sprig to twig

And even at Joy Creek, where the explosion of blooms is darn near overwhelming. You can point a camera in some directions and be greeted by a tapestry of greens like those surrounding this pathway.

Or you can train your sights on a single leaf like this Arisaema urashima, shading its dark, hooded cobra-like flower.

The mayapple, Podophyllum pleauthum uses its giant keaves to shield the blossoms so well that you have to get down and look under to see them.

Still at Joy Creek, I was attracted to these mounds of foliage, but could find no marker. So, all you Sherlocks out there: any ideas? This just in: Peter steered me to Acanthus balcanicus, which I think is the right answer.

Another puzzlement arose at the Rhododendron garden, where the sign read edgeworthia ‘Bodnant’, but these handsome crinkly leaves bore all the earmarks of a Rhody, including lovely, thick endumentum. I think they must have neglected to start the label with “R.”. Peter to the rescue yet again: it is indeed R. edgeworthia ‘Bodnant’.

The combination of ferns and hostas worked perfectly in a woodland setting with filtered light.

I saved out some of my favorite foliage shots from other posts to feature in Foliage Follow up, hosted, as always, by the incomparable Pam Pennick at Digging. You won’t go wrong by heading over there to see and be directed to more fab foliage.

This is when the new tips frost the evergreens. This is Juniperus communis ‘Gold Cone’ up close

Here it is again, with several different ground covers picking up the bright chartreuse. Off to the right is some wine colored foliage for contrast.

Speaking of winey foliage…the emerging leaves of this Heuchera are shiny and fresh.

In that same bed, where Heucheras thrive, ‘Marmalade’ adds its peachy tones…

and ferns continue to multiply.

More shiny new leaves, this time Acanthus mollis in the woodland shade.

With the breezes blowing the new growth on the Photinia, it’s like watching flames dancing.

This tulip is a gift from Linda and I can’t tell you its name, but I love the spiraling shape of the leaves.

I like the way these two sedums cozy up to each other, with Hebe ‘Quicksilver’ reaching in to give them a little pat.

Pushing up through the woodland duff, Rodgersia aesculifolia will eventually reach giant proportions as it goes dark green.

At long last, Rodgersia ‘Bronze Peacock’ is starting to put in an appearance and I can quit worrying about it. Not so, I fear, for ‘Night Heron’, which seems to be a goner.

I have a hard time keeping the heathers straight, but I think this one might be ‘Red Fred’, judging by the red of the new tips…much more pleasing to me than later flowering. Nature has a way of soothing the pains brought on by ugly acts of humans. Pam has said it better than I can, so visit her for her words of wisdom as well as her healing Foliage Follow-up…and let’s focus on the wonderful folks who sprang into action to help the afflicted in Boston.

Pam is well know in blogging circles for her blog, Digging, and for hosting the monthly meme, Foliage Follow-Up, where the non-flowers in our gardens are given their just due. The idea of turning the American obsession with grass into an earth-friendlier approach has been gathering steam for some time. Here we have a practical guide to the whys and hows of the grassless revolution.

Many of Pam’s followers have already sung the praises of the book’s fine photography, supporting the ideas for alternatives to traditional lawns. They note that the book breaks down the planning and execution of lawn replacement into easily identifiable choices and steps. I second all that. Where I diverge, and feel that I have something to add to the conversation, is this: Pam is a wordsmith. She is highly readable. Scattered throughout the text are gems like this:

‘Devil’s Shoestring’ (Nolina lindenhameriana) puddles on the ground like a shrugged-off party dress.

So by all means, read this book for the useful information it contains, but do not fail to revel in the language. It will deliver every bit as much literary satisfaction as the novel on your bedstand.

I’m impressed how so many of you can keep up your blogging and commenting even with spring springing and garden chores beckoning. I’ve been overwhelmed, with two gardens to clean up, spruce up and prune into shape. Sooo…I’m rolling blooms and foliage into one post, and if I have failed to comment on your recent posts, please know that I love you still and will be back in the saddle as soon as the rains return.

Out here at the R&R Ranch, it’s slim pickins in the bloom department. The Hamamelis with the split personality is having its ‘Diane’ moment. Earlier (sometime in January) that middle tall part bloomed yellow. The plant I purchased was meant to be ‘Diane’ so your guess is as good as mine about what’s going on here.

‘Diane’ was ready for her close-up, with the sun catching her against a background in shadow. The only other things blooming here are snowdrops and slug-tattered primroses.

In town, we are getting ready for new tenants to take over. They say they will maintain the garden, but we have heard that song before. At any rate, it seems only fair to get them off to a good start. The garden here has a southern exposure, is surrounded by concrete and gets reflected light from the house. The Bergenias are in full flower,

With those around the corner, in the shade, fattening up their buds, ready to star in the second act..

