I began writing this blog in March 2010, with an image of snow from our apartment window. That was 500 posts ago!
When I began I had no idea of the pleasure meeting like-minded gardening bloggers would give me. I think people blog for various reasons. To keep a virtual notebook, to have an easy reference back to previous seasons, to get ideas of good varieties of plants; I could go on. I blog for all those reasons but much more importantly for me living in a different country, without my gardening friends to chat to; I blog to have contact with others whose passion in life is plants and gardens! I feel I know you, that you are my friends, that I can ask your advice, can give you mine without causing offence and enjoy your joys as I hope you enjoy mine. Thank you.
Serendipitously this 500th post is also the day of GBFD (begun in September 2011). I love flowers, what gardener doesn’t but what for me makes a garden beautiful all the time is the foliage. The foliage that gives structure and form to my planting and provides the supporting cast to the flowers.
Kochia trichophylla, there were lots of these and I scattered lots of seed last autumn but this year there is just this one!
Kochia trichophylla, yes they are flowers but very soon the whole plant will be crimson!
Scented pelagonium, the possible source of the Geranium blue butterfly
I’ve been planting some pots with succulents and sempervirens
Another succulents pot – all bits and pieces given to me by friends and so need to work on some IDs
Fatsia japonica in a pot on the terrace, thrives under the shade created by the Wisteria
Sometimes it is good to focus on particular leaves as above, now I want to share some views of the garden that demonstrate how foliage creates the sense of place. There are actually many things flowering this month but the foliage for me is still the most beautiful part of the garden.
Looking up from the gate, I love this view, good thing too as it is what I see every time I come home
From the top of the drive looking down
Box, lavender amd a haze of Perovskia
Choisya ternata under the Melia
The view from the Terrace looking west – I’m working on a new look for this border
Rosemary and sage at the edge of the terrace
Persimmon leaves are slowly colouring
I hope the above taste of autumn colour will encourage you to post about the autumn colour in your garden, I love seeing it.
Please join my celebration by posting about foliage in your garden today, I’m sure many of you have some lovely autumn colour and some of you will have spring colours to share! Just include a link to this post and leave a comment with the link back to yours. Enjoy your day whatever you are doing. Christina
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
The garden is enjoying a lush autumn. The Kochia trichophylla is beautiful, I have never seen one. Perhaps more will still come up it is an amazing addition to autumn colours in your garden. Amelia
Kochia trichophylla is an annual so I’ll have to hope there is more seed in the ground and maybe I’ll collect the seed from the one I have to be sure I have more next year. I had thought that with the wetter summer more would have grown everywhere.
Lovely pictures giving us a real feel for your garden…. inspirational.. 🙂
Thanks Sue, I always like to show views rather than individual plants if I can.
Congrats! Now I shall have to watch out for Kocha, what a delightful plant!
It’s an annual and usually masses grows. I was given a plant by a friend a few years ago and this is the first time I haven’t been pulling out ones I don’t want. The bright green foliage is good too during summer, the form is a bit like a miniature conifer.
Goodness Christina, 500 posts! I share your reasons for blogging, and most particularly the connections it creates and fosters with like minded gardening fanatics. And I could never tire of the views up and down your driveway, such beautiful textures. I love your semp pots, I’m sure one of these days I will end up doing something similar, but first I need a half way decent patio to display them on! In the mean time, a little dose of some Autumn colour, and a celebration of foliage of various sorts: http://plantaliscious.janetbruten.co.uk/2014/10/gbfd-october-2014-blazing/. Thanks again for hosting!
Thanks for joining in this month Janet, I look forward to some lovely autumn colour, I do miss it.
Many congratulations on your 500 posts Christina. I very much enjoy my regular virtual visits to your garden, the climate may be different but there is still so much to learn and always something to admire. The blogging community really keeps it alive for me too.
