...it just somehow ended up happening!
I've got this narrow strip of garden bed next to where I'm planning to put in rocks and step-stones. It's got three almost-dead nandina, two liriope (one is almost dead) and a third liriope already died.
I'd already planned on planting elephant's ears (colocasia esculenta, aka taro) as one of the plants in that bed. Because there's one of them in the corner near the rhododendrons in constant shade that never gets watered, and it's survived the heat wave. It just died back and re-grew when the weather was nicer. Any plant that can thrive after this summer is worth planting again. It's meant to be a water plant, but turns out it'll also do just fine in the soil, retreating down to it's root when it gets too dry and over the winter when it gets too cold.
In any case, I didn't know what I wanted to pair with the elephant ears so I wasn't in a hurray to re-do that bed. But whilst at my favourite garden centre I asked what they'd recommend for this dry, shady spot and the lady recommended hellebores. I'd assumed that hellebores needed lots of water but it turns out they don't! So how could I resist buying a few? I don't even know what colours they'll be, it's a lucky dip of mixed varieties.
They had elephant ears too, including exactly three types called "Amazon Queen" with black stems and bronzy leaves - absolutely stunning. So I snapped those up too and here's what it looks like now. It's still quite "thin" because the hellebores are still small but they'll grow up and out a bit to fill in between the elephant ears. And when the elephant ears die back in winter, the hellebores will be blooming!
I'm pretty happy with that.
I've got this narrow strip of garden bed next to where I'm planning to put in rocks and step-stones. It's got three almost-dead nandina, two liriope (one is almost dead) and a third liriope already died.I'd already planned on planting elephant's ears (colocasia esculenta, aka taro) as one of the plants in that bed. Because there's one of them in the corner near the rhododendrons in constant shade that never gets watered, and it's survived the heat wave. It just died back and re-grew when the weather was nicer. Any plant that can thrive after this summer is worth planting again. It's meant to be a water plant, but turns out it'll also do just fine in the soil, retreating down to it's root when it gets too dry and over the winter when it gets too cold.
In any case, I didn't know what I wanted to pair with the elephant ears so I wasn't in a hurray to re-do that bed. But whilst at my favourite garden centre I asked what they'd recommend for this dry, shady spot and the lady recommended hellebores. I'd assumed that hellebores needed lots of water but it turns out they don't! So how could I resist buying a few? I don't even know what colours they'll be, it's a lucky dip of mixed varieties. They had elephant ears too, including exactly three types called "Amazon Queen" with black stems and bronzy leaves - absolutely stunning. So I snapped those up too and here's what it looks like now. It's still quite "thin" because the hellebores are still small but they'll grow up and out a bit to fill in between the elephant ears. And when the elephant ears die back in winter, the hellebores will be blooming!I'm pretty happy with that.
3 comments:
I have to have an intention or I am banned from the nursery!
I love elephants ears, I remember them growing year-round when we were in north queensland, and they really were elephants ears, they were just so enournmous!
You do know that my gardening self is living vicariously through you, right?
I LOVE the photo of the snowdrop flower you found... it's exquisite. It looks like you are getting some very pretty fall colors. It's so wierd thinking of you going into winter now that we are getting green leaves on our trees again.
What a wonderful garden you've had and all of the veggies makes us think we should be trying to grow something!
Love you ... enjoy your gardening!
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