Mossy, damp Foliage Follow Up
All of Texas is dreaming of rain dripping from eaves, trickling streams, and the feel of soft moss underfoot.
We’re in a devastating drought that has turned our state brown. Even many of our iconic live oaks are showing stress. We desperately need rain.
So for my August Foliage Follow-Up post, I give you moss, ferns, and water from the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island near Seattle. Imagine viewing this verdant garden with rain dripping down your collar. That’s how I saw it. Ahhh. (More pics from the Bloedel will be coming soon.)
What foliage is inspiring you today? Join me in posting about your lovely leaves of August—it’s called Foliage Follow-Up, and it’s a way to remind ourselves of the importance of foliage in the garden. Just leave a comment on this post with a link to your foliage post so everyone can find you, and please link to me in your post.
All material © 2006-2011 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Well, I have a Foliage Follow-Up post to share, but it’s not as pretty as yours. It does discuss an important role that foliage can play in a garden, however, and explains why I haven’t ripped out my invasive English ivy. http://shovelreadygarden.blogspot.com/2011/08/foliage-follow-up-august-2011.html
Pam — I swear I looked at the first photo and thought “Bloedel.” We were there in 2000 and it is an unforgettable experience. We’re dreaming of rain here too, but do have some greenery on our foliage post. http://eachlittleworld.typepad.com/each_little_world/2011/08/the-green-garden-twisting-and-spiraling-plants.html
Great shots Pam, and the stream vignette is so calming. Thanks for sharing!
Great pictures. This month (again) some Agaves, a Hosts and my semi-hardy banana: http://allandrewsplants.wordpress.com/2011/08/16/foliage-followup-august-2011/
I really expected to see some wet foliage in your garden. I was hoping and praying that that was the case. Not that Bloedel is disappointing, if you know what I mean.
The only wet foliage in my garden would be from the hose or drops of sweat, Jenny. But memories of the Bloedel make up for a lot. —Pam
Forgot to post a link to my Foliage Follow Up, so here it is – http://bhld.wordpress.com/2011/08/16/foliage-follow-up-august-2011/
Thank you so much for the wonderful follow up shares! Love Moss…<|;-)
Great photos Pam! Those rain drops were the last ones I’ve seen too. No rain here in my garden since before your visit.
My foliage follow-up post should look familiar to you. I picked my nephew up at the airport last week and thought “why have I never shared pictures of this!”…now I have. http://dangergarden.blogspot.com/2011/08/foliage-follow-up-portland.html
I’ve got some foliage that is as striking as flowers. Thanks for the invitation to share and discover. http://downtoearth-abbey.blogspot.com/2011/08/foliage-follow-up.html
That must have felt wonderful. It’s hard to remember how rain FEELS….
Here’s my Foliage Follow-Up. Not as refreshing as yours.
http://patchworkgarden.blogspot.com/2011/08/foliage-follow-upaugust-2011.html
Thanks.
What a calm and lovely set of photos, Pam! I’m so glad you had a chance to get wet in our beautiful Pacific Northwest gardens. My post is pretty sunny, and typical of our August weather in Portland:
http://mulchmaid.blogspot.com/2011/08/foliage-follow-up-august-2011.html
Thanks Pam for cooling me off with your scenes, and not just the color green, but the simplicity and repetition. Oh yeah! Makes me think of a Pac NW microbrew, fresh bread, and lots of salmon…always comes back to plants and food with me…I know!
My take on the topic is at:
http://desertedge.blogspot.com/2011/08/foliage-followup-nm-082011.html
I am not here to follow up with foliage, but instead I wanted to thank you for all the great Seattle posts and your wonderful eye on things. I bid you rain and more moderate weather.
Thanks for letting me know you are enjoying my Seattle posts, Les. I worried a little that I was boring my readers with too much about my trip, but you know I like to share gardens and scenery, wherever I find it. —Pam
Hi Pam, I hope you get some rain soon, and enough to heal the land. I’ve been enjoying your photos from Seattle, but have gotten behind in reading them, as I am behind in lots of things. I got a post up just now. Here’s a link:
http://acornergarden.blogspot.com/2011/08/foliage.html
So very sorry about the continuing heat and drought in Texas. Interesting piece in the NYT on the tree ring evidence for droughts going back to mid 1400’s, before Columbus. That trip to Seattle was either restorative or a total shock to your system!
Denise
http://agrowingobsession.com/?p=20917
Very restorative, Denise, with only a little shock to the system when I arrived in Portland. —Pam
Hadn’t heard of Foliage Follow-up before, great idea as I think foliage is just as important. I need to gather my breath after doing my Bloom Day post but I will work on a Foliage one as well and update here when it’s ready. So sorry to hear of your drought, meanwhile here in Scotland we are having the opposite problem, living up to the image many have of us, but it’s never usually so constant and the insects seem to have suffered the most. Only 3 butterflies on my buddleja this year – should be covered. I really hope you get rain soon.
I look forward to seeing some of your foliage picks for a wet Scotland summer, Cally. Hope you get some butterflies soon! —Pam
I love your photography! You inspire me to be a better gardener and photographer. Here is my first time at Foliage follow up. http://cactuspad.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/foliage-follow-up/
Hi Pam – My first time here at Foliage Follow Up, this is my August Foliage Post – http://www.thegardeningblog.co.za/gardening/favourite-foliage/
Ooh… I love seeing these cool, mossy shots! (Mostly because, while we’re lucky enough to be escaping your drought, my garden up here will pretty much never look this wet and lush.)
And I’m excited to see more Foliage Follow-Up links from others this month, too! Here’s mine:
http://blackswampgirl.blogspot.com/2011/08/silvery-foliage-follow-up-august-2011.html
🙂
Beautiful pictures and so very descriptive. As a North Texan, I appreciate the thoughts of rain that you intermixed into your description of the ferns. Below is a post I recently wrote regarding asparagus fern – about the only type of fern still surviving in my yard due to the drought! Again, thanks for your soothing pics! http://natureisnurture.net/2011/07/25/asparagus-fern.aspx
Hi, I was directed to you when I suggested doing a meme about foliage on my blog yesterday. It is silly for us both to do the same thing so I’ll link my post back to you. It will be difficult for me to post so soon after Garden Bloggers Bloom Day so I’ll probably continue to do mine on the 22nd of the month, and I’ll always put a link to yours. I have a friend who lives in Texas and she always describes it as being “brown” so I can understand how important some green is for you. The countryside is usually brown around us in summer, although this year was wetter and so there was more green and wild flowers this year. For that reason lots of my foliage is silver rather than green, though not all. Glad I found you, Christina http://myhesperidesgarden.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/foliage-and-heat-in-the-garden/
Hi Pam,
I’m sorry for all the heat and drought your state is experiencing. I like the photos of Bloedel. Here’s a link to my post I just got done:
http://acornergarden.blogspot.com/2011/09/second-try-at-foliage-follow-up.html