Sunday 13 June 2010

Foliage



We don't seem to have a great many flowers in our garden at the moment, but we do have some glorious foliage. This is a Golden Elder, which will grow nearly twice as big as it is now, with beautiful arching branches.




Hiding shyly in the border is a lovely dark heuchera. I don't know the name, as it was a seedling from another, long gone, plant.




And this heuchera was rescued as another seedling from the gravel garden (sounds wonderful, but isn't really!) and a threatening hoe wielded by Mr.G. It lives happily in a pot, rather swamped at the moment by some Sweet Cecily, but that will be cut down soon.




I am really pleased with these hostas, as normally the slugs and snails swoop on them and munch them up. I can't use slug pellets as they are next to the pond, and I don't want to kill off any wildlife down there! But this year they are fabulous!




And another hosta in a pot, which I have managed to keep free of the dreaded slugs and snails. It actually lives next to that heuchera in a pot.




Then we have a lovely variegated Eunonymous



And another, different, variegated dwarf eunonymous next to an old apple tree. Well, we have several, which makes a little hedge by the path down the end of the garden. In the background, if you can make it out, is a blue leaved hebe, which does have white flowers later, but the leaves are a nice subtle shade of blue/grey. The white flowers just coming out are a spirea.




Opposite that path is a rather messy border we call our woodland border, and I have some magnificent ferns there. It was a woodland border, when we had two other old apple trees and the privet hedge at theback was over 8ft. tall. But the two trees went, and we cut the hedge down to a couple of feet while we had a better fence put at the back. The hedge is growing fast now, needs a trim to help it thicken up, and we may get our shady woodland border back!



And lastly, I love the new Hazel leaves, big and flat, like plates!

I will be away from Wednesday onwards for just under a week as I am going to stay with my sister in Surrey. Be back later with more photos, of somewhere different, for once!

10 comments:

kenju said...

All look lovely and lush there, Gilly. Enjoy your time with your sister!

theMuddledMarketPlace said...

oooh
give Surrey my love!

Cloudhands said...

How nice. I love all the shades of green and a blue green always strikes my fancy in a garden. I'm not familar with all the varieties of plants you have there and find them fun to see and learn about.

Sweet Virginia Breeze said...

Your foliage is pretty and you have such a variety of plants. I love your new header picture!

Enjoy your trip!

Hollace said...

I am having a bad time here with slugs. Ugh! And something is eating my weeping cherry tree as well. We have had so much rain...maybe the sun will surprise the slugs away.

Diane said...

My garden is looking more green than anything at the mo too Gilly.

As for a bloggy meetup - My daughter is hoping to get into Uni in your neck of the woods, so I'll have plenty excuses to pop over the hills - you never know - we may have a date!!
Have a great time in Surrey - I have a pal who lives near Guildford and I love to visit her as there are so many lovely things to do there. xx

KathyA said...

Everything looks so lush and healthy!

Another thing I do with slugs is put salt on the ground -- not near or on plants -- just on the paver or on the dirt.

Strawberry Jam Anne said...

I love to see the foliage in the garden and yours looks wonderful, Gilly. You are lucky to keep your hostas looking so good. When we moved last year I gave a lovely one in a pot, that I had had for years, to my daughter and she is thrilled with it - and it is looking good this year again.
Hope you have a lovely week. A x

Greener Pastures--A City Girl Goes Country said...

What a beautiful garden you have! What is that plant behind the dark heuchera? I have one of those but don't know what it is. I don't know the names of most of my plants!

Have a fun and safe trip!

Glennis said...

It's true, what a wonderful variation foliage lends to the garden. I love the chartreuse-y light colored things that lend a bright flash in shady gardens. I wish I could grow hosta here in L.A. - it doesn't thrive here. But heuchera sure does.