Blackswamp Girl, at A Study in Contrasts, has come up with a great idea for a meme: showing off foliage combinations. Foliage is an essential part of any good garden, but it is crucial to a successful shade garden in the middle of summer. It was actually a challenge for me to find photos that depict only foliage without flowers. Here are my two. The above photo is a Painted Fern (Athyerium nipponicum 'Pictum') and the foliage of my favorite groundcover, Viola labradorica. In the background is Brunnera macrophylla 'Looking Glass.' The purple tones of the Violets pick up the purple of the fern, while the silver of the Brunnera matches the silver tones of the fern.
In this shot, the self-sow native Violet (Viola soraria) echoes the shape of the Hosta. Do you have any particularly successful foliage combinations?