extraordinary leaves

All leaves are extraordinary in a basic, photosynthetic sense, and then there are those that push the point even further. Leaves perform infinite adaptive riffs and improvisations on variegation or curve, curl, and flounce. A couple examples in my garden today. Pam at Digging collects tributes to leaves the 16th of every month.

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Cut-lace leaves of Glaucium flavum look amazingly pristine for mid-September, especially when compared to the battered leaves of a sweet potato in the upper left. I recently cut the bloomed-out flower trusses off this one, which carried tissue-thin poppies in a delicious shade of peach all summer.

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Another glaucium in the front garden, possibly G. grandiflorum. No bloom as of yet, and there’s no hurry with leaves like that.

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Echium simplex is probably the one plant in the garden whose looks improve with the heat. This is a biennial, blooming in its second year, with rumored triennial tendencies. In any case, when it feels the urge, tall white spikes will appear.

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7 Responses to extraordinary leaves

  1. You have such wonderful foliage going on in your garden. The Glaucium flavum and Echium simplex are very interesting to look at and I enjoy seeing foliage that is different from here in the northeast.

  2. Deanne says:

    That Glaucium flavum is a real beauty. Again you present me with something I’ve not seen before. Love it

  3. Mark and Gaz says:

    That Echium is well worth growing for the foliage alone, inflorescence a bonus!

  4. linda says:

    I’m finding Glaucium popping up everywhere, I’d forgotten that I sprinkled seeds around this spring …nice surprise !

  5. Denise says:

    @Lee, I can’t get over how good these plants are looking after this protracted heat wave. They definitely needed a shout-out.
    @Deanne, happy to return the favor!
    @M&G, maybe not as good as wildpretii, possibly a little more coarse, but still a keeper.
    @Linda, I hope mine seed around too!

  6. Pam/Digging says:

    Mmm, lovely, silvery goodness to beat the heat and the drought.

  7. Kris P says:

    Glaucium flavum is something I’ve meant to try. I just added it to my Annie’s wish list.

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