More autumn colour here:
http://www.rustyduck.net/2014/10/22/calm-before-the-storm/
Thank you Jessica, it is surprising how much friendship there is in the garden blogging community, I enjoy getting to know other gardens (and their different climates and their problems). I’ve already read your post; all that wonderful colour filled me with joy, thank you.
Oh congratulations Christina – these anniversaries quickly arrive (like the impending vase one!). I wonder how many times you have seen snow since that first post…? Like me, I am sure your blog is a big part of your life – and since I have (intentionally) cut down the frequency of my posts you often post more than I do these days. That kochia has indeed caused a stir – and not surprisingly! I was taken by your photo of of ‘Box, lavender and a haze of Perovskia’ as the colours and angle of the shot make it look almost surreal. I have combined my post with WW, but there are captions that should come up when you hover over the pictures. Thanks for hosting – it has certainly reminded me about the importance of foliage since I joined the meme.
https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2014/10/22/wordless-wednesday-foliage-focus-for-gbfd/
Thanks Cathy; I would never have believed how much blogging has become part of my life, it has been such a pleasure meeting so many lovely gardeners. Thanks for joining in again this month, I’m looking forward to see what foliage is doing well in your garden this month. The Kochia always gets a lot of interest when I show it, its a very easy plant.
Congratulations Christina! And thank You! As always your garden looks so calm and peaceful. Your “haze” of perovskia really is lovely in that photo with the box and lavender.
It isn’t very calm and peaceful today Cathy, the wind is howling; it sound as if the roof will blow off! When I took the photograph I was looking at the box and lavender and hardly noticed the Perovskia.
500 posts! Wow, that is a lot. Congratulations. I do agree that the nicest thing about blogging is the lovely sense of community and making gardening friends from all round the world.
I love all your foliage, you are so right it does make the garden and it becomes increasingly important in the winter months.
I hope A. Schwarzkopf will flourish and join your succulent collection before long.
Thanks Chloris. The succulents might just become a new passion (I’ve been a bit indifferent to them until now). I hope A. Schwarzkopf grows well too, it will be a nice contrast to the other green succulents.
Congrats Christina!! I also love the sense of community that blogging brings…it is hard to believe you have published 500 posts. So much garden love. I really admire the pots of succulents…..and I wish my garden could grow rosemary year round….
I think you have given me a different perspective about foliage as I see so many uses in your garden…so many perspectives. I love the view from the gate especially. And I have a post about foliage as I profile a favorite fern that is still green in my garden.
http://gardenseyeview.com/2014/10/22/simply-the-best-natives-maidenhair-fern/
A great idea to profile one foliage plant. I wish your garden could grow rosemary all year round too; it seems such a tough plant here and even in the UK I don’t think there are any problems as long as the soil is free draining. Your plant choices are limited by cold temperatures and mine by their tolerance to drought. Thanks for joining in again this month Donna.
Hi Christina, congratulations on your 500 posts – and how I agree with your comments about why you blog.
I only realised as I hit the publish button that today, joining in your GBFD meme for the first time, I’ve hit 100, so I’ve got some way to go…
Thank you for hosting.
http://duverdiary.wordpress.com/2014/10/22/wordless-wednesday-and-still-they-come/
What a coincidence, congratulations to you. Thank you for joining in GBFD for the first time you are most welcome.
Hi Christina, I have been following your lovely GBFD posts for a little while now and thought it was time to join in, and what better time than on your anniversary! I see that you do some planting in gravel too, like me and I love that pot of succulents.
https://www.suffolkpebbles.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/copper-bronze-and-silvery-blue.html
Hi Annie, welcome to GBFD and thank you for joining. I look forward to reading your post and learning about your garden.
Congratulation Christina. Very true words about the importance of the gardening blogging community in our lives. It has been a pleasure getting to know you and your garden and I look forward to the next 500 posts!
Thank you Annette it is a pleasure knowing you too. I hope to escaped the storm.
