Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Fringe Benefits

Do you like fringe?

Hanging strands of pure decoration can delight, enhance, and add personality.  It does the same for plants.  I've noticed I have three plants with fringe all planted in the same bed!  I love these little extra touches of decoration.

Chinese indigo

Chinese indigo (indigofera decora) has the most elaborate fringe.  Very frilly.  Quite orate.  This would make a beautiful pendant.  And the delights don't stop at the fringe.  Look at those purple stems!  A beautiful pendant of small pink pearls hanging by a purple cord.  Quite stylish!  I wish I had one of these in my jewelry box.  Read more about this plant here.


Loropetalum

Loropetalum is appropriately nicknamed fringe flower.  Its little strands of fringe hang down casually, almost wildly.  What do you see?  I see the fringe of a circus horse.  The ringmaster holds on to it by a braided leather reign that is secure, but not tight.  Its fringe bounces up and down, delighting children and impressing adults.  Read a little more about this plant here.


Caryopteris

Caryopteris has fringe that sticks up, instead of hanging down.  This is the fringe of a ballerina's tutu.  She turns pirouettes as the audience holds its breath.  She is so beautiful, so enchanting, the subject of many artists.  But a picture or a photo can never quite capture her radiance.  After the show is over, her performance will be remembered fondly, and with a touch of awe.  It will seem like a dream until her show starts again the next autumn.

I love the fringe in my garden.  It awakens my imagination, and brings such delight.  The same can be said about vacations.  One of the fringe benefits of having sisters is that they sometimes invite you to vacation with them.  I will be gone on one of these vacations for about a week.  When I return, I will have stories to tell, photos to show, and experiences to recall.

Until then, I hope you find some delights in your own garden, and a plant or two showing off their fringe.




26 comments:

  1. I'm sure there's fringe in my some plants, but can't now figure anything! Have a nice Tuesday!

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  2. I like all these. Very pretty blooms and you are right they have fringe. :)
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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  3. I have both Indigoifera and blue mist shrub and love them both. They're so lacy. :)

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  4. Of the plants you show, I'm only familiar with caryopteris. It's a beautiful plant, I don't have any, but there is lots at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

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  5. I was total failure with the Chinese Fringe flower I planted this past spring. Lost all four! and I DON`T LOSE PLANTS ! LOL My mom-in law`a are beautiful right across the creek. Nice pics .

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  6. I love fringes! The way they sway with the gentle breeze, adding movement to the plants in the garden...very nice!

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  7. I like your fringy plants. I had the Caryopterus for a long time in my garden. Have a nice vacation.

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  8. Elegant and interesting i think they would be a welcome addition to any garden

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  9. Hi Holley, I love your 'lavender' background... Beautiful color!!!!!

    AND the fringe in your garden is beautiful... Thanks for sharing.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  10. Yes, I like the fringe--especially in your garden in the way that you present it. Indigofera is a nifty plant--I discovered it during my New Orleans trip.

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  11. Have a lovely trip! I love Indigophera and Caryopteris. Hazels have winter fringes of catkins that are special, too.

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  12. Beautiful! I wanted to add a Fringe Tree to our yard years ago, but they didn't carry them at a large nursery in town. Have fun on your vaca!! Love that Red Sage too, btw. : )

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  13. those are all lovely flowers. Like Randy, I don't normally lose plants, but one Loropetalum is dead and the other 2 are looking a bit sick. I never thought of them as fringes, but some Australian native flowers like Grevilleas have spiky spidery wispy fringe-like petals.

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  14. This made me smile - I love the way you describe flowers. Caryopteris is such a great addition to a garden - I absolutely adore it and so do the butterflies and bees.

    Lucky you having a holiday. Have a wonderful time!

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  15. I love them all three! I used to have a Caryopteris but I think I pruned it too heavily to keep it in the too small space I had for it, so eventually I was left with just woody branches. I got a Loropetalum last year, it was just a small stick in a tiny pot from an online nursery, was a bit disappointed about the size as I know they are slow growers, but it is a healthy size by now, growing in a tub and flowers for the third time this year right now! The Chinese indigo is new to me, but I really want it...wonder where I can squeeze it in :-)

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  16. I love hardy fushias for their fringe benefits! Lovely photos!

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  17. I love the fringe that stick out of my hardy geraniums, one of my favourite aspects of those flowers (although I have never thought to call it a fringe). I've always been taken with guara too as it has that same look.

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  18. I never noticed the fringe in my garden...will have to look...I do love fringe...have a great vacation!

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  19. I too like the fringy plants. Caryopteris is my favorite and that of the insects too. Have a nice trip and vacation.

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  20. Holley, you bring interesting things to light. I think the only plants with fringe I have are the gaura. I'll have to pay more attention like Donna mentioned above. Have a great time!

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  21. I have all three in my garden. :o) I added loropetaulm to my garden this year. I used to grow it when I lived in SC and missed its purple leaves and fringy flowers. Great pictures!

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  22. I enjoy the fringe as well- adds color yet a different contrast and I love the movement!!!

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  23. I love all of these plants and have them in my garden. My indigofera has spread into a fabulous ground cover that is a major feature in the woodland garden. Most people don't know what it is. If it isn't blooming, they think it is a fern.

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  24. I am familiar with the Caryopteris, but not the other two plants. I particularly like the purple "cord" and the flower on the Chinese indigo.

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