It is time again for Garden Bloggers Foliage Day (GBFD), hosted by Christina at Garden of the Hesperides.
The dogwood for now is green. There were only a handful of flowers this spring—the most disappointing dogwood display ever. I keep threatening to remove the poor performer but inertia keeps it safe for now.
Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood)
Below, this this early morning scene highlights the fresh green iris foliage which is very strong and healthy this year. Beside them, in the foreground on the right, green-gray catmint is filling out and up. Looking beyond irises, just beyond the meditation circle, a large circle of daffodil foliage is dying back slowly. Narcissus are wonderful in early spring, but I pay the price of planting them in the middle of the lawn by having to watch the leaves yellow and wilt.
Further back are five evergreens, Juniperus chinensis ‘Blue Point’ (Blue Point Juniper). They were planted to add some height and privacy to the garden. Because I worked around some existing plants, they are not necessarily situated in the most effective way, but they do help with privacy.
At left behind the fence the neighbors’ red maple is gorgeous this year. Back inside the fence the tall trees in the right back corner are Cupressus arizonica ‘Carolina Sapphire’ (Arizona Cypress) awash in the early morning sun that has yet to reach the rest of the garden. And the large shrub on the right is Spiraea prunifolia (bridal wreath spiraea). It is sending out suckers everywhere and needs a severe pruning, my intended task for this morning.
Iris germanica (Bearded iris)
Lots of plants are bringing great promise. Not all, but many, of these early plants have lovely silvery foliage, such as Lychnis coronaria (Rose Campion) and, in the background, overly abundant Stachys byzantina (Lamb’s Ear). Echinacea are maturing, with a few already forming flowers.
Lychnis coronaria (Rose Campion)
Last fall the garden was overgrown when I was trying to plant allium. I just cleared a spot and stuck all the bulbs together. That pretty much sums up my gardening style. I have been reading this spring about suggestions for underplanting alliums to hide their foliage, so lesson learned.
Allium ‘Gladiator’ (Giant Allium) (3 bulbs)
Allium ‘Persian Blue’ (Giant Allium) (3 bulbs)
Allium azureum (Blue Allium) (10 bulbs)
Here are a few more images to wrap up this April foliage highlight.
Side Path-Iris, Lavender and Stachys byzantina (Lamb’s Ear)
Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage) and Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Narcissus, Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant) and Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)
Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm) and Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine)
Iris, Lavender and Stachys byzantina (Lamb’s Ear)
Hemerocallis (Daylily) and Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ (Wormwood)
Chrysanthemum and Stachys byzantina (Lamb’s Ear)
Thanks to Christina at Garden of the Hesperides for hosting. Read her foliage update and see more links to foliage perspectives from many parts of the world.
pbmGarden 
It’s lovely to see the reappearance of your Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’; looking forward to plants in other peoples gardens thousands of miles away is maybe odd, but I do and I love this Salvia. My iris foliage is especially good this year too so we are enjoying much the same things at the same time. Thanks for joining again this month. I hope you completed your project of cutting back the Spiraea.
Glad you enjoyed the inclusion of the salvia. I’ll be sure to post when it flowers. Nice to have these connections across the miles. The spiraea will have to wait as it soon started raining this morning. Much needed so the garden and I are happy.
I bet a lot of us garden by finding a space and just planting Susie, the luxury of a blank canvas does not happen often. Your foliage looks lovely and Spring like.
Thanks Julie, and I’m glad to know I’m in good company. Sometimes I try to have a better planting strategy but this one was expedient.
Lots of frosty goodness to wrap up this post.
Something about those frosty, slivery, gray-greens that I love in a garden.
I also like the grays and greens in the garden. They seem to hold up better to the relentless summer sun and don’t have that sad look in August.
I think you are selling yourself short when you say you just threw the alliums in all together, they look well spaced and well planted and I’m sure it will be a wonderful display. I’m interested to see how the similar shapes look when all placed together, you might be onto something!
The alliums are looking pretty good. Finger crossed they will all bloom. I’ll be sure to share some images if they turn out.
I don’t have enough silvery leaved plants. I tend to think of them as Mediterranean plants and assume it will be too wet here. But they look so good together it’s definitely worth a try.
Some of the silvery plants like Stachys do not like it wet and start turning to mush if the summer is very rainy. They’re always eager and fresh-looking in spring though.
Love all your silver plants, too many have died here as we are too wet in the winter, but they look beautiful in your garden.
Thank you Pauline. The leaves of some of these silvery plants (like Stachys) get mushy with too much rain, but they’re fairly aggressive.
Pingback: April Highlights 2016 | pbmGarden
Finally, bad weather has gone and your garden happily welcomes a new season . Very lush!
Spring has been great this year. Reasonable temperatures and low humidity (though the humidity is increasing this week some) and luscious blue skies, where every day we look up and say, “What a beautiful day!” Make me feel very fortunate.
Green and silver are anticipated colors up here after months of brown and white. 🙂 Everything looks lush at your house. 🙂
Hi Judy, you must be very ready to see your spring garden perk up after a long winter. I’m so happy to have some old favorites growing again.