Thursday, December 16, 2010

Fabulous Foliage - December '10

Kadsura japonica

 Here's my Foliage Follow-up to yesterday's blooms.


Although it is getting more difficult to find blooms in my garden this time of year, there is no shortage of beautiful foliage to share.






I hope you will bear with me as I post 
just a couple more pictures of the maples in my garden.

You may be thinking... "Enough with the Japanese Maples already!!"    
The maples do not all turn at the same rate.  These colored up later than the others, and I just had to share them with you. 






'Viridis' and 'Bloodgood' make a striking combination.  

Cherry Laurels form an evergreen backdrop, and Japanese Holly Fern form a fringe below.








Acer Palmatum 'Orange Dream' took its sweet time coloring up this winter, but it was worth the wait!


'D.D. Blanchard' Magnolia stands tall behind the maple, and the strap-leaf foliage of 'Tropical Giant' Spider Lily is in the foreground.





Can you blame me for wanting to show just one more picture of these gorgeous leaves?!













Okay.  Moving on to some other lovely leaves in my garden...

The Oak Leaf Hydrangea 'Alice' almost seems to be glowing
in the afternoon light.





Nandinas have reliable fall and winter color, too.

This is 'Nana' in the foreground and 'Compacta' in the background.  

'Compacta' has an added bonus of berries for the winter birds.






Maybe not quite as exciting, but this 'Big Blue' Liriope forms a super low-maintenance evergreen groundcover above this retaining wall at the east entrance to my backyard.

My "peacock" crane has changed his "feathers,"
adding a little more color to his "plumage."




Miscanthus Sinensis 'Adagio' has turned
into a rainbow of colors, adding even more interest to this wonderful ornamental grass.




Just look at those ribbons of color!!

'Hameln' Fountaingrass has turned a warm golden color





And the 'Regal Mist' Muhly grass has faded from its glorious autumn pink to a more subdued buff color
for the winter.













This is the time of year when it seems we can appreciate 
the foliage in our gardens all the more, 
when there is little or no competition from blooms.  

Autumn leaves add color, and evergreen foliage adds structure and texture to our gardens through the winter.


For links to some other sites displaying fabulous foliage 
(and some cedars decked out for Christmas!), 
visit the Foliage Follow-up posts at Digging.



Until next time, my garden friends...

Enjoy your winter gardens and stay warm!

Toni :-)

20 comments:

  1. You have great foliage. It is hard to beat maples for color and you still have good color. My favorite by far for siting of ornament is your crane/peacock with the grass tail feathers. That is genius.
    My foliage post still has a lot of snow and ice. My first time joining too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I never tire of looking at beautiful Japanese maples in fall color. Yours are gorgeous! And I'm loving your peacock crane with the grass tail -- so clever. Thanks for joining in for Foliage Follow-up this month.

    ReplyDelete
  3. @gardenwalk: Donna, thanks for visiting. Oh, the color is fading fast, I fear. The crane was a happy accident :-) I wanted the grass by the pond, I wanted the crane by the pond, and as the grass grew, I looked out one day, and thought, Wow, that looks like a peacock! Loved your "amateur" photos for foliage follow-up!

    @Pam/Digging: Thanks for checking out my foliage post, Pam! And thanks for hosting Foliage Follow-up! Hope to be back next month :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. No, no, you cannot show too many Japanese maples! They are so beautiful! But what a cruel trick Nature is playing on me! I cannot grow the Japanese maples and clematis, thanks to this brutal zone combo we live in, yet you display here beautiful, healthy Spider Lily foliage growing right along with them...in December! My own tropical Hymenocallis is wilted and flopped on the ground from five--I said FIVE--freezes that have hit my garden in the first half of December.

    ReplyDelete
  5. @Floridagirl: The garden is always greener on the other side of the country, isn't it? But you can grow gingers and bird of paradise and...and...and :-) Actually I am surprised that my Tropical Giant is not a pile of mush by now, too. Sounds like Jack Frost has worn out his welcome in Florida!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nice - and I never get tired of seeing plants that are happy where they are planted, anywhere. Much nicer than seeing Japanese Maple, etc looking so worn-out and out of place in the desert! Keep sharing...you must have a big property.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Those Japanese maples are beautiful, especially in contrast to each other.

    ReplyDelete
  8. @DesertDweller: Just under a half acre on the property. Pictures always make it look bigger, I think. I'm fixin' to share some larger views of property on upcoming posts.

    @Liz: Thanks for your visit and comment. I just got another maple 'Peaches & Cream,' so I am excited to see more spring foliage contrasts!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I never get tired of Japanese maples. Carolyn

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks Carolyn! So glad you enjoy the maples, too. The leaves are falling fast. I'm going to miss all that color!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Toni ! You have a beautiful garden girl !!
    You have made me so jealous (in a good way .. admiration : ) for your Japanese maples .. I am in a zone where they are very "iffy" I bought Bloodgood and Red Dragon last year .. and I am so hoping they will stick it out with me .. your grasses !! what can I say .. perfection and the crane that looks like a grand peacock ? Absolutely fabulous ! .. You garden is stunning!
    Joy : )

    ReplyDelete
  12. What gorgeous fall foliage -- I so want a Japanese Maple. And that peacock crane is fantastic! What plumage!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your foliage still looks amazing. Seems like a long time ago for me here in NY to see such vibrant colors. I love love your peacock and his "feathers"! oh that made me smile and want to go find something similar for my garden.

    ReplyDelete
  14. @CanadianGarden: I think the maples are a little "iffy" here, too. I might be pushing the envelope on their heat tolerance, and I do get a little tip burn on some, but for the most part they do well. Thanks so much for visiting and leaving such nice comments!

    ReplyDelete
  15. If I had Japanese Maples with colors like that, I'd be showing them off! I keep getting tempted by the maples, but worry re: my limestone soils. Is your soil acidic or do you do anything special?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your garden is so beautiful that I never get tired of any photos you post!! My garden is asleep under a blanket of melting snow and mud so the only blooms I can enjoy are those from my blogging friends in warmer climates. Love love love your japanese maples!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. @Meredith: If your soil won't accommodate a Japanese maple, maybe you could grow one in a container. I know they do well in containers, too. Thanks for stopping by :-)

    @Kate: Glad I could bring a smile to your face. All you need is a metal crane and an ornamental grass planted behind it, and voila, "peacock crane."

    @TS: Thanks for your nice comment. I hope you are back to diggin' in the dirt soon and your knees are good as new. Take care and rest (like your garden is doing) before spring!!

    @RBell: My soil is ALKALINE, like 7.6 to 8.1. I just add gobs of compost when I prepare a bed. Other than that, no special treatment. As I mentioned above, you might try one in a container. One of the dwarf, weeping dissectums would be great in a container in a shady spot.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Toni, you do have the foliage that makes your garden interesting and charming in winter! Shapes, textures, colors - everything is here! Your peacock made me smile! What a great idea! Love your grasses. And maples. And liriope, and ... all the plants look so good!

    ReplyDelete
  19. @Tatyana: Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi Toni,

    What a big and lovely garden. So surprising.

    Just like to share with you a beautiful quote...

    "You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life" - Albert Camus

    You can get more happiness quotes at http://www.quotelandia.com/category/Happiness

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.