The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Category Archives: Foliage

Enjoying the foliage colors

Posted on by Posted in Fall color, Foliage .

While we have yet to technically venture into Autumn, you could really feel it in the air today. A nice chill outdoors, a blazing bright sun and even some signs of leaf drop.

But best of all, were the colors.

Not the colors of the blooms as much as the foliage colors. Greens, reds, yellows, golds, browns and everything in between. Throw in a clear blue sky and you had all colors on the color wheel represented.

With that in mind, please enjoy enjoying the following “just-before-but-not-quite-there-pre-autumnal” photos:
         

 

You take the flowers, I’ll take the foliage

Posted on by Posted in Foliage .
This is the time of year when we cherish the first daffodil or tulip blooms.
We go gaga over the blooming magnolia trees.
We get all sorts of jacked up seeing the pansies blooming again. 
They are all a reminder that the doldrums of winter are gone and better days lie ahead.
Good times.
However, for this goofball, the emerging foliage of my many perennials floats my boat more than anything else. Every morning is a chance to see what has developed overnight. New perennial foliage always looks so vibrant and healthy. No mildew to deal with yet. No crisping of foliage from days and days of dry weather.
It is all good.
As I surveyed my gardens today, I eyed up the daffodil blooms a bit but as expected, my focus was on foliage, foliage and more foliage. And here is a sampling for you:           
Heuchera ‘Blackout’ looking good, especially when backed by Summer Snowflake foliage:  

Sedum foliage always emerges so quickly and is a great foil to all other foliage it hangs out with:   

The foliage color on Penstemon ‘Husker’s Red’ never looks more … ummmm … red … than it does in early spring:

The Astilbe, always a personal fave:

Too much yellow foliage can permanently distort your vision, but Tradescantia ‘Sweet Kate’ is a tough SOB, so she gets to stick around:

Nepeta (Catmint) ‘Walker’s Low’ never lets me down and fills in bare spots almost overnight:

Lady’s Mantle will soon edge the bulk of one of my garden beds and I look forward to their emergence each and every year:

Call me crazy, but Monarda (Bee Balm) and their square stems and minty sent scream Spring to me:  

How’s your foliage doin? 

John

Garden Bloggers Stem Day

Garden resolutions for 2012

Posted on by Posted in Foliage .

We all know we never fulfill our New Year’s resolutions. NEVER. Just take a look at how I failed miserably  with my 2011 gardening resolutions.

I bet if you did your research, you would find that more lettuce is eaten the first week of January than any other week in the year. We convince ourselves THIS will be the year we will stick to our lofty goals. Sure you will.

After saying all that, I cannot resist setting my own gardening “goals” (sounds more attainable than “resolutions”) for the new year. It kick starts my enthusiasm to start planning as we enter the dead of winter. A chance to dream of spring and emerging bulbs.

So without further ado, I give you my five step gardening plan for 2012:

1. Expand, expand, expand – As I’ve mentioned previously, I live on a large lot (2+ acres) that was a blank canvas when we moved in back in 2004. It’s been a slow process to expand the garden out into the yard. I blame it on lack of time, the fear of deer and poorly draining soil. As a result, I have way too much lawn to maintain:              

Besides the desire to cut down on the lawn maintenance time, I really want to lure visitors (kind of sounds creepy) further out into the yard. I want to add more paths and “destinations” that will encourage you to want to explore more.

This is the view out of the back of my home and for years I’ve planned on creating a woodland garden underneath the only mature tree on my property. I’m thinking benches and deer resistant shrubs and grasses:    

So it is time to dedicate myself to moving beyond the garden beds that surround the house:

2. Foliage, foliage, foliage – The reality of my garden situation is that I have clay soil that does not drain well and my yard is infested with deer and rabbits. That does not lend itself to a garden full of flowers. The key is to focus on foliage with contrasting colors, shape and textures. I can strategically utilize flowers where possible (damn you spring plant catalogs and your beautiful flowers), but the focus and theme will be on the foliage:      

3. Take advantage of raised beds – This is a simple one. Raised beds eliminate the poor drainage issue and allow me to grow herbs and vegetables I normally could not. Like an idiot, I completely ignored an existing raised bed I’ve had for years and it looked like this most of the year:

No more. I’m imagining rosemary, thyme, cilantro, chives, tomatoes, etc. I mean seriously, my wife is a world class cook and I’m not providing her with the necessary fresh ingredients.

