On Foliage: Pleasant Surprises, Future Plans, and Mother Nature's Ways

For some reason, I'm more fascinated with foliage this spring than I've been in the past. The exception is the lovely Calla Lily (Zantedeschia cultivar), nurtured in the warm sunroom during the winter and blooming now. Even in this case, however, the foliage is nearly as fascinating as the flowers, and they are amazing companions.



But when I pulled together a grouping of pots, I leaned heavily on colorful, shapely foliage. The elements here include spikes of Ostrich Ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris), and a fun, hairy Papyrus Sedge (Cyperus papyrus) in the middle. Colorful Coleus and Ipomoea plants dance with Caladium, Fuchsia, and Hypoestes phyllostachya. As these pots fill out, they'll be even more fun.



I can't take much credit for the grouping above. With the exception of the Daylily (Hemerocallis) strands and the Rhubarb (Rheum × hybridum), the other plants here (Hostas and Forsythia) were planted by the previous owners. All look particularly vibrant this spring, thanks to optimal precipitation and temperature conditions.



There are several other settings in the garden where we're encouraging native plants to take over. In this case, Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum) and Ostrich Ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris) are reclaiming territory around an Oak tree. Their play with the Hostas creates a nifty structural and variegated grouping.



There are too many plants to name in this grouping above, but the main thing that's been different in recent years is the encouragement of native Wood Violets (Viola sororia) along the garden path through the Rose arbor.



Mother Nature takes credit when we walk into the woodland. Hostas line the edges, but the rest of the plants here are naturally occurring. Most of the spring ephemerals have finished flowering, but the foliage is still delightful.

Finally, one of my favorite potted plants has exquisite foliage--through the winter and early spring in the sunroom and outdoors as a focal point during the growing season. It's Oxalis vulcanicola 'Zinfandel.' I love the yummy wine and dark green foliage, and especially when it's framed by more Ferns.

Foliage can be as magical as flowers!

Since I've included six examples of foliage combos in this post, I'm linking in with "Six on Saturday," hosted by Jim at Garden Ruminations. Visit his blog to see other fun garden happenings shared by other bloggers.