Welcome to Garden Bloggers’ Foliage Day (GBFD) when I ask you to consider the important role foliage has in all our gardens whether we put it first on the list when choosing new plants or whether it is incidental, the result of our choice of flowering plants. I have reached a time in my gardening life when I admit that foliage is THE most important consideration when buying new plants, that and their suitability for my conditions and climate.
In November I introduced you to some of the evergreen trees and shrubs I’ve planted in the new beds, created when I removed the formal beds of Lavender, Perovskia and Box. Today I’ll introduce you to two other trees/shrubs that have been planted in the back area of the garden; this was the Spring border or even more boringly named the back border – now renamed the woodland walk.
I want this area to provide good shade in summer when being out in the sun can be positively unpleasant for me and for many understory plants. So here’s what is planted here: More Arbutus, in the form of shrubs to trim and Pistacia lentiscus, these are typical Mediterranean plants that will not suffer during the long, hot, dry summers. I have also included one Ceratonia siliqua (Carob).
The image above courtesy of Wikipedia is a full grown example, mine will take a while to grow as large as this.
The Ceratonia silique tree grows up to 15 metres (49ft) tall. The crown is broad and semi-spherical, supported by a thick trunk with brown rough bark and sturdy branches. Leaves are 10 to 20 centimetres (3.9 to 7.9 in) long, alternate, pinnate, and may or may not have a terminal leaflet. It is frost-tolerant to roughly 20 degrees F.
Most carob trees are dioecious, some are hermaphrodite. The male trees don’t produce fruit. The trees blossom in autumn. The flowers are small and numerous, spirally arranged along the inflorescence axis in catkin like racemes borne on spurs from old wood and even on the trunk, they are pollinated by both wind and insects.
Ceratonia siliqua (Carob) my tree today
Ceratonia siliqua (Carob), I failed to take and photographs of the flowers in autumn but here are the developing pods (hopefully)
The fruit is a legume (also known less accurately as a pod), that can be elongated, compressed, straight or curved, and thickened at the sutures. The pods take a full year to develop and ripen. The sweet ripe pods eventually fall to the ground and are eaten by various mammals, thereby dispersing the hard seed. The seeds contain leucodelphinidin, a colourless chemical compound.
The carob tree is native to the Mediterranean region. The word ”carat”, a unit of mass for gemstones and a unit of purity for gold alloys, was possibly derived from the Greek word kerátion literally meaning a small horn, and refers to the carob seed as a unit of weight.
The ripe, dried pod is often ground to carob powder, which is used to replace cocoa powder. Carob bars, an alternative to chocolate bars, are often available in health-food shops.
I have also included a couple of Quercus coccifera, these again will be maintained as large bushes.
Quercus coccifera, the kermes oak, is native to the Mediterranean region and Northern African Magreb. The Kermes Oak was historically important as the food plant of the Kermes scale insect, from which a red dye called crimson was obtained. The etymology of the specific name ‘coccifera’ is related to the production of red cochineal (crimson) dye and derived from Latin coccum which was from Greek κὀκκος, the kermes insect. The Latin-fera means ‘bearer’.
Quercus coccifera
Quercus coccifera the leaves are similar to Quercus ilex
The new woodland walk looking east, the hose pipe is marking the proposed path
The new woodland walk looking west
Elsewhere in the garden other foliage is doing its job of creating interest by its form, texture or change in colour.
Trachelospermum around the new secret garden has turned purple with the cold temperatures
The textures and form completely replace flower colour in my January garden
Looking across from the top of the drive – I never tire of this view
If you would like to join GBFD this month just leave a link to and from this post, I look forward to seeing whatever you would like to share, just one beautiful leaf or a summary of all the foliage that is pleasing you in your garden. Christina
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
Lovely selection of shrubs, trees and grasses, Christina. You have certainly encouraged me to consider the foliage in my garden as more than just a foil for the flowers. It becomes so important at this time of the year. Hosepipes are so useful, aren’t they? What material are you going to use for your path?
For me foliage is even more important in mid-summer when so many plants are summer dormant to avoid the drought conditions. I haven’t completely decided what to use for the path in the woodland, I’ve used gravel everywhere else but that doesn’t seem suitable for the woodland setting. I think probably I’ll use a permeable plastic membrane covered with chipped bark, it should help give the idea of a woodland path winding through the trees. I might even be more radical and move more of the existing plants from the back border to make the path curve more creating more mystery.
I have just used wood chippings to cover the border under our top garden mature deciduous trees and am about to put in in the stumpery under the copper beech. I am rather worried though about what will happen when it is Autumn and we have to get up the mountain of fallen leaves. I also think I need some sort of edge to keep the chips in place before the blackbirds, wind etc spread them all down the sloping front garden. I have used large stones round part of it so I might try to get some more and put is all along the top. Chipped bark would certainly look good in your woodland path – would you need an edge?
