Blackswamp Girl, at
A Study in Contrasts, has come up with a great idea for a meme: showing off foliage combinations. Foliage is an essential part of any good garden, but it is crucial to a successful shade garden in the middle of summer. It was actually a challenge for me to find photos that depict only foliage without flowers. Here are my two. The above photo is a Painted Fern (Athyerium nipponicum 'Pictum') and the foliage of my favorite groundcover, Viola labradorica. In the background is Brunnera macrophylla 'Looking Glass.' The purple tones of the Violets pick up the purple of the fern, while the silver of the Brunnera matches the silver tones of the fern.
In this shot, the self-sow native Violet (Viola soraria) echoes the shape of the Hosta. Do you have any particularly successful foliage combinations?
Blackswamp Girl, at A Study in Contrasts, has come up with a great idea for a meme: showing off foliage combinations. Foliage is an essential part of any good garden, but it is crucial to a successful shade garden in the middle of summer. It was actually a challenge for me to find photos that depict only foliage without flowers. Here are my two. The above photo is a Painted Fern (Athyerium nipponicum 'Pictum') and the foliage of my favorite groundcover, Viola labradorica. In the background is Brunnera macrophylla 'Looking Glass.' The purple tones of the Violets pick up the purple of the fern, while the silver of the Brunnera matches the silver tones of the fern.
In this shot, the self-sow native Violet (Viola soraria) echoes the shape of the Hosta. Do you have any particularly successful foliage combinations?
11 comments:
These are very nice. I have sun loving coleus oxblood with chartruese potato vine. I love the contrast of the colors. Want to see something nutty....drop by.
That's VERY cool that the first combo is color, and the second is a shape, in terms of echo! I think I need to incorporate more "echoes" like that into my garden... I have a few too many contrasts, and not quite enough in the way of echoes.
Thanks for posting the photos and "playing along," Mr. McGregor's Daughter!
Ia gree with BlackSwamp about echos - I never thought of that and that combo works really well. I also love painted ferns, they can really spruce up a shady garden.
I love painted ferns! What don't they work with? Also, you're fortunate that you could only get two photos with no flowers!
I love the color of the fern, I don't have much shade here but there are a few fernes under my pines and a few small grasses. I need to try to take a few pictures of them too. I guess they get left out of the garden pictures...
Have a great weekend...
I just love those painted ferns. The only fern in this family I can grow is 'ghost'. It does fairly well. It doesn't multiply though as I have heard the the Painted fern will do.
I will have to look around for something suitable to post.
MMD, this is really an interesting meme. Something new to look for. :)
I love painted ferns although they don't want to grow for me. What a great idea to pair them with the Brunnera and the violets. I love the hosta with the violets too.
Nice. One of my fav 'echoes' is Royal Standard Hosta underneath Cornus Florida -- the leaves are similar colors and the striation of the veins match.
The painted fern is so pretty! I haven't had much luck with them as my garden is too sunny! The one that I have hasn't grown much in 2 yrs. and very slow coming back in spring. Colorful foliage is often overlooked but they make the prettiest 'blooms' sometimes ;)
Lynn
Darla - your combo sounds sizzling! I'll pop by now.
Blackswamp Girl & Rosemarie - I do subtle occasionally, and color echoes are an easy way to do that. I've shamelessly stolen this idea from Pamela Harper's Book.
ROR - I went back later and got some more foliage only photos, but the truth is that there is a lot of uninteresting foliage without flowers in the woodland garden right now.
Lynn - it's so easy to overlook foliage plants that quietly perform in the background.
Lisa - I find it hard to believe that I can grow something you can't. At least 'Ghost' is a beauty. I should get some to replace some green ferns that are struggling.
Beckie - foliage needs to get more attention. I bet you've got some that waiting to be noticed.
Hi, Nell Jean! That sounds beautiful. I bet they look great in fall when they both start coloring up.
Lynn's Garden - I'm so into colored foliage, I'm in danger of overdoing it.
So THAT'S how a Japanese Painted Fern should look! I guess I should be grateful mine's still alive!
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