Path, pipe planter, and palmetto
This vignette caught my eye in the lower garden as I was blowing a bazillion live oaks leaves (yes, it’s live oak leaf-drop season!): a culvert-pipe planted with squid agave, ‘Sizzling Pink’ loropetalum (I love that burgundy foliage), and a stepping-stone path leading up to the slabs of natural limestone behind the pool. It’s nothing amazing, and two of my colorful hanging pots are a little distracting in this image. But still, the trees are aglow with new leaves, and the loropetalum is in full bloom, and so I paused to enjoy the scene.
A little closer, with blue-green Yucca pallida foliage showing nicely against the loropetalum. That’s ‘Cream de Mint’ pittosporum below — shade lovers all.
And now to completely change direction, here’s a scene I admired at Lady Bird Lake last weekend, a quintessential Austin pairing of native Texas palmetto and bald cypress. Always stop to admire the roses any plants you see! Happy weekend!
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All material © 2006-2017 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Pam, I love the sentence you begin with “It’s nothing amazing…”, because I DO consider it amazing! Anywhere I see plants, soil, rock, paths, hints of a caring gardener doing their thing – that is always an enjoyable view, or picture, to me. Thanks for all the interesting posts on your blog. They give me so much enjoyment. I just delight in any of views of nature.
Thank you, June, and I know just what you mean. I always enjoy seeing other people’s creative efforts too. There’s so much beauty in the world when one takes the time to stop and look. —Pam
I adore your loropetalum, the leaves are almost as gorgeous as the flowers. How are you able to grow acid loving plants close to all your limestone? My soil or water always destroys the acid lovers like loropetalum and Japanese maple. Georgetown
I’m growing several loropetalum, and this one is the happiest. It gets bright shade, so no direct sun. It’s true that it’s growing with limestone all around, but that doesn’t seem to bother it. It does enjoy more moist soil than the other ones because it’s at the bottom of a slope. As for the Japanese maple we inherited, it’s also doing well with no special care except once-a-week irrigation during the summer. It has enjoyed deep shade and a protected northern exposure against the house, but since we lost a nearby live oak, it’ll be getting more sun this summer. I’m a little anxious to see if that affects it. —Pam