope

CH =Chalk

EX = Exposed Site

CL = Clay

PA =
Path Edges
RB = Rest of Border

WP =
Within Path

LF = Lime-Free or
AN = Any Soil

D = Dry

S = Full Sun

SE = Seaside Plants

PD = Poorly Drained
PE = Peaty

M = Moist

PS = Part Shade

UN = Under Hedge

LS = Light Sand

W = Wet

FS = Full Shade

WO = Woodland

CH

CL

LF

PD

LS

D

M

W

S

PS

FS

AC

AL

BA

EX

PA

SE

UN

WO

AN

M

S

AL

Arum creticum

April- May

Spathe may be whitish to pale or dark yellow, with some greenish staining at the base

12 x 6 (30 x 15)

Deciduous Tuber

Arrow-shaped dark green foliage arises in the dead of the winter, usually when nothing else is up, and it dies away in the summer.

Pot culture is easy; fertile, gritty soil and fairly deep pots will give good results. Constant moisture is the key, plants that dry when in full growth respond badly.

However you grow it, I thoroughly recommend this beautiful plant to give the border a bit of excitement in April.

CH

CL

AN

LS

M

PS

FS

AL

WO

Arum italicum 'Marmoratum'
(Arum italicum 'Pictum')

Italian arum 'Mar-moratum', Varie-gated Cuckoo-pint, Lords-and-Ladies

May

Yellow-ish-green to creamy white spathe

12 x 6 (30 x 15)

Deciduous Tuber

Arrow-shaped glossy green leaves veined creamy-white grows particularly well in moist shade under trees and shrubs.

'Marmoratum' is a tuberous perennial to 35cm, with large, arrow-shaped dark, glossy green leaves veined creamy-white and appearing in autumn. Large greenish-yellow spathes with a yellow spadix are followed by showy spikes of orange-red berries. Division of clumps of tubers should take place after flowering.

CH

LS

M

PS

AC

Arisarum proboscideum

Mouse tail plant

April-May

Dark brown bracts with a long thin brown tip which looks like a mouse's tail

6 x 10 (15 x 25)

Deciduous Rhizome

Arrow-shaped glossy leaves

Clump-forming and spreads to form colonies on fertile moist well-drained soil. Persistant moisture in extremely well-draining soil will suit it best.

M

W

PS

FS

AC

WO

Athyrium filix-femina
(Athyrium asplenioides)

Lady fern, Northern Lady fern

Ferns do not have flowers

48 x 24 (120 x 60)

Deciduous Fern

Lance-shaped, bright green, filigree-like leaves.

Plant in bold swathes with other shade-loving plants in a sheltered, shady woodland edge, shrub or mixed border. Incorporate lots of well-rotted leaf mould, composted pine needles or garden compost into the planting hole. In cold areas in late autumn protect the crown of the plant with a dry mulch of straw or bracken. Prefers moist, well-drained, acid soils in full to partial shade.

CH

LS

M

PS

AL

WO

Asplenium scolopendrium

Hart's tongue fern, horse tongue

Ferns do not have flowers

24 x 24 (60 x 60)

Evergreen Fern

Strap-shaped

Dot through a woodland floor. Add vertical interest towards the front of a partially shaded border or for underplanting established trees and shrubs. Do not allow the soil or compost to dry out until the plant has become established.

CH

LS

M

S

PS

EX

SE

Cordyline australis and

Cordyline australis
'Albertii' AGM: matt-green leaves with red midribs, cream stripes and pink margins.

Cordyline australis
'Torbay Dazzler' AGM: leaves with distinctive cream stripes, great for bedding displays. This is also a compact cultivar.

Cordyline australis
'Sundance': leaves are flushed red along the midrib; great for bedding displays; and a compact cultivar.

Cabbage Palm, Torbay Palm

Jul-Aug

White

280 x 80 (700 x 200)

Hardy Palm tree

Spiky strap-like foliage

Plant in a sunny, sheltered position and fertile well-drained soil. Cultivars with coloured leaves are best sited in light semi-shade as the foliage can fade if exposed to strong sunshine. Plant out in spring to let the plant get established before the onset of winter. Create multi-stemmed plants by removing the growing point before growth begins in spring.
After flowering resultant seed laden trusses help birds through winter.

AN

M

S

PS

Phormium in variety:-

Astelia 'Silver Spear' - Sparkling silver leaves.

Phormium 'Alison Blackman' - Leaves are coloured centrally in grey-green, irregularly margined with clear butter yellow with a picotee edging of red. Accommodate in the mixed border where its bright multicolour appearance can be used to tone and contrast.

Phormium 'Black Adder' - Lustrous black-purple leaves; use in gravel garden.

Phormium 'Bronze Baby' - Compact variety, with deep purple-bronze leaves that make dramatic punctuation marks in a sheltered, sunny patio or courtyard offset by gravel. In hot summers, a spike of tubular, red flowers will shoot up from the centre, followed by sturdy seed-heads.

