sprig to twig

No matter what else is going on (or not) in the garden, we always have this.

Of course, during these bleak, rainy days, they stand more as dark sentinels, but I thought I would show them to you catching the morning light.

And I especially like this shot, taken that same morning.

Is this lichen or moss? I don’t know, but I sure do like the way it has encrusted the trunks of the Cleredendrum tree.

The heaths and heathers, I plant not for their blooming season, but for the way they color up in early spring. This one is called, appropriately, ‘Red Fred’.

Out back, in the “dry” berm, things did not go so well. The Opuntia has turned to mush. The main paddle under there may survive. It looks pretty good. I’m guessing I should hustle out there and cut off all the squishy parts. Any thoughts on that? I had feared that this would overtake the whole bed, so maybe this is not such a bad development.

The good news in that area is that the Agave neomexicana pulled through like a champ. Thanks go to Maurice Horn at Joy Creek Nursery for steering me to this one after failing with some others chosen with no help from an expert.

And thanks to Pam at Digging for creating a venue where we can all celebrate the true stars of our gardens, the foliage.

Every once in a while the big box stores put out some very cool plants. I love the way the little tufts of Armeria maritima ‘Nifty Thrifty’ show up against the dark mulch. You may not be able to tell from the picture, but the grassy leaves are variegated with yellow-green and white.

Spiky leaves of Acanthus spinosa are every bit as decorative as the flower spikes. An added plus: the deer leave these alone, munching, instead, on the smoother foliage of A. mollis.

A friend gave me two curry plants. This one sets off the peony foliage turning color and the dark Weigelia ‘Wine and Roses’ in the background. The other one is planted nearby and is a scraggly mess.

Pinus densiflora ‘Oculus Draconis’ has produced cones for the first time. It will thus be forgiven for failing to maintain the stripes on its needles.

That central paddle was all there was when I planted the Opuntia in the spring. At this rate it will take over the whole bed in no time. Something is nibbling on that paddle catching the sunlight. Any ideas? I have been unable to catch the culprit in the act.

I had begun to think this berm was where plants went to die, but everything put here last spring is going great guns. The Yucca ‘Bright Edge’ is even surrounded by babies. I just hope when winter comes it will be kind.

Astrolepis sinuata, also known as wavy cloak fern.

Glaucium flavum, or Horn poppy.

I am actually a day ahead of schedule for once, but if you share a passion for foliage, you will want to visit Pam tomorrow to see her photos. By going to the comments you will gain entry to many other proud foliage growers. Have fun!

I always have loved the architecture of Hebes, but my green thumb turned black whenever I tried to keep one looking good. Until, that is, I discovered ‘Quick Silver’. As you can see, it has very small leaves, and a sprawling, open habit. It started small, but has now spread to cover most of this gravel berm. Other plants grow through it here and there, and the gravel and river rocks are still visible between the branches.

As the buds swell (a few have burst), this unidentified aster is at its peak of perfection…a froth of green.

Seeing it from this angle, the delicacy of the foliage is more evident.

Persicaria ‘Red Dragon” spends the summer dressed in plummy shades of purple. Only now does it begin to earn its name.

Euphorbia ‘Persian Velvet’ is denser and, well, velvetier than wulfenii, and about half the size.

It also holds its shape year-round.

Lonicera nitida ‘Lemon Beauty’ is a common plant for a reason. Supremely hardy and fast growing, it also is easily propagated, giving me a shot at the repetition I was awed by in my last three posts.

Up close, the tiny striped leaves reveal the secret to the glowing effect it projects from a distance.

I like the color contrast of pairing it with Berberis thunbergii pupureum. Verging on the “small leaf syndrome” dreaded by Frances, I threw in some grasses, a dogwood and some other departures for textural interest.

Finally, Cryptomeria japonica ‘Sekkan Sugi’ stands alone. I have been toying with the idea of creating a bed around her, but hesitate to detract from the way she stands out against the dark background of cedars. The deer had a go at destroying our dear Sugi, so that explains the naked bottom section.

Foliage gets its due each month on the day after Bloom Day. Don’t go by me…I am a day late. This was Pam’s brainstorm, and you can see more by clicking here. Scroll down to her Sept. 16 post, and you will find treasure. Go to the comments on that post to find even more.

Who says we need flowers to create interesting tableaux in the garden? Acaena inermis ‘purpurea’ keeps its color longer than any blossom. Here we see it weaving through Euphorbia ‘Tasmanian Tiger’, which holds its own with green and white variegated foliage.

When we choose Rhododendrons, it is primarily for their leaves. The newest addition R sinagrande has the largest of the lot.

A number of unnamed Rhodys dot the woodland. These have medium-sized leaves, and simulate those found growing wild around the base of Mt Hood.

