In keeping with the approach I took with
my Bloom Day post this month, I thought I'd show some of my foliage choices in their planting context rather than sticking with individual plant close-ups as I've generally done in the past.
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| Aeonium with Ceanothus (no ID on either) |
The
Aeonium was given to me by a friend after we moved into our current house 2+ years ago. I just stick it in the ground and it takes off. It reproduces in a blink, which has allowed me to spread it around. I think it looks particularly good here in partial shade combined with a
Ceanothus hedge I inherited with the property.
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| Albizia julibrissin (Mimosa), newly leafed out in the back garden |
I have a love/hate relationship with this Mimosa tree (
Albizia julibrissin). It has a beautiful shape. It provides partial shade to the patio in the summer. In leaf, it's graceful. The flowers, which will be along in a month or so, are lovely - for a nanosecond. Almost as soon as it flowers, it starts dropping unattractive clumps of dried flowers and leaves, followed by an endless supply of seedpods. Tiny
Albizia seedlings sprout all over the garden - I expect I'd have a forest of
Albizia if I wasn't vigilant about pulling them out. As perspective, here's a picture of the same tree just 5 weeks ago, when it was covered only in dry seedpods:
Elsewhere in the garden, most of the plants are better about behaving themselves:
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| Artemisia 'Powis Castle' and an artichoke create a place for the eye to rest in my dry garden |
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| A coleus (Solenostemon scuttellaroides 'Mocha Mint') mixes comfortably with Campanula, not yet in bloom, along a pathway |
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| An Eucomis, grown from a bulb and not yet in flower, adds height to a pot with mixed ferns and a pink Calibrachoa |
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| The same ferns in a matching pot on the other side of the front door, grow with an Irisine (no record of variety) and a yellow Calibrachoa |
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| Loropetalum chinense almost overrun by Helichrysum petiolare - I'll have to reduce the number of Helichrysum in this bed to give the Loropetalum proper growing space |
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| Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tristar' with Dryopteris erythrosora (aka Autumn Fern) outside the living room window |
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| Pot of succulents put together as a birthday present for a good friend |
For good measure, here are some additional photos of foliage that's looking particularly good in my garden right now:
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| Abelia x grandiflora 'Hopley's', still small but holding its own after 1 year in my dry garden |
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| Abelia x grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope' in its 2nd year in my back border |
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| A mature Agave attenuata, inherited with the property, has presence in my side yard |
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| Ajuga 'Mahogany', a low-growing groundcover, is spreading well along the edges of my front border |
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| Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' (I think), returning after a winter buzz cut |
And can anyone tell me what this is? It planted itself along a wall in the lower front portion of my garden. I like the foliage but it looks as though it may take over that entire section.
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| Mystery shrub |
As always, my thanks to Pam at Digging for hosting Foliage Follow-up. Check out
Pam's site for foliage photos posted by other gardeners.
