Favorite Foliage Affiliations

Pam of Digging hosts a monthly discussion of foliage to emphasize its importance to the overall appeal of our gardens and as a counterpoint to what is sometimes an excessive emphasis on a garden's floral elements.  This month I thought I'd focus on a few of my favorite foliage combinations.

Some of these combinations came with the house, most notably the selection of the now mature trees that frame our backyard view.  What's interesting about the following 2 pictures is that both feature pairs of the same tree; however, there heights are staggered.  Did the gardener who planted them place them at different times or start with trees of different size, or did they simply grown at different rates?  I don't know the answer but it adds another dimension to the view.

Agonis flexuosa (aka peppermint willow) trees overlooking the harbor

2 Arbutus 'Marina' that partially screen a neighbor's home on the northwest side of the house

I also inherited the mature Calliandra haematocephala that stands roughly in the middle of a bed that runs along our living and dining room windows but the rest of the plants there, all grown mainly for their foliage, are my own additions.

Calliandra haematocephala, grown mainly for its foliage, also screens the exterior view of the TV placed along the windows in the living room

Looking southeast, this narrow border includes Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior,' Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star,' Arthropodium cirratum, Ageratum corymbosum, Persicaria 'Red Dragon,' and the afore-mentioned Calliandra

This plant and 2 others were labeled as Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star'

However, this one, which appears to be the same plant, was labeled as Strobilanthes purpurea but, as best I've been able to determine, that's an erroneous classification

This section of the same bed, looking from the other direction toward the Calliandra, includes Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' (in a pot), Plectranthus zuluensis, Liriope muscari, and another Arthropodium cirratum

I included a number of foliage plants in the border created in the southeast side yard last fall as well.  The 2 plants with the most impact are Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' and Phormium 'Amazing Red.'  There are 3 of each here.

View of the southeast side border looking toward the patio

View of the same border looking in the direction of the street - the reddish burgundy of Phormium 'Amazing Red' echos the foliage color of Coprosma 'Plum Hussey' and the trunk of the Arbutus 'Marina' in the background

A few of my other foliage combinations are still works in progress.

I like how the red stems and new growth of Leucandendron salignum 'Chief' in the dry garden picks up the red tips of the Leucadendron 'Ebony' in front of it and the foliage color of Coprosma 'Plum Hussey' behind it but the overall area is a mish-mash and needs both a clean-up and some reorganization to reach its potential

I like the bright green of the Pelargonium tomentosum with the green-flecked mostly red foliage of the Coprosma 'Plum Hussey' here but one of the 3 Coprosma is seriously stunted and I can't make up my mind how I feel about the mass of grey Helichrysum petiolare behind the Coprosma

Combinations in pots are much easier to control.  I'm pleased by all of my summer-time foliage compositions.

3 varieties of coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) 

Pennisetum 'Puple Majesty' paired with lime green Alternanthera

Larger view of the same combination

Coleus 'Chocolate Splash' paired with Dichondra 'Emerald Falls'

For more foliage highlights, please visit Pam at Digging.

Foliage Follow-up: February Focus on Phormium

Okay, I couldn't stop myself with the title of this post - I like alliteration.  However, the Phormium in my garden do deserve attention.  I seem to accumulate more each year we live here.  They do well in my USDA zone 10b (Sunset zone 23/24).  Many are drought tolerant, which is helpful when rain is in short supply and the state of California has declared a drought emergency.  They're also relatively easy to care for and they come in a range of sizes and colors.  I fully expect that more Phormium will enter my garden this year when I plant the new border area (assuming we ever finish digging the lawn out).

So here are the stand-outs in my garden:

2 Phormium 'Amazing Red' went into the side yard border last year - it grows just 2 feet tall and wide

I have no record of the name of this Phormium I planted in the front border shortly after we moved in - my best guess is that it's P. tenax 'Atropurpureum Compactum,' which grows 5 feet tall and wide

Several smaller Phormium 'Chocolate Baby' are also planted in the front border - they grow 2-3 feet tall and wide

I added 3 Phormium 'Dark Delight' to the backyard border last year - they grow 3-4 feet tall and 3-5 feet wide

Phormium 'Tiny Tiger' is indeed small - it grows just 1 foot tall and wide

Phormium tenax 'Yellow Wave' sits in the dry garden - it grows 3-4 feet tall and wide

These lovely Phormium are my contribution this month to the meme sponsored by Pam of the fabulous Digging blog.  Please visit Digging to view her foliage choices and connect to other gardeners' selections.

