Fresh foliage emerging in the spring is just as lovely as any flower and often, more so. But I am limiting myself to two plants whose leaves are perfection at this point in the season. As the weather warms and the sun gets stronger and the soil drier, neither of these will look as good as they do this week. I am savoring and sharing their moment.
Athyrium niponicum (Japanese painted fern)
Cornus alternifolia 'Golden Shadows' (Variegated dogwood 'Golden Shadows' above a carpet of dwarf Solomon's Seal)
To see what kind of foliage is catching the eye of other gardeners, visit Pam Penick at Digging who hosts this marvelous meme.
Stunning! And your plants are pretty swell, too.
Posted by: Peter/Outlaw | Wednesday, May 16, 2018 at 09:30 AM
Spectacular foliage.
Does that dwarf Soloman's Seal grow as rampantly as the regular SS or the variegated?
Posted by: Lisa at Greenbow | Wednesday, May 16, 2018 at 05:10 PM
Those are great examples, Linda. The patterns and colors are inspiring!
Posted by: Beth @ PlantPostings | Wednesday, May 16, 2018 at 10:52 PM
I’ve found myself lost in staring at the color patterns in my Athyrium niponicum. Such a fabulous plant.
Posted by: Loree / danger garden | Thursday, May 17, 2018 at 12:05 AM
The dwarf Solomon's Seal grows rampantly in the sense that it will spread if it has room. But it does not seed all over the garden like the others do. I have been spending years trying to get rid of those. The dwarf is easy to just pull out from the edges if it goes too far.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Thursday, May 17, 2018 at 10:38 AM