Find plants with intrigue for several seasons

Driving east to Yosemite recently, I was reminded of how diverse botanically and geologically is the state of California.
Leaving the redwood forest here, I passed tawny grasslands and oak-studded foothills to a mixed evergreen forest up in the Sierras. Many of the same plants grow here — buckeye, Solomon’s seal and Western azalea.
I was hoping the native Pacific dogwood would still be blooming and was not disappointed. Huge white flowers resembling butterflies covered these small trees. I last saw them a couple of years ago when they wore bright red fall foliage.
This got me thinking. What other plants are interesting in more than one season?
Accompanying this column is a short list of trees and shrubs to add to your garden for flowers, colorful fruit or berries, fall color or interesting bark.
Other plants that make a bold statement in the garden are big-leaved perennials. If one of your garden beds or borders needs something to quickly enliven the scene, look to giant leaves to give contrast.
Often, a planting will have too many similar flower or leaf sizes and end up looking fussy, overly detailed and chaotic. That’s when large architectural plants come to the rescue.
Ligularia dentata forms 3-foot clumps in partial shade. From midsummer to early fall, 3-foot stems bear 4-inch-wide, orange-yellow, daisy-like flowers.
The leaves, however, are its most striking feature. The variety Othello has deep-purple-green, kidney-shaped leaves almost 1 foot across, while Desdemona has leaves with purple undersides and green upper surfaces. Ligularia clumps can remain undisturbed for years and stay lush and full from springtime through frost.
For borders in the sun, cannas add drama. They stand bright and tall with huge leaves on 4- to 6-foot stems. Some varieties, such as Pretoria and Tropicana, have striped leaves, and others have bronze leaves, such as Wyoming and Sunburst Pink.
Canna leaves are useful in flower arrangements, but the flowers themselves do not keep well. In the garden border, canna foliage, backlit by sunshine, positively glows.
Red bananas are grown for the impact of their beautiful leaves, which range in color from deep claret brown to red-purple to green. Plant them in full to partial sun in an area protected from the wind to avoid shredded leaves. Ornamental bananas grow fast, up to 15 to 20 feet, and provide a bold tropical accent in any garden.
Jan Nelson, a California certified nursery professional at Plant Works in Ben Lomond, will answer questions about gardening in the Santa Cruz Mountains. E-mail her at [email protected].