Nancy J. Ondra - Foliage: Astonishing Color and Texture Beyond Flowers

FOLIAGE

ASTONISHING COLOR AND TEXTURE BEYOND FLOWERS

NANCY J. ONDRA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROB CARDILLO

The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers
by publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.

Edited by Gwen Steege and Carleen Madigan Perkins

Art direction and cover design by Cynthia McFarland

Text design by Cynthia McFarland and Blue Design

Text production by Erin Dawson

Indexed by Susan Olason, Indexes & Knowledge Maps

front cover:Ipomoea batatas Blackie (Chanticleer, PA)

front flap:Euphorbia myrsinites

back cover:Colocasia esculenta var. antiquorum Illustris (The Gardens at Ball, IL)

back flap:Capsicum Black Pearl with celosia

3:Agave scabra

(left to right):Sambucus racemosa Sutherland Gold with Artemisia Powis Castle, Cercis canadensis Forest Pansy, Plectranthus Silver Shield, Euphorbia marginata

Text 2007 by Nancy J. Ondra

Cover and interior photography Rob Cardillo, except for the following:

cfgphoto.com, 123 bottom; Saxon Holt, 50 left, 167 left, 178 right, 216 left, 274 right; Nancy Ondra, 235 bottom

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwithout written permission from the publisher.

The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information. For additional information please contact Storey Publishing, 210 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247.

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Printed in China by R.R. Donnelley
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ondra, Nancy J.

Foliage / Nancy J. Ondra.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-58017-648-4; ISBN 10: 1-58017-648-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)

ISBN-13: 978-1-58017-654-5; ISBN-10: 1-58017-654-2 (hardcover-jacketed : alk. paper) 1. Foliage plants. 2. Leaves. 3. Gardening. I. Title.

SB431.O53 2007
635.975dc22

2006038133

Once again, I owe boundless thanks to everyone at Storey for their encouragement, patience, and vision throughout the entire process of turning this relatively simple concept into a beautiful reality. Special thanks, too, to Sandy White of Floral & Hardy in Skippack, Pennsylvania, for sharing some exceptional variegated plants for research and photography.

NANCY ONDRA

My warmest thanks to the author and my friend, Nancy Ondra for committing herself to this book. Nans dedication to her craft and encyclopedic knowledge of the world of plants are only matched by her skills as a gardener. Her horticulturally rich and exquisitely well-designed yard was the setting for many of the dynamic combinations and plant portraits seen throughout this book. And her mother bakes some of the finest cookies Ive ever tasted.

I also applaud the thoughtful and creative publishing team at Storey Publishing: Gwen Steege carefully nurtured this book in the beginning, Carleen Perkins became a responsive and insightful editorial midwife, and Cindy McFarland and Erin Dawson wove a beautiful design out of words and pixels. Thanks also to Kevin Metcalfe for cheery technical support and to Laurie Figary for keeping on top of the image flow.

Additionally, the individuals, nurseries, and gardens whose names appear on provided access for photography or assisted me in some significant way in completing this book. My deepest gratitude to all of you!

ROB CARDILLO

For most of us, its the beauty of flowers that lured us into gardening in the first place. Velvety red roses, sunny-eyed daisies, icy blue irises, and countless other combinations of flower forms and colors catch our eye and our heart, inspiring us to devote hours and years to planting and nurturing them. Somewhere along the way, though, the allure of these floral glories gets tempered with a dose of reality. Weather thats too dry, too wet, too hot, or too cold can blemish perfect petals or fade flowers quickly, disappointing our hopes for a bounty of blooms. Fickle weather also interferes with our attempts at creating (or re-creating) spectacular floral combinations. If just one plant blooms a few days late or early, the effect weve waited all year to enjoy can be ruined for the entire growing season.

Eventually, even the most ardent flower lover realizes that a garden based only on blooms leaves something to be desiredsomething thats sure to add visual interest no matter what the season, no matter what the weather. Catalogs and garden shops are filled with all kinds of ornaments and statuary that can serve this purpose, but too many of these accents can bring on a whole other kind of visual disaster. So, whats a gardener to do?

Why, look to the leaves, of course!

Earning their keep. Many perennials formerly known for their flowers now contribute color all season long, thanks to selections with showy foliage (such as Heucherella Stoplight).

Who needs flowers? Borders based on foliage colors, textures, and forms make blooms practically incidental. (Hobbs garden, Vancouver, BC)

FANTASTIC LEAF FORMS

HOSTA ZEBRA STRIPES

ECHEVERIA METALLICA

DICENTRA KING OF HEARTS

EUPHORBIA CHARACIAS