1.09.2009

Fab Foliage Friday



I'm still on the gold standard, foliage-wise. This beauteous gold poet's jasmine (Jasminum officinale 'Fiona Sunrise') is a rambling, vinelike plant whose lacy gold leaves are welcome wherever they go. It can play a strong supporting role in all kinds of plant combos, in ground or in pots. Here, it echoes off 'Dipt in Wine' coleus while accenting the gloriously burgundy trunk of a red Abyssinian banana (Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii'). Unfortunately this great jasmine--grown for its foliage rather than its flowers--is tender so I need to bring it in each winter. But on the bright side, I've noticed this plant layers itself, setting roots wherever it touches down. So, propagation is a no-brainer. And since it's so easy to build up my supply, I can put 'Fiona Sunrise' to more and different uses each season.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Steve: Boy do I also love Fiona Sunrise. And what a stunning combo w/ the Ensete maurelii and the coleus. Juicy indeed.

I'm been delighted to find that Fiona drops her leaves easily, and sits out the long winter in the basement. Even better, the green stems re-assure me that the bush is in fact still alive despite being down there for five months. I was thrilled to find that this "basementing" also switched the bloom season to June; I had always thought of this jasmine as being winter-blooming.