Congratulations on your 500th, that is a lot of posts! Your garden always looks so lovely with all your silver plants, the opposite of what I can grow, I think that is why I love it so much, we always hanker after what we can’t have!
It is all change here with the leaves parading their different colours, the ones that are left that is after the gales the other day!
My link is – http://leadupthegardenpath.com
Yes, I agree, I love your garden for the woodland and the moisture loving plants that grow so well for you. But it isn’t just that of course, you are a great gardener, Pauline, who puts plants together so well. I feel very privileged that I can see it so often! Thank you for joining in this month again. I hope the edge of the hurricane didn’t do any serious damage. Christina
Most of us use close-ups to compensate for the ratty parts, but your garden looks spectacular no matter how far back you step. Thanks for the opportunity to plug in my Foliage Follow Up post: http://bannersbyricki.com/archives/4038
Now I will go back and edit that post to include a link here.
Thanks Rickii, you are very welcome to GBFD, which started not in competition to Foliage Follow up because I didn’t know about it then but because one day after GBBD seemed to be just too close and hard to give the foliage the star rating it deserves.
Congratulations on your 500th post Christina, here’s to many more! I will be interested to see what you have planned for the view looking west. I have written a little GBFD post today, my first and thank you for your encouragement. https://gardeningjules.wordpress.com/2014/10/22/garden-bloggers-foliage-day-in-my-east-facing-garden/
Julie thank you so much for writing your first GBFD post for my 500th post. I will write soon about the west view from the terrace.
congratulations on your 500th blog post Christina, and on the third foliage anniversary, I’m so surprised it’s 3 years I well remember when you started this meme,
you have created a beautiful textural garden with foliage plants, Frances
It’s nice to think we have been ‘friends’ for the past three years and more. Time does pass very quickly, doesn’t it?
Congratulations on your 500th post! Your garden is spectacular, and so much of that is due to the artful contrasts of foliage choices. It’s been a pleasure to enjoy all of the photos. Here is my spring time entry to the GBFD : http://railwayparade.wordpress.com/2014/10/23/heuchera-micrantha-purple-palace/
Thanks for joining in with GBFD this month Matt, your post is always going to be interesting as you’re in the southern hemisphere. As winter arrives we in the north will be depending on you for our fix of spring!
Many, many congratulations on your 500th post Christina! Blogging is certainly a great way of communicating with kindred spirits and it has been my pleasure to discover your blog.
Christina, so fitting to celebrate your 500th post on Garden Bloggers Foliage Day. I’ve enjoyed your gardening insight and friendship and always look forward to reading your blog. I took a few minutes today to read some of your very first posts and when time permits I plan to read more. Here is my GBFD contribution for this month. http://pbmgarden.wordpress.com/2014/10/22/garden-bloggers-foliage-day-october-2014/
Thank you Susie and I enjoy reading about your garden and learning about arranging flowers, I always admire the vases you produce. Thank you for joining in GBFD this special month.
Love the Kochia, and congrats on 500 posts! Here is my contribution to GBFD: http://gardeninacity.wordpress.com/2014/10/23/more-fall-color-in-the-garden/
Thanks Jason, and thanks for taking time to share some autumn colour this month.
500 posts! Congratulations Christina! Your succulent pots look good – I hope they do well for you.
Thanks Kris, I can hardly believe myself that it is 500! If the pots of succulents do well, I may try to plant some in the ground but I think they are difficult to combine with other plants.
That’s quite a milestone Christina. Congratulations. Being part of a gardening community is particularly important for someone like me. I can’t get over how much I’ve learned in the short time I’ve been reading blogs. The knowledge that gets passed around, often without knowing it, is invaluable.
