Twilight garden for Foliage Follow-Up
Last evening the garden was bathed in the soft glow of a spring twilight. After a day of planting, mulching, and general tidying, I was glad for a quiet moment to just stop and enjoy the garden. The new “monolith” wall has made a handy spot to display a ‘Color Guard’ yucca, I’ve found. I love those stripey, sunshine-yellow leaves.
In front of the wall, and behind the others, I’ve planted ‘Blonde Ambition’ grama grass in sun and Texas sedge in shade, accented with a couple of Indian mallows (Abutilon palmeri) that are tiny right now but will, I hope, put on a great summer show.
Looking the other way it was On Golden Pond, thanks to the low light. ‘Winter Gem’ boxwoods pair off at the path thresholds around the pond, with Texas sedge and lamb’s ear filling in beneath.
On the right, the blue-green leaves of heartleaf skullcap (Scutellaria ovata) crowd the path. Soon lavender bloom spikes will appear. Behind the skullcap, a trio of squid agaves in culvert-pipe planters arc around the curve.
For new readers, the shed is really a disguise for the pool pump. Those turquoise double doors? Faux. The real door is on the side. My husband built this beautiful structure to my design and did a terrific job.
I finally planted up this pretty, blue-glass hanging planter, a birthday gift from my friend Diana of Sharing Nature’s Garden. What did I choose? Blue-leaved succulents, of course. You might also notice a bunch of blue bottles in the background. I’ve been livening up the shady, dim lower garden with a liberal sprinkling of shiny, light-catching garden art. That’s a double row of bottles on rebar stakes — an honor guard for the stepping-stone path that runs between them.
Why? Because it’s fun.
Stepping back, here’s a wider view of the Mexican buckeye that the planter hangs from. I’ve had that enormous potted Texas nolina for years and brought it with me from my former garden, but now it’s in a new spot, on a ledge of rock between the pool patio and the lower garden. I moved it when I had an outdoor fan post installed by the patio, and now I wonder why I never thought to move it here earlier. I love it in this spot! It has room to spread out its weeping leaves and makes a lovely focal point for the lower garden. To its right is a row of dwarf Barbados cherries.
Now we’re in the lower garden, looking toward the new Yucca rostrata, framed by the wine-colored leaves of ‘Sizzling Pink’ loropetalum. One of these days I will get the weeds under control back here.
A front view, without the backlighting, but I’m still loving the rich coloring. In the purple pot are paleleaf yucca and ghost plant, and in the culvert pipe are squid agave and more ghost plant. The small green shrub with cream variegation is ‘Cream de Mint’ pittosporum, which stays tidy and small.
Another angle on the pond garden, with mass plantings of ‘Color Guard’ yucca, bamboo muhly, fall aster, and more — a tapestry of greens.
So what leafy love is going on in your April garden? Please join me for Foliage Follow-Up, giving foliage its due on the day after Bloom Day. Leave a link to your post in a comment below. I really appreciate it if you’ll also link to my post in your own — sharing link love! If you can’t post so soon after Bloom Day, no worries. Just leave your link when you get to it. I look forward to seeing your foliage faves.
All material © 2006-2015 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Heres my foliage post https://patientgardener.wordpress.com/2015/04/16/foliage-follow-up-april-2015/
You definately have a blue theme going in your garden which must be cooling on hot days
Wow – so many plants I haven’t seen before. Lovely blue theme for a hot climate! Your yucca’s look fine – hope they don’t grow as big as here in Auckland NZ 30′ high and enourmous trunks and spikey. I call them yukky yukas! People keep planting them too close to houses and fences. I keep cutting ours down and criss cross the trunk and put woody weed killer on the trunk! Ours seem to be stiff and ugly! Hope you use your pool. Yvonne
There are so many varieties of yucca, Yvonne, but I’m pretty sure I haven’t planted any yucky ones! As with any plant, it’s all about proper placement, isn’t it? We’ll be using the pool soon. The Death Star’s rays are intensifying as summer nears. —Pam
Your garden is looking wonderful. It has been fun to watch it come together. Spring is here but unfurling slowly. But a fair amount of foliage to share nevertheless. http://eachlittleworld.typepad.com/each_little_world/2015/04/foliage-follow-up-41615.html
Love it all!and You’ve reminded me to plant up my round glass “bird feeders” (which I always thought would make better planters than feeders)
Great idea, Cheryl. Do they have drainage holes at the bottom? —Pam
How did you get the labels off of the blue bottles? I have tons of bottles saved but want labels and sticky stuff gone first.