The smallest leaves in our Rhody collection are on R oreotrephes. The shrub is also smallish, and puts out a smattering of pale lavender blooms from time to time all summer long.

Pieris ‘Fire n Ice’ sends forth new growth to equal any flower in shades of pink, fading to pale yellow-green and then developing into deeper green edged in white. Sometimes all of these phenomena can be seen on the plant at once.

I wrote down the name of this plant, but, alas, I can’t find my notes. Anyway, it is a member of the tomato family.

And here’s another view. The surface of the leaf is almost velvety, punctuated by lethal looking bright orange thorns.

Speaking of thorns, here’s another prickly character. I picked this up at Janet’s sale in the spring, and it was just the one lobe in the middle. At this rate, it will take over the entire berm in no time.

Sharing that berm is this Yucca ‘Bright Edge’, with sedums and Oryostachys blending in with the gravel at its feet.

Pam, at Digging has created the venue for leafy dreams. Hop on over to see.

For many of us, flowers are a mere afterthought, allbeit a pleasant enough bonus for all our hard work. When the weather turns hot, the pleasantest place in this garden is the woodland. Its very greenness creates an atmosphere of coolness and shelter from the sun, while sacrificing nothing in the way of variety and pattern.

Case in point: the spike moss surrounded by the chevron-decorated leaves of persicaria and filigreed ferns.

This is one of my favorite ferns, but so sorry, it must remain unidentified. Promise to self: keep better track of plant names in future.

This Hypericum ‘Brigadoon’ showed up yesterday for its blossom, but is prized more for the way it covers ground with acid green-to-golden foliage.

I rarely come across a new sedum without adopting it. This pale one is stuggling, because it has been moved several times seeking just the right spot, and now Sammy the cat has taken to napping right on top of it. Sedums are tough customers, so I am betting on its survival against all odds.

Same bed, different sedum…so why does Sammy leave this one alone? She won’t tell.

Back to the woodland with a cool drink and a good book. Isn’t summer grand?

The little plugs of moss purchased from Home Depot are beginning to have “presence” as they spread to form plush cushions.

Let’s talk soon about record keeping. I failed to make note of this Oxalis, but isn’t it a delight? Here’s an update. I just returned from the HPSO sale, where most questions can be answered. It is O adenophylla, and my advise to you, if you like it, is to order bulbs. You will receive 10 or so bulbs for about the cost of one little plant in a 4″ container.

Another plant traveling incognito, this sedum looks its best right now. I will pinch it back about the end of May to keep it like this for as long as possible. It keeps insisting on producing insipid flowers, the silly thing.

In the constant search for viable ground covers, I was so pleased with this Acaena inermis ‘Purpurea’ that I promptly purchased three more, which just as promptly up and died. This first one is happy and spreading nicely, so I guess it’s worth another try.

Color and texture provided by Sambucus negra ‘Eva’ casting her shadow across a carpet of Creeping Jenny and Hydrangea quercifolia just leafing out.

More new leaves here. Hamamelis intermedia ‘Diane’ in the foreground, joining the remains of her recent flowering (surely someone can tell me the proper terminology-Jo?), looking very like tiny flowers themselves. Close to the ground, the deeply pleated leaves of Allium karativiense ‘Ivory Queen’ cradle the beginnings of future flowers. Like all babies, they are as cute as they will ever be.

The peony foliage has come a long way since last month. Pretty soon the flowers will upstage it, but right now it is the star.

Pam, over at Digging will show you a whole different palette of foliage in her Texas garden, and provide links to a world of foliar fun.

Who could fail to love the great, blowsy tissue-paper pompoms of peonies? Don’t let them blind you to the charms of the peony foliage. Here is a tree peony with the leaves still newborn pink, only the first in a parade of personae it will trot out over the seasons. The herbaceous peonies, meanwhile, are sending up brilliant deep red shoots all over the garden.

Euphorbia ‘Excaliber’ will start looking like all the other Euphorbias eventually, but right now the emerging striped foliage on red stems displays the freshness of an enginue in the midst of the fuzzy little lambs’ ears.

Hard to find any flowers to equal the blazing red new foliage on that old standby, the Photinia. These things grow like weeds in our neck of the woods, but that is no reason to take them for granted, or, worse, to look down our noses. Our local guru, Sean Hogan of Cistus even gave them the nod when I heard him speak at YGPS.

Aren’t these candles on ‘Thunderhead’ just the loveliest? And they are harbingers of a new year’s growth, besides.

Along the same lines, the chartreuse tips on last year’s Christmas tree announce its vigor. It made it into the ground yesterday, adding to my fantasy of an evergreen tapestry of plants leading to our house.

Please visit Pam at Digging to find links to other foliar treats.