When the Garden Bloggers’ Foliage Day post by My Hesperides Garden popped up on my WordPress Reader, Christina’s opening words “…I encourage you to look at the foliage in your garden and give it the appreciation it deserves”, encouraged me to go out in the garden this afternoon and take a look. It is all too easy to miss what is under your nose.
I have had a battle growing Alstroemeria in my garden, thanks to the snails and slugs, so during the summer I dug up a clump and put it in a pot. Despite the frost and snow it is looking good, which I am delighted with.
Now I find Agapanthus an interesting plant. I have both deciduous and evergreen varieties. The deciduous ones are beginning to poke their shoots through, the frosted ground doesn’t appear to deter them. The evergreen Agapanthus in the open south facing floor bed has some of its bottom leaves going mushy but I know from experience it will pick up once it starts to get warmer. The ones in the bed next the house, where it is sheltered, are looking very happy.
I am not usually one for plant collections but I am always drawn to Heuchera at plant fairs and am seriously contemplating in buying a few more this year. I like their names and have ‘Marmalade’ and ‘Berry Smoothie’ on my list. Annoyingly I have lost the name tags for the ones above.
The ferns in the shady part of the garden haven’t died back this year so no photos of those triffid-like fronds uncurling, although I expect if I were to cut them back I would be treated to some.
Moving around to the more sheltered south facing side patio, the Pieris is covered with small cream bell-shaped flowers in large branched clusters that are supposed to appear in the spring but have been on the plant all winter.
Another good foliage plant that I always forget to use it the Olive. This little tree I bought from the local market last year for £10, a plant of similar size was on sale in M&S for £25 – bargain!
Finally, I couldn’t leave this post without a lovely Polyanthus. I have a number of them in the new flowerbed and regardless of the frost and below zero temperatures they survive undaunted. I do have some true Primroses, they have slightly larger and longer leaves which have gone floppy in the cold and the flowers are yet to appear.
Walking around the garden, however, I had the feeling that spring is definitely in the air. In case you are wondering the chicken wire is to deter cats, squirrels and foxes from digging up the bulbs.