Signs of Life for Foliage Follow-up

Our highs for the next week are supposed to be in the upper 30s to lower 50s, so the 11 inches of snow we had last week are on their way to being wonderful moisture for the plants. I walked around a bit in the yard after work today, seeing what foliage I could photograph for Pam's Foliage Follow-up.  Some of the plants stayed green through the winter, and others are just coming up.

I'm thinking the 'Wink' dianthus has been green all winter.

I just planted a few plants of this Alyssum wulfenianum last summer.  It is supposed to bloom from May to July.  That's a nice long bloom time.  I just looked it up to see if it's native here, but it's not.  I did buy it from our local arboretum, but not all of their plants are native.  This is an evergreen plant.  It should spread some this summer.

I had to look at photos of the garden last summer to remember that yes, this is a viola that was sold as a perennial.

I had noticed plants like these at the arboretum garden, and asked what they were.  I was told they are pussytoes, and they didn't have any for sale.  I was given a little clump, but the squirrels kept digging it up, and it didn't make it.  I was pleased to find some for sale later in the season.  The tag says, "Antennaria", but I didn't get a good photo of the rest of the tag.   It probably overwintered this way, too.

 This is Betony Woundwort. 

It looks like all of the phlox plants in the front of the border are greening up.

I think this is new growth on the poppies.

I've read we are supposed to cut back the previous year's leaves on the hellebores, but they sure held up well.  Am I just supposed to cut back wilted foliage, or all of it?  I think it's too soon, though, because it's still getting below freezing overnight.

There was too much snow to get to the buds for GBBD, so I'll show this one now.  I sure like the color!

I love hellebores, and sure am enjoying seeing those of yours in warmer places!

I was tickled to find some Phlox pilosa plants, after enjoying Gail's Practically Perfect Pink Phlox blooms.  The only thing is, the first ones I found are called, 'Happy Traveler'.  After that, I found some that are straight Phlox pilosa.   I'm not sure if I should keep the ones that are not native.  I hate to pull them out though.  Oh, I know, I'll make sure they don't set seed.  Does anyone know if the seeds on the native ones will be changed by cross pollination from these?  What I do know, is that the rabbits love them, and I need to protect them so far.  I think these have been pretty green all winter.

The candytuft plants were evergreen.  I am so looking forward to flower buds, then flowers!

The iris plants are greening up and growing new little plants.

I am glad the two poppy mallow plants made it through the winter.  I'll need to make sure they don't spread farther than I want them to.

Plant life is so amazing!  The larkspur plants don't live all summer, but the seeds get planted by nature, and come up in late summer.  They live over the winter, and then grow again.  I have been reading different books on native plants. Some list plants that can be considered invasive in some places.  I'm thinking larkspur and bachelor buttons are on some of those lists.  While I want to start growing more and more native plants, my garden will always be a hodge podge, or should I say, "eclectic".  I will do my best to be responsible with the plants I grow, and not let them become aggressive, and I will pick plants that benefit insects and birds.  Larkspurs and bachelor buttons are sentimental to me, and I plan to continue enjoy them.

Hey, I had to lookup how to spell "eclectic" and love one of the definitions I found on dictionary.reference.com.  "not following any one system, but selecting and using what are considered the best elements from all systems."  In my case, it's not what I consider to be the best elements from each, but whatever I like from whichever elements, not necessarily all of them.  Maybe that sends me back to being hodge podge.  OK, I'll try to be less wordy.

Presenting, larkspur seedlings, some of which will need to be thinned:

I think I have recently shown the Helenim  hoopesii.  I am please it has made it through the winter.

This is a plant that got about 2.5 feet tall, and was loaded with little yellow flowers all summer.  I thought it was a native when I bought it from the arboretum, but it's not.  

Speaking of eclectic, these strawberry plants under the bench in the front yard look quite happy.  They are in an odd place.  I will probably want to move some around.  I think the birds will be appreciative of this choice of plants, unless I get a screen on them.

The Geum 'prairie smoke' plants I moved around from other parts of the yard look like they will be pulling through.

If this winter would have been as cold as it normally is, a number of these plants may have died back more, and this dwarf sage in the front yard may not have lived.  I am glad it will be here for another season.

Of course, the snapdragons are planning on being here another season.

Even the daylilies are starting to get a little green.

I just went to get the link to Pam's blog, and see her theme is, "bold foliage".  I love all of those agaves and other plants she is able to grow in Texas!  Well, my connection to that theme, is how bold some of my foliage has been to make it through the winter, and how bold some of it is to be making its way up now, before winter is over.  Now, may the time until next month's bloom day and foliage follow up go very quickly!