Phormium 'Cream Delight' - a wide arching habit with leaves that are mainly creamy yellow with green irregular striping on the edges and a tiny picotee pencilling of maroon at the base. Flowers, if produced, are tubular greenish yellow. Especially useful for colour theming.

Phormium 'Evening Glow' - Arching, widely-spreading habit and bright pink-red in the centre, bronze-green on the margins and streaked variously with brown, red and copper leaves. Such a conflagration of colour is perhaps best kept at a distance from other plants so Phormium 'Evening Glow' is perhaps better suited to pot culture as specimens or grown in gravel isolated from companions.

Phormium 'Platts Black' - Purple-brown leaves with its weeping habit makes it suited to growing in a pot. However, it is unrivalled as a contrast plant aganst silver foliage plants or as a background for pretty well any flower colour you care to choose so maybe best used in a mixed border.

Phormium 'Yellow Wave' - The leathery leaves weeping attractively to form a graceful dome of cascading strongly striped and banded with cream, butter-yellow and lime-green foliage, making a light and colourful focal point.

New Zealand Flax

Coloured spiky leaves.

Astelia chathamica 'Silver Spear' is a superlative plant: their upright, evergreen, sword-like sparkling silver leaves provide a contrast in form and colour that is not found in any other plant. Greenish yellow flowers in spring, turning to orange fruits in autumn, add to the attraction. They will grow in any soil but perform best if never short of moisture. For a chic modern planting scheme contrast with Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' or Ligularia 'Britt Marie Crawford' in a lightly shaded position. Or grow as a specimen in a container - coloured black, galvanised, or terracotta all work perfectly well.

Yucca in variety

Sword-like, strong rigid leaves.

LF

LS

D

S

PS

AC

SE

WO

Iris foetidissima

Stinking Iris, Coral Fruit Iris, Gladwin Iris

24 x 6
(60 x 15)

Deciduous Rhizome

Dark Green, sword-shaped leaves, up to 30 inches (75 cm) long

Roast-Beef Plant is a Native UK plant from the Iris Family. Good iris for shady locations. Borders, open woodland gardens, sea-cliffs and house-plant.

Iris pallida variegata.

Glaucous grey-green variegated leaves.

Sisyrinchium striatum
'Aunt May'

Erect tufts of foliage.

Iris in variety

All aquatic varieties have stiffly erect foliage.

AN

D

M

S

PS

Dracaena indivisa

Corn plant

No flowers - used as foliage plant to provide form shape contrast in the garden all season. Plant in any well-drained soil.

24-36 x 15-18
(60-90 x 38-45)

Annual

A decorative foliage plant with sword-shaped leaves usually crowded at the top of cane-like stems.

Mainly used as tall accent in flower beds and planters. Can be brought indoors for winter and if done so for many years, it will likely grown into a large specimen tree. Cracaena indivisa is native to New Zealand and can reach over 20 feet tall there.

Some bulbs also have sword-shaed leaves as shown in Bulb Form - Stemless / Sword-shaped Page of Bulb Shape Gallery:-

There are more of the following in this Bulb Shape Gallery Page:-

• Iris
• Tulipa
• Gladiolus
• Allium

CH

LS

D

S

PS

AL

WO

Scilla siberica

Siberian squill, Wood Squill

6 x 6
(15 x 15)

Bulb

Thin, sword-like leaves grow from the base of the plant and arch outward, allowing the flowers to be seen unobstructed.

Grow under deciduous trees and shrubs or in grass.

AN

M

S

AN

Tulipa
'Jewel of Spring'

Tulip

20 x 12
(50 x 30)

Herbaceous Perennial

Its sword-like leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

The flowers are excellent for cutting. Use for mass planting or bedding.

CL

LS

M

S

AC

Allium 'Gladiator'

Flowering Onion, Gladiator Orna-mental Onion

68 x 12
(170 x 30)

Spacing 6-8 (15-20)

Herbaceous Bulb

2 inch wide, Dark Green. The foliage dies off as the flowers open, so companion plant with Geranium sanguineum 'Album' to conceal the dying foliage and flower at the same time.

It lasts for 3-4 weeks as a cut-flower.
Plant in groups of three or more for best effect.
Use on a slope or bank.
Attracts Butterflies. Ok in Containers.
Rabbit resistant.

Likes well-drained soil in acidic sand or sandy clay.

CH

CL

LS

M

S

AL

Gladiolus 'Terry'

Gladiolus

55+ x
(137.5 x )

Herbaceous Corm

Sword-shaped leaves

Great growth habits with consistently straight stems ensure it to be a good cutter.

Height in inches (cms):-

25.4mm = 1 inch
304.8mm = 12 inches
12 inches = 1 foot
3 feet = 1 yard
914.4mm = 1 yard

I normally round this to
25mm = 1 inch
300mm = 30 cms = 12 inches =1 foot,
900 mm = 3 feet = 1 yard and
1000mm = 100 cms = 1 metre = 40 inches