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Showing posts with label callicarpa americana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label callicarpa americana. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Silver Foliage Shines for Foliage Follow-Up - March 2012
For March Foliage Follow-Up sponsored by Pam Penick at Digging I'm highlighting the silvery foliage in my garden. I'm a bit tardy with this one since I've been getting new plants in ahead of the rain forecast this weekend.
First up is the Elaeagnus, which I featured in my plant ABC's a few weeks ago. The new foliage has since turned from bronze to silver, and recently with our slightly overcast days it's been very pretty.
Elaeagnus is a a pretty backdrop for the pale yellow-green leaves (just now visible) of the American Beautyberry by the driveway (Callicarpa americana).
The Elaeagnus also makes a great backdrop for the Texas Mountain Laurel 'Silver Peso' (Sophora Secundiflora) we added to the front garden last fall. It surprised with two tiny blooms this spring. The blooms never fully opened, but with plenty of new growth this spring it won't be too many years before we see full sized blooms. The new foliage is very soft and the deer have been nibbling so I am going to put a cage around it for a while.
Artemesia Powis Castle in front of the Eleagnus and Beautyberries is beginning to spread out a bit.
Artemesia Wormwood out back by the creek is doing well among the wild verbena and rocks. It's also known locally by the Spanish name Estafiate and is used as a medicinal herb.
Gray Santolina with the sages in the front island bed. Santolina smells like new tires so the deer don't bother it. Easy to grow from cuttings and takes heat and drought well, Santolina is a great edging plant for the gravel garden.
To see more foliage photos check out other garden blogger's Foliage Follow-Up posts at Digging.
First up is the Elaeagnus, which I featured in my plant ABC's a few weeks ago. The new foliage has since turned from bronze to silver, and recently with our slightly overcast days it's been very pretty.
Elaeagnus is a a pretty backdrop for the pale yellow-green leaves (just now visible) of the American Beautyberry by the driveway (Callicarpa americana).
The Elaeagnus also makes a great backdrop for the Texas Mountain Laurel 'Silver Peso' (Sophora Secundiflora) we added to the front garden last fall. It surprised with two tiny blooms this spring. The blooms never fully opened, but with plenty of new growth this spring it won't be too many years before we see full sized blooms. The new foliage is very soft and the deer have been nibbling so I am going to put a cage around it for a while.
Artemesia Powis Castle in front of the Eleagnus and Beautyberries is beginning to spread out a bit.
Artemesia Wormwood out back by the creek is doing well among the wild verbena and rocks. It's also known locally by the Spanish name Estafiate and is used as a medicinal herb.
Gray Santolina with the sages in the front island bed. Santolina smells like new tires so the deer don't bother it. Easy to grow from cuttings and takes heat and drought well, Santolina is a great edging plant for the gravel garden.
To see more foliage photos check out other garden blogger's Foliage Follow-Up posts at Digging.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Plant ABC's - C is for Callicarpa Americana
The "ABC's of plants in my garden" series continues with Callicarpa americana which is commonly known as American Beautyberry. That's certainly a good descriptive name for this native plant.
The bright purple berries are strikingly beautiful. When it's blooming the neighbors stop to ask about it. In summer the leafy open pattern provides shade for part-sun plants. They grow best under larger trees and are a lovely welcome along the walk to the shadier part of the garden. These are 15 years old and are about six feet tall now with a few trims over the years. They are very drought tolerant, although in last year's extreme drought they didn't look as good as in the past.
The berries form in late summer along the arching branches. The photo below was taken before I began blogging so it isn't the best, but you can just see the berry laden branches in the center near the walk.
Callicarpa americana is deciduous and the branches are quite bare after the birds and deer have stripped all the berries so they work best against an evergreen background.
Just in case you think we forgot to rake the leaves, the leaves in this area intentionally remain where they fall as a natural plant mulch.
As soon as the berries begin to form, the birds, especially Cardinals and Mockingbirds, gather in the nearby shrubs and wait. They test the the berries each day and devour the ripe ones until they are all gone. The berries are safe for humans as well and are used to make jellies. Herb tea is made from the root and the leaves are said to ward off mosquitoes and flies.
Beautyberry indeed.
The bright purple berries are strikingly beautiful. When it's blooming the neighbors stop to ask about it. In summer the leafy open pattern provides shade for part-sun plants. They grow best under larger trees and are a lovely welcome along the walk to the shadier part of the garden. These are 15 years old and are about six feet tall now with a few trims over the years. They are very drought tolerant, although in last year's extreme drought they didn't look as good as in the past.
Callicarpa americana is deciduous and the branches are quite bare after the birds and deer have stripped all the berries so they work best against an evergreen background.
Just in case you think we forgot to rake the leaves, the leaves in this area intentionally remain where they fall as a natural plant mulch.
As soon as the berries begin to form, the birds, especially Cardinals and Mockingbirds, gather in the nearby shrubs and wait. They test the the berries each day and devour the ripe ones until they are all gone. The berries are safe for humans as well and are used to make jellies. Herb tea is made from the root and the leaves are said to ward off mosquitoes and flies.
Beautyberry indeed.
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