4. Give up on the plants I know will not thrive – It is all about survival of the fittest and if you can’t keep up, you’re gone. So …

Good bye Phlox paniculata:

Good bye Weeping Cherry Tree:

Good bye daylillies:

And good bye Geranium ‘Brookside’:

5. Visit more gardens and get my ass inspired – For reasons unknown, I have not taken advantage of all of the public gardens at my disposal and that is a friggin shame. I’m missing out on so much and that needs to change. This past summer, I finally made my way to the New York Botanical Garden and what an experience it was. I felt energized by all of the displays and was immediately inspired to experiment:  

So there you go, my 2012 gardening resolutions are out there and now the pressure is on to actually see that I meet these objectives.

Happy new year to you all and we’ll do this again in 2012!

John

For the love of red foliage

Posted on by Posted in Foliage .

I’ve rambled on in previous posts, about my love of foliage and today I want to take it a step further.

I am enthralled by the sight of flowers when I visit a nursery/garden center, but nothing grabs my attention more than the sight of a shrub, perennial or grass that is some shade of red. And when I say “red” I mean maroon, scarlet, reddish/black … you get the point.

Red foliaged plants play a large role in my landscape as they contrast so well with all shades of green or even yellow/chartreuse. Here are some photos of these beauties.

Some plants that stand on their own:

Sedum ‘Matrona’

Sambucus ‘Black Lace’

Hibiscus ‘Kopper King’



Prunus Cistena (Sandcherry) attempting to hide the utility boxes 



But, these gems truly shine when located next to plants of contrasting color:
Physocarpus (Ninebark) ‘Diablo’ and Hydrangea ‘Endless Summer’ 
Eupatorium (Joe Pye Weed) ‘Chocolate’ and Rudbeckia (Blackeyed Susan)

Physocarpus (Ninebark) ‘Diablo’, Spirea ‘Goldmound’, Feather Reed Grass ‘Karl Foerster’ and Lobelia Siphilitica (Blue Cardinal Flower)  

Some sort of Coleus combo taken at the Dallas Arboretum

Autumn shot of Viburnum ‘Shoshoni’, Nepeta (Catmint) ‘Walker’s Low’, Yucca ‘Golden Sword’

Finally, there are others that have multi-colored foliage that give you that contrast on the same plant:  
Hypericum ‘Albury Purple’

Newly divided Panicum ‘Rotstrahlbusch’



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Foliage love

Posted on by Posted in Foliage .

Listen, I like flowers as much as the next guy … um I mean … as the next gardener who is male … never mind. I dig flowers and I am damn proud of it. But, my true love, the one that gives me reason to get my hands dirty and full of nasty blisters is none other than … the foliage.

I am consumed with foliage and it’s different textures, different colors, different shapes and how it changes from season to season. To me, that is the essence of gardening. I am by no means an expert, but I do get annoyed when I see garden design decisions being based solely on flower color. While I see bloom color being a factor in the overall decision making process, it is typically a factor for a short period of time (albeit a strong one) and then is gone. The plant shape, size, texture and foliage color are so much more impactful on the overall scheme of the design.

With that in mind, I thought I would share some of my favorite foliage photos. As I reviewed these, I got all sorts of fired up and “en fuego”, so take a deep breath and get ready to be dazzled.

When you think hydrangea you immediately think about the impressive blooms. But the foliage color and shape is phenomenal both pre and post bloom:           

The phenomenal color of the Hypericum ‘Albury Purple’ (St. John’s wort) enhanced after a rainfall: 

Hibiscus blooms are prolific, but how can you not like the color, shape and texture of it’s leaves:

Hibiscus ‘Kopper King’

Newly emerging foliage often takes on a unique look that allows it to stand out in the spring. Like with this Ninebark ‘Diablo’: 

Ninebark ‘Diablo’

Some times, the simple act of foliage filling in quickly in the spring, with a promise of what is to come is enough for me: 

Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’ (Catmint)

Geranium blooms are all that, but I’ve come to appreciate the lacy foliage and find it to be a great contrast perennial, especially when placed next to other perennials with more bold foliage:  

Speaking of bold foliage, I finally came to grasp the concept of utilizing this concept (preferably in small doses). I have two Yucca ‘Golden Sword’ located in my front bed and they have acted as a true focal point, even into the winter:      

I have long been obsessed with using yellow/chartreuse foliage color. I have tried real hard to not overdo it. These dwarf spireas provide a nice punch of color along my front entry and I honestly find the blooms take away from the shrub. I will often cut black the blooms in an effort to keep the foliage pristine:  

I have a ton of Ajuga ‘Chocolate Chip’ under my shade trees and they will change foliage color from spring to fall as the trees fill in and the amount of shade increases:

And then there are those plants where the foliage is really all it has to offer and damn do they look good:

Hosta ‘Guacamole’

Sedum ‘Red Carpet’

And finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t include my absolute favorite foliage type of all, the ornamental grass:

Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’

ONG

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Fantastic Friday Fotos of Flowers and Foliage

Posted on by Posted in Blooms, Foliage .

