A GARDEN TOUR

Despite weather forecasts each day for the past week or so with the "potential" for rain, it was only until this morning that my area of the state received more than a few minutes of a rain shower.  The forecasts have always had the terms "isolated" or "scattered" for potential rain. This past Monday & Tuesday, Little Rock experienced some afternoon "scattered" showers that caused city streets to flood.  Where I live ... zilch as far as rain.

So the limited amount of rain this A.M. at least cleared the air, settled some dust & made for a beautiful afternoon of walking my property & enjoying my the splendor of my land.

I am going to share some of my "foliage", all of which I have added/planted since arriving here in 1996.  PLEASE NOTE: Photos which include me serve two purposes; 1] I am used as an indicator of the size of the plant being highlighted ... and 2]  The photo can be used to send in a letter to my Mother in Florida, since she loves photos of her Little Billy.

 One of my larger bamboo groves, containing Phyllostachys vivax.  Some of these "culms" -- the name used for individual bamboo stalks -- are about 50 foot high. Also -- as I have noted in previous postings on this blog -- most bamboo's do not have common names.  I have to go with the scientific names for identification purposes.

 This is a grove of P. nigra 'henon'.  It is another LARGE growing bamboo & in older culms, in good sunlight, has a nice gray color to the culms.

 A different view of the same grove of P. nigra 'henon', as shown above.

 This bamboo is P.nigra 'bory'.  This species is noted for the molted pattern which develops on the culms.  [My plants have as not done so well, color wise.  The plants themselves grow good & strong, but their limited pattern is not worthy of a close-up photo.  I included this picture because of the white clouds & pretty blue colored sky.]

 This yellow colored bamboo actually did get part of a "common name".  This bamboo is P. viridis 'Robert Young'.  [I believe this was named after the scientist/plants man who identified/named this bamboo species.]

 This is another photo of the 'Robert Young'.  It's a large growing bamboo -- about 60 feet -- & with the yellow color & segments containing a thin vertical green line, is most impressive.  One of my favorite bamboos.

 This is the original species of black bamboo -- P. nigra -- from which the other sub-species are named.  The culms come up through the earth a bright green color in the Spring & by the end of the Summer, have changed to the color of their name.

This bamboo is called Pseudosasa japonica 'green onion'.  This plant -- which like many of my bamboo's, I bought via the Internet -- has been in the ground for about three years.  So far is has not done much in the way of growth ... either height or width.



Not all the bamboo I grow are "giants". This is Sasa palmata & has grown to it's full size in several plantings on my property. This is another of my favorites.

 

 Before I moved to Arkansas, I had a stronger interest in tropical plants.  As I have spent more & more time on landscaping, I have had less time for individual potted plants.  I have retained some Cycads -- growing in five gallon buckets -- which live in the front garden of my house & spend the Winter weather on my enclosed porch.

Finally on this "tour", one of the "Creeps" I planted along the front fence two years ago.  This Crape Mertle is developing good size & color, & along with the late Winter pruning I do to all my "Creeps" each year, is on it's way to developing into a beautiful tree.

I hope you enjoyed the "tour".