Recently I was pondering about the garden. I do that from time to time. And something magical hit me. That is, I have foliar happiness year round! It was something that made me very happy while the cold rain was coming down. Around town the gardens are lets just say a soggy mess. Half dead foliage rots in the cold winter rain, while broad leaved evergreens glisten with foliar happiness. So for my foliage follow-up I celebrate the year round garden. I celebrate the foliar happiness that warms the dreary winter days.
Winter? say what?
Fatsia blooms give away the season but the foliage is as happy as the warmest days of summer.
Some spiky foliar lushness.
The tree fern has decided to send out some new growth.
Thankfully we have not had any real cold weather yet and this fern is looking really good.
for more foliar happiness head on over to Pam's epic blog
digging.
GORGEOUS! Lush...pure green...I bet it smells great! Those terraced gardens in the background of pic 1 - AMAZING! Are those yours? Your olive tree looks like it is very happy :) Is there such thing as a hardy palm that grows and stays at approx 10 to 15ft....nice and bushy'ish (you can tell I still don't have a palm)? I need to block a neighbours 2nd story windows.... your palms looks perfect for that....but does it grow to a million feet tall?
ReplyDeleteThanks! It is incredibly lush this time of the year. The terraced gardens is our back neighbours. Unfortunately they don't take very good care of it so most of the time it looks really bad. But its fully southern exposure and they could literally grow anything there if they were into it. I get sad sometimes when I look that way for that reason.
DeleteFor your palm you could go with a chamaerops humilis. They can get huge http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/348720/ check that link out. But if you want a solitary type palm you could try butia capitata or butia eriospatha. They should be readily available and are really hardy (to around -9C). If you want an amazing palm you could try and find butia x jubaea. That might not be available but is super exotic! The trachys that I have are great, but they get really tall over time and would only temporarily suit your needs. But the trachycarpus wagnerianus is often smaller and much slower growing. What's your hardiness zone, 9a?
Zone 8b...
DeleteMan Louis! You rock- I will check out all of these. Thank you!! :)
No problem! Texas 8b should support butia and chamaerops just fine ... As well as my highly coveted brahma armata. You could also grow Most of the Sabal palms... Like the native Sabal texana.
DeleteThank you - I did my research from the palms you suggested, and chamaerops humilis it is. Thanks Louis - I will send you a pic planting day! You are the best :) And I did what you said...planting a palm in 2013!
DeleteYay! I can't wait to see it!! They are one of my favourite palms!!
DeleteSeeing the lush, PNW-damp foliage is a sight to my sore eyes...even though it looked like that here for all of a day last week. I agree it looks far nicer than winter there. Some future visit to your area, I can see visiting your garden one afternoon with sprigs of my rosemary, sprinkle it into oil made from your pressed olives, and we can break bread looking at your towering palms!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds wonderful! I hope to one day have enough olives to press out some oil. There are some olive enthusiasts in the gulf islands that I hope to connect with too! Isn't life as a plant geek wonderful!?!
DeleteWe are so lucky to live in the PNW where we can have all of this lushness year round! Are you friendly with your back neighbors? Could you offer to take care of their garden for them and maybe put some agaves and yuccas in those well draining beds?
ReplyDeleteThe lushness is a blessing. The neighbours are nice but it would sure be a task. It just grows wild most of the year. But it would be well worth the effort.
Delete"Foliar happiness" -- what a great expression. I like green winters too, and Austin is lucky to have them. Your garden looks happy indeed, as happy as in summer!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it?! It's always what plays through my head when I feel overwhelmed in the happiness of my favourite foliage plants. It's expressed often as a sigh or gasp.
DeleteLove the photos. I am a firm believer that if you surround yourself with the lush foliage of plants that life is pretty good, which is exactly what I see in your photos.
ReplyDeleteI sooo agree!!! You speak my language!
DeleteSimply beautiful Louis! It's been said but really most of these pictures could pass for July or August, well done!
ReplyDeleteWhy thanks! That is such a compliment. As you know, July and August are my two months ... so a garden that evokes the high summer is the dream, is the goal, is the inspiration for my madness.
DeleteLovely foliage, but I most enjoy how you express your love for plants. Your weather may not always be sunny, but your attitude is! And that's a beautiful thing. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I really appreciate that. Surrounding myself with palm trees, and taking lots of vitamin D has become a way of life :)
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