I’m liking the textural effect of this composition. The planting along Delusional Drive is coming along. Some editing will soon be in order due to my impatient nature. I think Grace referred to it as “cramscaping”.
The heathers almost look like they are in bloom, but it’s just because I didn’t do any cutting back. What I really like about it is the coloring of the new growth.
This is a very common Juniper, Juniperus procumbens ‘Green Mound’, but I love the way it mounds and creeps (8″ tall by 6′ wide, so look out, neigboring plants!). There I go again.
I love the way this noid yucca catches the light. I think I need a couple more of these in this border so that it doesn’t look like an afterthought.
Cryptomeria japonica spiralis ‘Granny’s Ringlets’ is slow growing so far, but will eventually reach ten plus feet…oh dear.
The drive winds from the road to our house, so it is impossible to get a wide shot of the whole thing. This is what one section looked like in 2014.
Here it is, taken from the same spot, today. Softened by fog, but not much I can do about that.
Looking back from the other direction.
And stepping back further you can see the extension that is sparser. I add some each year, to eventually line the entire drive with a border that is almost exclusively evergreen and foliage dependent. A few of the shrubs, most noticeably Ceanothus and Arcostaphylos, do flower, but that is almost incidental to my intent. That is why I decided to focus on Delusional Drive for this winter installment of Pam’s Foliage Follow Up.
I love your delusional drive! Your cramscaping is delightful and as long as you can tell that there are different plants in there, it isn’t overgrown!
You got some great shots here and have some lovely plants on the “Delusional Drive” (LOVE that name). To answer your questions from my blog I don’t think the yucca looks out of place, although you certainly could add a few more. Yours looks to be Y. recurvifolia (?) so it should eventually form a trunk and even later maybe branch. The Y. filamentosa ‘Color Guard’ I featured will not, but it does bulk up into a patch, not remaining solitary. The same for the solid color ones I have planted “cheek by jowl” – those are just the plain version of Y. filamentosa (or as I like to call them – the parking lot yucca). In my experience Y. filamentosa is about the most bloomerific yucca going, so you should consider that. Y. rostrata would be a nice addition to, with their thinner spikier leaves. Although they tend to be much more expensive.
I like all your evergreens, especially the Weeping Norway Spruce and Cryptomeria. I am a tremendous fan of evergreens myself since they give interest all year long. Nice garden bed in the last photo!
I love your Delusional Drive. I bet it’s fairly drought tolerant, isn’t it? My biggest fear with a large landscape is trying to keep it satisfied during the dry season. I have enough trouble with my small backyard but that’s because many of my plants are annoyingly thirsty. Oh well.
And to be fair I actually stole “cramscaping” from funny gal Ann Jaeger a few years ago. It fit my garden-making to a T. Beautiful foliage follow-up.
Peter~I love you for your enabling ways.
Loree~Thanks for the info. I knew I was choosing the appropriate guru.
Lee~I love it when a new voice chimes in. Welcome to a fellow evergreen fan. Now I am off to check out your blog.
Grace~I’ve been trying to choose drought tolerant plans (except when I can’t resist something that isn’t). I do all watering by hand, so I just make sure to put those within reach of the hose.
Love that winter color on the Heather…yum!
Those photos makes me what to go out and buy conifers and evergreens …lovely
I love your Delusional Drive! Is that yucca the one you got from Ryan?
Delusional Drive — ha ha, love it! And I do envy you those heathers with their different colored foliage.
What a great collection! I can tell that drive is quite impressive looking at it on-site from the long view. My favorite is ‘Granny’s Ringlets.’ What a unique name and form. But the combination of all that great foliage is quite impressive!
Scott~My fave is one called ‘Red Fred’ but it has become buried by the Ceanothus…shovel time.
Linda~They do keep things interesting through the winter.
Heather~Yep, it’s from Ryan all right.
Pam~Trading envy…not a bad thing, as long as we can enjoy the things we can’t grow via blogs.
PP~Granny would be a fave for her name alone.
Somehow I missed this one. Like the others, I love Delusional Drive. But why the name? It doesn’t look as if you were delusional in your choices. Granny’s Ringlets is adorable. Well, now, anyway.
Sarah~I guess we are all delusional to some extent, especially where gardening is concerned. Everything is adorable as a pup.
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