Thanks.
Ginny, I’ve had these so long that I’m struggling to remember. I was given most of my collection by a friend, and I can’t remember if she’d already taken off the labels. But I know I’ve added a few more over the years, and those I soaked overnight in soapy water and scraped with a razor blade. —Pam
Just beautiful.
You’ve done such a good job here.
Thanks so much, Linda. —Pam
Your gardens are so whimsical and inviting and I love the blue glass planter! Here is a link to some of my new emerging foliage for this April. http://landscapedesignbylee.blogspot.com/2015/04/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-and-foliage.html#.VS_iC_nF98E
It’s a pleasure to see your garden in spring bloom and leaf, Lee. I especially admired the cascade of the weeping pussy willow. Thanks for joining in. —Pam
All the blues and grays you have in your garden now are right at home in the light of twilight. I don’t think I realized till this post how many plants you have in pots. Are they hardy? I don’t think I’ve ever read about you overwintering anything tender inside, so I figure they must be.
My FF post is here: http://bonneylassie.blogspot.com/2015/04/foliage-followup-april-2015.html
All the big pots contain hardy plants, Alison, but many of the smaller potted succulents must be brought in when a freeze is predicted. In a typical winter that amounts to a half-dozen moves in-and-out because we usually don’t stay sub-freezing more than a few hours. —Pam
Your backyard garden is beautiful, Pam. I love all the small touches, including that wonderful hanging succulent pot and the paleleaf Yucca in the pot. I’ll be interested to see how ‘Blonde Ambition’ does in your garden as I’ve been considering adding some to my own.
Here’s my foliage follow-up post: http://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2015/04/foliage-follow-up-touches-of-red.html
I enjoyed your red-foliage post, Kris. Reds add much depth and richness to a planting scheme, don’t they? And I think a nice contrast could be made with the pale foliage of ‘Blond Ambition’ grama. —Pam
First time participating in Foliage Follow Up! Looking forward to following the links and checking out all the wonderful gardens. Happy spring, one and all! http://www.bloomtown.net/2015/04/foliage-follow-up-april-2015.html
Great photos and what a wonderful, cohesive use of color in your garden. Love it!
Thanks, Darcy. I’m glad you joined in! —Pam
What a great eye you have, Pam! It takes me several tries to get things in the right spots, but you seem to succeed with the first try. I hear you about “one of these days”! That’s when I’ll get my weeds under control too. LOL!
Peter, I move things around all the time and never feel guilty about it. It’s just part of the process. 🙂 —Pam
Gorgeous as always, Pam! Don’t know if I’ve said it before but I love the dark tones you’ve chosen for your monolith and curved walls! My random foliage post is here: http://www.outlawgarden.blogspot.com/2015/04/april-2015-foliage-follow-up.html
Thanks, Peter! —Pam
I really like the sedges, grasses, and Lamb’s Ear … and the way your patio bricks form a sundial or circular pattern around the pond. Your hardscapes synchronize well with your garden plants. Time got away from me for GBBD and Foliage Follow-Up this month, but I’ll make a point to join in next month! This is one of my favorite memes.
I call it a sunburst patio, Beth, with the stock-tank pond as the corona. 🙂 The pattern is best appreciated from above, on the deck off the back door. Hope to see you next month! —Pam
Oh I love that green container and yucca on your blue wall! Perfect.
Thanks, Loree. In daylight the pot is more chartreuse or acid yellow, but it does look pretty green in the photo. —Pam
The 1st pic is all I needed…you hit a home run with that pot and wall!
David, your purple wall was one of my earliest inspirations, so thanks! —Pam
From Garden In a City: https://gardeninacity.wordpress.com/2015/04/18/april-leaves-bring-may-flowers/