foliage plant

American  

noun

1. any plant grown chiefly for its attractive leaves.

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Etymology

Origin of foliage plant

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

The house was built on the line of the street—a solid front—but the interior rooms faced a court yard, filled with the most exquisite foliage plant and palms like forest trees.

From My Trip Around the World August, 1895-May, 1896 by Hunt, Eleonora

Edge a plate with uniform sized leaves of foliage plant of the same tints as the fruit, and pile the fruit artistically upon it, tucking sprays or tips of the plant between.

From Science in the Kitchen. by Kellogg, Mrs. E. E.

Of the value of this as a "fine foliage" plant there can be no doubt; it is very telling, and always admired.

From Hardy Perennials and Old Fashioned Flowers Describing the Most Desirable Plants, for Borders, Rockeries, and Shrubberies. by Wood, John

As a foliage plant it is very handsome, the leaves bending gracefully, and the whole specimen having a neat appearance.

From Hardy Perennials and Old Fashioned Flowers Describing the Most Desirable Plants, for Borders, Rockeries, and Shrubberies. by Wood, John

A handsome evergreen foliage plant, said to grow to a height of 100 feet in its native habitat.

From Trees and Shrubs for English Gardens by Cook, Ernest Thomas