Shady winter garden still has sparkle
The Southern garden is quieter in winter but still mostly green. This pink abutilon, unbothered by cooler weather, is leafy and setting buds.
One pink-veined blossom is already open.
I’ve seen a few honeybees around, even at this late date. I wonder if they’ve found the abutilon.
‘Sparkler’ sedge (Carex phyllocephala), with its minty stripes, is also adding welcome greenery and light to the shade garden—still shady because I garden under live oaks, which don’t lose their leaves until early spring, when new leaves push out the old in a confetti-like cascade.
I don’t know why ‘Sparkler’ sedge is so hard to find locally. It performs beautifully in dry shade, even in the tangled root zone of the live oaks.
Just before Thanksgiving, the Natural Gardener was carrying some one gallons. It might be worth a call to see if they still have some. They weren’t cheap though, at nearly $9 a pop.
The view from the lowest point of the lower garden. The stone steps lead past pineapple guavas and a native gum bumelia tree (Bumelia lanuginosa) underplanted with purple heart to a limestone ledge path behind the pool. It’s woodsy down here.
Shining in the shade, defying the freezes so far, ‘Diamond Frost’ euphorbia adds its sparkle.
What’s still shining in your garden?
All material © 2006-2011 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
The ‘Sparkler’ carex is beautiful. Unfortunately, it is zone 7b so I can’t grow it in suburban Philadelphia. A similar carex for our climate is ‘Oehme’, variegated palm sedge, which has the same effect but in yellow and the added bonus of being native to the US. Carolyn
Ooh, that IS pretty (I just looked it up). And nice that it’s native too. —Pam
I really, really want a pink abutilon, mine is orange….most everyone knows I keep pen and paper next to my computer for jotting down plant names to research in the winter…’Sparkler’ Sedge was just added..
I hope Sparkler sedge will prove easier to find in Florida than here in Austin, Darla. It shows up sporadically in nurseries here, and I always snap up a few when I see them. —Pam
Such beautiful blooms this time a year are precious! My shade garden looks better than other parts of the garden.
I expect it’s because shade gardens tend to be evergreen and all about foliage, wouldn’t you say? At least, that’s true of mine. —Pam
Hi Pam,
Lucky you, here in Sweden we have chaos. -20 degree and a lot of snow.
Its like it should be, here where the Santa lives 🙂
Ken from a cold Sweden
Brr! Ken, that is colder than I can imagine, having always lived in the South. But your reward is surely your beautiful, flowery spring and summer. Say hi to Santa for me! —Pam
Well I can tell you whats not shining in my garden…‘Sparkler’ sedge. I killed it!
D’oh! Well, conditions in Portland and Austin probably couldn’t be more different, so I shouldn’t be surprised. You going to try again? —Pam
Pam, how do you do it? You named the 3 plants that are struggling in my shady garden right now. I finally cut my pink abutilon back to the ground because it lost all its leaves; I’ve killed more sparkler sedge than has lived, though I’ll keep trying with it because it is gorgeous, and I yanked out all my Diamond Frost Euphorbia in all the beds two months ago because it just wouldn’t bloom or do anything. Oh well, keep trying, right?
Oh no! Sorry to rub your nose in it, Robin. Isn’t it strange how two gardens in the same city with such similar shady conditions could produce such different results? I guess that’s what keeps it interesting. —Pam
I spotted the sweet fairy in the background of one of your lovely photos. That is a beautiful pathway.
Thanks. Yes, that fairy keeps watch in the lower garden, where my daughter plays with friends (the trampoline is down there too). —Pam
Oh geez, I really need to replace the abutilon I lost a couple seasons ago. I forgot how much I loved it until I saw yours (and I definitely remember it blooming when many other plants had succumbed… not sure why it died!)
They really are pretty, aren’t they? I hope you find another one soon. —Pam
Beautiful pictures Pam! Love the pink flowers and the sedge plant is great! Wonder how it would do in a cactus garden?
I don’t think the sedge would be happy in a cactus garden, Candy. It requires nearly full shade. —Pam
Hey Pam, what do you do with your purple heart (saw it along the path)? mine’s gone all limp and grey after this last cold snap. Do I cut it all the way back?
That sparkler is so vibrant! A nice surprise when everything is turning dull.
Suzie, you can cut purple heart to the ground once it turns limp. It’ll come back in the spring. —Pam
Winter is definitely the season of your climate’s better nature. Beautiful.~~Dee
Spring is pretty sweet too. And fall. It’s just that summer is so dang long. But you know about that in Oklahoma, don’t you? —Pam
Thanks for the heads up on the Sparkler sedge @ the Natural Garden. I’ve admired it on your blog for a long time but have never been able to find it. I got one yesterday @ NG on sale. Hope mine does as well as yours. Thanks again!
You are welcome, Robin. Thanks for leaving a comment so I could find your blog. I always love reading the blogs of other Austin gardeners. FYI, I fixed your URL link that you left. Drop the @ and replace it with a period. It should look like this: http://acheflearnstogarden.blogspot.com/ Cheers! —Pam