the theme of this month’s picture this photo contest, hosted by gardening gone wild, is spring fling.  i haven’t participated in this garden blogger’s competition before, but thought i could find something fun and whimsical to photograph for this month’s contest.

Verbena bonariensis, Carex 'Rooster Tail' and Ipomoea battata 'Blackie'

earlier this spring at the herbal forum in round top, i finally found 4″ pots of Verbena bonariensis (butterfly verbena).  it’s slender, vertical stems make it a preferred “see through” plant that adds a (fun) syncopated texture to a perennial planting.  i planted one by a clump of Carex ‘Rooster Tail’ (sedge) that, even after it came back from it’s spring hair cut, looks dormant (or dead according to mr. grwhryrpltd…).  the brown tones of the carex practically disappear against the brown mulch, so i planted Ipomoea batatta ‘Blackie’ (sweet potato vine) underneath.  the contrast in texture and color is so striking that it became my favorite plant combination this spring.  you can see images i’ve already posted of the combination here and here.  the intent of the photo you see above was to capture the color and texture subtleties between these three plants.  it’s subtle, but fun and whimsical to me…

here’s the link to the contest page for this month – there’s no formal judging this time around, but it sounds like there may be a people’s choice award…?  so go ahead and enter if you haven’t already!  the entries so far (posted in the comments section of the link above) will bring a smile to your face…

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