Monday, March 17, 2014

Fabulous (New) Foliage Follow-Up

After debating what to plant in shade bed at the back of the house I finally decided on Mahonia 'Soft Caress', Japanese Aralia, a small Japanese Maple (Acer Palmatum) and Creeping Jenny. I always try to do my due diligence and research a plant before planting and I happened to have a wonderful resource in a local Texas garden blogger, Pam Penick from Digging, who had featured the Mahonia and Japanese Maple on her blog. It is nice to know how a plant will perform in your area. The established Autumn Ferns were planted in a circle in anticipation of planting a tree in the middle. Please excuse the lovely garden hose we are using as edging in the "before" picture.

BEFORE:



AFTER:


As you can see this area gets dappled light and it only gets morning sun. In the afternoon it is in full shade.

Japanese Aralia

I love the large, glossy leaves on the Aralia. They remind me of a houseplant.


Japanese Maple (Acer Palmatum)

 The Japanese Maple should be beautiful when it turns red in the Fall.


Mahonia 'Soft Caress'

 The Mahonia resembles Cousin Itt and is doing a great job catching the leaves from the Oak trees. While researching this plant I found out it is related to Nandina. Hopefully, with its soft foliage it will be just as tough.


Chocolate Ball Stonecrop Sedum

 I was smitten with this Stonecrop from the second I saw it. It has a coppery, red color to it and is extremely delicate. I was thinking of planting it between flagstone, however I think I might have rethink that decision. It looks like a plant that might stand up to our Texas heat in the Summer. I guess I will find out:)


Thank you to Pam Penick for hosting Foliage Follow-Up. This past Winter I definitely realized how important evergreen foliage is to a garden.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

14 comments:

  1. Your new shade bed looks lovely! One plant I've never tried is the Japanese aralia, but I do admire those big, bold leaves. I look forward to seeing your garden fill in -- keep us updated. Thanks for the link love, by the way. :-)

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    1. Thank you! We still have a long way to go on our landscaping. I'm trying to fill in a little bit at a time. Your blog has been such an inspiration for me. I get so many ideas from it:)

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  2. That soft caress mahonia is on my radar as well. I have a bit of work to do before I'll be ready to install them. Thanks for sharing your project.

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    1. The nice thing about the soft caress Mahonia is that it does not have the thorns that the standard Mahonia have. I hope they perform well for you in your garden. Thank you for stopping by.

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  3. Shade can be tricky, but it looks like you're well on your way to a lovely garden. Good choices with the plants!

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    1. Thank you! You are right, shade can be tricky, especially when you like flowers and color in the garden, like I do. I decided to try to pick plants with different textures and shades of green. I appreciate the comment:)

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  4. Sounds like you'll have a variety of shape and color. Should be lovely. If you have any more space, Texas Betony thrives and blooms in your conditions, attracting hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.

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    1. Thank you for the tip on the Texas Betony. I've seen it before at the garden center, however I was not sure if it would take some shade.

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  5. The chocolate ball stonecrop sedum is very pretty! It will be interesting to see if it survives the crazy summer sun!

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    1. I liked the sedum because it is different and it has a really pretty color to it. You are right, the true test will be how it will perform this summer. Appreciate you stopping by:)

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  6. Great progress on the shade bed. I'm taking notes as I have one I need to work on, soon. I adore that chocolate ball stonecrop sedum! Where did you find it?

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    1. Thank you! The garden is always a work in progress;) The stonecrop sedum is from Rainbow Gardens in SA. Thanks for dropping by:)

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  7. Dappled shade and morning sun. A perfect combination for your chosen plants. I love that chocolate ball sedum.

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    1. Thank you Jenny. It has taken me a long time to figure out what to plant in that area. The sedum is so different looking. The blooms are suppose to attract butterflies, which is an added bonus. I appreciate you stopping by:)

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