Foliage Follow Up July 2014

While the flowers are all orange there is still some gorgeous foliage to be found this month here on The Edge.

I bought two gorgeously dark Cimicifuga [Actea] simplex Brunette and planted them in a partly shady area - this one kept some dark pigment and developed these complexly colored leaves. The other one is mostly green (bleh). They're supposed to get big, which is good since they're in a shrub border with lots of Viburnums.

I'm not sure if this Panicum  is Heavy Metal or Cloud Nine. I bought both and can't really tell the difference in my garden. Still, it's nice and [very important] it's dog-resistant. Even when My Little Predator tried to dig it up to get at something hiding deep inside the plant.

Ah, Physiocarpus opulifolius Diablo [ninebark]. Go ahead, tempt me, you sexy thing!

What's mid-summer with Hostas? I'm a fan of the jumbo sized leaves on these two: Guacamole (on top) and DamnIForgotToRecordTheName (on bottom).

Sambucus [elderberry] Black Lace

And a surprise appearance by Baptisia australis. Not normally known for their foliage they do form a nice shrub sized clump during the summer. Unless it pours down rain. In which case they flop over like drama queens.

This is Gaura lindheimeri Guadi Red. I bought it to bring some more dark pink genes into the gene pool of the volunteer reproducing Gaura in my yard. It hasn't bloomed yet but I really like the colors in the foliage.

Ferns are always good for foliage photos. Lady in Red on top and Ostrich on bottom (note the dots on the underside of Ostrich's leaves? Those are the spore producing structures)

 And let's end this month with a close up of a very nice Canna leaf (possibly Tropicanna). 

Thanks to Pam at Digging for this meme

Fern Day

The woods behind my house has a lot of ferns. Some of whom have migrated into my yard.

They usually end up next to the foundation for some reason. Should I be worried that my foundation area stays damp enough for the spores to grow?

Ferns are an ancient group of plants, descended from the earliest vascular plants (that's right, they have tubes that carry nutrients and water up and down the plant). They first show up in the fossil record 360 million years ago!

What I find most amazing about ferns is that some of them have insane numbers of chromosomes - in one case more than 1200! (we have 46). Can you imagine trying to get those all organized for cell division. No? Oh, you don't care? Well, have another fern picture.

[If you are a science geek and want more information check out this video on Why Ferns Have More Chromosomes. I only heard one not-quite-accurate statement, it's very easy to understand, plus he uses the term "hot mess" which always makes me hungry for a fresh out of the oven pineapple upside down cake (which is MY idea of a "hot mess." Yum.)]

The *NEW* Astilbe Area

Last weekend I cleared an area for my Bluestone Perennial order.  It's mostly Astilbe and Ferns to go on the shady side of the house (part sun, only in the afternoons).  Today the plants arrived!  Yipee!

Yesterday we got a lot of rain and we're predicted to get more in the next few days.  If I wanted to plant these guys before next weekend (10 days out) it had to be today.  It's a good thing our soil is loose and sandy.  Planting in damp soil is not a good idea and if it was damp clay it would be impossible!

Here's the after.  See all my nice little plants?

Now I just have to break it to the husband that I'm not ready to put in the Asters yet - that's another area that needs to be prepped!

Plants In the Hospital Ward

Now don't panic, MOM, I'm not talking about a people hospital.  I'm talking about sick plants.  We're trying to cut down on Emergency Room visits here on The Edge. 

I don't usually have many plants in the sick ward.  I'm not one to mollycoddle a plant.  They either like the conditions I give them or they get composted.  Even these plants aren't being mollycoddled (what?  So it's a $5 word, I like it.  Don't know what it means?  That's what Google is for.) - they're just in the bathroom for a good watering and a photo session.

Right now I have one plant that might need to see a doctor.  It's a fern.  It's a nice fern.  It got repotted this year and has already grown to fill the new pot.  See the cute little leaf?

The growth habit is similar to that of the rabbit's foot ferns except the "feet" aren't as furry.

But.  I think it has a virus.  See the spots?

How about these spots?  

There are usually a few leaves with spots.  They start out small, get more pronounced and then the leaf dies.  The plant itself is lush and full so I'm not too worried about it.  I prescribe:  Lots of rest, plenty of water and a nice, west facing window.

I wonder if it would benefit from some fertilizer...  I don't fertilize my houseplants very often but I have been known to use dirty fish tank water as a source of hydration.  [But not lately.  I devised a new system to clean the fish tanks that uses a pump rather than the old bucket method.  Maybe I should pump the water into the tub and use that water for the houseplants...  Then again maybe The Husband would kill me if I did that.  Or at least make ME clean the bathroom.  The Horror!]

The other patient in the Hospital Ward is a type of aloe (I think).  This one has fantastic color and great form but the arms are stiff and a bit delicate. We just had an amputation by curtain. 

******WARNING******Graphic picture to follow******WARNING******

Not shown:  a Ficus benjammani var unknown that I bought at a Big Box store, brought home and it promptly dropped half its leaves.  I know these plants are known for that so I'm hopeful it'll improve with some TLC.  The pictures were just too unsettling.