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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 2010)
Cultivating Drama in the Garden I’ve been cultivating some dram a... in the garden. Wait— this is sounding like that game in which you end everything with “between the sheets.” I’ve been culti vating some dram a... between the sheets! Okay, okay. This is a gardening column. L e t’s keep it in the garden, shall we? The drama all began when I squinted at my garden. All I could see was a big mess o f green. Green, green and more green. There was no shape or form, nor elements to stop the eye, no punctuation. T h at’s when I knew I needed more drama— plants to h£lp break up the monotony o f green and to give pause, to emphasize their neighboring plants and to punctuate that sea o f green. I began to think o f drama in the garden primarily through Black flowering plants or black foliage. Thus began the two years o f goth planting in the garden. And you know what? It’s paid off. Black tulips nod their forlorn heads in the spring, and they may as well have The Smiths playing as a constant soundtrack. Black foliage from a variety o f plants brings the needed drama during spring, summer and fall. Here are some o f my favorites. Let's begin with some block flowers. T ulip s: Queen o f Night and Black Par rot provide drama in the tulip department. -I like the intrigue they bring, unexpected THE SASSY GARDENER S a m b u c u s B la c k B e a u ty p ro v id e s th e p e rfe c t b a c k d ro p fo r so c ie ty g a rlic . '* * * v Artisan Landscaping & Tree Service, l l c . \ ■ '"vWj. by LeAnn Locher in the tenderness o f spring, in a typically pastel time. C hocolate cosm o: Cosmos atrosan- guineus is an herbaceous perennial with a uniquely scented dark maroon/black flower that, yes, truly smells like chocolate. Akebia quinata is also known as choco late vine, not because the flowers smell like chocolate, but because they are a deep chocolate brown/black color. This sweet vine grows happily in the garden, either trained up an arbor or scrambling around and among other plants. Dork foliage pumps up the volume, ranging from block to plum to chocolate. Sam bucus Black Beauty, a dark-leaved elderberry, is my current favorite. C o p piced to the ground in early spring, it barrels through the season bringing new black sprays o f foliage. In years when I ’ve not cut it to the ground, it develops darling pink bloom s that when backed with the black foliage, really do stop you in your tracks. I t ’s currently providing the dram atic black background for the purple flowering orbs o f society garlic. Its cousin, Sam bucus Black Lace, has finely cut foliage, more rem iniscent o f lace and a Japanese maple. I f only I had room for another. Purple smoke bush, cotinus coggygria, is grown for its blackish foliage more than its smoky flower plume. I ’m patiently training mine, but by fronting it with the lime green glow o f spirea “magic carpet” it’s at the center o f our garden drama. Black mondo grass, ophiopogon planiscapus “N igrescens,” is a true black leaf in the garden. DIYINIE DECADENCE W a Ire. W hen paired with an underplanting o f a neon green sedum, black mondo grass can easily look like giant black spiders crawling through your garden. I f th at’s not drama, I don’t know what is. Purple pineapple lily, eucomia comosa “O akhurst,” is another point o f lovely dark drama when paired with a neon green sedum. Black elephant ears, colocasia esculenta , is a classic for back patio pots. Underplant them with a dripping, golden creeping jenny and you take the drama quotient up a notch. J A LeAnn Locher is cultivating drama in her North Portland garden but would love to visit and write about yours. Do you have a garden she should see? Em ail her at sassygardener@ gmail.com or visit her online at lelonopo.com. LINNTON FEED & SEED 10920 NW St. H elen s Rd, Portland, OR 97231 P h o n e : (503)286-1291 DAY OLD CHICKS ANDRE BEGO 503.260.6028 * Tree P runing & Rem oval * Stu m p G rinding * H ard scap es * R etaining W alls * Traditional Sto n e Work CCB# 185377 . LICENSED . BONDED . INSURED POULTRY SUPPLIES A ntiques* C u rie s & D ene C lfts ORGANIC FEED GARDENING SUPPLIES E C L E C T I C A C C E S S O R IE S I C R U R B A N I I S IN C ORGANIC FERTILIZERS B u y • S e ll • T ra d e T E tE I S M I | HARDWARE BEDDING PLANTS FENCING Dee Jordan c 1.541.921.0123 s 503.227.3933 1310 NW Natio Parkway, Suite 113. Portland, OR 97209 PLUMBING f
