A major shift in my priorities over the past couple of weeks has left me little time for this blog, which I've come to view as a welcome diversion from some of the more stressful aspects of my life, and gardening, which has always been a life-affirming activity for me. That's a wordy way of saying that I've had less time and less material for this month's foliage follow-up post. With that disclaimer, I do have some images to share.
I have 5 varieties of
Abelia in my garden. There are 3 with particularly attractive foliage:
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| Abelia x grandiflora 'Confetti' |
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| Abelia x grandiflora 'Hopley's' |
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| Abelia x grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope' (recovering nicely from an earlier haircut) |
Do images of bad foliage belong in these posts? The
Duranta 'Gold Mound' and its relative,
'Burlesque,' darkened again this winter. Last year, its mottled appearance caused me to yank out some of these plants but, as I found that most regained their gold/chartreuse color as the days grew longer and the temperatures became warmer, I decided to be more patient this year. Still, I can't say that I'm happy with the seasonal foliage changes associated with this plant.
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| Duranta 'Burlesque' (I think) |
In contrast, I'm very pleased with the feathery foliage of
Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid.'
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| Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid' |
I recently picked up 3
Francoa, drawn mainly by the plant's ruffled foliage. It's too new to this garden to draw any conclusions about how well it will perform here.
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| Francoa sonchifolia 'Rogerson's Form' |
I love true Geraniums and
'Katherine Adele' is one of my favorites, due mainly to its attractive foliage. The flowers, when they appear, are a subtle accompaniment.
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| Geranium x oxomiaum 'Katherine Adele' |
I added 2 new Coleus to the shadier end of the bed vacated by my former Eucalyptus tree late last month.
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| Solenostemon scutellarioides 'Electric Lime Coleus' |
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| Solenostemon scutellarioides 'Mocha Mint Coleus' |
I'll close with a mix of foliage textures making an appearance on my slope.
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| Oenothera speciosa, Geranium incanum (a weed here) and Sedum (No ID) |
For links to more foliage photos, please go to Pam's
Digging blog.
I'm so glad you showed that duranta foliage as my new last year 'gold mound' also turned purple brown at the first sign of chill. Good to know it will grow back but now I'm thinking it needs to be a background plant instead of front and center for its foliage.
ReplyDeleteLove all your varieties of abelia and I'm a huge fan of coleus for the summer garden too.
Shirley, I'd hoped that last year's experience with the duranta foliage might be a fluke as I couldn't find any reference to the color change in on-line references to the plant. However, this year's experience pretty much confirms that this is a pattern. Unfortunately, most of my duranta are "front and center" so I guess some moves will be required next fall for me too.
DeleteEnjoyed both your foliage follow-up and bloomday posts. Hope you get a break from your hard times soon, or at least some quality time in your garden.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your good wishes, Loree. I'm hoping for more time in the garden soon.
DeleteI had to look up 'Katherine Adele', it reminds me of 'Samobor', one of my favorites! I have a bunch of Coleus rooted anw intered over inside, I need to find spots for them out in the garden, once it warms up a little more. I enjoyed this post, I've never planted Duranta, but you never know when your information about it will come in handy!
ReplyDeleteTrue geraniums seem to be in relatively short supply in my local nurseries, Alison, but I'll keep an eye out for 'Samobor' to add to my burgeoning collection - the foliage is similar to 'Katherine Adele' but the flower color is different.
DeleteI've grown 'Samobor' and loved it, but it didn't love my dryish garden so much when I moved houses. So I think I'm going to try 'Katherine Adele' if I can find it, in the hopes that it does a little better! Love that moody, dark foliage. :-)
ReplyDeleteI planted 'Katherine Adele' at our last house but couldn't find it anywhere when I decided in wanted it at the one. I eventually located it through an on-line resource, Geraniaceae.com. This Northern California grower exhibits at a garden show in SoCal but she doesn't usually offer this particular variety. I'm going to see if I can get 'Samobor' from her though.
DeleteMany of the variegated Abelias struggle here but I've had 'Confetti' for a few years. Unfortunately is doesn't look as good as yours but I'll take it. Oh my-to leave in a zone where Coleus are hardy-be still my heart. I spend a small fortune on them every spring and even though they go "poof" with the first hint of frost, they are worth every penny.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could brag that I over-winter Coleus here, Sue, but that would be dishonest. Yes, it might survive but it looks so ratty I end up pulling it and replanting in early spring. Our spring just starts a bit earlier than yours...
DeleteI have such euphorbia lust, and yours is stunning. I really like the combo of color and texture in the final photo too. Thanks for posting for Foliage Follow-Up even in the midst of all your other projects.
ReplyDeleteThanks for providing an opportunity to share the pictures, Pam. The 'Dean's Hybrid' has become my favorite euphorbia here. It remains to be seen how long-lived it is - a couple of plants bloomed triumphantly last year and then died out, while others persisted. However, those that died re-seeded. As for the Oenothera and Geranium incanum, they're really weeds here, albeit pretty ones.
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