Friday, April 16, 2010

Foliage Follow Up April

Foliage Follow Up at Pam's!
The best foliage I have in the garden now is still my Stipa arundinacea, Athanasia pinnata, Phlomis aurea combo. Looks good year round.


firey stipa

I have Impatiens balfouri that comes up every year in a corner of a bed. Actually they come up everywhere but I weed them back so they stay in the corner. They've come up extra thick and robust this year. I suppose I should clear them away from the Euphorbia before it gets swallowed.


euphorbia engulfed by impatiens

Geranium harveyi is a plant that I used a lot when I was going through my silver and yellow foliage phase. The Stipa/Athanasia/Phlomis group was a part of that too. I planted Geranium harveyi at the base of Phormium 'Yellow Wave' along with Sedum 'Angelina' and Dianella 'Cassa Blue'. Sounds like a color combo to set your teeth on edge but it turned out pretty nice. Geranium harveyi is super tough, pretty drought tolerant. Gets a bit leggy though.

bejewelled geranium harveyi

Agave attenuata-what can I say? Foliage extraordinaire.

agave attenuata

And Geranium maderense is better known for its bloom but I quite enjoy the large dissected leaves throughout the year. I planted 3 of the G. maderense 'White' last year and I was hoping they would bloom this Spring but it looks like I'll have to admire the leaves for another year.


geranium maderense leaves

And now back to Spring Break! Day 2 in Joshua Tree tomorrow.

7 comments:

  1. Beautiful, Kelly. That stipa has got to be one of the best grasses, but since it's always looking great I hate to cut it back. The G. harveyi is a beauty. I have a similar lacy one, G. multisectum that's getting buried by the spring crush but struggling up. The athanasia is stunning (but unavailable, I see!)

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  2. Very lovely pics, I especially like the first combo. I love A. Attenuata, I have one and need to get more.

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  3. Lovely first combo, for sure, and the rest are pretty too. I never can decide how much I like silver and gold together, but I keep doing it so I guess I think it could work.

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  4. Denuse- I usually wait a couple of years before I cut back my Stipa. And even then I have to talk myself into it. Luckily it is back almost instantly.
    Nicole- Thanks! I have just one Agave attenuata and I was just thinking it would be nice to have more. (There are actually some at Annie's right now if you are a customer there.)
    Pam- Yeah, the silver and gold ends up looking more pastel-y than glitsy, thankfully. I don't think I could deal with a glitsy garden!

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  5. The foliage of geranium maderense looks like ferns. I could plant it with some of my ferns and amaze my friends with the new "flowering fern" - lol.

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  6. My Geranium maderense didn't bloom this year either, and it's really annoying me. I did not intend for it to live. Sigh.

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  7. chuck b. - Ha! Silly plants not sticking to the schedule!

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