Friday, July 31

Foliage Friday (July 31)

I am working on all of the fun stuff still--a badge, the little function that allows you to include a link to your post in mine, etc.--but the lack of those bells and whistles just doesn't seem like a good reason to let Foliage Friday fall by the wayside!

I am also running out the door right now, on my way to work at the garden center for the afternoon and early evening. I'll be back later tonight to see what foliage has been highlighted around the garden blogosphere (explain why I'm still at the garden center in late July!) but I will leave you with a few things that have caught my eye in the backyard this morning.

A lovely (and untagged, when I brought it home from the garden center at the end of last year) hosta, which absolutely glows when backlit by the morning sun:


The luscious leaves of 'Key Lime Pie' heuchera, dotted with droplets from last night's rain:


Both of the above are in the "currant bed," which is the first thing I see when I step out my back door. As I round the corner of the house, the Japanese bloodgrass always catches my eye. This is my first view of it during every trip to the backyard:


As I continue into the backyard, I stop to admire how both it and the Russian sage behind it pick up fresh, chartreuse-y green tones when the sun comes streaming through them:


As I round the corner of the bed, the bloodgrass colors flatten out a little bit once the sunshine is more "in their face." I still love the contrast between the grass, the cascade of woolly thyme behind, and the sedum cauticola 'Lidakense' at its base:


I think that foliage combinations are even more necessary to add interest when the floral show wilts in the heat of midsummer, don't you? What kinds of foliage combinations do you have featured in your yard? I could use some more inspiration for a few particular areas in my gardens... so I'm looking forward to seeing your foliage posts when I return tonight!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let me be first to join the foliage parade.

A wildlife gardener said...

Colour and texture, with the beauty of light playing upon them, in your beautiful garden...wonderful, Blackswamp Girl. The blood-red grasses are amazing :)

Would you like to see my newest video of the garden at Barleycorn?

http://ourlittlecornerofparadise.blogspot.com/2009/07/softly-awakes-my-heart.html

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I love the way the wooly time snuggles up to the feet of the JB Grass. I hope you have a good day at work. I will have to go around and look at foilage in my garden to see if there is any inspiration out there.

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

They look gorgeous Kim. I have only the purple leaved heuchra's but you have shown me the error of my ways. ;-) I simply love that Key Lime Pie!

healingmagichands said...

I have Lime Rickey, which seems very similar to Key Lime Pie.

I love the heucheras and hostas for foliage, but right now the hostas are still playing host to the bumblebees and hummingbirds.

I didn't do a foliage friday because I got sucked into T-shirt friday. But that doesn't mean I don't love the foliage. I have a biennial/perennial that is scattered amongst my hostas on the north side of the house that is a wonderful foil for them. I do not know the name of this plant, I have forgotten it. But I promise to do a Foliage Sunday thing and by then I will know what its name is.

healingmagichands said...

I have that post scheduled, it will show up early tomorrow morning. The plant is Persicaria.

Layanee said...

Foliage is most of my garden, most of the time so I am enjoying your 'Foliage Fridays'. I am enjoying the foliage of the 'Only the Lonely' nicotiana which is starting to reach to the sky. I will have to photograph it due to your inspiration.

Pam said...

I love Foliage Fridays! I'll have to remember this. The foliage that I am enjoying right now is that of the ferns - and the elephant ears. Oh, and my windmill palm is getting it's first large set of new leaves (I just planted it last fall - it was a gift from my brother)...but what's definitely got everything beat is the huge fresh green leaves of the banana tree - those leaves stop me in my tracts!

Your bloodgrass is spectacular!

Oh said...

I stopped by for inspiration, as always. Two of our gardens are looking rather, well, tired. But it just might be that they need a little slow soaking, I thought to myself, admiring your leaf picture with the droplets on it. Can it be that easy? Little matter, off I go to set up the sprinkler! thanks!

Stratoz said...

foliage combo this year seems to be best described as weeds and non-weeds.

hope to find the energy to take them on, but for now they are winning

Sylvana said...

Love the blood grass.

Kerri said...

How in the world do you have a hosta that isn't decimated by slugs at this point? They're having a heyday in my garden this soggy, cool summer.
Don't you love seeing the light play on the plants? You've captured it beautifully in those 2 first shots. I have Key Lime Pie, newly planted in my garden. It's so bright and cheerful :)
I love the way the bloodgrass colors echo the container colors.
You have quite the "Study in Contrasts" in your lovely garden, Kim ;)

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