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Sunday 16 November 2008

The Barberry Sister That Could ! After All ....

I'm glad to be proven wrong ... some times, that is !
I complained about one out of the two Golden Barberry that refused, in my tiny mind .. to change "her dress to Autumn colours" .. I was perplexed, even annoyed with her, after her "little" sister put on such a beautiful show for me. Now parents can be wrong .. some parents can favor a child even though "she" shouldn't .. and complaints can come back to haunt you (I wish it were Halloween still .. sigh ) .. in any case. My second Barberry child suddenly became Cinderella and changed her dress quite beautifully .. I now know, once again (and it happens over and over many times) to hold my tongue and WAIT ! ..
Isn't she pretty ?

I thought I should explain why she lights up her space because her friends have toned down their garb to give her a chance to shine. The Autumn fern along with Walker's Low nepeta have stayed their summer green even this long. The little Spirea has turned lighter but in no way competitive with barberry .. the sedum is done, poor thing .. and we won't mention the cone flowers : )
Gypsy Dancer how ever has been very showy .. I think the competition thing got to 'her". Newly planted early Fall , she decided to earn her keep and give it all she's got for her first season .. and she did ! Flowering strongly twice and still trying to bud more. I love Heuchera for foliage .. I don't really take the flowers into account .. but this one made me think twice about that now : ) ..
Huecherella Stoplight to the left, may have lost its neon yellow for the season but it still puts out nicely veined leaves. That is what attracts me most about the heuchera/ella family .. the veined leaves are so outstanding .. they had a little "flounce" to the plant groups. More and more are being bred .. so I have a feeling I'll be using the plant shoehorn many times ahead !

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I especially like the foliage combinations in your 3rd photo. The Heuchera and Heucherella make a nice pairing, and are set off by the gold and red leaves that surround them. The colour patterns of the veins are very attractive.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Northern Shade .. I am a fan of foliage .. we both love Jack Frost right ? LOL .. I like the front bed to look interesting and diverse. I'm going to be expanding it next year hopefully .. so I need MORE interesting plants again !

Anonymous said...

What a lovely shade of orange she turned! I love foliage plants, they really extend the season at this time of they year when most blooms have faded.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi PG .. I didn't think this barberry was going to change colour at all .. it took so much longer than her sister .. but wow ! she did it : )
I'm a Fool for Foliage .. haha

garden girl said...

Your barberry looks lovely in her fall finery Joy!

I just love heucheras! I think I'm becoming a heauchera addict! It's so wonderful to have their foliage brightening up an otherwise almost barren garden in the winter, not to mention how great they look during the warm months. I added three more at the last minute this fall. When I found them for $1.50 on clearance at a big box store, I couldn't resist. Kinda wish I'd gotten more!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Garden Girl .. thank you ! .. Boy, I wish I had been in that big box store too for $1.50 !!! .. I have a thing for them as well .. the foliage is so pretty and the flowers can be too .. now I'm curious to know what cultivars you snapped up for such a fantastic price !

Jan said...

Hi!
I especially like your idea of photographing 'browns and blacks' in the garden. I might give that a try...if that is ok with you...? This time of year, I don't need to look beyond my doorstep to see browns and blacks! And all this time I thought it was getting so 'dull' in my garden. Now I can have a new way of looking at it! Thanks for the inspiration! Jan

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Jan .. I was just at your blog and it is gorgeous ! .. your garden looks lush compared to mine but then again our garden zones are so different .. I really like the presentation of your blog and title : )
If I have inspired that is fantastic .. fill your boots girl and join in : )

Anonymous said...

A nice taste of lingering color, on a diminutive scale. Your little barberry deserves kudos for her autumnal attire and exquisite timing! /Deb

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Deb .. it was so funny to see the sister plant do its thing finally with the colour splash .. after all my complaining I guess she thought she better get going before the snow flys ? hah