I’ve been thinking about edging; it’s difficult to know whether I want the path to look that defined or if it might look more natural if the path just fades into the borders. It is flat so the bark should mostly stay where its put.
I know what you mean – I usually prefer a natural look. I will watch your progress with interest.
I seem to have a lot of evergreen ground cover useful for adding to small vases: arums, lamiums, Euphorbia robbiae these all provide interest most of the year. But not a lot other than Pittosporum tenuifolium for Winter. Sambucus racemosa is good from April till August and the wonderful Rosa glauca, with its plum-grey leaves, is great for summer foliage.
I could do with some other small ground cover, Thyme seems to be the only low growing plant to grow really well, summer and winter.
Everything is looking great!
Well not everything maybe, but enough.
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How marvellous to be growing something that tastes like chocolate! The new areas are really looking good already. Watching them develop will be so exciting. It’s what gives me the buzz about gardening here.. every year (hopefully) I will get a little closer to my goal.
Here’s my link: http://www.rustyduck.net/2016/01/22/dont-walk-on-the-grass/
It’s all looking a bit white..
Yes, I agree, sone of the best things about gardening is that things change, and you can always try new things to improve the garden. Thanks for joining in this month, I look forward to seeing your ‘white’.
A wonderful collection of new foliage, most of which I had not heard of but might grown here. I love the woodland walk.
I’m sure I could introduce some new plants to you Lauren; I hope my ideas for the woodland walk will work out, it will need time to create the shade I’m eager for.
Thank you, Christina, for leading us to share foliage. I am finding that, as I grow older, I am replacing many plants for less labor ones. That calls for foliage and I am finding that it doesn’t lessen the beauty of the garden (being in the eye of the beholder). In fact, with evergreens it really extends the season. My offering this month: https://johnsviccellio.wordpress.com/2016/01/22/garden-bloggers-foliage-day-january-22-2016/
I so agree about simplifying and making the garden easier to manage and it really is an added bonus that it actually does look better. Thanks for joining this month John with a lovely glimpse of your garden with and without snow.
You are so right about the importance of foliage, this time of the year really shows us how we need evergreen leaves . I am so interested in your choice of trees. The Carob sounds wonderful.
I was going to join in with the meme today but it was too dismal to go outside.
I do understand about the dismal days, I can’t bear them either, at least here it is usually bright even when it’s bitterly cold like this week.
The new woodland walk looks just lovely, Christina. Well done – will look forward to seeing it develop. And I never tire of the view from the top of your drive either.
Are your Box still free from any problems? I hope the moth that destroyed mine hasn’t become in France.
Ours seem to be ok, so far, Christina. But I stick to my (very slow) policy of only planting my own cuttings for the future, rather than investing. And I do check existing large plants a lot, under your instruction!
Vigilance pays dividends, if I’d realized the damage the caterpillars were doing.
So glad you passed your advice on!
Informative post and great views as always. Wanted to join in with a quick post.
https://pbmgarden.wordpress.com/2016/01/22/garden-bloggers-foliage-day-january-2016/
Glad you enjoyed the views, Susie, thanks for joining in again this month.
The woodland garden is looking good–it’ll be wonderful in maturity. We can grow Trachelospermum here in Central Texas, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it as glorious burgundy as yours. It’s either green or toast.
The Trachelospermum changes colour with cold and these immature plants are showing much more colour than my established hedge.
Thank you, Christina, for reminding us to have a closer look at the foliage in our garden! Yours is/are special this month. Mine is here:http://timpingradina.blogspot.ro/2016/01/garden-bloggers-foliage-day-january-2016.html
Hi Anca, thanks for joining GBFD this month, it is always interesting to see what you have in your garden.
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I enjoyed reading all the in-depth info about the Carob tree. It’s such fun to get in on all the early stages of your project, when anything is possible and multiple decisions must be made.
Writing this post has spurred me to finish the path and plant moving required in the ‘woodland walk’. It also poses the question of whether to continue the walk further round the boundary to include what was the small island that has now been amalgamated with the circular rose bed. Questions, questions, its what keeps this gardener on her toes!
Your garden is looking lovely Christina and I enjoyed reading about your trees, I’m familiar with Quercus ilex but all this info was new to me. Thanks for sharing the info and hosting gbbd. My foliage is on a much smaller scale than yours! Here’s the link… http://countrygardenuk.com/2016/01/22/looking-good-in-the-garden-23rd-jan/
As Quercus ilex grows well at least in the south of England I think the other oak species would also survive, I think the Carob might be just a bit tender though. Thanks for your contribution to GBFD this month.
