Mexican feathergrass (Nassella tenuissima)
I’ve been participating in Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, the community-building brainchild of Carol at May Dreams Gardens, for almost three years. Inspired by Elizabeth Lawrence, who wrote, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year,” Carol invites garden bloggers to post pictures of what’s blooming in their garden on the 15th of every month.
It’s fun to celebrate flowers, but now that I’m gardening mostly in the shade of live oaks, I find I have fewer blooms to share each month. Not to worry, though, because foliage and other garden textures can be just as exciting and colorful and seasonal as flowers. So with a hat tip to Carol, I’m declaring the day after Bloom Day to be Foliage Follow-Up, and I hope that you will join me in celebrating the beautiful foliage that stands out in your garden that day. Feel free to include bark and other plant textures, especially if your garden is in a cold climate and goes bare in winter. Many of you already include foliage shots in your Bloom Day posts, with an apologetic shrug for not having more flowers. That won’t do! Let the prima donna flowers have their day, but let’s give the other players some time in the limelight too.
Foliage plays a starring role in my garden in the dappled or deeper shade of live oaks. To lighten up shady spaces, like this new bed near my stock-tank pond, I use silver-leaved plants like lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina ‘Big Ears’) and silver Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis var. argentea). These also have the advantage of being evergreen, or rather ever-silver. I can’t wait for the day when I’ll look back at this image and think, “Wow, look how small that fan palm was then!”
Another bit of foliage I’m wild about right now is on this purple-leaf acacia tree (Acacia baileyana purpurea). This 8-month-old tree did little all summer but sulk. (And who could blame it?) But with the change of seasons it has put out new ferny, purple leaves that complement the older, blue-green leaves farther along the branches.
Speaking of acacias, here’s another Aussie wattle, the knife-leaf acacia (A. cultriformis), which I’m noticing all over Austin these days. Wow, did it grow this summer, nearly doubling in height.
It has produced flower buds since the weather cooled. I’ve never seen one in flower, so I’m eagerly waiting to see them open. But the real appeal of this plant is in the thin, triangular leaves that zig-zag along the upright branches and give the plant its common name.
I’ve shown this cool-hued combo many times, but it continues to please me: ‘Powis Castle’ artemisia and Yucca rostrata ‘Sapphire Skies.’
After lying dormant all summer, the winecup (Callirhoe involucrata) foliage has returned, adding a green rosette next to silver-leaved gazania and echeveria.
Aloes, yuccas, and agaves are tried-and-true foliage plants in my garden, adding structure and evergreen beauty year-round. This is Aloe saponaria.
Graceful and yellow-edged Agave desmettiana ‘Variegata’ is one of the more tender agaves in my garden. I’ll need to cover this one if it gets much below freezing this year. Last year it didn’t.
Looking at it from the other side, this is for Loree of Danger Garden, who’s mad for agaves and goes to extremes to overwinter them in her rainy Portland, Oregon, garden.
Finally, there is some traditional fall color in my mid-November garden. This native Mexican buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa) has turned buttery yellow, and the leaves are falling fast. Today’s gusty winds might strip the last leaves away.
I hope to see your Foliage Follow-Up post sometime this week and each month thereafter on the 16th!
All material © 2006-2009 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Pam, what a wonderful idea! Although I included a lot of foliage in my bloom day post, I’ll try to do a foliage follow-up tomorrow. Love your foliage, but of course, you’re the master of contrasting textures and foliage, and I bow at your leafy feet. :) ~~Dee
Comment by Dee/reddirtramblings — November 16, 2009 @ 2:01 pm
YEA! As I started reading I thought how exciting it was going to be to see agave pictures and then you even did a Danger Garden call out! Thanks Pam! And I LOVE this idea!
Comment by Loree/danger garden — November 16, 2009 @ 2:56 pm
Great idea. Unfortunately, with this daylight savings time, I won’t see my garden in the daylight until Saturday. Isn’t that terrible? I’ll have to do indoor plants or wait until Saturday. Wait, I think it will have to be indoor plants because most of the good foliage has been knocked off by a killing frost. Hmmm…. going to have to get creative with this one!
Indoors works! I hope you have fun with it, Carol. And remember, bark and other non-herbaceous plant textures work too. I’m planning to shoot some foliage images when I’m taking pics for Bloom Day, and then I’ll be ready for both. —Pam
Comment by Carol, May Dreams Gardens — November 16, 2009 @ 4:46 pm
Kudos to you, Pam, for thinking of this. My plant purchases are mainly based on foliage form and color, with blossoms often merely tolerated. Finally, a forum where we can give the leaves their due!
Comment by ricki - sprig to twig — November 16, 2009 @ 4:49 pm
P.S. I just realized I’m in the same boat as Carol, regarding daylight and the garden. I think I’ll have to pick you up next month…
Comment by Loree/danger garden — November 16, 2009 @ 6:01 pm
Ooh, I really like your knife-leaf acacia. From a distance, it almost looks like an ocotillo. Neat idea bout the Foliage Follow-up too!
Comment by Caroline — November 16, 2009 @ 8:28 pm
Great photos Pam! I was actually considering a post on fragrant plants in my garden for this month’s GBBD (and they aren’t all blooming either). But then I planted my bulbs, and just didn’t have time to fuss with photos…
Next month. I hope.
