This is a beautyberry bush and it is just that, a beauty. We have two of them. One at the front edge of my house that I see every day as I pull to the garage and one in the back yard. I get so much joy from being greeted home by this little bush that I was in real despair when I came home one day and it had been completely cut back. Oh no, I had not shared with my husband (our resident gardener) how much I loved the bush! What was he thinking? Not to worry, he assured me that it needed to be done and it would come back. He was right. It is back to greeting me home.
I was curious to see just what was going on inside my pomegranates so I split one open. At this point the seeds have this beautiful translucence. Unfortunately the outsides are beginning to look a little rough. Now that we realize that we have a fruit bearing bush I will have to do some investigating to find out how to care for our bush and it's fruit in our zone.
We allow morning glory a temporary opportunity to climb our back door railing. It brings with it a vibrant purple that requires your attention. In this photograph it looks like there is light shining from the white center of the flower.
Sedum offers an understated richness to the landscape and arrangements. This color whispers of the coming fall colors and the departure from summer brights.
Cockscomb is of course one of my favorites. If you read my blog you already know how much I adore it and how easy and beautiful it is for arrangements. It is a curious plant however. A friend gave us seeds to start our plants. The seeds were very tiny black dots and they all looked the same to my eye but when they came up they grew in various shapes. You can see this from the three pictures here. The top plant yields delicate spear shaped flowers.
The flower from the plant on the left has what my husband and I like to call a brain shape and the flower on the plant on the right looks like delicate feathers. They all have this beautiful and intensely rich scarlet color.
I am sure beauty and color awaits you in your own yard so be sure to take the time to walk around and see what you can discover. Take your coffee, take your camera, but be sure to take your time. - Marianne
All of these pictures were taken in October before the weather had grown cold enough for a really hard freeze North Carolina. All pictures are the property of Living With Color Designs.