Today’s photos are from Nicki Snoblin in Lake Bluff, Illinois. We’ve visited their garden before (Nicki’s New Garden Project and Fall in Nicki’s Garden ) and today Nicki is sharing some foliage plants that they love.
These stunning leaves are from the tricolor beech (Fagussylvatica ‘Tricolor’, Zone 4 – 8). This is a unusual variety of the European beach. The normal species just has green leaves, then there is the copper beech which has dark purple-brown foliage, and this plant is a variegated version of that. When the leaves come out in the spring they are dramatic dark centers with glowing pink edges. As the leaves mature, especially those in more shade, the peak shades into cream, giving a tricolored effect. These are leaves that will outshine most flowers.
A cut-leaf Japanese maple (Acerpalmatum, Zone 5 – 9) juxtaposed with Hosta (Zone 4 – 9). Everything about these two leaves contrast with each other – the maple dark, and delicate while the hosta is light green and bold. Putting the two together makes each of them shine.
There are almost no flowers in this bed, but there is no need. Starting with the tricolor beach leaves on the right, there is so much color and texture and contrast from foliage that this planting stays beautiful and exciting.
Ligularia (Ligulariadentata, Zone 3 – 8). The yellow daisy flowers look a little tousled and messy, but it is hard to beat that lush foliage. The dark color of the leaves helps the variegated hosta next to them look even brighter.
Tiger Eye sumac (Rhustyphina ‘Balitiger’, Zone 4 – 8) in the fall giving brilliant orange color.
Dark moody succulent foliage from Sedum ‘Dazzleberry’ (Zone 4 – 9)
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of
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Placing trees of these colors needs great care, but their colors mingled with the multitude of others in autumn are effective and of great beauty; they do not blend well with the normal greens, particularly if used in quantity. They should, therefore, be used sparingly in isolation at points where they will inevitably catch the eye.
Although it would be nearly impossible for any plant lover to choose just one favorite, here are a few of the standouts that look especially good in my Zone 6 Michigan garden at the peak of the growing season.
This year, TikTok saw no shortage of fresh interior design trends, ranging from pop culture-inspired to just plain innovative. Barbiecore seemed to have led the pack once again, carrying over from its debut in 2022 and spawning a whole new world of pretty-in-pink design styles.
ACER CAPILLIPES Young bark striated with white; young growths coral red, leaves turning crimson in autumn. A. davidii, young bark shiny green, striated with white; leaves usually turn yellow and purple in autumn. Long chains of keys striking. A. griseum, paper bark maple, the outer bark peeling in papery flakes to show the copper-colored inner bark; opening leaves bronze colored, turning red or orange in autumn. A. grosseri, A. g. hersii, young bark green or yellowish striated with white, leaves orange and crimson in autumn. A. pennsylvanicum, moosewood, young bark green striped and patterned with white, the large leaves pinkish on opening turning clear in autumn. A. rufinerve, bark green, with an elaborate pattern of greyish markings, persisting on old trunks; leaves red when young and usually crimson in autumn, when the long chains of keys are attractive.
Alright, one last wishlist post from me, your GPOD editor… This time I’m looking past flowers to foliage that I want to add to the garden. Everyone knows that foliage is the heart of a well-designed garden as it lasts so much longer than flowers. BUT I’m very guilty of being seduced by pretty flowers, so I need to really focus on stepping up my foliage game this year.
The trees and shrubs below are my most reliable for that assignment. I have many other woody plants that display good fall color—but only some years. Some magnolias do (such as ‘Ballerina,’ an early flowering fragrant white Loebner hybrid that I adore), though only most years.Shadbush, or Amelanchier, would be another easy-to-grow good choice, a native with extra-early flowers and good fall color. Except for this: In my area, where Eastern red cedars and apple trees are both in long supply, conditions are therefore prime for the fungus called cedar apple rust to cause my shadbush (and other rose relatives) to defoliate early. Oops.So here’s my top-12 list (with links to their full profiles if I have
I decided to invite one to the show to find out. Here to help is Head Gardener Timothy Tilghman, of Untermyer Gardens Conservancy in Yonkers, New York, an ambitious restoration of a historic landscape that he’s been undertaking with his team since 2011 and gaining lots of praise in the press and from visitors. (That’s Timothy watering the greenhouse flats of annuals, below.)Read along as you listen to the Feb. 25, 2019 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on iTunes or Spotify or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts here).hot annuals, with untermyer gardens’ timothy tilghmanQ. Hi, Timothy. It’s me again.A. No, it’s always fun to hear from you.Q. Needing more plant ideas again. We should probably just as an introduction for people who