Foliage Follow-Up - May 2013

Last week, we celebrated flowers, and today we take a look at foliage in the garden, after all, a great garden should balance both, right? Head on over to Pam's site Digging for more FFU posts as well as Christina's Creating my own garden of the Hesperides for Garden Blogger's Foliage Day!


I have to admit, the shady area around the north side of our house is a bit of a foliage hodge-podge. I probably fell into the trap of "one of everying-itis". Oh well...that's the downfall of the plant-obsessed, right?

While our early heat a few weeks ago caused most of the Rodgersias to prematurely go green, the new leaves still show the nice bronze coloring. Several varieties of Rodgersia dominate this space, and they seem to finally be settling in, and are really clumping up.


Agastache 'Golden Jubilee' is one of those great plants with gorgeous foliage and flowers...love it!


One of my absolute favorite plants, Selinum wallichianum, has leaves so finely-divided they make ferns jealous!


For dramatic foliage patterning, you can't beat Persicaria 'Lance Corporal'. It manages to be dramatic without being ostentatious!

Persicarias are great foliage plants, tough and adaptable. On the left, again, is 'Lance Corporal', and on the right, 'Red Dragon'...probably the most-grown Persicaria in Portland gardens.


I do love the ghostly blue foliage of Sedum sieboldii...and as a bonus, it turns vibrant shades of yellow and red in autumn.


My favorite tall Sedum, 'Matrona'. I love the pewtery leaves and contrasting red stems.


A recent purchase, Sanguisorbia mensiezii...love these blue-gray, serrated leaves...almost like a miniature melianthus.


The newest in my collection of Persicarias, 'Purple Fantasy'. The dramatic color definitely gets more muted as the season progresses, but that's fine by me, as the contrasting chevron is still very apparent.

Lupines are prized for their blooms (and rightly so) but their foliage is so beautiful (while it lasts). On the right is my favorite Hosta, 'Big Daddy'...and this year it's really starting to live up to it's name...a good 2.5' tall and probably 5-6' wide...LOVE those blue leaves!


Another shot of 'Big Daddy', I'm really pleased by how the Oxalis have colonized around the other plants, blanketing the area.


Panicum 'Northwind' may be one of the finest grasses I've ever grown. It doesn't have the wonderful red coloring of many of the Panicums, but it is remarkably upright and has this wonderfully steely-blue coloring.


Another foliage-centric combo in one of my parking strips, with Origanum 'Aureus', Sedum 'Matrona' and Anemethale lessoniana.

Eutrochium 'Gateway' is probably one of my top 5 garden plants...I can't imagine having a garden without it. Great, imposing structure, reddish-purple stems, wonderful mauve flowers (that bees go crazy for) and lush, serrated foliage that appears in whorls along the length of the stems. On the right is the related, Eutrochium rugosum...grown primarily for it's chocolatey-colored foliage.


Another graceful plant that produces leaves in whorls (who doesn't like saying that), Veronicastrum 'Fascination'.


I honestly don't know if I'm supposed to call this Cimicifuga or Actaea anymore...but who cares, the foliage is still gorgeous, although it's usually much darker than this.


While talking about grasses last week, Heather mentioned that her Panicum 'Shenandoah' was already showing some red coloring in it's leaves. Of course, I ran home in tears, totally defeated. As luck would have it, I was able to dry my eyes the next day, as my Shenandoah was also showing some red coloring. Above is another Panicum, 'Huron Solstice'.


While most of them aren't necessarily grown for their foliage, many Agastache do have nice coloring, especially on their newer foliage, as you can see here in Agastache 'Purple Haze'.

The Agastache on the left (Agastache rupestris) could hardly look more different from 'Purple Haze' in the previous photo. While the peachy-orange blooms of this Agastache are ok, I actually like the soft, gray foliage even more. On the right, another Anementhale lessoniana, this one located in the backyard.


After seeing Ricki's large colony of Acaena inermis 'Purpurea' this spring, I can't help but be a little perturbed that my own plants aren't nearly as vigorous...oh well...they are still pretty...and I can be patient...right?


While it's hard to ignore the multitude of blooms right now, the real reason to grow Amsonia hubrichtii is for the wonderful, thread-like foliage. It forms a substantial, shrub-like mass in the garden after flowering, and turns a wonderful golden color in autumn.


In the backyard, I have to admit, one of the things I'm most pleased about this year is the fact that the Parthenocissus is finally starting to really cover the fence. For some reason, it makes the garden feel more established.


Ahhh...spring...don't you just love all that fresh, new foliage!


Again, Happy Foliage Follow-Up and Garden Bloggers Foliage Day!!!

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - May 2013

We're already half-way through May, can you believe it! This spring has been one of the oddest I've experienced since moving here...and definitely the weirdest since I started gardening here. Usually, we can count on cool, rainy weather until at least the middle of June...but we've been lacking in rain this year. I heard on the news the other day that this has been the driest year on record...and I believe it. We actually almost hit 90° a few days in the past few weeks...ugh.

Luckily, for the most part, the garden seems no worse for wear...but I really hope we return to something akin to normal weather next year!


