Foliage Follow-up - August 2017

Most of my posts probably scream "flower addict" but foliage is really the dominant feature of my garden.  That's clearest during the mid-to-late summer months when flowers retreat from view.

There are still a few flowers in the front garden but I think this photo shows the importance of foliage here.  The swaths of chartreuse color are provided by Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' and Duranta repens.  The red tones of Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' are echoed in Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum' and Coprosma 'Fireburst'.  Phormium 'Maori Queen' marries the chartreuse and red colors, helping to tie everything together.

The large clumps of red fountain grass are more visible in this photo.  The magenta seedpods of Cercis occidentalis and the red color of selected succulents on the front-facing slope pick up the red color of the grasses.

The Coprosma 'Fireburst' shown in this photo in front of Phormium 'Maori Queen' and Euphorbia characias 'Black Pearl' was added recently to replace a Grevillea 'Pink Midget' which found this area a bit too dry.  There are 2 other 'Fireburst' shrubs in the same bed already.

Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' provides more red/orange color in this section of the front garden closer to the south end of the house.  Abelia 'Kaleidoscope' contributes a softer version of the same warm tones elsewhere in the bed and there are more red echoes in the distance, provided by Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' and Pennisetum 'Fireworks'.  The Leucadendron also echoes the chartreuse of the large Duranta behind it.

There were a few individual foliage stand-outs elsewhere I want to highlight this month as well.

After nearly 4 years in this bed in the backyard, 2 of my Agave lophantha 'Quadicolor' have finally produced pups

I planted this Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light' in just the right spot near the front of the long border in the back garden.  I'm planning to move 2 others forward this fall so they can also shine.

Artemisia ludoviciana seedlings planted themselves in various areas of the garden.  Unsure as to what they were, I moved them to this area in the cutting garden.  They've become a bit tall for the space but their placement has been useful as I frequently include the foliage in floral arrangements as a filler.  I also like how the foliage captures the late afternoon sun.

Pam at Digging hosts Foliage Follow-up each month after Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.  To see her August foliage picks and those of other gardeners, click here.


All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

June Favorites: Looking at the Positives

If you read my last post, you know I was upset by the impact our start-of-summer heatwave had on my garden.  It's worse in some areas than others but it's hard to walk through the garden without fixating on dead and maimed plants.  Loree's monthly favorite plants post at danger garden forced me to take a closer look at what's looking good despite the impact of what I've been thinking of as the "heat apocalypse."  On the good side, most of the plants I installed in May and early June, including the 5 Xylosma congestum shrubs planted along the street, survived.  The dry garden doesn't even appear to have registered the event.  The backyard bed I featured in my May favorites post still shines and the garden beds alongside the front walk look good.

So here are a few of the plants that lightened my heart as I roamed my garden yesterday:

This Oscularia deltoides, planted in October 2012 from a 4-inch pot, seems to love growing along the stack-stoned wall at the bottom of the front slope.  The succulent foliage is attractive but the flowers, which blanket the plant when it blooms, are spectacular.  I plan to add cuttings of this plant elsewhere along the wall.

Phormium 'Maori Queen' makes the most of the late afternoon sun.  This Phormium handled the recent heat much better than the darker-leaved varieties in my garden, which generally look sad.  There are 6 'Maori Queen' in the front garden, none of which were damaged by Monday's 105F high temperature.

Sitting next to Phormium 'Maori Queen' is Correa 'Wyn's Wonder'.  It's not in bloom at the moment but its variegated foliage makes a refreshing splash in one of the beds that lines the front walkway.  Because it's done so well here, I've added 2 more of these plants to this bed, one of which replaced a group of Arctotis 'Pink Sugar'.  I love the latter plant too but it gets grubby looking in summer so I'm relegating those plants to areas with less traffic.

Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' is finally gaining size in the backyard border.  It's backed up here by Mexican feather grass (Stipa tenuissima) and a coral-flowered Russelia equisetiformis, which may be the only plant that actually seemed to get a boost from the intense heat earlier in the week.

The red tones of Aloe dorotheae (shown in close-up on the right) and Crassula pubescens ssp. radicans have brightened the succulent bed in the southeast side garden.  Unlike some of the agaves, the Aloes show no signs of sun scorch or the scars of edema.  I can't quite decide whether I like the yellow flowers of the Crassula but I've let them stay for now.

While I've lost a section of thyme in the from garden on the southwest side, the Thymus minus planted from flats last fall in the backyard has done a good job of filling in.  Blooms are appearing here and there too.

My thanks to Loree for nudging me out of my funk.  Visit her to find her favorite plant selections this month and links to posts on the same theme by other gardeners.

All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Foliage Follow-up - December 2014

This month's foliage follow-up post is a bit of a grab bag.  The plants I've selected to highlight have little in common but for the fact that they're all looking very good at the moment.  Some are new and some have been in place for awhile.

First up is Phormium 'Maori Queen.'  I added 3 of these to the new bed along the front walkway, created as a byproduct of the recent removal of the front lawn.  I looked for more to add on the other side of the walkway when it was finally ready for planting but I've yet to find more locally.

Phormium 'Maori Queen' looks especially good when backlit

Another variegated selection is Erysimum linifolium 'Variegatum.'  This plant and the others surrounding the backyard fountain have been in place going on 3 years now.  They looked scraggly in the heat of mid-summer and I'd planned to replace them all this fall but light pruning, the cooler weather, and rain seem to have snapped them back into shape.

Erysimum linifolium 'Variegatum' also makes the most of the light

I planted Melianthus major in early spring and it sat like a lump doing nothing until recently when it suddenly produced new growth.  It, too, may be responding favorably to the cooler weather and rain.  We're due for more rain today - in fact, we've already had some light rain this morning.

The hanging succulent basket by the front door I planted in late summer has begun to overflow as the individual plants grow larger, earning it the attention of passers-by.

Sedum 'Lemon Ball' is taking over, although the Kalanchoe and Senecio are holding their own

Despite receiving regular watering, the unidentified Kalanchoe has turned a delicious burgundy, mirroring the red stems of the variegated Portulacaria afra

Photo taken from above the basket showing some of the succulents almost buried behind the Sedum

But my very favorite succulent at the moment is Agave gentryi 'Jaws.'  I've seen photos of this plant elsewhere and thought it was attractive but I was unprepared for the effect it had when I saw it in person.  I scooped it up (carefully) and took it home after seeing it last week while on a shopping trip with friends.  It's currently situated in the front garden near my new Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder,' where its orange and red spines echo the Leucadendron's foliage color.  It's said to get 3-4 feet tall and 4-6 feet wide at maturity and to be suitable for placement in either sun or shade.  I hope the latter information is correct as it gets only partial sun where I've placed it, at least this time of year, but I'll keep a watch on it and move it if necessary.

Look at the size and color of those spines!  The leaf imprints are wonderful too.

The emerald green leaves show tinges of blue at the base

Pam at Digging hosts this monthly foliage follow-up.  You can find her foliage picks and links to other gardeners' selections here.


All material © 2012-2014 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party