When faced with a problem such as this, usually I'd take a "shop light" (with light shielded at one side and directed from the opposite) outside at night and experiment to see what effects can result. It can usually be determined how to cause the best effects.

The size of the plant matters, and so does the location of the plant and garden context. Uplighting in general works best to feature such sculptural accents, but not as well if they are still small with not much to uplight. Also, poorly placed uplights can cause glare and/or not coordinate with an overall lighting scheme. An overhead flood light tends to light an area as opposed to accent details, a spot could work. With bold foliage forms placed in front of walls or fences, lighting the backdrop surface to silhouette the dark plant form, or to throw a shadow on a wall is another useful approach. So I'd say there's not enough info given for a yes/no type of answer. I'd suggest going to your local library and see if they have any of the Orthodox or Sunset How-to books on the subject to see the possibilities.