The leaf’s the thing
The sun came out and I went out, out into the garden to explore after several dreary days spent indoors. Delightfully spongy earth, fungi on the coir doormats, and a revitalized winter garden attested to our recent rainfall—who knows how much, as I had turned my gauge upside down to keep it from freezing and forgot to put it right. I’m grateful for every drop.
Moseying through the garden, I felt like I was visiting a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. I took pictures of whatever struck my fancy, and, as you’d expect this time of year in a southern garden, most of what struck my fancy was evergreen (or ever-silver) foliage. This should have been my Foliage Follow-Up post!
It’s Moby, the white whale! My beloved ‘Whale’s Tongue’ agave (Agave ovatifolia) basks in the afternoon sunlight.
Spotted like a leopard, this large Aloe saponaria sports orange thorns and leaf tips at this time of year due to the colder weather.
A potted flapjack plant (Kalanchoe thyrsiflora) is also rosy-cheeked from the recent cold.
Silver and gold foliage marches down the slope in the sunny hillside garden: ‘Blue Ice’ Arizona cypress, ‘Adagio’ miscanthus grass, ‘Powis Castle’ artemesia, with bulbine and a frost-browned cuphea in front and a ‘Sapphire Skies’ yucca at the end.
‘Sapphire Skies’ Yucca rostrata—a green-and-blue sea urchin of a plant in the afternoon light.
I don’t think I’ve ever shot this angle before. I’m on the steps leading up from the lower garden, looking through the live oaks and shade garden beneath them toward the stock-tank pond, deck, and hillside garden.
On the porch, a pretty, striped Japanese sedge surrounded by turquoise glass beads.
I hope you had a lovely day in the garden too!
All material © 2006-2011 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Thanks for the up date. I enjoyed it especially the grasses.
Grasses help carry my garden through winter. I love them too. —Pam
Pam your photos are fantastic and your garden looks fantastic. I am really looking forward to spring that is for sure. We had some sun today but it is off and on. I can’t wait to get all my hibernating beauties out of the garage and back outside. It gets me so excited thinking about this time of year coming up!
Thanks, Candy. Yes, spring will soon be here for us southern gardeners. —Pam
Great pictures. I have no doubt that other people will have seen your blue bottle tree before but i haven’t – what a good idea – does it make sounds if a wind blows through it ? –
Not so I’ve noticed. But it does look extra pretty in the late afternoon, when the sun shines through it. —Pam
Beautiful pictures as always. I love the light on the Y. rostrata and in the bottle tree picture.
Thanks, ChrisU. The low light of winter days makes for illuminating images. —Pam
Your stock tank framed in this photo looks so inviting with the paths leading to it.
Thanks, Lisa. The garden is coming along. This will be our third spring, so I’m looking forward to some major leaping this year. —Pam
You’ve brought your garden so far in such a short time – it really is beautiful. It has so many nooks and crannies to visit – I love that feeling of discovery as you wander through a garden.
Would you mind recommending your fence supplier? I’d like to replace our fence on one side and would really like to add a taller fence, if possible. Is yours 8′? Also, quite surprised your turks cap haven’t frozen back – you must have a cozy little micro climate back there! Lastly, what is the tall spiky plant in the right in the shade garden picture? It has nice structure.
Thanks, Cat. The natural changes of elevation in this garden help to give it an exploratory feeling. I’m trying to capitalize on the sense of discovery with strategic screening shrubs, but it’s taking awhile. See my answer to Lisa’s comment above. As for the Turk’s cap, I do have some that are still leafy, but I think you’re seeing abutilon instead. Are you talking about the leafy plant in the lower left of the stock-tank picture? If so, it’s pink abutilon. The tall, spiky plant nearby is a metal agave! I’ll email you the name of the fence guy we used. —Pam
So many great contrasting textures in that first photo. And I love your brick walkway around the stock tank! Also, I had no idea aloe and flapjack could stand the winter weather (mine are inside…and small); do you cover yours when it gets chilly at night?
Amy, I leave the aloe unprotected all winter. It suffered some damage last winter, but it can handle upper 20s with no problem. Of course, mine is protected a bit by the house wall and surrounded by stone, which retains some heat. I leave out the potted Kalanchoe most of the winter but do cover it or bring it inside if temps are predicted to dip much below freezing. —Pam
I did have a lovely day in the garden. Wasn’t it wonderful to walk around and see what good things had come from the rain. You have some lovely foliage which shines in the winter garden. We had over 3″ total last week so you could have had the same. It was welcome but I’m glad that sun is shining once more.
Three inches is wonderful. I hope we got as much here. The wildflowers will be grateful. —Pam
Lovely shots Pam, glad to hear you got out and explored a bit. Our forecast is calling for a little sunshine this afternoon once the fog burns off, if it happens I plan to be out there enjoying it…although it promises to be a little on the chilly side. A question about your whales tongue (apologies if I’ve asked this before), just how big is it? It looks to be about 2ft wide, true? Oh and great shot of the Y. rostrata!
The ‘Whale’s Tongue’ agave is much bigger than that, Loree. I just measured it at 4-1/2 feet wide and 3-1/2 feet tall. —Pam
I like the combination of Saphire Skies yucca and artemisa. The grey-green and the blue green colors create a cool feeling, and the contrast of the spiky and feathery textures is nice. Your artemisa has fared much better than Scott’s in Oregan. http://rhonestreetgardens.blogspot.com/2011/01/o-wormwood-and-gall.html
Thanks for sharing.
My artemisia gets pretty ratty and bedraggled by winter’s end, Abbey. I’ll cut it back to about 6 inches in mid-February. —Pam
Your garden is looking great. It’s been a better year than last for plants and the long days of rain were welcome in our garden too.
Thanks for showing the view over the tank toward the deck. I admit to wondering how you have brought the deck and the landscape together since we have the same issue here. Your solution looks very natural and inviting.
Thanks, S. Fox. It’s a work in progress, but I guess that goes without saying. —Pam
That Agave is stunning…and, as always, love your stock-tank pond!
Thanks, Scott. We get a lot of enjoyment out of the pond. —Pam
gorgeous photos! amazing what a little sunshine will do! all the plants here think spring has hit–and we are all happy little enablers!
Enable away, Laguna! It felt like spring here yesterday, but today winter has returned. —Pam
Beautiful photos as always and as always, I LOVE that Whale’s Tongue Agave. Gorgeous!
Thanks, Kate! —Pam