Roses are not generally grown for their foliage, yet when I visited a garden recently, the new growth I saw was primarily red.

This particular rose garden had more than 1,000 rose bushes, making it much larger than the average home garden. It was quite a beautiful sight to see all of the many shades of red leaves. It was the garden of Rich and Charold Baer, both past presidents of the Portland Rose Society.

Walking through this garden, it quickly became obvious that the color range was diverse, with some bushes having dark purple new growth and others having all green. Why such a difference? Rich said it was in the genetics.

I am not a geneticist and while that response sounded reasonable, it made me wonder why the new growth was red on some plants and not others — and why, in a few weeks, what was red would turn green.

An abundance

This brief conversation piqued my interest about other plants that have new foliage in a variety of colors. Perhaps when we are looking for a plant that has color-changing foliage, it may seem to be a difficult search, but that is not the case. Plants with this characteristic are all around us, if we just stop to pay attention.

Daphniphyllum macropodim, which has no apparent common name, is a prime example of a plant with leaves that change color. This native of Japan, Korea, and China, is a large evergreen shrub or small tree that is known for the colorful new growth and rhododendron-like foliage. The plant in my garden is probably more than 15 years old and has never had any disease or insect problems. Checking several botanical gardens that have Daphniphyllum, it appears that it receives some shade. While I have never had any sun burn on my plant, it does receive some natural shade from nearby trees. It is a gem of a plant that should be planted more frequently.

A conifer with a “wow factor” with regard to new growth is Picea pungens ‘Gebelle’s Golden Spring’. The common name made me laugh because it is like an oxymoron: yellow Colorado blue spruce. This pyramidal blue spruce was discovered as a chance seedling in a field of Picea pungens seedlings by Anthony and Anna Gebelle in Huron, Ohio.

The golden yellow new growth will hold for 4–6 weeks before the needles turn to blue green. To achieve the best color, plant it in a sunny location.

Even variegated plants can have new growth that is not variegated. Consider Pieris japonica ‘Variegata’ (lily of the valley shrub, Japanese Andromeda). The salmon-pink new growth is in sharp contrast to the mature variegated leaves. The mature green leaf is surrounded by a creamy white leaf edge that bears no trace of the new growth color from the spring.

On a plant with red stems and red new growth, one would think that the mature leaves would at least have a hint of red, but that is not the case. The mature leaves on Drimys lanceolata (Tasmanian pepper bush, mountain pepper) are a solid dark green. This evergreen Australian native can make a colorful statement in the garden at any time of the year.

With the brilliant new growth and the red stems throughout the year, there is not much to dislike about this plant. Clusters of creamy white flowers appear in the spring and are often followed by purple berries. The use of “pepper” in the name refers to the spicy leaves that can be used in culinary dishes and the purple berries which, when dried, are grindable peppercorns which can be used as a pepper substitute. With its red stems and dark green leaves, Drimys lends itself to indoor winter holiday decorations and flower arrangements.  

What about a plant that cannot decide what color the leaves will be, whether they are new growth or old growth? Canna ‘Cleopatra’ is such a plant. Some leaves will be totally deep purple, others will be solid green, and many will be a combination of the two. Even the flower is multicolored and seemingly cannot decide which color will dominate. The flowers can be all red, all yellow, or a mix of the two colors. It is a great conversation plant in the garden because of all these colors. Even with limited space, try this in a large pot on a deck or patio and watch visitors gravitate to it.

While seeing the new growth on plants as a signal that spring is here is very enjoyable, we probably do not even think about the new growth and how it may change color as it ages. Such color changes emphasize the diversity of plants and the natural beauty of nature. If we stop and consider all these genetic changes, it may open a new world of appreciation in our garden and there is no better place to revel in the beauty of nature than in the garden.

From the June 2025 issue of Digger magazine | Download PDF of article