Comment by Town Mouse — November 16, 2009 @ 8:35 pm
Ah, I included some foliage in my GBBD post as well. But I’ve got about 8 foliage plants still in pots to plant (when I figure out where) so I’ll have more to report on soon. I love all of yours of course. That knife-leaf acacia is something else and I can’t wait to see the blooms either. The foliage report will be fun.
Comment by Jean — November 16, 2009 @ 9:40 pm
Hi, Pam! If someone had shown me just the first photo and said, “Who took this?” I would have said, “Pam.” You are the Foilage Queen! No one appreciates their structure and beauty as much as you do!
Comment by Kathryn/plantwhateverbringsyoujoy.com — November 16, 2009 @ 9:50 pm
That’s a great idea Pam. I thin You and Philip[ESP] are the king and queen of foilage. I won’t partake as I haven’t with the bloom day. But it doesn’t mean I don’t think it isn’t a grand idea. I am not very swift on the computer. It takes me days to write up a pst now.
Comment by Bob Pool — November 17, 2009 @ 12:09 am
The pictures are great. I liked especially, the Artemisia and Yucca Rostrata.
I think it’s a great idea.
My last post is dedicated to a plant,Beschorneria Yuccoides, with texture and colors that I love.
From a distance I support the proposal and the next month I will write a post to this subject.
Comment by Yolanda — November 17, 2009 @ 4:10 am
Great idea. I too have a lot of shade and have more variety of foliage than flowers at this time of year specially. I love seeing the texture of your warmer climate plants such as the palms and agaves. They make me green with growers envy.
Comment by Lisa at Greenbow — November 17, 2009 @ 5:06 am
Ooh! I like this idea. My garden is mostly a foliage garden, too. Plus rocks. And structures…Oh heck, it’s almost everything _but_ flowers. ;-) Count me in, though I’m a bit late for this month. I’ll try to remember to do it next month.
Comment by Susan Tomlinson — November 17, 2009 @ 6:40 am
Great idea Pam! In another month we’ll ALL be all about the foliage!
Comment by Cheryl — November 17, 2009 @ 7:31 am
Very interesting idea. That purple-leafed acacia is really neat.
Comment by Janet — November 17, 2009 @ 10:23 am
As a man who suffers from “small garden complex” I need to make sure anything I put in has more to offer than a few fleeting flowers, so good foliage is a key element. I am intrigued by the Wattle and was looking it up yesterday to see if it would grow for us. Temperature wise I think it may tolerate our winters, but rain wise, no.
Comment by Les — November 17, 2009 @ 11:48 am
As I was assembling bloom day photos I was also busy snapping foliage pictures, and quite frankly I’m thinking that foliage is now more interesting to me. I remember hearing British gardener Penelope Hobhouse discussing how flowers had stopped singing to her, and how she was now mostly about plant form and foliage.
Comment by lostlandscape(James) — November 17, 2009 @ 11:52 pm
Lovely pictures, and I’m glad the acacias are doing well. Our plants have a tendency to grow/flower after rain. You should be able to prune them fairly heavily to stop them becoming leggy. Caveat: I don’t know how pruning combined with temperatures below about 20F would affect the plants.
Comment by Chookie — November 18, 2009 @ 1:38 am
Your foliage is so beautiful Pam. Bloom day posts followed by foliage day posts sounds like a good idea. But, the very next day is just too much for me. I have gone to three a week and that is all I have time for. Is it okay if it is sort of the day after? :-)
Frances
Of course, Frances! Whenever you have time is fine. I’m so glad you plan to participate. As I mentioned to Carol, above, I plan to take my foliage pics while I’m shooting for Bloom Day, and that makes less work for such a quick follow-up post. Also, I’m not anticipating that we’ll be documenting every bit of foliage in the garden, just what stands out each month. —Pam
Comment by Frances — November 18, 2009 @ 3:49 pm
A purple acacia! I have a hole dug out of the rock in the front yard (hole filled with compost now) waiting for an acacia to plant early summer next year, but hadn’t decided on a variety. So glad you posted about this one!
And you have a Mexican Buckeye! I’ve been thinking about that for the dead-redbud space in the backyard. I feel like I won the lottery today.
Comment by Kathleen Scott — November 19, 2009 @ 1:09 pm
As you know, we’ve been showcasing lots of foliage (or at least individual leaves). But every time I go “Digging,” I am blown away by the plants in your garden. This is foliage par excellence!
Thanks, Linda, and everyone else who commented. I’m glad you enjoyed the foliage pics. It feels good to give a day to foliage appreciation. —Pam
Comment by LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD — November 19, 2009 @ 10:30 pm
Hi Pam, I have written a post with all foliage and linked back to you at the end of it. If you would be so kind as to place the link wherever you want it for this meme, that would be greatly appreciated. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
http://fairegarden.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/backlighting-and-updating/
Frances
Comment by Frances — November 29, 2009 @ 3:23 am
[...] I hope you’ll take time to snap a few images of memorable foliage in your garden too, for Foliage Follow-Up on the day after Bloom Day (the 16th of each month). We’re going to give foliage its due! [...]
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