Foliage Follow Up for July

Earlier this year I was feeling a bit bored with the plants in my garden. I planted a few new things and now everything is a bit more interesting with a few new characters in the mix. I decided to give Carex 'Sparkler' a try again after seeing how well it did in Pam's garden over at Digging. So far it is a happy camper. It is in a pot outside my office window at home and makes a great focal point to rest my eyes on while I'm planning designs. The fennel is going to bloom and I've been enjoying the wispy foliage mingling with the other plants.

I always leave the bloom stalks on the Aristea inaequalis because they turn a beautiful shade of pink as they mature - a nice discover after being a bit lazy with my deadheading one year. I guess the pink stems are not exactly foliage but they're not exactly blooms either. And my Cussonia paniculata is a treat with all the variety shades of foliage at different stages of growth.

I recently wrote a post about the joys of Stipa barbata and how it has hardly any "real" foliage. The show happens with the long waving tails of the seeds. These give me a lovely arching foliage effect in my parking strip that is brief, but ever-so-lovely as they float in the breeze before falling off to bury themselves in the soil.

I recently planted this giant, flabby, tiger-striped Kalanchoe. It is in a recently redone section in the back. Hopefully in a few months I'll have a shot of the whole composition as it fills in.

A new Pelargonium with silver foliage and my ever increasing Aloe plicatilis.

The edibles are starting to shine in the front yard. I've got red corn, two types of tomatillos, pole beans on tepees made out of bamboo thinnings and a red lettuce that has been a real champ, even through a couple of heat waves. I'm going to let the lettuce go to seed because I definitely want to grow this again next year.

Thanks to Pam for hosting the fabulous Foliage Follow-Up! Go check out some other fantastic foliage folks have going on this month.

Flowers and Foliage Rolled Into One

I don't have very many photos this month so I'm going to combine my Garden Blogger's Bloom Day and Foliage Follow Up posts. There is a bit of a lull in my garden right now. Spring blooms are past but the late-season stuff hasn't started blooming yet.

I'm loving this new Calendula with two tone petals. And I'm excited my Nolina interrata is already blooming. I wonder if it will be a girl or a boy? I planted 3 of them (1 died) and I'm hoping to get a girl and a boy so I can collect seed. The 2nd one isn't blooming yet though.

These lilies were raring to go early this year. Lily 'Mascara', named for the dark edge of the petal, although I think Lily 'Eyeliner' might have been more accurate a name, it doesn't have the same ring.

Harlequin Lupine (Lupinus stiversii) from Annie's that I'm hoping to collect seed from. And a yellow Lewisia from Annie's that was grown years ago as Lewisia 'Yellow Form'. It is an incredible Lewisia that blooms year-round, quite floriferously. I'm did collect seed of this, hoping they put it back into production.

I'm hoping to get some Borage reseeding around my garden. Not sure what I'm going to do with it, just feel like I should have it for some reason. And leek flowers always make me think of pregnant bellies. Wouldn't it be cool if a woman's belly stretched so thin you could see the baby inside? On second thought, maybe not.

I splurged and bought some rather expensive Kalanchoe 'Fantastic' based on a photo I saw. Turns out it's not really as showy as the picture. Oh well. I tried to get rid of this unnamed Manfreda once but all the roots sprouted their own rosettes. I kind of respected its chutzpah after that. Plus, it looked good in mass. Very well behaved, other than the root reincarnation thing, and I recently realized snails never bother it unlike most Manfredas.

I've got forests of kale right now. Please take some.

I like what is happening around my front door right now.

I love to see fat little lady bugs in my garden. And their little lady bug babies. Get those aphids!

Thank you to May Dreams Gardens for hosting Garden Blogger's Bloom Day and to Pam of Digging for hosting Foliage Follow Up!

Garden Bloggers Bloom and Foliage Combo

I'm late for both the Garden Blogger's Bloom Day and Foliage Follow Up this month, but I took the time to take the photos so I'm posting them, darn it. I'm combining the posts together for efficiency, flowers and foliage are all mixed up - just like my garden!

This Aeonium undulatum bloom is taller than me. Plus, the bees love it!

Thank you to May Dreams for hosting Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and Pam at Digging for hosting Foliage Follow-Up.