Fabulous Foliage

A mild winter and the start of the summer rains have really given a boost to the foliage in the shady parts of the garden.

The Sweet Almond bush is taking shape as a single-trunk small tree.  It has had trouble keeping upright during high winds but it stood strong during 'Debby.'  The blooms have come in flushes one right after another since March.

The area underneath the oak is starting to take shape as well.  This area was all Wedelia ground cover.  You can read about its re-do here.   My Oakleaf Hydrangeas didn't bloom this year, but they are putting out new stems and leaves so I have high hopes for next spring.  

Now here's a look I love.  The shady tropical corner has foliage upon foliage.  There are few bare spots to be seen in this area.

I love being able to put houseplants in the ground to form a low bushy groundcover that gets nipped in the winter but comes back every spring.  (Polka Dot Plant 'White Splash' on the left and 'Pink Splash' at the bottom right edge of this picture.)  They re-seed so there are now more than the original two. 

Looking out from the shady corner across the boggy area I'm so happy to see that I may have finally figured out what can take drought conditions in early spring and still take flooding in summer. Many plants have met their doom in this spot.  

Oh yes, mid-summer foliage is a beautiful thing!

My Garden (Psycho) Path

My Garden Path started out as a circle around the big oak tree in my backyard.  Over the last few years that path has sprouted tributaries that meander off in other directions to allow access to the ever expanding garden.

This cute little sign was made by Darla from More Family and Flowers.  It is so fitting for the path in my garden, not the gardener.  Take a look at Darla's new website From Our Hands to Your Home - Handmade and Vintage and see what other treasures she has there.

Taking a walk around My Garden Path I can't help but revel in all the summer foliage.  Most of these plants will be in their glory for just a few more months.

All the different leaf sizes, colors and textures are what the late summer garden is all about.  There are a few stray blooms here and there but most are resting until cooler temperatures prevail.

That doesn't mean there isn't color in the garden.  There is a lot of color in leaves of differing shades of green, purple, red, pink and even striped and spotted.

The boggy area has finally lived up to its name.  The recent daily deluges are keeping these plants, which like wet feet, very happy.

The path may wander and be a bit unorganized, but it allows a view of the garden from many different perspectives.  Thanks for walking along with me today.


(Don't forget to check out Darla's new website.  It's a fun concept of "haggling" for your price and there are some very interesting things available.)

Just Before Sunset

When the sun gets low in the western sky, the light cuts across the backyard and glows through the foliage.

The tropical leaves of bananas, cannas, gingers and cyperus are a bright reflection of the sunlight's last rays.

Even the common Purple Queen becomes a translucent beauty in this magic light.

The bog area which is usually pretty non-descript becomes a bright beauty. 

The last shadows play against the back fence and then the day is done.

(Just finished weeding and mulching this area along the back fence and wanted someone to see it before the weeds grew back.)

Fragrance in the Garden

As I take my morning walk through the back garden to check on the ripening of the grape tomatoes, fragrance is in the air. 

Japanese Honeysuckle, lonicera japonica,  gives off the sweetest perfume which is why I bought this plant on purpose without knowing its invasiveness.   I haven't had a problem with it being overly agressive yet as I just bought it in April.  I understand from reading, after the purchase, that it is spread by the berries it produces.  So, it probably will be pulled and replaced.  Probably.  Oh, I hate this.  Maybe I will just quit reading up on plants, or maybe I will only buy plants I have read about and know what to expect.

Jasminum nitidum, Angelwing jasmine, grows as a shrub at My Garden Path.  These flowers are lightly scented, not as strong as some other jasmines.  It usually makes it through our winters but this year it is starting fresh from the roots.  This is the cover for one of the rain barrels so I hope it grows fast!

Of course, my lovely roses are full of sweet, fragrant blooms that flavor my morning walk-through with delight.

The African Blue Basil is just starting to bloom.  I keep this in a pot so I can protect it in winter.  It is perennial but not at all cold tolerant.  Does it ever smell wonderful even with just a few beginning blooms! The leaves have a fragrance just as other basils do but it's the flowers that really put out the fragrance. 

Lovely Mirabilis jalapa, known as four o'clocks because of the timing of the opening of their blooms, greet me along My Garden Path at 9 o'clock AM.  My plants are as mixed up as their caretaker can be, I guess. 

There are several fragrantly blooming shrubs in my garden.  These have all been added just this spring.

Osmanthus fragrans, Tea Olive has flushed with blooms for a second time since being planted.

The Sweet Almond bush, Aloysia virgata, is blooming in dappled shade even though it is supposed to like full sun.  I'm hoping it will be happy here as I really don't have a large area for it anywhere else.  I really want to put a bench or chair here so I can enjoy the vanilla almond scent while watching the grands at play. 

These buds haven't opened and released their fragrance yet, but I  wanted to include this lovely native shrub in this post.  Simpson's Stopper, Myrcianthes fragrans, is growing in semi-shade in my boggy area.  So far, it seems like a happy shrub.  This shrub is actually very pretty and is a great wildlife attractor.  Plans are for more of this shrub to be planted along the fenceline in this area. 

Oh!  I almost forgot the grape tomatoes!  There are just enough ripe ones to use for a salad tonight.  These are the first ones ready.  I'm hoping they will stand up to the heat that's already here and keep producing.  It seems that this might be a short tomato season for me.

When It Rains....It Pours!

Obviously I need a bigger rain gauge.

Four inches of rain fell on My Garden Path between 2PM Sunday and 11AM Monday. 

The back yard is very low and has always held water at the bottom of the slope.  An attempt to make this area into a bog garden was begun last summer. 

Sedge, Cyperus involucratus, Papyrus, Cyperus papyrus, and Soft Rush, Juncus effusus, were planted here to help keep the soil in place.  A Crinum americanum was also planted in anticipation of flooding.  The water stands here for as long as 3-5 days and then will disappear.  Definitely a problem area.  This is the earliest flooding ever experienced for the bog.  Usually it is mid-June after repeated rains that the water stands like this.  The water table must be very high already for this one rain event to cause such a big puddle.

The Leather Leaf Fern, Rumohra adiantiformis, loved getting the rain and began putting up new fiddleheads.

The Resurrection Fern, Polypodium polypodioides, is showing it's loveliness on several of the oaks since the significant rainfall. 

I can almost hear the mosquitoes buzzing.....