This is the first time in three years, that we needed to cover early emerging plants due to a late frost. Although we are still almost two weeks behind a typical spring, enough plants had emerged, combined with a predicted drop to 26 degrees F in late March, that we felt that covering was warranted.
I was saddened to learn of the recent passing (April 4) of one of the most amazing horticulture figures, I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, the incomparable Pearl Fryar. It was 30 years ago this month, when I was speaking at South Carolina’s Brookgreen Garden, that we first met. Pearl was speaking ahead of
Early last year, we noticed a new seedling, growing in our crevice seep. We realized it was nothing we had planted, and concluded that it belonged to the genus of pocketbook flowers, Calceolaria. We had actually tried three of the mostly South American native calceolaria species years earlier, but the genus is known for its
Trying to Identify a Pick Pocket Read More »
Early to mid-April has been peak for the amazing calanthe orchid show in the garden. These easy-to-grow, semi-evergreen terrestrial orchids, are a woodland perennial we wouldn’t garden without. Calanthe discolor ‘Eco White’ is a selection from the late nurseryman, Don Jacobs. This species range includes China, Korea, and Japan. Calanthe ‘Golden Treasure’ is our selection
Pretty as a Juice Newton song is our patch of Brunnera macrophylla ‘Queen of Hearts’. For so many decades, we struggled to keep any brunneras alive in our hot, humid summers. Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’ was the first to survive here, but thrive is a word we never could really use to describe it. That all
Playing with the Queen of Hearts Read More »
Podophyllum peltatum ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy’ is a 2015 discovery of former JLBG staffer, Jeremy Schmidt from Calhoun County, Alabama. This is undoubtedly, the hairiest of the American mayapple selections we grow. The foliage emerges with a lovely brown flush, before aging green. If the hairs weren’t enough, this clone flowers light pink, which is extremely rare
I’ve always loved the genus Mukdenia, since first spying it cliffside on a 1997 botanical expedition through South Korea. This monotypic genus currently belongs is the Saxifragaceae family…think Tiarella, Heuchera, and Astilbe. Although, it’s typically grown as a woodland plant, we tried one clump of Mukdenia rossii ‘Karasuba’ in our full sun crevice garden, planted
With a Name like Mukers, It’s Gotta Be Good Read More »
I continue to rave over the new hybrid ajuga groundcovers from Michigan plant breeder, Chris Hansen, who is oddly, no relation to Michigan plant breeder, Hans Hansen. Below are a few that are looking fabulous this week in the garden. Ajuga ‘Parrot Paradise’ in the garden this week. Below is the superb Ajuga ‘Cordial Canary’.
Getting Grounded with Avian Ajugas Read More »
Epimedium breeding has come so far in the last few years, they look nothing like some of the still commonly sold selections. Below are just a few fairy wings that look amazing now at JLBG from our recent photo sessions. Looking absolutely amazing in the garden is Epimedium ‘Lyrical Lemonade’. In the history of fairy
Red Bull may give you Wings, but we prefer Fairy Wings Read More »
One of my personal favorites in the very early spring garden is the amazing Chloranthus japonicus. This delightful Asian (China, Japan, Korea, and Russia) native is naturally found in moist woodlands, growing streamside, up to 6,000′ elevation. In the garden, it forms a 15″ tall x 20″ wide clump. We have found it very easy
Essentially Essoteric Read More »
