Nifty Garden Views and Vignettes

Do you ever notice appealing (and sometimes surprising) vignettes, plant combinations, and pleasing views? It's been happening to me a lot lately.

By the time I've gotten around to photographing them, however, several examples have passed...I tried to capture a few others. With some, I stepped back to get a broader view, and then photographed single blooms or smaller groupings.

The play of the light on the Alliums and Fiddlehead Ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris) was fun the other day:



With morning indirect light, they were warm and glowing.



Same plants and roughly the same angle--but with more cloud cover and more overhead light, the colors are totally different. And the shadows and variations in exposure are lessened.



The Alliums currently blooming in this particular bed are 'Ambassador' and...



'Globemaster,' which starts blooming earlier and is a bit shorter. I love them both, and the rabbits don't eat them. Yay.



We've had plenty of warm weather and plenty of rain, so most of the plants seem happy. The potted arrangements are coming into their own. Soon they'll be lush and full and spilling over the edges for the rest of the growing season.



The Calla Lilies (Zantedeschia spp.) are full and bright. They're from a mixed grouping, so I'm not sure which species/varieties they are. They overwintered in the sunroom, so they had a head start when I started watering them in March.



Many of the pots have various Impatiens and Coleus combinations.



The Mock Orange (Philadelphus coronarius) is full of bright blooms and framed by the Staghorn Sumacs (Rhus typhina).



The blooms are so graceful and gentle.



In addition to the potted Oxalis (O. vulcanicola 'Zinfandel') in the first photo of this post, I noticed several more "happy" plants. This Bigleaf Hydrangea (H. macrophylla) is full of blooms--more than I can remember from the past. Perhaps it's not surprising with all the rain and mild weather we've had this spring.

Another quick vignette--a graceful red admiral butterfly on American Garlic (Allium unifolium).

 It's a beautiful season! What scenes are catching your eyes these days?

Because I've included six basic "areas" of the garden, I'm linking in with "Six on Saturday" at Garden Ruminations. Head on over to view scenes and amazing plants from around the world.

Garden Patterns, Textures, and Colors

Lately, I'm noticing patterns, textures, and colors in a different way. It's hard to explain, but many surprisingly pleasant views are catching my eye--like the Ostrich Ferns in the back garden, lined up to capture the morning light.

This is not a pleasant view, but definitely a pattern and texture example--the Hostas lining the driveway are now covered in Cottonwood seeds from several neighborhood trees. Everything is coated in fluff and debris, and it won't end for at least another week. (I'm trying to be patient, because I recognize the trees' and seeds' ecological value. It just makes for a very messy garden. It also illustrates why most of my photos in this post have messy fluff all over them.)



Some of the patterns, colors, and textures are intentional, like this combination of chartreuse Mexican Stonecrop (S. mexicanum) with Wave Petunia 'Carmine Velour.' Last year, a patch of overwintered Supertunia Vista Bubblegum was in the same pot with the Sedums, but the Supertunia didn't survive a second winter in the sunroom. Both combinations offer pleasant pops of color and companion textures.



While I've had this combination in my garden for several years now--'May Night' Salvia (Salvia x sylvestris) with various Lantanas and Marigolds--I happened to glance over and notice the way the purple/blue Salvia was framing the orange hues of the other flowers from this angle.



Another pot I've overwintered for several years now combines English Ivy (Hedera helix) with Purple Shamrocks (Oxalis triangularis).



Continuing the same color scheme with Threadleaf Alternanthera (A. dentata).



Together, across the back wall of the pond, they create waves of burgundy, purple, and green.



'Sonic Light Pink' New Guinea Impatien (I. hawkeri) is another good pairing with chartreuse foliage--here, with Coleus (Solenostemon) 'Colorblaze Lime Time.'



We've had plentiful precipitation this spring, so all the foliage seems extra lush. Hostas, Convallaria, Epimediums, Sedums, and Hellebores (including the little Hellebore seed pods) form a carpet in various shades of green.



This combination was a happy accident. 'Nelly Moser' Clematis is a long-standing garden staple. I added several Allium 'Globemaster' bulbs along the back wall last fall, and was pleasantly surprised to see how they mimic the lavender/pink color scheme of the Clematis.

Everywhere I turn, there are new pleasant vignettes. Are you discovering or rediscovering patterns, textures, and colors in your garden this season?