A few more foliage faves

We are finally getting some rain on our garden. Seems like most rainstorms have missed us since early July. A good soaking will really perk up these foliage plants which have been suffering from the dryness.

The bright green plant in the center of this first image is bamboo. For the first time since we began growing Fargesia rufa 'Green Panda' in 2006, it completely died back to the ground after last winter. We've been meaning to cut it back so we did that this spring as well. Mark took a hatchet to the perimiter to get it back to a size that is in scale with our garden. This is a clumping bamboo and has been well-behaved. But it is clearly going to take some time for it to get its full 6 foot height back again. In the meantime it is functioning like a shrub while it regains it strength and its girth. 

I'm not good at over-planting spring ephemerals like Primula sieboldii (see hole in the middle of the picture) with late summer blooming partners. When this Shiso (Perilla frutescens) started to come up a few weeks ago, I realized I just have to transplant a few seedling in the bare spot where the primroses were and the problem is solved. I love the fragrance of Shiso and the fresh look of it in the garden at this time of year. You can use it in cooking but I tend to favor its ornamental qualities.Let it go to seed and you've got it forever. 

I tend to think of Sedum 'Autum Joy' as a foliage plant and use it that way. Sedums are a strong presence in the garden from the get go, so I put them where their leaves will add to the mix and where their flowers — when they finally appear — won't upset the balance.

Comments

[Lisa at Greenbow]

That purple leafed plant is pretty. I have seen it in a lot of gardens but have never grown it. I like the color. I have a clumping bamboo that I got from my sister. It doesn't have a name but it looks a lot like yours. It too died to the ground this year. It is only about a foot high now. I hope it recovers.