Friday, March 16, 2012

Foliage Follow-Up...March 2012

Today, we join Pam at Digging, for
Foliage Follow-Up.

If you've visited here before, you know that foliage is my favorite.
Don't get me wrong...I LOVE flowers.
But, they're like the whipped cream on the hot fudge sundae.....
delicious, but the REAL part is the ice cream and fudge.

That container above, of Dusty Miller has been going strong for about a year.
Love it.  The neighbors stop to look at it.
Deer don't ever touch it.
It's a keeper.


Another keeper is Liriope.  I don't think I could garden without it.

And, it's cousin Aztec Grass.  These get hit a bit harder with cold, but still a great performer.
They're both inside the fence.  Deer like them.

This Silver Ponyfoot is filling out.  Also inside the fence.
It's supposed to be 'deer resistant'.  But, they ate all of it out of the container ON the front porch,
right by the front door.  Don't believe all the 'deer resistant' claims...especially in this neighborhood.

This Candy Lily has been left alone by deer.  But, it's moving to the fenced yard.
That's where it did the best here.  So, it's coming full circle, and back where it started.

The Cannas are peaking out.  Remember this striped leaf one?  It had that glorious orange/yellow bloom.


This burgundy leafed one didn't bloom last summer.  It's supposed to be red.
The yellow ones and the coral and rose ones are peaking up, too.


Chrysanthemum pacifica has unremarkable blooms.  But, the foliage is really nice.

In the new Driveway Bed, is almost all foliage.
Mexican Feathergrass, Yucca, Agave, Artemisia...it's looking good.

The same goes for the Island Bed.  A few blooms on an Autumn sage adds a bit more color.
But, the stars are the foliage.

The Front Bed has all foliage.  There was a place on the outside where an old tree had been cut down, and the little bit of stump tripped me every time I walked by.  We just couldn't get it down low enough.
What's a girl to do?  Bump the bed out more, that's what.
More room for plants....Rosemary and more Mexican Feathergrass.
I may end up with a FOREST of Mexican Feathergrass...love that stuff.
Would it be a forest?...hmmm....

This little mossy succulent hangs in there year after year.  I got a tiny piece from a friend years ago,
and brought it to this new garden, when we moved.  I can't remember the name.
Anyone know?

The Feverfew are putting on new growth.  They've been hanging on for a couple years, now.
No blooms, though.  I moved one over to the sunny side of the yard.  Maybe it'll bloom this year.

The Inland Sea Oats are leafing out.  They didn't get cut back like they should have.  So now, I'll have to do it more carefully.  I was told they would reseed a lot.  There are maybe three new plants.
I'm hoping it'll do better this year.  It's supposed to fill the space where it is.
There are three original ones.


Purple Heart is one of those reliable foliage plants.
They really add some color to all those shades of green.


I planted this cabbage in a flowerbed.  It makes a nice foliage plant.  I don't think we'll get a head of cabbage from it.  The weather is warming up too fast.  But, the leaves look nice.

I'll leave you with another vegetable that makes a good foliage plant.
Swiss Chard 'Bright Lights'.

The leaves are a rich, dark green....but, look at those neon bright stems.
Beautiful....and, delicious.

There are more foliage plants around here.  Foliage comes in all colors, and shapes, and textures.
I just love foliage.

Don't forget to head over to Pam's for more great foliage.

Happy Gardening...
~~Linda~~

16 comments:

  1. Everything looks great, Linda. Where did you find your candy lily?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh....I've had that candy lily a long time. I bought a small one at a local nursery when we lived up in the Dallas area. Then, brought it with us when we moved.
      I'm not sure where you are. But, You might try one of the local nurseries in Austin.

      Delete
  2. Beautiful. Love your dusty miller in that pot. So pretty. Your garden and beds look great:) Have a nice weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. The Dusty Miller has been quite a hit around here. Our neighbor's daughter is thinking of using it in her wedding. That is a current trend, so I can't take that much credit... :)

      Delete
  3. Your lirope is so shinny and bright green, I thought it was an agapanthus at first. I think your little mossy succulent is a sedum of some kind, maybe sedum anglicum.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you're right. I think I've heard it called the sedum anglicum.
      Thanks for reminding me.

      Delete
  4. You've done a good job with your gardens, especially with the variety of foliage, given your deer. Nice photos, all around.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. Gardening with deer is quite a challenge. I'm too hard headed to give up, though.

      Delete
  5. What will you do with the Swiss Chard that you harvested? I grew some this year for the first time and I'm looking for some ideas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I cook chard like fresh spinach. Saute it with some olive oil or even bacon grease, and a little liquid/water. Maybe throw some chopped onion in. It's good.
      That whole basketfull cooked down to a couple large servings.

      Delete
  6. Interesting Aztec grass... I don't think I've ever seen them before. Are they hard to grow?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aztec grass is a bit like liriope. It's very easy to grow, but a bit more cold tender than liriope.
      We had a hard winter last year, and the Aztec grass popped back in the spring. I thought it was gone.
      I love the variegated leaves.

      Delete
  7. Your driveway beds are looking good.

    I like the Dusty Miller in the pot too, good to hear the deer stay away from it there too.

    My Inland Sea Oats spread, but don't reseed too much that I can tell.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love the Dusty Miller. Planted other things in that pot with it, and the deer ate it all. Didn't touch the Dusty Miller. It's definitely a keeper. That and the artemisia Powis Castle are the only two things that the deer have never touched. Oh....and, rosemary. They've at least nibbled on everything else.

      Delete
  8. Hi Linda, I really enjoyed this little tour of your garden. It seems you and I have several plants in common and that’s always fun. I also love to see the differences between our two gardens. Excellent Foliage!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your little sedum looks like 'Angelina' to me. I can't believe those pesky deer ate your silver ponyfoot right off your front porch! Ah well. Your redone front beds are looking really nice -- I love feathergrass too, and yuccas...

    ReplyDelete

I love your comments. Thanks for dropping by.

This is a word verification free blog. It seems to be working out, so far.

~~Linda...