If April was all about Tulips and Daffodils, then May is about Alliums and Iris. This purple/white beauty is one of the Iris I inherited with the house...love it!


You know I love Alliums...I just wish they were a little more reliably perennial. This is Allium 'Early Emperor' paired with the wonderful chartreuse foliage of Geranium 'Ann Folkard'


As luck would have it, the bloom time of Alliums coincides with the Amsonias...which makes for some nice, subtle combos.


This is the oldest and largest of my Amsonia hubrichtii...now in it's 4th year...and it's ENORMOUS! I've never been wowed by the blooms before...but where there are this many, it's pretty awesome!


An asian Amsonia relative, Rhazya orientalis...love the darker blue blooms...can't wait for this puppy to get bigger.

I totally forgot that I had planted Gladioulus byzantinus around my Persicaria 'Purple Fantasy', they make a smashing combo, don't you think? I bought this Iris, 'Ominous Stranger' after visiting Schreiners Iris Farm last spring (and I'm totally going again in a few weeks). The color, depending on the light, is either that of a dingy tissue, or aged Victorian wallpaper...still, I kind of like it :-)


One of my favorite plants, Knautia...this is the variety 'Melton Pastels', which has a nice variety of colors, from the standard reddish-pink to palest mauve.


I think the plain reddish ones are still my fave, though!


I can't tell if this is early for Geranium 'Rozanne' to be blooming...but I'm pretty sure it is earlier than usual.

I'm so excited that the Phlomis my friend Ricki gave me is going to bloom...and even more excited about the seed heads that will follow...thanks, Ricki! On the right is the go-to Allium for most gardeners, 'Purple Sensation'. Again, I just wish it would reliably come back every year.


You can hardly top Centranthus ruber for easy color. This plant pops up all over town, it's proclivity for reseeding ensures it will always be around.


Perhaps my favorite Astrantia, 'Roma' starts off almost white and will darken to a silvery pink color over the next few weeks.


My favorite Allium, Allium cristophii...love those amazingly intricate blooms, like an elaborate metal sculpture.

This is the first year that I've had yellow Iris...and I know I didn't plant them...so they had to have been here all along, just waiting for a chance to bloom! On the right is a new purchase, Sanguisorbia menziesii...I'm so hopeful this Sanguisorbia won't flop like the Saguisorbia officinalis I already have.


After years of killing this plants, I've come to realize that Erysimum 'Bowles Mauve' wants absolutely no summer water. I have it planted in an out-of-the-way spot along the fence where I totally ignore it and it blooms practically all year long.

Another mystery inherited Iris wet with rain this morning...and one of the neighbors chickens...romping in the Astrantia maxima.


I bought a bunch of Columbine 'Tequila Sunrise' a few years ago, and they have all but disappeared, but their progeny remains. The nice benefit of these seedlings is that they appear randomly in a nice mix of colors...this one is mostly yellow.


A new Allium for me this year, and one I'm really loving, 'Early Emperor'.

Another inherited Iris, and mauve/lavender bicolor...with the added benefit of being intensely fragrant. Taking photos in the garden while it is blooming is entirely intoxicating! On the right, can you believe that I have an Agastache blooming already...in MAY!?! This is Agastache 'Blue Boa', which never went fully dormant due to our lack of any real cold this winter.


Another great Allium, 'Gladiator'.

This is a new Iris I got from Schreiners last summer...I think it might be 'Standing Ovation'? Whatever it is, its fabulous...love those rich, wine-red falls...and the contrasting orange beard!


Another new Iris from Schreiners, the aptly named 'Hello Darkness'. I'm just totally crushing over those inky purple flowers.


Another Astrantia, 'Ruby Wedding', just starting to bloom. The blooms will continue to darken over the next few weeks, eventually turning blood red.


Another Iris that came with the house, but has just bloomed for the fist time this year...what a great surprise!

I planted Monarda bradburiana, on the left, last year out of curiosity. It's supposed to withstand heat/drought better than most Monarda...and it's a dainty little thing...love it! On the right, a plant I got from Heather at the last Plant Exchange, Sisyrinchium 'Devon Skies', which I'm kind of in love with right now...why did I not have this plant already!?!?


Another wonderful Geranium, 'Ann Folkard'. Sadly, the weather this year hasn't been to its liking...it grew big and tall...then flopped open. Sigh.


A new Persicaria...one used mostly as groundcover, Persicaria affinis. I fell in love with it at Joy Creek a few weeks ago, due to it's wonderful red foliage (a winter trait), but the blooms are nice too.


In the category of "almost blooming" is my Lupine 'Gallery Blue'. It's the only Lupine of the six I planted years ago, to return every year...and I'm so glad for it...the color is fabulous. There is a tiny Lupinus 'Thomas Church' next to it, which is also going to bloom...but it super-tiny.


Wrapping thigs up, heres the front border looking North.


The front border looking South.


The Backyard looking North.


The Backyard looking South.


And the whole shebang. For more bloomerific goodness, check out Carol at May Dreams Garden...and Happy GBBD!