Fresh shoots are beginning to poke their heads above the soil; geraniums are starting to mound up in the borders, buds are appearing on branches and irises are slashing the soil as fresh blades slide up through the earth. But what’s this strange plummy foliage doing here? I swear I planted an epimedium.
Plants that produce fresh spring growth in reds and purples are deploying a clever strategy. Instead of advertising their delicious, soft, green foliage to the world, they are thought to be hiding from hungry herbivores. These chameleon tactics don’t just ensure the plant’s survival but also give gardeners a lot of pleasure. It seems perverse that the very plants that try to hide from their predators are those that stand out in