Friday, April 16, 2010

Foliage Follow-Up, April, 2010

Mexican Feather Grass, Nasella tenuissim


We're going pretty green, here at Patchwork Garden, for April Foliage Follow-Up Day.


Artemisia, 'Powis Castle'

I like flowers, I really do.  But, for  reliable garden color and texture, you have to have foliage.


Candy Lily,  Pardancanda norissii

Flowers do add color...and texture.  But, it's fleeting.  One of my favorites is Daylily.  As the name says, it lasts one day.  The Candy Lily, above, does the same.  Pretty bloom, but it lasts just for the day.  The foliage, though, is there all the time....adding interest to the garden.


Blue Fescue

Foliage comes in all kinds of colors...blue(ish)...


Autumn Fern

...green, with a touch of rust, on new growth.


Castor Bean

Dark green is the most prevalent, here.

Maiden Grass,  Miscanthus senisis, variegata

But, throw in some variegation, and different textures, and you up the interest quotient.

Agave Lophantha

Palm Grass, Curculigo capitulata

Lamb's Ear, Stachys byzantina

Asparagus Fern

Sago Palm, Cycas revoluta


Rosemary


Green Santolina....there's a gray version, too.


Inland Sea Oats



A good example, is our new mixed container, in the newly remodeled front bed.
It's all foliage.  Well, the Diamond Frost Euphorbia does have a small flower.  But, the rest is mostly for the foliage. 

In the back is Icicles Helichrysum, center is variegated Plectranthus, sides are the Euphorbia, and front is variegated Oregano.  I need those lighter colors, against the dark green of the Japanese Boxwood hedge, that came with the house.  Maybe too much for one pot, but I'll deal with that later.

There is more foliage, all throughout the garden.  All of these plants are outside the fenced area.  Yes, out there with those pesky deer.  So far, so good.  They're all on the deer-resistant list.  But, deer don't read very well....so, it remains to be seen, if they'll leave it alone.

Elaeagnus, Elaeagnus pungens
You just can't beat Green.....


If you want to see more green, and other colors of foliage, go over and visit  Pam at Digging, for
Foliage Follow-up Day.


7 comments:

  1. What gorgeous foliage. I agree, I think foliage is needed not only to make the garden more interesting, but it also makes the flowers look better :-)

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  2. You have great texture amid all your green foliage. How does that blue fescue do for you, BTW? I haven't tried it but always wonder.

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  3. Lovely! I'm wondering too about the blue fescue. Did you have it last summer?

    About the anacacho orchid trees, deer resistant, mine aren't fenced. Native, nearly evergreen, a good understory tree but wants at least full morning sun. Mine are along the east-facing wall of the house so they get great sun until around 2pm. The trees want a place to put roots down, so more soil than a hilltop (ours are on a mounded berm which is a mix of rock-rubble and topsoil). They're fairly drought tolerant but need supplemental water if we go months in summer without rain. I have a soaker hose at the base for those times and my trees came through the last drought--and the freezes last winter--without damage.

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  4. The fescue is new. It set out there for about 10 days, before I planted it. One got knocked over, but not even tasted. I think it was knocked over by a deer...could've been a squirrel or something.
    It's been in the ground since a few days before Easter. So far, so good. Nothing in that bed has been tried. Not to say it won't be, at some time.

    Thanks, Kathleen, for the info on the Anacacho Orchid. I guess the fall is the best time to plant those.

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  5. I love all that green--very soothing. The mixed planter featuring green with just some white is a great contrast in textures.

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  6. You have some interesting foliage. I do like to have many different forms of foliage in my gardens to add some zing.

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  7. Great plant combinations in the container - I wouldn't have thought to use more than one variegated plant, but I love it! Also like the Palm Grass; I don't remember seeing it before. I'm adding it to my wish list:)

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~~Linda...