I really appreciate the plant suggestions, I’m always looking for tips that can take my garden and landscape in new directions…I have also started to place a lot more emphasis on foliage in my designs.
Sorry to be late with this reply Charles, wordpress put you in the spam box. I’m always looking for new plants that will tolerate the climate here too.
I can vouch for the carob tree getting HUGE. And the flowers on the male plant smell funky. I’d rather have had the pods …
Let’s hope mine is female! I didn’t take enough notice of the flowers last autumn. It will take a while to grow to maturity and it is positioned far enough from the house not to cause any problems.
the flowers are not unpleasant just, interesting.
I obviously misunderstood the word you used, sorry.
I’m looking forward to watching your trees grow from afar, Christina 🙂 The carob is fascinating and looks like a wonderful addition. I’m curious about Quercus coccifera; does it host cochineal bugs if simply planted in the garden?
My own post is a surprise continuation from my tree following post earlier in the month – a bit of a closer look at foliage that closes at night: http://smallsunnygarden.blogspot.com/2016/01/garden-foliage-in-january.html
Hi Amy, so far I haven’t seen any cochineal beetles on my Quercus, I imagine they aren’t all that common now, but I don’t know; if I ever find any I’ll definitely show them to you. Thanks for joining GBFD this month, I’m interested about reading more about your tree.
I would love to add more Arbetus to our garden but the only place would be at the bottom which is very dry in the summer. Do you think they would have a chance if I looked after them (i.e. watered them occasionally in the summer) for the first year? Amelia
Once the Arbutus are established they don’t need any water at all. So if you plant in autumn and water through any really dry periods during the first year they should do well for you. They will also take shade as they are an under-story shrub/tree; your bees will love having more in your garden as they are one of the last things to flower. You can even eat the fruit.
Thanks for that, I did not think of them as under-story trees and that would suit even better.
Perfect.
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Oh the route of the path for the woodland walk looks most enticing, Christina – it will be so interesting to see it developing, although even more so for you! My post is at https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2016/01/23/gbfd-shading/
Yes, writing about it makes me realize that there is more to do on this area. As soon as the weather warms a little I need to move some existing plants before making the final decision about exactly where the path will go.
And yet even now it looks full of promise, snaking its way through the garden
Gracias por enseñarme el bello follaje que hay para invierno. Saludos Gillian.
Great additions, Christina! I wish I had room for something like the carob tree but then, even if I did, it would undoubtedly cause a ruckus with my neighbor up the street under the terms of our city’s “view conservation” ordinance.
Luckily we don’t have any such thing as view conservation here. I think the Carob will be a while before it reaches a mature size.
I forget what a different palette you work with in your garden. It’s so interesting to hear about what works and what works with it as you mix these new things with some of the same plants which thrive in my own garden.
Great to see how the new areas are coming along. I would have never suspected this all just one year ago. Great job!
I’m sorry to miss joining this month. I wasn’t quick enough to get outside before the snow fell, and to be honest it’s a brown tired world out there underneath the white.
Have a great week!
I hope you have not been affected adversely by the heavy snow that I’ve been reading about; I saw an image that showed that you could see the snow from a satellite, I found that quite astonishing. To be honest I’m amazed by how I’ve changed the garden too, it does prove that positives can come out of very negative happenings. Keep warm and safe Frank.
Interesting to read of your new plantings Christina, you always amaze me with your determination to create a beautiful garden in what must be quite tricky conditions. The Carob at first glance looks like a Eucalyptus and I was surprised by the Kermes oak leaves as they look really small and not a plant I am familiar with. I like to see the bare bones of gardens at this time of year without the distraction of flowers, it really does bring it home who important foliage is.
One of the adaptations for hot sunny climates is for the leaves to be smaller. The foliage of the Kermes oak are very similar to Quercus ilex (Holly Oak) but they are smaller.
Hi Christina, your criteria for choosing plants is very much the same as mine. And I am so excited about your new garden areas, especially your woodland walk! I am truly looking forward to seeing its development. I love the selections you have chosen.The leaves of Quercus coccifera are marvelous! With all its various textures and forms, your garden will never be boring.
Your beautiful woodland was in no small way an inspiration for trying to create more shade in my own garden; it will, by necessity be very different from yours but I hope in its small way it will be as beautiful.
Sorry to be so late, circumstances beyond our control! The garden is still too wet to walk on, so my foliage post is not the usual one that I do, hopefully it will be back to normal next month.
Love your woodland walk and of course I’m wondering what you will be planting there, can’t wait to see the results!
At least wet isn’t going to be a damaging to your garden as snow Pauline. It is very good of you to contribute when you couldn’t get outside.