Fall Planting Season

Although spring arrives early in southern California, fall usually arrives late.  For that reason, I didn't plan to start my fall planting until mid-October at earliest but, once again, I couldn't stop myself.  My husband and I began working on the side yard mid-summer, tearing out the beat-up lawn and adding a major extension to the existing flagstone walkway.  I posted about the planting I did around the walkway earlier this month.  This weekend, when cooler temperatures returned following a heat wave, my itch to begin planting the large open space in the side yard returned.

Side yard area after lawn was removed and new top soil was added

So, I went shopping.  I focused on finding the largest plants in my scheme.  I'd plotted a prospective plan for the side yard earlier but I knew that, once I had the plants on hand, I would probably make adjustments.  I figured that putting the largest plants in place would help me flesh out my other plant choices.  Here's what I got:

• 3 Agonis flexuosa 'Nana'
• 3 Coprosma 'Plum Hussey'
• 2 Phormium 'Amazing Red'
• 3 Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum'

I also picked up a few small plants to provide some fall/winter color and moved quite a few plants in the adjacent border.  There's still a lot of open space to fill but it's a start.

View from backyard lawn

View looking toward patio

View from inside the house

Believe it or not, the chair cushions provided the jumping off point for the plant choices.  The new growth on Agonis flexuosa 'Nana'  is a red/orange color.  The color of the stems also picks up on the bark of the Arbutus 'Marina' on the other side of the open area.

Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' (aka Dwarf Peppermint Tree)

I wanted a dark-toned Phormium to complement the Agonis.  After passing on P. 'Dark Delight' and P. 'Pratt's Black,' I ended up with Phormium 'Amazing Red.'

Phormium 'Amazing Red'

This appears to be shorter than the varieties I'd originally considered, although internet sources are divided on its size with estimates ranging from 2 feet to as tall as 4-6 feet.  However, operating on the assumption that it'll stay fairly short, I moved the positions of the 2 I bought from the placements I'd originally planned.

I wanted to add more Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey' to connect the space with the nearby bed created after the removal of our large Eucalyptus tree.  The red tones in this plant play nicely with the Phormium and the Agonis but I need to add a deep green groundcover of some kind to highlight the variegation in the plants - that's still to come.

Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey'

For fall color, I added a Cuphea melvillea 'Candy Corn,' which mirrors the colors in my patio pillows.  It gets only 2 feet tall by 1.5 feet wide so I may get more.

Cuphea melvillea 'Candy Corn'

For additional color, I put in an orange Anigozanthos (aka Kangaroo Paws) and 3 Ursinia anthemoides 'Solar Flare,' which I'd previously admired.  According to Annie's Annuals & Perennials, the latter plant should bloom soon after planting.

Anigozanthos (no ID as to variety)

Ursinia anthemoides 'Solar Fire,' a self-seeding annual, which reportedly can be grown year-round in zone 10, and which produces orange/gold flowers with a burgundy ring

I pulled 3 annual Pennisetum glaucum 'Purple Baron,' out of the back border, where their red-toned color had clashed with surrounding plants, and popped them into a large pot, which now anchors an empty area of the new bed.

Pennisetum glaucum 'Purple Baron,' an ornamental millet

One side of the new area is now partially filled but the other side is still relatively empty as I reconsider some of my original choices.  I did add 3 Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' from 1-gallon pots, as well as a 6-pack of Echinacea 'Magnus;' however, it's going to be a while before those plants gain a real presence in the garden.

Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' and Echinacea 'Magnus'

More choices need to be made.  I'm ordering some daylilies for a few spots.  I also need to add more flagstone to provide a pathway across the new space.  Ideally, I'd like to add a decorative element like a sundial or a peace pole in the middle but I may have to put that on my Christmas list.

I feel that I've made a good (if early) start.  I predict that there are many more visits to the local nurseries in my immediate future as I chip away at bare earth.  Fall is the best time to plant in this area of the country and I intend to take advantage of it.  The days are still warm, the nights are cool but never really cold, and rain is, hopefully, on the horizon.