Foliage Follow-Up: Celebrating Chartreuse!

For this month's Foliage Follow-Up Post, I decided to focus on one type of foliage, chartreuse foliage! I know it's one of those colors that you either love or hate, and I'm firmly in the love camp.


Rhus typhina 'Tiger Eyes'
There is something so wonderful about this color...it just GLOWS in a garden! Can you imagine this scene without the Sumac? It would be way less effective. It's in such great contrast to everything else.


Oxalis 'Iron Cross'
Maybe it's because it seems like such a fresh color, it reminds me of new, spring growth, who knows. One thing is for certain, it's most effective when paired with darker colors, like in this Oxalis, which does the work for me, with it's amazing two-tone foliage.


Origanum vulgare 'Aureum'
Most chartreuse foliage is at its best in cooler weather. This Origanum, for example, tends to fade a bit in hot sun (last year it actually scorched quite a bit). Luckily, it's so vigorous, that I just trimmed off the tatty bits and it looked fresh and new!


Hakonechloa
And, of course, few colors light up a shady spot like chartreuse, as in this Hakonechloa.


Persicaria 'Lance Corporal'
Another plant with built-in contrast, Persicaria 'Lance Corporal'. I love this plant almost to an absurd degree...it's so easy-going, thriving in sun or shade (although it too can scorch in hot weather). It reseeds like nothing I've ever seen, so you always have some to share.

Of course, chartreuse is most noticeable when paired with other plants...as on the left, it becomes a highlight of the border. On the right, one of my favorite plants, Agastache 'Golden Jubilee', which is so easy to please. It's stunning during the entire year, offering gorgeous foliage and blooms...and even in death, has a wonderful skeleton during winter...and finches love it's seeds. Again, I'm a little predictable in that I've paired it with a plant with contrasting, darker leaves...in this case Aster 'Prince'.


Geranium 'Ann Folkard'
A stalwart in my garden, 'Ann Folkard' never fails to thrill me. The foliage is a screaming chartreuse in the spring, although it can green out a bit by fall. If you ever find that it is sprawling, you can cut it back for a fresh flush of new growth (well, technically you can, I've never had luck trying this).

Of course, you can hardly talk about chartreuse foliage without mentioning good old Sedum 'Angelina'. She's a garden workhorse...looking good all year long, especially in winter when she is suffused with red and orange highlights. One of the newer chartreuse plants in my garden, on the right, is Persicaria 'Golden Arrow'. Not only is the foliage gorgeous, but it blooms nonstop from June to frost. Unlike most Persicarias, however, it really needs partial shade (preferably dappled shade) as the large leaves scorch easily in hot sun.


I find that I have to restrain myself from planting too many chartreuse plants together...here, you can see, however, that spaced out, they are highlights in the garden...and bring together their own form of cohesion.


What about you, are you a chartreuse fan or foe? Either way, check out Pam Penick's Digging for more Foliage Follow-Up Posts :-)

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - June 2013

Wow, June already...half the year is over, insane! Happy Bloom Day to all you out there, I hope you're having a good spring (or, at least, not a bad one). June is that month where the garden seems to explode with sudden growth, as the soil warms and the sun returns. Let's get going, shall we?


While most of the Alliums bloom earlier in the year, Allium cristophii is a late-bloomer, which is great, as it extends the season by over a month, plus, it's my personal fave of the ornamental onion crowd.


If you love bees, you should plant Knautia. Seriously, it's like bee crack.


While the straight species is nice, I really like the hybrid 'Melton Pastels' as you get a nice mix of colors...perfect for adding variety while still having some cohesion to a border.


'Melton Pastels' comes in a nice array of colors, from lightest pink...


...to rich raspberry...


...and the typical deep red.


If you want something shorter, however, and with more uniform red flowers, 'Mars Midget' is a good bet.


I just can't stop taking pictures of this Allium...so forgive me if I seem a little indulgent.

