Weekly Wagon Fall

You know how I keep saying I'm going to stop planting things until fall? And how I'm going to severely restrict my purchases? Yeah, about that...

Well, last week I picked up four deciduous azaleas, three blueberries, and eight Carex testacea from Means. The 'Top Hat' blueberries and Carex testacea qualified in my mind as snatching up deals before they were gone, since I had specific uses for all of them, but the azaleas were pure impulse. This week, I fell off the wagon again. A minor fall. Only two plants, this time. But you can start to see a pattern. I should just be more like Peter, the Outlaw Gardener, and accept the reality that I will continue to acquire plants all summer. I will probably keep most things potted in a shady spot, though, unless they're very drought tolerant or they're going to be planted in a moist, shady area. Otherwise, it just takes so long to haul water all over the yard to take care of all the new plantings. I suppose since I already have a dozen or so new plants in front of the house, it would be easy enough to finish planting and water that area with soaker hoses.

This week at Cistus, I found Ballota pseudodictamnus and Artemisia abrotanum 'Silver'. Both plants have silver foliage with a gold cast, making them perfect candidates for the driveway island and along the front of the house. The melding of gold and silver creates a bridge between the cool silvers, greys, and blues and the warm oranges, golds, and olives that make up the majority of the color scheme I'm planning for both areas.

Ballota in the back and Artemisia in the foreground placed with Carex testacea and Euphorbia 'Nothowlee' (Blackbird). I also tested (but didn't photograph) the artemisia with glaucous blue foliage like Parahebe perfoliata to make sure it worked as well with the cool tones as it does with the warm. I think I'm on to something here.

In addition to some of the softest, woolliest leaves in the plant world, Ballota pseudodictamnus also has one of the best common names: Grecian horehound. The flowers are tiny and a lavender-pink color. Sort of a cute little curiosity on this beautiful foliage plant. Actually, the round little balls of fuzzy, star-shaped calyxes along the stems are more interesting than the flowers themselves.

I couldn't find much information or even images of Artemisia abrotanum 'Silver'. The label gave only the name, a requirement for full sun, the fact that it produces pale yellow flowers, and the height: 18-20 inches. One online source I found claims that it rarely flowers, which is fine by me. If it ever does flower, I'm likely to cut them off. It's a beautiful plant that reminds me of Artemisia versicolor 'Seafoam', only more upright, less curly, and with a distinct golden cast to the grey foliage. Because of that unique color, I may even prefer it to 'Seafoam'. The foliage also has a wonderful scent like lemon peel.

The golden cast over the whole plant makes it appear to be glowing or lit by a ray of soft evening sunlight.

 I took cuttings of the artemisia, so hopefully I'll have plenty to plant by fall. I didn't take cuttings from the horehound because nearly every stem was covered in blooms. It also hasn't captured my attention quite as much as the artemisia, so I don't know if I want a whole slew of them just yet.

This Saturday, I'm planning to attend the Garden Blogger's Bazaar. Who knows what I'll bring home from that. Full details can be found here.