July in Color

Those hostas will continue showing the special colors until later in the fall when they will die back. In the meantime the cotoneaster has been showing the red berries in the fall and winter but has been also giving up the new growth and those greens. Many of these plants tend to sprawl, while ours will do that too, but we choose to keep it in check by closely trimming the newer growth to the main branches. When those berries do begin to reveal, the plant will be open and berries will be inside the branching as well.

Now the garden colors are as good as they will get for this time of year, it is not about the bloom colors or the exaggerated colors of the leaves, but rather the different greens textures and sheens of the greens. The camellia will have a high gloss dark green for most of the year and now that shine is reflecting even more light than in other months. Note the leathery leaves of the Davidii viburnum, although having this texture the gloss of the medium green leaves with the blue berries is eye catching.

Lets note the ground covers as we walk toward the Azumaya, this is a Sedum and is brilliant for color and spreading during the summer months with greens, reds and purples exploding from the succulent leaf structure.

Bamboo is in full swing and it will show us greens and yellows coming from both the new and old growth, the older it gets, once cut the yellower it will become as it dries.

Now with the full sun upon the plants the blues will really start to come out of those greens, we are talking about the juniper, firs and spruces that live here at the garden. During cloud cover some of these blue tints may look more on the gray side, the more sun the more blue.