A new (to me) Allium that I planted for the first time last fall, Allium 'Graceful'...and yes, it really lives up to its name. Sildacea oregana, on the right, rewarded my pulling it out of the garden last year for being too lanky and floppy, by reseeding itself everywhere. Happily, these smaller plants wind their way about quite pleasingly.


One of the standout plants from last year was this Agastache, 'Blue Boa'. It surprised me with its long blooms time and vigor. I love those rich purple blooms.


My go-to Agastache for blue, 'Purple Haze'. This Agastache is reliable and beautiful...if just a little more subtle than 'Blue Boa'.


It wouldn't be spring on Rhone Street without some Astrantias, would it. Here, we have the large, chalky blooms of Astrantia maxima.


And the silvery-pink blooms of 'Roma'. I realize, now, that I forgot to take pictures of the red Astrantias, 'Star of Beauty', 'Ruby Wedding' and 'Abbey Road'.

Rodgersia blooms can be surprisingly beautiful. The Verbascum on the right is actually self-seeded from a plant on the other side of the sidewalk!


Sorry, couldn't resist adding one more of the Allium.


Verbena rigida tend to be a bit floppy in my garden (too much shade), but the electric purple blooms make up for any shortcomings.

My favorite Verbena, however, is the tall, elegant Verbena bonariensis. Sedum 'Red Cauli', on the right has the best red color I've seen in any Sedum...sadly, it's just about the floppies, as well.


A sign of our weird weather this year, Sedum 'Matrona' is already blooming, several months earlier than usual. Has anyone else in Portland noticed this?


A fabulous Salvia, 'Purple Rain'. I love the deepest purple blooms and the hairy stems...they are magical backlit.

I can't seem to get enough little groundcover Sedums...and 'Oracle' is a beauty...the blooms...well, I guess they are interesting. All of the Persicarias are starting to bloom in my garden, the fist is the large, vigorous, 'Firetail'.


This hasn't been a great year for poor Geranium 'Ann Folkard'. Our lack of winter and weird spring have left her a bit lankier than usual, but she refuses to give up!

Ryan Miller gave me the Geranium on the left, it's quite the spreader! Of course, my favorite Geranium for it's beauty and vigor, is 'Rozanne', on the right. She looks good with absolutely everything!


My Iris 'Gerald Darby' needs dividing badly, so I'm enjoying it's blooms for now, but will need to dig it up and split it apart after it's done blooming.

The giant of the Agastache world (well, at least in my garden), 'Blue Blazes'. I forgot to cut these back earlier, so I'll probably ahve 6' tall plants again! The little 'Thomas Church' Lupine I got from Annies a few months ago is blooming! I just hope it makes it through the summer...it's pretty puny.


A PNW native, Epilobium angustifolium (Fireweed) is beautiful in bloom...but can get a little weedy afterward. I often cut them back completely after the bloom.


Ok, it's not quite blooming yet, but those perfect spheres of Echinops bannaticus are so cool!


Even my Virginia Creeper Vine (Parthenocissus) is blooming...well, I think that's what it's doing!


The crazy Asilboides has decided to bloom like crazy this year...the foliage mound tops out around 2' tall...but the blooms are taller than me!

Teucrium is one of my favorite easy-to-grow perennials. The blooms are gorgeous at any time...but when the plant is backlit...va-va-va-voom!


So, to wrap things up, let's look at some wide shots. Here is the area with the Teucrium above, one of my favorite vignettes in the garden.


Here is the front garden from the south, showing my growing pot ghetto.


And the same border, looking from the north.


Here's the border that runs along the north side of the house.


And my infamous grass path behind that border. Oops, I realize I forgot to mention the Sanguisorbia in the forground.


Here's the backyard seen through our copper arbor...yes, it's getting a bit jungly back there. That Clematis tibetana is a beast.


And here's the backyard seen from our driveway.


I hope you are having a great spring, and for more Bloom Day happenings around the world, hop over to visit Carol at May Dreams Garden.