I can’t recall having planted this low-growing charmer (i know…I sound like I’m testifying before congress) . Anyone know what it is? This just in from The Mulchmaid: the plant in question is Lesser celadine, and is on the invasive species list. Jane included a link to Kim Pokorny telling us all about it. Sorry, Linda…I guess I won’t be passing this one along.

I’ve never been big on crocuses (they seem to bloom for about five seconds, tops), but these cheerful little fellows emerging through the duff make their case pretty convincingly.

Since Bloom Day fell the day after St Valentines Day, I think it only fair to include this mixed bouquet from my Valentine. Some of these flowers will go out early in a blaze of glory and the nature of the arrangement will morph over time…just as relationships do.

And now for the Foliage Follow-up. Melianthus Major was one of the first plants I ever spent serious money on (well, $20 seemed like a lot at the time). It was my first (and, so far, only) visit to Gossler Farms in Springfield OR. The plant was in a one gallon pot, with three or four leaves…but what leaves! They were a very pale green with a bluish cast and deep serrations. Lightly brushing the leaves produced the scent of peanut butter. It was love at first sight.

Backing up a bit here, you can see that my one little plant has colonized an entire area (it goes on some ways beyond the left of the picture frame, but I wanted to include the bright red dogwood twigs encroaching from the right). I have tried several times to divide and move it to our current digs, but it will have none of it. I will keep trying, because this is one of my all-time favorite plants. In the meantime, I hope our new tenants give it the love and attention it deserves.

You could do worse than to shower your love and attention upon May Dreams Gardens for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day and Digging for Foliage Follow-up.

This area outside the nearest New Seasons market is usually ablaze with blossoms, as you can tell by the banner above. With the cold snap, all of the flowers have been moved inside, replaced by the hardier stuff of foliage plants and bundles of colorful twigs.

Hanging baskets feature grasses and Heucheras, a look that is much more appealing to me than summer’s petunias and such.

With the exception of a few Hellebores at the far end of this display, we look to foliage here to satisfy the desire for something to bring home to brighten our days.

Step inside to see a display of succulents, cacti and air plants.

I can never walk by a collection like this without making a purchase…and at $1.99 each, why not? R looked at my choice of plant and expressed the opinion that it looks just like all the others I have at home. You, dear reader, know different, right? The more we look, the more we see. If you find yourself wanting to see more foliage fabulousness, go directly to Digging to see what Pam has in store for you this month for Foliage Followup.

A very few things, like this Oxydendrum arboreum still cling to a few leaves as they flame out in a blaze of glory.

Here the skeletal remains of Phlomus russeliana flower stalks provide the perfect foil for the glowing foliage of the blueberry bushes.

Cold weather brings a blush to always decorative Euonymous ‘Emerald N Gold’.

Unlike the more common Lambs’ Ears, Stachys ‘Helen Von Stein’ holds up pretty well through the winter months.

See what I mean? Here’s Helen’s cousin, S. byzantium, looking a bit under the weather.

Our little grove of giant sequoias is growing up and beginning to fill its role of winter interest.

Another winter charmer is Chamaecyparis ‘Barry’s Silver’, especially when it is spangled with raindrops.

As leaves fall, it becomes easier to notice details like the lichen covering an old fence, here surrounded by the low-growing native salaal.

Or the moss taking up residence in a weathered fencepost. Our neighbor, who likes everything neat and tidy, wanted to replace all of these posts with those bright orange, pressure-treated 4×4 numbers, but we convinced him to spare a few of these. Like some of us, it has taken years for these cedar sentinels to develop this much character.

Every month, you can count on Pam at Digging to provide a portal to other collections of foliar delights.

When I brought in the tender plants, the Elephant Ears, Kalanchloe behariensis surprised me. I bought it as a tiny thing several years ago. It had been sharing a pot with several other things that had begun to straggle. When I cut back its scruffy pot mates and took off the few lower leaves that were less than happy…Voila!

The texture of the huge leaves reminds me of a mohair couch my gram had years ago. It’s impossible to pass by it without caressing them. I hope they can stand up to all this love. I wish I had the photographic skill of some of you so you could see how remarkable this plant truly is. I think it deserves a name…any ideas?

Pop on over to Digging and let Pam introduce you to others with a passion for foliage with Foliage Follow-up. It happens on the 16th of every month, the day after Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

Here’s what my ‘Thunderhead’ pine looks like today, backed by Cotinus ‘Purple Robe’. Back in January, I wrote of the damage it suffered in the winter storm here. There are two of these at Joy Creek Nursery. One has been allowed to grow up, while the other sprawls like mine. I was in a quandary, because I liked the sprawling habit, but hated to sacrifice the “candles” (it is by breaking them off that one forces it to sprawl). Then Mom Nature stepped in and did what I could not.

