As particulate matter and heavy metals in the atmosphere affect the atmospheric quality, they pose a threat to human health through the respiratory system. Vegetation can remove airborne particles and purify the atmosphere. Plant leaves are capable of effectively absorbing heavy metals contained by particulates. To evaluate the effects of different garden plants on the particulate matter retention and heavy metal accumulation, the seasonal changes of dust retention of five typical garden plants were compared in the industrial and non-industrial zones in Hangzhou. Results revealed that these species differed in dust retention with the descending order of Loropetalum chinense Osmanthus fragrans Pittosporum tobira Photinia × fraseri Cinnamomum camphora, which were related to the microstructure feature of the leaf. These species also showed seasonal variation in dust retention, with the highest in summer, followed by winter, autumn, and spring, respectively. The total suspended particle per unit leaf area was higher in the industrial site (80.54 g m