Big foliage/hardy type plants

[guessagain]

I’m looking forward to late spring, early summer when I can go to my favourite garden centre and buy some big outdoor statement plants, along with 2 or 3 smaller ones to plant into our huge raised bed.

We have in our garden, a chamaerops Humillis plant, it’s only around 2.5 ft so far (not in raised bed) Have a red cordyline & a few others, like hosta.

Have an acer in bed although it’s not thriving as much as as thought it would. I’d like to get some of that ‘blue grass’ I don’t know the name for it!

So I’m looking for some wow plants, big leaves that are quite hardy. Any recommendations?

What is the soil and light like? Semi-shaded?

If you have damp soil and want a really big, statement leaf, a Gunnerra might work! Also ostrich / shuttlecock ferns are beautiful and get bigger every year. I like then best when they are unfurling. They look great with Aliums (especially the big purple or white ones), which look quite dramatic I think. Best to plant them as bulbs in the autumn though.

Fatsia japonica all day long. They're happy anywhere - they quite often get used in dark corners of housing developments etc because they are just so self reliant, but definitely have the big leaves you're after.

Some tall thin leaves would look good amongst the big ones. Irises (the tall, unfussy ones that you get near ponds) are great, and their leaves are very interesting up close - sort of plaited affect iyswim.
Or Crocosmia, if the light levels are good enough. Both are very easy and hardy.

I like Fatsia japonica spiderweb, there's another variegated one with more slender leaves too.

And mahonia soft caress - non spiny. Good for tall thin leaves.

Gunnera get huge!

Melianthus major too...