Foliage Follow-Up, July 2014

Another late post, and unlike many bloggers this past week I can't use the Fling as an excuse. Instead I'm going to claim discombobulation due to the heat which, thankfully, appears to be moving on as temperatures cool.

This recent heat wave has been especially nerve-wracking for me as I dragged hoses around to my many newly-added plant treasures, fretting that I wasn't keeping them wet enough. I have a vine maple in a particularly dry spot that is mostly red and a bit crispy thanks to the heat, and most of the leaves on my new Magnolia globosa are burned to varying degrees. The newest leaf is fine though, having adjusted to its new environment as it was still emerging, so I'm not worried about its survival long-term.

Calathea lancifolia has finally recovered from the attack by worms and millipedes it survived in North Carolina. It's a terrible picture, really, but I love the purple reverses and the crisp pattern on the upper surfaces. This calathea is one of the easiest to grow indoors, being less susceptible to burnt leaf tips than most other plants in this group.

Begonia 'Little Brother Montgomery' has grown to over two feet tall, after a bit of a slow start, and has lots of new shoots and branches sprouting from near the base, promising a nice, bushy plant. I absolutely love this begonia, but whether it experiences any winter dormancy in my conditions will largely determine it's full value as an all-year foliage favorite.

I featured my clivia in this months GBBD post, but I wanted to point out how brilliantly it combines with Begonia 'Little Brother Montgomery'. It wouldn't be nearly as fiery without the burgundy and silver leaves of the begonia working in contrast.

The small, narrow leaves of Billardiera longiflora augment the beautiful peeling bark of Acer griseum.

I'm really excited to watch the purple berries develop their color to contrast with the copper bark of the maple. Can't wait see both mature and in their full glory! (Of course it will be a while for the slow-growing Acer griseum.)

Not a pretty picture, thanks to the (very necessary) protective cage, but I am completely in love with my new variegated Davidia involucrata from Windcliff. I already love dove trees. Add fantastic variegation and it's spectacularly irresistible.  I'm very tempted to combine my foliage follow-up with my favorite plant in the garden post, with this dove tree as my favorite, but I have another plant with fabulous foliage for this weeks favorite.

The foliage matures to varying patterns of grey-green, cream, chartreuse, and dark green.

The new foliage has green centers with silvery streaks, surrounded by purple with green veins.

The wrinkled center will expand to a more normal, ribbed surface, but at this stage adds an interesting texture.

And finally, the lovely foliage of calla lilies (Zantedeschia sp.) I love the spotted, tropical foliage, which is the main feature on mine as they are rather late and shy-blooming in their current location.

Foliage Follow-up is hosted by Pam of Digging. Thanks, Pam! Visit her blog to see what other bloggers have found this month for fantastic foliage.