Love those Leaves

Passion Flower

 

Ornamental Sweet Potato

Variegated Ivy

All leaves have their own personality, especially the ones from different plants.  The above  three leaves have three or five lobes, but on closer examination are quite different.  The Passion Flower leaf reaches its veins into each of the three lobes and has parallel veins, while the Sweet Potato treats each lobe as part of the larger leaf and does not have parallel veins.  The colors of the Ivy almost obscure the veins in this leaf.

At the expense of not getting too technical in this post, I will describe some leaves and leave the others for you to notice the difference. It's only because of this post that I've started to recall some of my high school biology and look at leaves as individuals again.  It's so easy to see the flowers and forget about the leaves that engender them.

Polka-dot plant

 

Caladium

Some leaves are more spectacular than the flower, as the above two.  The Polka-dot leaf has veins that do not follow the pattern of the pink color, while the Caladium does. The Caladium looks as if its sap ran deep pink in the middle of the leaf.

Australian Tree Fern

Staghorn Fern Frond

 

 Mother Fern Leaflet

 

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The ferns are a world all their own.  Leaflets grow off of the main stem in different shapes and sizes.  The spores on the back of the Mother Fern leaflet can form new ferns.  I love the gentle curve of this leaflet.

Yarrow Leaf

 

Boston Fern Leaf

But even ferns are similar to the leaves themselves, as in the two leaves shown above.  The Yarrow may have a more complex form, but both leaves grow out from a central stem. 

Cranesbill Geranium

 

Kalanchoe

 

Begonia

Plumbago Groundcover in Fall

These leaves show the different colors that leaves can have. The colors in the last two photos show on the leaves in different places, some year-round, some due to their exposure to the sun or the turning of leaves in fall. The succulents have no visible veins.

Mexican Heather

 

Hen and Chickens Succulent

Some leaves form a recognizable form, while others have their on creative chaos.

Forget-me-not

 

 Purple Oxalis

Two of my favorite leaves. Seen close the Forget-me-not has a wonderful contrast of colors.  The various colors and the form of the oxalis speak for themselves.

Close up on Tiny Blossoms

 

  

My love affair with cranesbill geraniums reaches its peak when they bloom.  Even in the heat of the past week, this one continues giving me pleasure.  When it's not blooming, its gray fuzzy leaves, shaped like an open shell from the ocean, whisper, Look at me. I am beautiful even now.

 

The other cranesbill is in the rock garden. The pink streaks are all that remain on the blossom so close to the orange rock. Against its green foliage it shows it true pale pink nature.  This blossom in the photo is all the plant gave this morning after yesterday's heat.

 

The groundcover plumbago is one of the blues I can count on in the hot days.  Its leaves turn reddish in the fall.  So nice for our mellow fall in the deep south.  It is a take-over groundcover, so needs to be put in a finite garden space or pulled out like a weed.  I've allowed its spreading habit its way this year, so will have to get it under control in the fall.

 

The other blue blossoms has been a total surprise to me-- forget-me-nots.  This plant has unexpectedly bloomed at a time that leaves me speechless.  It is a total mystery to me.  I'm waiting to see if it will give the garden any more flowers.

 

  

The fuschia still has a few blooms to offer.  It has usually finished by the time the real heat comes.  But the common sight of a begonia in orange-red bloom is a real joy.  It exults in the heat, gathering a deeper color flower.  Its leaves are edged in red in response to the small amount of intense sun it receives.  It is really great seeing all these flowers so close.  My eye knows the beauty from afar, but the camera brings them nearer than they appear. Hurrah for technology!