Leaves ‘n all that chlorophyll in the Winter Garden

 Hello everyone and after a busy day with GBBD  its now foliage follow up  in our gardens hosted by Pam at Digging and congratulations to Pam who on Sunday celebrated her 4th blog birthday.
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Just like last month there are still many foliage characters wanting to get on the stage for the followup. But I’ve just included the best of the plants that are giving me hope and the promise that Spring is finally on its way.  So without further ado lets get on with the show.

Leaves

We have some of the spikey collection today –  the houseleeks (2 different types – names unknown) and  the wonderful evergreen Osmanthus Tricolour that many visitors to the garden mistake for a holly. 

And Speaking of holly leaves here are some softer ones from my fern collection including the Japanese holly fern  emerging in fresh new growth in my Japanese Garden. Quite a few of the plants featured today are from this Japanese garden so I have added a  picture or 2 below to let you see what that part of the garden looks like at a better time of the year. I can assure all readers that it was not February when these 2 photos below were taken!

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In this  shady area too I have the little ranunculus “Brazen Hussy” which spreads everywhere but its great where little else wants to grow and 6 months of the year it is under the ground.   Then there is  the lovely fresh new leaves from the Asarum – though I have never succeeded in getting it to flower or produce those clusters of redish orange berries  yet.  The Pachrysandra is thriving and is creating a wonderful carpet of foliage colour in one part of the Japanese garden too.

Elsewhere in the garden………

Anyone heard of Santolina Lemon Fizz before? I am so glad to see that mine has survived the winter – its tiny tiny leaves might not look great just now but it was only new to the UK market last summer and I was not too sure how  it would tolerate our winter – and so far we have had the harshest one in over 100 years so its seems like its going to be a winner.  Its leaves are chartreuse in colour and the leaves are thread like with a scent just like other silver leafed santolinas.
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Then I have the new shoots of my bronze fennel poking through the soil – hehee  the early greenfly will love these but hopefully that will mean that the ladybirds will have a feast.
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Heuchera, Heuchera ……….. say no more we’ll just let the leaves do the talking!

Seed Heads

I still have a few decent seed heads in the garden including the Carlina which grows in my front scree bed where I am sure passers by think the new foliage  is a  weed rather than an ornamental.  Can’t have a Scottish garden without a thistle!

Just below my kitchen window I have a large clump of Asters and the seed heads have looked great all winter and have been giving a little protection to the new growth that's coming through the soil just now.

Fruit

I’ve still got some  Skimmia Reevesiana  berries so I presume that they must not taste good otherwise the birds would have eaten them by now.

Just outside the garden along the lade  I found some wonderful looking fruiting spores from an old log.

Bark

Well last month the star of the show was my Acer Griseum and this month ……………… Its a corker!

Its my Eyonymous Alatus.  Not only does it have the most amazing autumnal colours of shrimp pink leaves but this wonderful looking winged bark to look at during the winter time. 

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But look who else is in the garden - we have an audience this month. Someone is waiting for some juicy new primrose leaves to munch his way through.  Its Mr Sammy the Snail and in my garden he  always brings a friend or two or three or four!

So if you want another fix of chlorophyll  head over to Digging to see what else folks are featuring in their gardens this month.