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and how are his LEAVES?

May 11, 2008

YOU KNOW THE WAY A BEST FRIEND wants to know the details of your latest intrigue, based on whatever the friend likes most about objects of intrigue herself. (Forgive me, gentlemen; just swap all the pronouns in this post to suit.) “How are his manners?” she’ll ask, and “His sense of humor? His smile?” Here’s what I’d ask if I were your best friend and you had your eye on someone new, especially in the perennial department: How are his leaves? It’s leaves after all that dictate a plant’s character, hanging on as they do longer than most any flower. When you go plant shopping be sure to ask the all-important question: How are his leaves? (Agastache foeniculum ‘Golden Jubilee’ and Geranium phaeum ‘Samobor’ have nothing to worry about in my way of thinking. Who cares if these hotties ever bloom?)

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  1. more leaves that i love

{ 9 Comments }

Comments

  1. annie says:
    May 11, 2008 at 12:59 pm

    Love this parallel. I will now and forever think “how are his leaves?” every time I go to the garden store.

  2. Nancy Bond says:
    May 11, 2008 at 1:01 pm

    Truly great advice — those leaves are lush and beautiful.

  3. Andrew Ritchie says:
    May 11, 2008 at 1:13 pm

    I’m always surprised by the number of people who bypass lasting foliage for the pomp of a fleeting flower. But, I guess there will always be those who prefer quickies.

    -Andrew

  4. GardenGuyKenn says:
    May 11, 2008 at 6:18 pm

    Plant pick up line: “Great leaves… care to grab some water, settle into some good, rich, soil and catch a few rays together?”

  5. Country gardener says:
    May 11, 2008 at 6:49 pm

    Yummy! I just love leaves, and spring’s the best time for them.

  6. margaret says:
    May 11, 2008 at 9:27 pm

    Welcome, Country Gardener. Yes, fresh leaves are the very best, but too few people appreciate them compared to flowers, which seem to get all the attention. Glad you see what I mean.
    M.

  7. margaret says:
    May 11, 2008 at 9:34 pm

    Kenn,
    You (like Andrew) are a naughty boy. I am totally G-rated, never a wicked thought in this sweet, innocent brain of mine. ;-)
    M.

  8. dee/reddirtramblings says:
    May 12, 2008 at 10:20 am

    Amen, Sister. The leaves have it, or they don’t, and I just love anything chartreuse.~~Dee

  9. margaret says:
    May 12, 2008 at 10:22 am

    Welcome, Dee…all the way from Red Dirt Country. I suspected visiting your blog that we would agree on various things–and this is one of them.
    Margaret

Comment:

The Sister Project

The Confessional

Some stuff really gets A Way to Garden-ers going. Weigh in, or just lurk while everyone else shares about these hot buttons:

Compost, Compost, Compost

I am as proud of my compost heap as I am of any part of my garden. It is the archaeological record of my garden past; it is the stuff from which future gardens will arise. I read a lot about, from sources like these: Garden Organic, a 50-year-old British charity; Journey to Forever (don’t worry, not some into-the-bunker survivalist cult); and the vast Cornell Composting archive. Dig in.

Juicy Bits

375 VISITORS, 1 BIG RHODIE: spring garden open day, in a virtual visit. How it looked, and also what they all asked about

keeping deer out DEER FENCE: I tried every potion and anti-deer trick till I finally got real and fenced. Strategies for every garden situation.

secrets to great tomatoes TOMATO TIPS, seed to harvest: Dozens of tricks for a better crop.

yes, even in dry shade MY 4 TOUGHEST GROUNDCOVERS perform even in the worst spots, like dry shade. Maybe these tough perennials will serve you as well?

5 great small trees GARDEN-SIZED TREES can’t just be the right scale; they need to have multi-season interest, too, to earn a spot here. Maybe you have room for one of my 5 favorites?

10 underplanting do’s and don’ts MAKING MOSAICS—that’s what I call good underplanting of trees and shrubs with a tapestry of plants for many months of enjoyment. Here’s how I do it.

a ribbeting bullfrog whodunit LET BULLFROGS BE BYGONES? No way. Where have all my biggest frogboys gone? The latest frog mystery explained.

stars of the spring shrubbery BEYOND LILACS (and forget forsythia!), a slideshow of some of the finest spring shrubs you may not grow (yet).

speeding up the compost DRIVE BY, HIT-AND-RUN composting is my latest craze, and speeds up the decomposition process while making good mulch quickly. Here’s how.

making a 365-day garden THINK FALL (YES, FALL): Don’t get sucked in by spring-bloomers only when nursery shopping. A great garden happens 365 days a year: Shop smart to make it so.

the facts about bulbs SOMETHING UP with a flower bulb? Paltry bloom, or wondering when to feed or cut off the foliage? It’s all here.

must-read garden poem MY FAVORITE GARDEN POEM celebrates loss, one of gardening (and life’s) realities. It does it with humor: "Why Did My Plant Die?” is a must-read.

12 steps to sanity? HELP FOR GARDENERS: Hi, my name is Margaret, and yes, we operate a 12-Step program here. Welcome.

orchid rebloom made easy I REBLOOMED MY FIRST ORCHID last year (finally!) and it turns out to be pretty easy going. Here’s how.

my seed-starting 101 WHAT ABOUT SEED-STARTING in general? The A Way to Garden method.

crispy refrigerator pickles WHAT IS IT ABOUT refrigerator pickles that makes everybody so happy? Get those cukes growing now. And then some.

hail the stewartia I LIKE PLANTS THAT EARN THEIR KEEP. By that I mean they do more than a week or two of showing off; they look good in more than a single moment, or season. The small-ish to medium trees in the genus Stewartia are a good bet if that’s the kind of multi-season interest you are looking for. Sound good?

can-do pruning REPEAT AFTER ME: I can prune. I can prune. If you follow this simple method for starters, your woody plants will thank you.

the ‘other’ peonies JUNE IS PEONY TIME, the big raucous kind of peony time, but just before that another kind of peony you might want to consider adopting does its subtler, wonderful thing.

which lilac to plant? SO MANY LILACS, so little space. Browse a glossary of some of my favorites before you shop—maybe you’ll like them, too.