Foliage Day, November 2015

Posted on November 22, 2015 by Tina

In my garden, the deciduous leaves haven’t yet engaged their autumnal transformation, but fall foliage is making its mark in the garden. Thanking Christina at Creating my own garden of the Hesperides and her Garden Bloggers’ Foliage Day focus on foliage, I’ll share a few leafy greens and leafy other colors happening in my little plot of the Earth.

Suggestive of the warmth of summer in a tropical garden–which mine is not–these unknown Crinum lily leaves are full and lush this November.

These came from my parents’ garden, but I have no idea from where my mother (The Flower Grower) originally obtained them. My Crinum lilies rarely bloom, though gorgeous when they do appear. I’m content to enjoy and appreciate the clusters of strappy leaves which accent various parts of my garden.

Knock Out Rose, Rosa ‘Radrazz’ has flushed out with new growth–tender and burgundy with a blush of green–and is beginning to set a few blooms.

All of my roses are rushing to flush new floral and foliage growth, but this usually occurs in September and October. That didn’t happen this year because of the toasty temperatures and dry conditions which lingered into our fall months. After the heavy rains of late October and cooling temps, the rose bushes are making up for lost time, no doubt flowering up before the regularly cold temperatures set in.

The Martha Gonzales Rose also sports a similar burgundy and green foliage dressing. It’s photobombed here by the long-blooming and fine-foliaged Firecracker Fern, Russelia equisetiformis.

A closer look,

…or two.

The Firecracker Fern is a non-stop bloomer throughout our long growing season. But even if it wasn’t adorned with those coral, tubular beauties, the bright green, wiry foliage would be a welcomed addition to my garden.

Behind the Firecracker Fern, stands the stalwart Softleaf Yucca, Yucca recurvifolia.

I like the juxtaposition of the neon-tropical green of the Firecracker Fern and the sedate grey-green of the Softleaf Yucca.

A wider view of this small section of my garden profiles a nice combination of colorful and varying textured autumn foliage. Assuming that there is a hard freeze at some point, Mexican Feathergrass, Martha Gonzales Rose and Softleaf Yucca (not visible in this shot) will be the evergreen structural specimens left to decorate this particular spot during our relatively short winter.

Check out Creating my own garden of the Hesperides to enjoy a lovely tour of gardeners’ foliage choices from many places.

Foliage Day, October 2015

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Tina

Joining with Christina for a fanfare of foliage on Garden Bloggers’ Foliage Day in October, I’m also celebrating Texas Native Plant Week and will do so with pretty leaves from native Texas plants.

I grow Frostweed, Verbesina virginica, for its late summer and fall white bloom clusters which feed oh-so-many pollinators, but the leaves are big and bodacious and tropical looking. An under-story and under-used perennial, the leaves are large in order to catch some rays for photosynthesis.

The leaves are rough, much like sunflower leaves and easily broken off from the stems, so I’m careful when working around these plants.

At the opposite end of leaf size range, the foliage of the Fall Aster, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium, are small and numerous. Surrounded by autumn blooms,

…the foliage hangs tough against the relentless Texas summer sun, but remain green and growing in preparation for the sweet fall blooms.

A Mexican Feathergrass, Nasella tenuissima, rests in a pop of red pot,

…accompanied by a single, thin strand of Silver Ponyfoot, Dichondra argentea. The Ponyfoot would be more than one strand if the darned squirrels would cease their digging in my pots!

Next door, an American Century Plant, Agave americana, produces spiky pups that I’ll need to find a home for.

Any takers?

Another mature containerized Agave sits poised and handsome for the camera.

I don’t generally plant agave in the ground. They grow HUGE and are difficult to remove at the end of their life. Also, they’re dangerous (those spikes! OUCH!) and I don’t like being attacked by my garden plants– I’m not a member of the Spiky Plant-lovers Club. The downside of growing them in pots rather than the ground is that I’ll never host that majestic bloom spike in my garden.

Lastly, soft, gray Woolly Stemodia, Stemodia lanata, cascades over the sides of a scarlet ceramic pot.

Yes, the squirrels are digging this one up too. Grrrr.

Pop over to My Own Garden of the Hesperides to see beautiful foliage from all over the world–and thanks to Christina for hosting. And where ever you live, learn about and plant natives in your garden–for beauty and for wildlife.

Garden Bloggers’ Foliage Day, June 2015

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Tina

A cloudy and wet spring and early summer has gifted my garden with foliage growth galore. Joining in for Garden Bloggers’ Foliage Day, many thanks to Christina at Creating my own garden of the Hesperides for the opportunity to laud fabulous foliage in the garden.

Toward the back of my large perennial garden, the Frostweed, Verbesina virginica, are towering over the sprinkling of blooms from the coral Autumn sage, Salvia greggii, Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea, and the Heartleaf Skullcap, Scutellaria ovata, as well as a Century Plant Agave americana, happily situated in a re-purposed bird bath.

Turning to the right, fab foliage continues with Iris straps fronting a red containerized Yucca filamentosa ‘Golden Sword’, paired with a cobalt-blue potted, but grey-leafed Ghost Plant, Graptopetalum paraguayense.

The handsome Soft Leaf Yucca, Yucca recurvifolia completes the spiky vignette.

Stepping back from that shot, the Heartleaf Skullcap foliage and bloom panicles add some spice to the scene, while the Purple Coneflowers add a bit of sugar to the shot.

With some twisty fun in a sparkly container, the Corkscrew Rush, Juncus effusus spiralis, has revelled in the wet year and this gardener has enjoyed not watering it!

Corkscrew Rush is a bog plant, but I grow two of them in pots and except for once or twice per week hand watering during a normal Texas summer, this plant is an easy one for the garden.

Lastly, the Purple Heart, Setcreasea pallida, is a hardy Mexican native, naturalized throughout much of South and Central Texas and an excellent shade-tolerant groundcover. With more sun, charming pink flowers appear which are favored by honeybees. This quirky set of ceramic totems play in this patch.

While this group of Purple Heart anchors a cluster of Cast Iron Plant, Aspidistra elatior, resting at the base of a graceful Mexican Orchid Tree, Bauhinia mexicana.