Tuesday, July 28, 2015

The Ligularia Garden...


This garden was the last stop on Day Two of the Toronto Garden Bloggers Fling. Understandably many of the private garden owners didn't want to have their name, or address, shared on the internet, and unlike many of the Portland gardens we visited last year these gardens weren't named (which I actually like, not every garden needs a name!). So I'm referring to this one as The Ligularia Garden, because it's where I rediscovered a forgotten genus.

Of course there were other plants too!

Is that a cut-leaf Ligularia? Or am I getting a little carried away and seeing them where they aren't?

Some of you may recognize this photo from my post "who messed with my color?" on the plant lust blog. I was lamenting the loss of dark on many of my foliage favorites, and swooning anew at those dark leaves.

There was a nice massing of plants in this garden, almost everywhere you looked.

And in case you're wondering I've since added two Ligularia 'Britt Marie Crawford' to my garden...

But no Alliums (it's not really the season for that is it? Plus, well, I don't adore them).

That dark foliage looks good with everything!

It picks up the dark base on the Iris flowers.

And adds a nice balance to the yellow flower spires.

Now we're in the back garden...

I do love the dark leaved Beech trees, although I'm not so sure about this form.

A little flower drama (blood color!) is always a good thing.

The back of the house. I spy a lot of empty space up there on the upper deck = lots of room for containers!

I wonder why I've never planted an Arisaema?

Look, on the left, another Ligularia! I think why I've largely forgotten about these plants is they were mainstays back in my Spokane garden, a much colder zone - like Toronto. Well, and the slugs in Portland find them tasty.

There was another, lower, level to this garden...

And another, well, you know...

Down on the lower level I discovered this. Pool mechanics, or where the bodies are kept?

Pulsatilla vulgaris seed heads are so photogenic.

And so is...

All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

35 comments:

  1. Oh, you really need to plant some Arisaemas! The slugs here like my Ligularias too much, although they leave my cutleaf one alone. It's called Ligularia przewalskii ‘Dragon Wings’ -- a great plant! That looks like it in your photo.

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    1. I do, I know. I think it's because I don't feel like I have a great place for them. And they're expensive! And Ligularia przewalskii ‘Dragon Wings’, wow...that's a good one!

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  2. Color scheme here is perfect, mostly maroons but ranging all the way from blue to red and everything in-between. Or were you being selective?

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    1. I don't recall that I was being selective, although of course I would have only photographed that which appealed to me.

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  3. You made a fine choice of adding ligularias again in your garden Loree :)

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    1. Thanks! And no doubt there will be more...

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  4. Oddly, I find that the slugs have avoided 'Brit Marie' in favor of 'Othello.' Maybe it's like Hostas... some appeal to slugs while others don't. I also don't have any Arisaemas but I'm still a "young" gardener. :)

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  5. I love ligularias but they will not grow here. They need a ton of water--much more than their cousins, the farfugiums. But they're oh so beautiful...

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    1. Indeed, a hot day and they're wilted here. Of course they do generally perk up when the temperature drops.

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  6. Alas, like most big-leafed plants, they need too much water.

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    1. Maybe plant them right at the base of your tank? (I know, I'm trying too hard)

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  7. Love, love, love L. 'Britt Marie Crawford'. My garden tends to be on the dry side for their liking though so I have to make sure to water them regularly. The cutleaf variety in your fourth picture could be Ligularia japonica.

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    1. Seeing how beautiful they were in Toronto tells me they probably look amazing in your garden.

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  8. My two new Ligularias are not doing so well. Soil too heavy? Not quite enough water? Too hot? Hope they survive and come back next year...

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  9. And I forgot to say: that door with the glass brick could be such a feature -- just needs a little love. Really great!

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    1. I agree! The glass brick is such a great feature.

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  10. I keep adding Arisaemas, but they refuse to colonize. I thought for sure they would take to the woodland garden. They do seem like your kind of thing.

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    1. And indeed they do seem like they would love your garden.

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  11. What a happy reminder of this home. I loved the burgundy of the 'Britt Marie Crawford'. I had forgot to look for some, ligularia does great in the shade in Houston. I will have to look, I think I took a picture of the plant list from this garden!

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  12. Thank you. I have been trying to pursade my OH that we could find a nice form and they didn't have to be boring. So this post was perfect timing.

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  13. Another planet to me, all that moisture-grown foliage. My favorite photo is the battered door set in concrete, with the glass block insets. It looks so deliciously mysterious.

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    1. It was! I got the feeling they thought it was an eyesore where as (like Alan) I saw it as a feature.

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  14. I bought two this year and it's my first time growing them. Alas, I don't recall the names right now, but one is the shorter plant with dark leaves and the other is a dark green cut leaf, and supposed to get tall. It's not loving its home, though, so it hasn't done squat since buying it at the Leach Botanical sale. :( I have high hopes for next year's performance.

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    1. It's been a tough year for moisture lovers in Portland, as long as they're still alive I think you're on the right track.

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  15. Lots of great foliage happening here! Love the mysterious door!

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  16. I wish I could grow them...but I've given up an anything with big, thirsty leaves...they look good until the rain stop and the heat arrives, then they just look dreadful.

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    1. Indeed, I've been slipping mine water to keep them perky.

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  17. What great shots you got! Makes me wish we were back there. . .How fun to name it the Ligularia garden. And I do wish we could grow those beech. That purple is just too remarkable. I loved all the alliums too. You'd honestly think I could grow them but they scream and run when they see my garden.

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  18. Oh yes, I remember this garden. I have several Ligularia stenocephala 'The Rocket' plants. They're blooming now, and I noticed the other day that butterflies like them as a nectar source. They didn't perform very well during the drought of 2012--they barely bloomed and went dormant. But this year, with plenty of moisture, they're vibrant and healthy. I must have 50 or more (100?) Arisaema triphyllums here. Many are volunteers--they grow wild in the woods out back. They're interesting in every season here except winter (when they're dormant and covered in snow). Great post!

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