Foliage Follow-Up: June 2010

Here's the most fab foliage in my early summer garden.

Fuzzy lamb's ear, a passalong plant from my mother-in-law.
Lamb's ear

Spiky agave thorns. Purchased from Barton Springs Nursery as a Whale's Tongue agave (A. ovatifolia), it's growing quite quickly and has set one pup, so I have my doubts.
Agave

Gulf muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris). I didn't cut it back this year. I rather like the mix of the older brown and newer green leaves.
Gulf muhly grass

Boxwood hedges. Not sure of the variety. Extremely drought tolerant, with no disease or pest issues. An underrated shrub in Central Texas.
Boxwood

Enonymus shrub, on the corner next to our bedroom. Again, not sure of the variety. Scale defoliated this shrub out a couple of years ago, but it recovered after a good spraying with neem oil. Every morning we're awakened by dozens of chirping sparrows who just adore this shrub. Personally, I'd rather take it out and replace it with an understory tree or native shrub, but there's no rush.
Euonymus

Baby bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa). This one's going to be HUGE, like Baby Huey. It's doubled in size since we purchased it from Howard's Nursery just before they closed.
Bur oak

One reason the bur oak's doing so well is Jack's consistent attention to its needs. I jokingly call Jack the Tree Whisperer. He knows just when the bur oak needs water, or when it's sprouted new leaves, or when the first acorns appear.
The Tree Whisperer

Whatever he's doing, it's working. The leaves on this little 16-foot tree are gigantic and rather prehistoric looking.
Baby bur oak

No Foliage Follow-up would be complete without a shot of the 'Red Carpet' sedum (S. spurium),
Sedum

or the Mexican feathergrass (Nassella tenuissima).
Mexican feather grass

The American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is putting out little flowers, which means we'll have berries this year. I just planted it last fall.
American beautyberry

Here's a photo a few of you may be able to relate to: foliage plants, patiently waiting their installation into the garden.
Potted plants awaiting installation

Culinary sage (Salvia officinalis). This variety is 'Berggarten'. It's surprisingly drought tolerant. Our favorite sage recipe is this stuffed pork chop from the cookbook, Texas Home Cooking.
Culinary sage

Variegated lemon thyme (Thymus citriodorus).
Varigated thyme

Thanks to Pam Penick at Digging for hosting Foliage Follow-Up, and apologies for my consistent tardiness!


Words and photos © 2009-2010 Caroline Homer for "The Shovel-Ready Garden". Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Comments

  1. Mmm, I love the foliage of the herbs. I need to plant more of those myself. Great shot of the maybe 'Whale's Tongue' too.

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  2. You've got great pix of some lovely foliage - how interesting and cool are the textures of even common plants when you look closely!

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  3. oh caroline...beautiful as always! i love that oak...and the sedum i think are my new obsessions, will have to find some of your variety! love it all...:)

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  4. That lamb's ear photo is my favorite -- I just want to reach out and touch those soft leaves!

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  5. I also love the lamb's ear. I read once that lamb's ear was the world's first band-aid. I tried it once, it worked pretty good. Just the soft touch was comforting enough.

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  6. Such lovely leaves Caroline. Different coloured foliage adds another dimension to the garden.

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  7. Beautiful foliage on the bur oak. Oaks are great trees for shade and beauty.

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