Here’s a closer look.

And closer still, showing a tip that I have “candled”, meaning I pinched out the growing tip.

And another where the candle has been left intact. It will grow longer and more dramatic before it bursts into a fresh new group of needles. I have decided that the best of both worlds is possible by leaving just a few to follow nature’s edict while imposing my will on the rest.

Now here’s a puzzle that I’m hoping you foliage fanatics can help solve. See the yellow leaves above and the reddish ones below? Those are all on the same tree. Last year, when Hamemelis intermedia ‘Diane’ bloomed, it only did so on the lower branches. I assumed that they were simply more mature and the upper branches would eventually catch up. Now it is obvious that this tree has a split personality.

The top part is blooming now, with these yellow flowers. I would embrace them if they were fragrant, but they are not. Any ideas? ‘Diane’ is the tree I want. Do you think if I cut out all of the new growth she might recover her dominance? I see no sign of a graft on the trunk.

One last thing, before I send you over to Pam’s for Foliage Follow-up. I’ve been showing you the wonderful cones that form on Abies koreana ‘Horstmann’s Silberlocke’. This is what’s left of them after the seeds formed and fell away from that central post. If you have any interest in trying to grow one of these from seed, send me your contact info and I will pop a few into the mail.

We continue to have warm, sunny days, but the nights are getting cooler, the days shorter: perfect combination for encouraging fall color. Hydrangea quercifolia is a harbinger of things to come.

The leaves of Acanthus spinosa are starting to give the flower spikes some competition in the drama department.

The Katsura by R’s studio is starting to get that shimmery look as the leaves begin to turn and flutter with the slightest breeze.

If it was beginning to look like I might have a theme for this post, here’s where that gets thrown out the window. This shot was taken in Scott’s garden of his ‘Tiger Eye’. Isn’t it grand?

Castor Bean plants are born sporting colors associated with fall, but it just ups the ante once it starts producing those spiky bronze seed pods.

Phlomus russeliana has gone through its gangly adolescence, and with a little bit of grooming has become a handsome elder statesman. Those spikes of seed heads will hang on until spring.

Here’s an odd one: the deciduous Metasequoia, or ‘Dinosaur Tree. The leaves/needles are light green and feathery until they change color and fall.

I picked this up at Joy Creek when Susan La Tourette did a seminar on ‘Plant Personalities’. It’s Chamaecyparis p. ‘Filifera Aurea’. I’m still moving it around in its pot to see where it wants to live. If you ever get a chance to hear Susan, DO! She brings the plants to vivid life, as she gently strokes them and sings their praises.

I warned you about my scattershot approach to this post. We went to a wedding reception at Overlook House. Because we were running late, I didn’t get a close-up of that amazing yard, but this way you get to see the graphics painted on the intersection. Other foliage nuts strut their stuff at Digging. Have fun!

Perhaps it’s just too easy. Pieris, also known as Andromeda or Lily-of-the Valley shrub, likes our climate, and so we see it everywhere. The old “familiarity breeds contempt” cliché kicks in and grumblings can be heard expressing distaste for a versatile shrub that manages to look good year-round with little to no coddling.

The yellow leaved variety has new growth that ranges from pinkish to almost white, and is a nice alternative to the lovely but only marginally hardy Choisia ‘Sun Dance’.

I’m still on the lookout for one with this pink new growth, which matures to a pleasant medium yellow-green.

Here’s one with deeper pink new growth. Unlike shrubs that sport flowers this impressive, the leaves simply turn slowly greener, rather than withering, dropping and creating a big mess.

The new growth on variegated varieties can be especially interesting.

‘Winter Fire’ is the only one I can name for you. Sorry for the lack of scholarly research, but late April, early May would be the time to go shopping to see what the colors will be.

I quite like the linear effect of buds forming.

I find them least attractive in full bloom: faintly reminiscent of a high school prank.

At Joy Creek they prune their Pieris to show off even the flowers to best advantage.

Unlike some pruners, who spare themselves flowering, but at what cost?

In fact, if you want to see Pieris at their best, Joy Creek in the spring has a number of different varieties in their display gardens.

The other thing I noticed when driving around working for the US Census was that Pieris has found its way into foundation plantings along with more interesting conifers than had been the norm. Since we started gardening on a large property it has become less important for every tree or shrub to be a conversation piece. Sometimes something that can hold its own against the elements, make few demands upon the exhausted gardeners and look better than merely presentable through all the seasons is just the ticket. More leaf lovers’ talk over at Digging.

So…now that I’ve made my case for this much-maligned shrub, what do you think? Have I changed your mind? Did you like them already? Can you imagine one taking up residence at your place?