Comments on: Celebrating Foliage

By: Northern Shade

Northern Shade — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:04:58 +0000

Amelie, thanks, I’m a big fan of foliage plants in the shade garden. There are so many perennials with varied leaves that add a great deal of interest to the garden, even when they are not in bloom. Heuchera and Tiarella are some of my current favurites.

By: All About London

All About London — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 07:26:11 +0000

I liked reading this post, looking at the pictures. Your post is superb and helpful for visitors. I read your other articles too.
Thanks for sharing.

Regards,.

Amelie Wakelin.

By: Northern Shade

Northern Shade — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:37:08 +0000

VP, there were so many different bloggers participating in the Big Green Leaf Day. I enjoyed checking out everyone’s foliage collections.

By: VP

VP — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:24:03 +0000

I see your shady garden has made you our greenery expert especially in the fern department. Thanks for stopping over at my place and commenting a few days ago – I’m still catching up with everyone!

By: Northern Shade

Northern Shade — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:53:12 +0000

Shady Gardener, thanks. I really like the silvery colours of Pulmonaria. Unfortunately, I don’t think toad lilies will survive zone 3 reliably.

By: Shady Gardener

Shady Gardener — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:04:15 +0000

Nice way to display the leaves of your plants. :-) I enjoy pulmonaria also. I have several varieties. Do you have toadlilies?

By: Northern Shade

Northern Shade — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:20:10 +0000

Hi Dee, I wonder how many of our plants could survive in each other’s environment?

By: Dee

Dee — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:56:07 +0000

The green is lovely! Something I don’t get too much of in the desert!

By: Northern Shade

Northern Shade — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:37:16 +0000

Shirl, thanks. Every time I went to take a picture, Jack Frost would poke his little leaf under or over another leaf (his version of bunny ears).
When I dig up a new bed extension and think of the plants I want to put in, the thought, “wouldn’t a fern look nice there?” frequently pops into my head.

Meems, the plants I showed were perennials ( and a couple of trees and shrubs). Most of the leaves of the perennials start to deteriorate about the end of September. They gradually die back with the frosts of October, and are usually covered in snow by the end of October or mid November. A few plants, such as the Dryopteris fern and the Campanula portenschlagiana keep their green even after the frost, but they are short and soon covered in a white blanket. Usually things start to poke up again in late April, when the snow melts.
My gardening period is much shorter than my gardening enthusiasm. That is why, in April, I keep making the rounds of the garden, looking for signs of new shoots, and I love the spring bulbs.
That’s also why I’ve been planting more shrubs with interesting stems too, for winter interest. My large spruce and pine trees provide the main greenery for the winter. They look beautiful with snow on their branches.

Sherry, thanks. Some of my leaves wanted to put on silver eye shadow for their portraits, but I think that butterflies are the perfect accessory for a leaf to wear.

By: Sherry

Sherry — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:48:38 +0000

Beautiful leaves! The way you presented your pictures is lovely. I went outside twice yesterday to take pictures of leaves and was distracted by butterflies. I have lots of pictures of butterflies on leaves…
Nice collection of ferns.
Loking forward to reading your journal and getting to know you.
Sherry