OK … maybe a slight exaggeration … but it makes up for last week’s Friggin Furious Friday post.

Another early morning (about 5:45 AM) out in the yard granted me oodles of positivity and these are the photos to reflect that. It was sunny and warm and I gobbled up that shit with a spoon.    

This is a Sedum ‘Matrona’ and I fell in love with her at the nursery yesterday. The shape of the leaves, the reddish/pink hue of the leaves and the fact that it is an upright Sedum had me at “hello”. The plan is to plant these along with some good ol’ Rudbeckia for a sweet late summer display.          

I “heart” you

The Russian Sage foliage is looking sweet and I think it looks great even without the flower spikes. The gray/green color contrasts well with other green-foliaged perennials. I have three of these planted next to Daylillies and Purple Coneflower. This is also the only area these have thrived for me because there is good drainage.     

A lesson I have learned in the past year or so. Do not immediately pull weeds until they have developed and they can be further inspected. This is a bonus Russian Sage that emerged a few feet from the others. Welcome to the world little guy, we promise to make it a safe and secure place for you.  

The Daylily blooms are coming, the Daylily blooms are coming. And so starts the task of daily deadheading to keep things looking nice and to promote further bloom. Maybe I’ll take a short video on how to properly deadhead these. Sweet.  

This is a shot only a parent could love. It is an Achillea and it is all about perseverance for me. I have dragged this poor bastard all over the place and he continues to survive under adverse conditions. Mom and dad are so proud of you little guy.  

Achillea bloom on it’s way.

Echinacea/Purple Coneflower bloom. There is nothing more reliable than these and I have made it a point to deadhead regularly to keep them looking fresh longer into the season. And of course you have to enjoy the bee orgy that ensues once these are in full bloom.     

The whole family has been chowing down on this Red Salad Bowl lettuce for a a few weeks now. In the words of one of my all time favorite personalities “Isn’t she a beauty”. RIP Croc Hunter.    

More lettuce – regular Salad Bowl. Almost too nice to eat. I am going to get more creative planting these lettuces next year. The colors are tremendous and the leaf shape begs for mixing with other veggies.

This is an example of a typical ONG gardening practice. This is a Sambucus ‘Black Lace, google it and you’ll see how gorgeous these are. The problem is I have no room for it where I don’t think the deer will get to it. So the solution is always to pot it up and wait until some creative idea comes to mind.   

I know I know … wow Rudbeckia foliage … have never seen that before … how friggin unique ONG. Well, I don’t care, come deal with my water logged soil and then we’ll talk. On second thought, maybe it really isn’t all that riveting … oh well …we move on.   

I will continue to post photos of the Knockout roses because even though they are care free, they are still rose blooms. I do hope, however, that my Grandfather is not rolling over in his grave. He had the most unbelievable roses and tended to them night and day with supreme precision. Love you Pop!     

Wow, another rose photo … what a shocker, huh? 

An Echinacea ‘Fragrant Angel’ bloom. As I’ve mentioned before, I have virtually no sense of smell but I can get a whiff of these if I stick my nose right in there. Real real incredible scent.

God I love Astilbe foliage. So unique and yes, I am going to say it, dainty. Now I should be shot. 

“Before” shot of one of my front beds. Also “before” I had my new camera. Like the pinkish hue do you?

Another “before” photo. To quote Simon Cowell, a “ghastly” leggy Ilex.

Well I have since replaced the three shrubs in front with three Ilex ‘Bennet’s Compact’. These are much more full and compact (imagine that) and will grow to 4 x 4. I like them as foundation shrubs as they are evergreen and make a nice back drop for the perennials, bulbs and grasses that will be in front of them.

That is all for today folks. I will be spending all day Sunday making over my parents front beds so you can bet there will be a post early next week with the results. If not, you know I bombed bad.

Enjoy the weekend.