focus on foliage, both sides of the pond

DSC_0019

My focus on foliage along one side of Delusional Drive is really beginning to pay off. Taking a cue from Christina (Creating My Own Garden of the Hesperides), who hosts Garden Bloggers’ Foliage Day on the 22nd of each month, I have been adding a few flowering plants to spice up the mix. These days, though, the mix of many shades and textures of green holds its own.

DSC_0016

Here it is looking the other way.This is before I have even begun the yearly weeding and cutting back chores.

DSC_0018

Thuja occidentalis ‘Yellow Ribbons’ introduces a nice bright note, backed by the dark form of Ceanothus impressus ‘Victoria’, which will be covered in blue blossoms later on. Another Ceanothus, ‘Blue Jeans’ blooms earlier at the other end of the border. A few tufts of Carex buchanii do bronze duty.

DSC_0017

Arcostaphylos densiflora ‘Harmony’ is pruned to show off her shapely ankles, with Yucca filamentosa nearby for textural contrast.

DSC_0015

The queen of the border right now, to my eyes, is this deodora cedar.

DSC_0014

I’m fond of Salix integra ‘Hakuro Nishiki’ when it is clothed in variegated pink, white and spring green leaves, but right now it’s showing off coral bark as new buds catch the light. The founder of the original Foliage Fan Club, Pam (Digging) invites us to strut our leafy wonders as a follow up to Bloom Day. She’s forgiving about when that happens (target day, 16th of any month). I’m so tardy this month that I couldn’t find a way to send you straight to her February post, but don’t let that stop you. Any visit to Pam’s blog is worth your while.

18 thoughts on “focus on foliage, both sides of the pond

  1. I love Delusional Drive, and all its companion plantings. I think I might have A. ‘Harmony’ but I’m not doing such a great job keeping track. Oh, the info is in this machine somewhere–or else in the big giant tin of tags. I thought I’d get those all organized over the winter, but it might be getting late for that. I admire your attention to detail, not to mention your killer sense of humor…

  2. Your deodora cedar is beautiful, its a tree I’ve seen in many gardens in the States but is rare in Europe, I think. Thanks for joining GBFD. So the flowers mixed into the evergreens is from my inspiration, I wouldn’t have expected that.

  3. Ricki, I’m very late to your foliage party (forgive me!), but thanks for joining in again. I love what you’re doing — you’re got so much great texture. BTW, if you ever want the URL for a specific post on my blog, just click on the post title and the URL will pop up in your browser bar. You can copy and paste it anywhere you like. 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *