Foliage Follow-Up - April 16, 2012

In my grand tradition of being a day late for every post, here's my Foliage Follow-Up! Spring foliage is such a balm for the winter-weary gardener. It's no wonder Frost wrote that nature's first green is gold. Let's take a look at what's looking good right now, shall we?


Euphorbia 'Dixter'
First off, a bloom that got left out of Bloom Day...but I decided I could put it here anyway, since those are BRACTS...right?


Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'
I never seem to tire of this little groundcover, I just love watching it change color throughout the year.


Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing'
Who doesn't like a little black foliage in the garden...so sultry, so dramatic!


Persicaria 'Red Dragon'
'Red Dragon' is one of those plants that looks like it should be hard to grow, or at least finicky. It is neither. Seeing the leaves when backlit is magical...like blood-red stained glass.

Sedum 'Matrona'		Amsonia hubrichtii

Rhus tyhpina 'Tiger Eyes'
My 'Tiger Eyes' finally looked great last year (after 2 years of sulking). I can't wait to see how it does this year, it's another plant that changes dramatically throughout the seasons.


Geranium 'Ann Folkard'
I love chartreuse, and absolutely cannot get enough of this Geranium. As a bonus, the flowers, which are borne in profusion, are the most wonderfully shocking shade of magenta.


Persicaria 'Lance Corporal'
Almost no other plant I can think of has the same brigtly-green leaves as this Persicaria. They somehow manage to look new and fresh all summer long. Their contrasting maroon chevron is the perfect counterpoint.


Lupine hybrid
The foliage of Lupines is so very lovely, I do wish it didn't completely collapse with the onset of summer heat.


Geranium 'Katerine Adele'
Another plant that looks dainty, but is tough as nails. I've moved this, chopped it back and ignored it and it STILL looks THIS good!


Macleaya cordata 'Plume Poppy'
This may be the year that my Plume Poppy finally attains a respectable size...let's cross our fingers, shall we!


Selinum wallichianum
I bought these from Annie's Annuals last summer (not the greatest time to plant new plants, I know). They survived, but didn't exactly thrive. This spring, they are up and growing...and I'm anticipating them forming lush mounds of finely dissected foliage...and lovely Queen Anne's Lace-style blooms.


Sedum sieboldii 'October Daphne'
Even though I've had these less than a month, I'm already swooning over them!


Corydalis 'Bronze Beauty'
A gift from fellow plant-nerd Ryan Miller, these Corydalis have wonderful foliage that I'd say more resembles pewter than bronze, but what do I know. It's one plant that shines in flower and leaf.

Parthenocissus (Virginia Creeper)		Persicaria 'Golden Arrow'

Parrotia persica (Persian Ironwood)
Our little Persian Ironwood trees continue to do well, and I'm thinking this year I'll ease up on the watering a bit...it's their 3rd year, so I'm thinking they should be fairly well established by now, right?


Saxifraga stolonifera
To think this little guy went unplanted for months after I got him...he seems so happy now!


Polygonatum odoratum variegata (Solomon's Seal)
A lovely little plant I got as a single stem at a plant sale last spring. It has spread substantially and look amazing. Sadly, the slugs found it before I did, so it has a few little swiss-cheese holes in its leaves :-(


Astilboides tabularis
I love this plant and it's large, dinner-plate shaped leaves. More than almost any other plant, it looks particularly other-wordly as it emerges from its winter nap.


Syneilesis aconitifolia (Shredded Umbrella)
I finally got this in the ground and it's so much happier!


Anemanthele lessoniana (Pheasant's Tail Grass)
As someone reminded me recently, this grass also goes by New Zealand Wind Grass. Call it what you will, it's a beauty. It will most likely start to green up as the weather warms, but will always have a little bit of amber and russet in its leaves. Love it!


Sedum rupestre
I can't get over the wonderful variation in coloring on this plant...it's kind of amazing!


Heuchera 'Caramel'
I can never decide how I feel about this plant, when it looks great, it looks GREAT. When it looks bad, it's awful. Maybe I'll put it in some pots on the porch, where I can hide it out of sight during it's less-attractive moments ;-)


Euphorbia 'Blue Jeans'
Another plant I have a love-hate relationship with. Love it's leaves, but it sprawls so badly...and one thing I'm not fond of is bare stems. Maybe I'll move it to a sunnier spot and see if it fares better.


Iris 'Gerald Darby'
Although it needs more sun than it's getting, this Iris has proved to be really vigorous, even in quite a bit of shade. As nice as the subtle purple coloring of its stems is here, I bet it would be even better in full sun.


Rodgersia 'Rotlaub' with flower bud and Oxalis oregana
And to close out, one of the plants I'm always fascinated by, Rodgersia. You may remember that last year I transplanted all my Rodgersias, which were getting to much sun, to a spot with almost full shade. I wasn't sure how they would respond, but it looks like they've all returned this year! As an added bonus, it looks like this one is going to flower for the first time...yes!

For more fantastic foliage, head over to Digging, hosted by Pam Penick :-)