I haven’t joined in your meme very often as I struggle to find time and by pure coincidence I managed for your special one. Here’s my contribution. Thanks for hosting.
http://mygardenblogs.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/gbfd-october-2014-autumn-colour.html
Hi Angie, I’m so pleased you could join in with GBFD. I think we can all learn from each other; as you say very often without even being aware of it. Christina
Congratulations, Christina! It sounds like we started our blogs at about the same time, but you have posted many more times than I have. I need to link in to this meme more often–I will try to do that more in the months ahead because foliage is worthy! Thanks for hosting!
http://plantpostings.blogspot.com/2014/10/gathering-sweet-memories-of-october.html#comment-form
You were right I found two of your comments in my spam (that doesn’t often happen). Welcome to GBFD, I’m so pleased you could join in. Yes, foliage is very worthy! Christina
Thanks, Christina. Apparently, some folks have had increased issues with comment blocking lately. It’ frustrating. Hopefully, we can figure it all out. Thanks, again, for hosting. I added a link to your blog from my original post. Cheers!
More spam has been getting through lately; in the past the people at WordPress were excellent at filtering out the spam. But I very rarely find a genuine comment has been spammed as in your case.
Well done on 500 posts. Time goes quickly when we are having fun. I’m joining in with your foliage day for the first time. The colours are ‘tree’mendous here now. Enjoy the day.
http://www.craftygardener.ca/colourful-foliage-october/
Hi Linda, thanks for joining in GBFD for the first of I hope many times. You are very welcome to My Hesperides Garden. Christina
Christina, Let me add my congratulations to the many you have already received. I look forward to your postings and always seem to “discover” a plant you show to us. Keep up the great work.
Thanks John, you are very kind.
http://kumbulanursery.co.za/plants/pelargonium-x-fragrans-hybrid
This – nutmeg – is your scented pelargonium with the kidney-shaped blue-grey leaves.
Loved it and lost it, but the lady who bought our house – came with some cuttings for me, including this!
I do ❤ my lovely leaves.
I’m hoping my scented geraniums will do well in pots on the terrace next year.
Wow! 500 posts – many congratulations, Christina! You are so right about the many reasons for blogging. For me, it started as a means of writing and recording, but soon found out the immense satisfaction of sharing my love of horticulture with so many like-minded people from various parts of the world. How else could I have learned about gardening in Italy, and your beautiful garden? I have learned so much in my short blogging career, having still to reach my 100th. As for your post,( here I go again!) the Perovskia is still looking wonderful! It’s all a definite joy to come home to!
I really enjoy the like-minded conversations but also the different conditions everyone has to content with. Reading about gardens covered for six months with deep snow put a new perspective on my suffering drought for two months of the year (not this year of course). I think it has made me more tolerant.
Auguri Christina per questo piacevole anniversario!!! La tua costanza è encomiabile ed i tuoi post sempre molto interessanti… anche se non sempre capisco tutto… eheh! ma tu scrivi molto bene e le tue osservazioni sono preziose e molto acute. Sono molto contenta di vedere in questo cinquecentesimo post la mia Kochia e sono sempre molto contenta di sapere che ti piacciono le piante che ti do! 🙂 Ho un piccolissimo sedum tappezzante che viene da Freiburg, se ti serve! Complimenti !!! 🙂
Congratulations on the 500 mark! I’m glad I was able to join in even if it is late,here’s my post:
http://katob427.wordpress.com/2014/10/25/gb-foliage-day-october-highlights/
As usual your garden is looking great. I’ve heard about the kochia and wanted to try it long ago. I might have to do another search for seeds, even though I think it’s considered a weed in some spots…. that would be nothing new for my garden, and I’d love to see the fall color.
Actually I think I saw pictures of mass plantings in China last fall. It was quite the sight! If you’re interested, search for something like ‘kochia china’ and they should come up.
Have a great weekend!
Thanks for the good wishes. It has been lovely that more people joined in with GBFD this time and many more people left very nice comments so it really did feel like a celebration. I’m glad you could join in, you’ve got some amazing colours in your garden. Nice to have something so beautiful before the garden gets hidden under snow.
Dimenticavo…. Serendipitously è bellissimo… ma per me è uno sciolinguaaaaa! ahah! 😀