Welcome to the September post of Gardener Bloggers’ Foliage Day; this will be the last foliage day I host as I am finding that I have less and less time to post at the moment. I still think foliage is the most important thing in my garden and I’m sure that many future posts will focus on foliage.From last month to this the garden could hardly be more different With many plants seeming on the point of near death in August most are now putting on an amazing growth of new foliage since we had rain at the beginning of September and several heavy showers since. I’m thankful that the high summer temperatures are now a thing of the past, indeed, yesterday felt positively cold with the high for the day only just creeping into the low 20s°C.
From the top of the drive looking towards where the old Tuesday view was photographed
The sky is now a different blue and there are clouds to make it more interesting.
Left Hand bed
This will be the new Tuesday view. In August when almost everything looked very sad indeed I decided I would replant it with more drought tolerant plants. It is also a little low and flat from when it was widened when I changed the front beds layout two years ago. The tree in the foreground is a Pomegranate, there are some nice fruits on it this year.
View across the garden
New growth of Rhamnus alaternus
Some of the new growth of the Trachelospernum jasminoides must be 6 inches long
There was no new growth until the rain in the first week of September so that’s 6 inches of growth in three weeks!
Pistichi lentisco is now a good bold shape
The Lollipop Quercus ilex will be pruned next week.
Looking along the front of the terrace
the wisteria is looking very green on the pillars but on top I can see some leaves are turning yellow and will begin to drop soon.
The clipped shapes are beginning to make an impact
I would like to thank everyone who has ever joined in GBFD and a very special thank you to my regular contributors. I hope you will join me this last time with your own foliage posts by linking to and from this post.
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
What a difference some rain makes! The garden is looking so good after this testing summer. Amelia
To be honest I’m amazed at how quickly it has recovered!
Christina, your garden looks lovely! Isn’t Fall wonderful? Our magical transition date is October 15, and I look forward to it every year. My foliage looks pretty bad from Hurricane Irma, though I am with you in spirit!
I sympathies with you. The hurricane must have been terrible. Ugly foliage is a small price to pay for still having a garden at all!
Thank you and very true. A blog friend is sending Dahlias!
Brilliant I look forward to seeing them.
It is nice when plants perk up again. We have the same phenomenon here and call it our second spring.
We too
I’m sorry you feel that way but we have to make these decisions sometimes. Thank you for inspiring us with your garden and to take another look at our own foliage.
I’m pleased to here that your garden is reviving and I hope you are too. It’s so exciting to see it come back to life. Your garden looks lovely and interesting, as usual.
http://ablogaboutcompost.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/garden-bloggers-foliage-day-sep-2017.html
I’m so glad that your garden has recovered so well now that you have some rain, but am so sad that you have decided that this will be your last post about foliage and hosting the meme. Thank you for hosting it for so long, I have really enjoyed taking part and it was wonderful to find a kindred spirit who liked foliage as much as I do.
My link is http://leadupthegardenpath.com
I’ve always appreciated and enjoyed your foliage posts Pauline; I’m sure I will continue to write about the foliage in the garden but so few other people joined in regularly it seemed silly to continue.
I have enjoyed your foliage posts every month and am sorry I have never got myself organised enough to participate! Time always slips away from me too. The rain has certainly made a massive difference! Thank goodness you have had some decent rainfall this September. Lovely views Christina. 🙂
Amazing how things have leapt into growth. Things are looking definitely happier!
Your garden already looks refreshed, Christina. It’s amazing what a difference a little rain and cooler temperatures make. We’ve had 2 very small rain “events” (the term used by our local forecasters) and the last 2 weeks have been delightfully cool but early fall is a highly variable time for us. Our nasty Santa Ana winds are scheduled to return on Sunday and will persist for several days, bringing our temperatures back up to 90F. I hope you’re not going to disappear from the blogosphere altogether – I appreciate your outlook and often find new ideas to try in your posts.
Thank you Kris. I don’t intend to give up blogging altogether, I’m just finding it difficult to find enough time at the moment. I always appreciate your comments. Sorry you’re experiencing high temperatures and winds. It could become warmer than it is now but night temperatures will not rise much now which really helps the plants.
What a rich recovery, positively beautiful. I love your foliage posts Christina.
That’s kind Susie. I’m sure I’ll write about foliage in the future, just don’t want the pressure of having to do it on a particular day.
Thanks for carrying the torch for so long! I’ve always enjoyed your posts for foliage day and have always been happy to join in. It’s hard though finding the time and putting in the work each month. I barely get logged in these days…
This rain is what your garden has been waiting for. It looks great!
This month especially I need to spend my time gardening rather than writing about it!
Christina her garden looks like another thanks to the rain. Now it is green everywhere and alive. The cut out shapes are precious and are the skeleton of the garden. Your garden is beautiful. I understand it because I do not feel obliged to write the specific day. I will wait for your blogs when you feel inspired and with time. Have a very good week or longer. Greetings from Margarita.
Thanks Margarita; I’ve been blogging so long I’ sometimes find it hard to think of new things to write about. I don’t intend stopping; but I want to write when I have a good topic rather than just churn out the same things each month.
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The effects of recent rain in your garden is evident from the photos, Christina – everything is looking refreshed and you must be so pleased to be able to get outside and do what you want to do in your garden again. Well done for feeling you can make the decision to step down from hosting GBFD: it has served such a good purpose over the years and many of us have learned to appreciate foliage in its own right because of it. Thank you for all your efforts. Here is mine, the first for many months: https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2017/09/23/garden-bloggers-foliage-day-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
Thanks for contributing this month Cathy; it is hard to believe my eyes when looking at the garden now. The low temperatures and quite a lot of rain has made such a difference so quickly.
Your garden looks refreshed and wonderful after the rain and I admire your use of foliage. I just recently discovered your Foliage Day posts a few months ago and have enjoyed them, but respect your decision to step down. I am glad to have had the opportunity of participating and it is always a pleasure to meet others who share the same appreciation of foliage in the garden. Here is my September foliage post: http://landscapedesignbylee.blogspot.com/2017/09/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-foliage.html#.Wchbb9EpChA
Hi Lee, sorry to stop GBFD just as you found it. I’m sure there will be many foliage posts in future as it is the mainstay of my garden.
The garden is looking really lovely Christina and what a difference the rain has made. Beautiful
Thank you Doris
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I have enjoyed your Foliage Day posts and I am sorry you are giving them up. But I understand how life gets in the way of blogging sometimes. I have had a busy year this year and sometimes blogging has to take a back seat.
But I think your posts have encouraged people to appreciate the importance of foliage in creating pleasing garden pictures. So well done!
Thanks Chloris for your kind words. I’m sure I will be writing more about foliage in my garden, just not a regular GBFD post.