Foliage Follow-Up June 2012

It's time for Foliage Follow-Up y'all! I know, it's about a week late...but better late than never, right? For more fabulous foliage-centric posts, head on over to Digging, hosted by the inimitable Pam Pennick.


This year I moved every single Sedum 'Matrona' in my garden into the parking strips. For one thing, they were all getting smothered by their more-aggressive bed partners...and it saved me big $$$ having to buy new ones! I don't know if it's the weather or the stress of getting moved at the beginning of June, but the color of their stems is particularly intense this year.


One of my fave foliage combos is embodied by this pairing of Rhus 'Tiger Eyes' and Persicaria 'Red Dragon'. They are so totally opposite, and a really wonderful, contrasting combo. They seem to stop just short, however, of being jarring, which is a good thing. Just behind them are the wonderful, feathery flowers of Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster'


While it is flashy, I adore the wonderful, whorled foliage of Veronicastrum 'Fascination'. There is something so incredibly elegant about that tiered foliage.


I got this plant (Teucrium scorodonia ‘Crispum Marginatum) from the always-generous Mr. Impatiens last fall...after spying it at a nursery, but neglecting to buy it. I love the undulating edges with their contrasting purple stems.

Selinum wallichianum		Adiantum aleuticum

The above plants both fall under the "delicate beauty" category. I first discovered the Selinum in one of Piet Oudolf's books and instantly fell in love with those finely-divided leaves and it's large (yet delicate) umbels of white flowers (much like a very-refined Queen Anne's Lace). I've always loved the Maidenhair Ferns...and got this from Bosky Dell Natives a few years ago...I LOVE the black stems!


Another shot of the Selinum, showcasing one of my favorite traits...the purple stems!


The invaluable (in my garden) Sedum 'Angelina' is so tough and beautiful, what more could you ask for?


A new form of Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium 'Blue Heaven') for me this year...even though it's only a few inches tall at the moment, the leaves are a wonderful mix of green, blue, red and purple...gorgeous!

Persicaria 'Lance Corporal'		Persicaria 'Golden Arrow'

As far as foliage goes, as much as I like 'Red Dragon', I have to admit that 'Lance Corporal' is my fave. It's very compact and well-behaved (well, except for the crazy re-seeding). I love the pairing of the bright chartreuse leaves with the contrasting burgundy chevron. Persicaria 'Golden Arrow' is intensely yellow-green...and really stands out in a border of darker-leaved companions.


Here's the same area of the garden, from another angle. In the foreground is Agastache 'Golden Jubilee', another golden-leaved perennial that I have scattered around the garden.


Oxalis 'Iron Cross' is one of those plants that I can't believe are real...they look too amazingly perfect!


As much as I like Euphorbia 'Dixter', it hasn't produced more than 2 stems in the past two years it's been in my garden. If it doesn't improve next year, I'm pulling it out.


The yellow-flowered Corydalis that Ryan Miller gave me last year has turned the most amazing shade of coppery-orange...does anyone know if this is typical???

On the left, I love how Geranium 'Ann Folkard', Persicaria 'Golden Arrow', Oxalis 'Iron Cross' and Verbena 'Homestead Purple' all share the same color palette...it's kind of awesome. On the right, we have the Rodgersia patch, fronted by Geranium macrorrhizum.


I have to admit, I'm tempted to move the Persicaria 'Golden Arrow' in the photo above and replacing it with one of these, Cimicifuga 'Brunette'. I think the contrast would be amazing! I love the sultry, almost somber, coloring of the dark Cimicifugas. I have this planted among the front Astrantia patch, and can't wait for them to all grow together.


Earlier this spring, my poor Astilboides tabularis was schredded (and I mean SHREDDED) but cutworms. As you can see, there wasn't much left of them...and I wasn't even sure they would come back.


Yay! Over the past few weeks, they've rebounded nicely, much to my relief!

On the left, a nice pairing of Aster 'Prince' and Agastache 'Golden Jubilee', it's always nice when the foliage is as good (if not better) than the flowers themselves, right? On the right is a wonderful Agastache (Agastache rupestris). These poor Agastache have been moved more times than I can count, and right now are in the worst place ever...on the back side of our back-yard fence. Somehow, they are thriving there...looking better than ever, and now I get to enjoy them everytime I enter and leave the backyard...WIN!


Amsonia hubrichtii (Thread-leaf Bluestar) is one of those plants that takes a few years to settle in, but once it's there, it's THERE for good. This is the oldest of my plants (would you believe, purchased on E-Bay?). This is its third year in the garden and it's finally formed a really handsome clump. I value it mostly for it's amazingly buttery fall color, but even when it's just green, it's quite lovely.


And lastly, I leave you with my favorite diminuitive, purple-leaved, evergreen ground cover, Acaena inermis purpurea. How can you NOT love that color!?!