It's the time of year when almost everything seems to be blooming and, under those circumstances, it can be hard to see the foliage elements in the garden but they're there. They manage to make a statement on their own, sometime subtly and sometimes not. As the flowers practically shout "look at me," it seems a good time to give some of the foliage standouts in my garden a closer look.
In general, the Abelias in my garden aren't shy about showing off.
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| Abelia x grandiflora 'Hopley's Variegated' would probably swamp the Leptospermum next to it if I allowed that |
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| Abelia x grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope' is only somewhat less intent on world domination |
In the case of Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt', it's its texture and sheer size that commands attention.
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| I planted a variegated Helichrysum petiolare next to this 'Cousin Itt' to give it a little extra pep |
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| This combination of 'Cousin Itt' and two varieties of Aeonium, A. arboreum and A. haworthii 'Kiwi' , wasn't really planned on my part but it's now one of my favorite foliage combinations. These particular Aeoniums form tight clusters, making it look as though they're climbing up a wall. |
Aeoniums creep into my photos with regularity as they're one of my go-to plants to use en masse as fillers but some demand notice all by themselves.
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| This is Aeonium 'Jack Catlin', which I originally saw at The Huntington Gardens and finally managed to procure by mail order a couple years ago |
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| I picked up Aeonium 'Velour' on a nursery/garden center road trip a few years ago |
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| Aeonium atropurpurea 'Zwartkop' finally achieved the presence necessary to play off the 'Blue Glow' Agaves as I'd envisioned when I planted it from a small pot |
I wasn't thinking about the surrounding Aeoniums when I took photos of the Agaves and Aloe shown below but they show up anyway, this time as accents to the larger succulents.
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| These four Agave desmettiana 'Variegata' (as well as a fifth some distance away on the left) were planted as pups of the first A. desmettiana I bought years ago. That plant and a second in the nearby street-side succulent bed bloomed out in 2018-2019 but the "pups" are now larger than the parent plant was when I purchased it. |
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| This is a hybrid Aloe vanbalenii x striata I picked up in a 4-inch pot at my local botanic garden in October 2018. Its label said "medium-sized" but I've never been sure what that means; however, so far, it fits in nicely along the moderate slope atop this dry-stacked wall. |
I have several shrubs that make significant statements without flowers, although all do flower on a seasonal schedule each year.
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| While I've seen flowers on the tall peppermint willow trees, I've yet to notice them on these dwarf shrubs, Agonis flexuosa 'Nana'. However, as I routinely find tiny seedlings in the surrounding area, I have to believe there are flowers in there somewhere. I frequently use stems cut from these three shrubs as a foliage filler in floral arrangements. |
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| Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' produces a couple of flushes of peachy-pink bottlebrush flowers when the weather turns warm. Right now, all its energy is going into producing fresh leaves. |
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| I cut this Cotinus coggygyria 'Royal Purple' back hard every year to manage its size. It's never produced the "smoke puffs" responsible for its common name, perhaps for that reason. |
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| I've yet to successfully manage the size of Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' |
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| I cut back this Senna bicapsularis I foolishly planted between the fence and the concrete stairway that leads down the slope every year but never as hard as I did in late winter this year. I was afraid I might have killed it but it looks great right now. I would be sad to lose it as its a host plant for the cloudless sulphur butterflies. |
Lastly, as they're looking particularly good at the moment, here's a look at my Japanese maples.
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| This is the dwarf Acer palmatum 'Mikawa Yatsubusa'. It's been in the ground just over 7 years old now but it's only 31 inches tall. It's said to be a good subject for bonsai. |
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| I planted this Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' about ten years ago and it's provided my best experience thus far with Japanese maples, probably because it's relatively protected from both wind and the sun's most intense rays in this spot on the east side of our garage |
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| I was so happy with 'Sango Kaku' that I bought another one a few months ago when I found it at a reasonable price. Positioned in partial shade behind the hedge that runs along the street, I hope it'll flourish as the other specimen has. The grass-like plants in front of it are Lomanda 'Platinum Breeze'. |
That's it for my spring foliage highlights. It's been pleasantly cool here of late as our morning marine layer has returned, keeping our temperatures in the 60sF. Weather forecasters have been teasing the prospect of drizzle and possibly real rain all week but online sources currently suggest that our chances of that have evaporated. Oh well. A friend and I have plans to visit some of my favorite garden centers a few hours to the north on Saturday so at least weather conditions won't be an issue.
Enjoy your weekend!
All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
