Looking at Leaves

Sedeveria "Sorrento"

I got a late start on Garden Bloggers' Foliage Day, but here is the January report.  Mostly pictures...

First the beautiful powder blue and green of  Senecio "Blue Fingers".

Then the promise of spring flowers from the bulbs.  Dutch Iris "Blue Magic" is up...

as is Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum arabicum).

Also there is Dietes irioides, commonly known as Fortnight Lily, whose handsome, deep green fans have just sent out their first bud stalk.  I have been happily impressed with the elegant presence of the Dietes clump and will be even happier as it begins to bloom.  By the way, my aunt recently recommended Dietes (as well as Argyranthemum frutescens, the Marguerite Daisy) for successfully growing under Eucalyptus trees, a notoriously difficult situation for plants.

All in all, the leafiest plant in the whole garden is probably still the Salvia greggii "Autumn Moon"...

but it has some competition for the title from Eremophila "Outback Sunrise", which has yet to flower, but has held its lush green foliage fresh for months.

Lastly, there are the bronze/purple foliaged plants, which I am learning to appreciate more and more in this garden.  Sedeveria "Sorrento" (see also my post on these earlier this winter) is thriving.

I love the purple hues of my newly planted Penstemon parryii.  I suppose the colour will change as the weather warms.

Another recent acquisition is the slightly curly leaves of the little groundcover Tetraneuris aucalis.  The yellow daisies perch on wiry stems some 12 in (30 cm) or more above the mat of leaves.

And finally, once again, there are the smoky leaves of Eremophila "Valentine".  This is proving a superb addition to the garden.

Thanks to Christina for hosting GBFD each month at My Hesperides Garden and for encouraging a good look at the foliage that brings its own grace and beauty to complement the often more ephemeral flowers.

Last of all, a look (almost) upward at the leaves of the little Acacia tree (Acacia salicina, see also here), quietly evergreen... or eversilver...

Wordless Wednesday

Sunset, Sonora Desert, January 20, 2015

Monday Vase: a Monochrome Monday

This morning's vase was initially conceived with the lovely purpled bracts of Salvia greggii "Autumn Moon" in mind.  The little shrub has bloomed continuously since its purchase back in October and is only now finally slowing down for a rest.  A few white and pink flowers still linger deep in the leaves, but mostly it is covered with handsome bracts arching above the bright green foliage.

Clearly it is time to deadhead so why not combine a little garden tending with making a vase?  (By the way, I have read that these plants should be pruned sparingly so this was more of a simple deadheading task.)  And the muted colours suggested use with a brown/black vase which I have used earlier.  And that led to the thought of using other material in the same hues.

The "other"material was apricot twigs which I saw immediately on stepping out the side door this morning.  Out came the clippers.  After all, we are always told to remove weak and crossing branches, of which there were more than enough to fill the centre of the small pot.  An added advantage was the deep red tone to some of the wood and the many swelling buds.

Having combined apricot twigs and Salvia bracts, I proceeded to make a brief tour of the garden, which, at this stage, does not take very long!  I noticed the smoky hues of the tiny Eremophila "Valentine" shrub, and I could not resist adding a single stem with the soft red buds and grey-tinged leaves.

So in all, there is a little bit of autumn (Salvia greggii), winter (Eremophila), and spring (Apricot buds).  Photographed out in the front patio...

 It has a nice, cottagey effect in the kitchen as well.  

Please check the other vases at Cathy's meme - always fun!

Happy Monday!

Garden Fragrances: Winter Foliage

I adore fragrance in the garden.  So I was delighted to find that there is a new theme in the making: a monthly report on garden perfumes, thanks to Wellywoman.  I promptly set about to check the available fragrances in the small, sunny garden, only to find a curious fact.

As I say, I do love fragrant plants.  But oddly enough, although some are in bloom at present, they are nearly all plants in which the foliage is more noticeably fragrant than the flowers.

There is, of course, the Spanish lavender (Lavendula stoechas "Madrid"), still blossoming sturdily away and feeding pollinators.  But now I have a question: are the bees drawn by the odour of the leaves or of the flowers, or perhaps the deep colour is still the most obvious attraction.  (For pictures of the enthusiasm shown over the lavender on the first really warm morning after some frost, check my earlier Wordless on Wednesday post.)

Two other fragrant plants have a few blooms at present.  The Salvia greggii (Autumn Sage) "Autumn Moon" is nearly at the end of its three month blooming extravaganza.  Mostly there are only the maroon-coloured bracts left.  Fortunately, the foliage is still as fragrant as ever, with its minty sage smell, indistinguishable (to my nose) between blossom and leaf.

Salvia greggii "Autumn Moon"

Salvia greggii "Flame"

And there is rosemary.  Given the size of the flowers, I assume most of the scent is coming from the leaves.

With some plants, there is no question.  The lemon thyme is bloomless; even the wonderful foliage fragrance is only released if the leaves are rubbed.

And the Chrysactinia likewise...

Such is my first fragrance tour around the garden proper.  On the patio, however, it is a different matter.  There the rose "Sun Flare", in full bloom just now, has a light, sweet fragrance deep in its classic yellow petals.

But for all that, the best scent in the entire yard comes from neither leaf nor flower, but from fruit.  The sweet fragrance of ripe oranges is rich around the laden orange tree.

From Brown to Green

Back in October, I was at the Lowe's garden center when I noticed they were once more well-stocked with such plants as tomatoes and peppers.  I asked the saleslady about the timing and was informed that winter was, in fact, the best time to grow these vegetables which I associate so strongly with summer.  I purchased a couple of token pepper plants.  I went home and looked up the seed catalog.  What's not to like?  Some of the seeds are on sale for a fraction of their spring price.

But after all, it is counter-intuitive to be starting the warm season plants for setting out in January.  My seedstarting efforts have therefore been haphazard and sporadic.  By the time the seeds arrived and I was ready to plant, I found I could no longer purchase flats for starting them.  I made do with an assortment of small, plastic pots.

I put the newly planted seedpots out in the front patio, raised off the ground to protect them from frost and the dog.  I felt it might be safer than trying to start them in the house, where my preferred ambient temperature is, I'm afraid, around 75 degrees F (24 C) - a fact to which I attribute many past cases of damping-off and other evils.  No, this group went out on the patio.  They started slowly, but they did sprout and they are growing.

To be honest, even my selection was haphazard.  The results are a small tomato, "Lady Bug", and a hearty group of Helipterum, which have grown rapidly enough that I have already planted a few out.  There is also some German chamomile...

...and the only perennial of the collection: Oenothera pallida "Innocence".

And then just the other day I found seeding trays... at WalMart...  There was quite a selection.  My sister encouraged me to get this flat.  When watered, the peat plugs expand.  The plastic is a little sturdier than some of the others - great for reusing, except that now I will have to buy replacement peat plugs instead of using soil, which I prefer.  Here is the tray with half of the plugs watered.

Tomatoes, poppies, but mostly more chamomile seeds...

And a plastic lid to keep the moisture in effectively - all the more important since I am keeping this tray in the (warm) house.

As a test of sorts, I also planted some of the poppy seeds (Park's Flemish Antique) outdoors in a peat tray.  The peat will allow me to plant the seedlings directly without removing them from the pots.

None of this is a large project, just a trial run.  At this point all I can do is collect information and experiment with it.  So that is what I am doing!

As for the pepper plants, one was accidentally lost; but the other - still a bit small - has its first few peppers coming along...