This simple combination of Geranium ‘Azure Rush’ and Tradescantia pallida is one that repeats several places in the garden. The geranium flowers from spring to frost, and the Tradescantia, which is perennial here, also looks good throughout the growing season. While this combination echoes colors, it contrasts form and texture.
I’ve got a new favorite blue conifer, in a climate where most blue conifers fear to tread. Cedrus atlantica ‘Horstmann’ is a 1970’s selection from Germany’s Horstmann’s Nursery, that forms a very compact specimen. Our seven year old plant has reached 7′ tall x 5′ wide, without any type of opressive control. Typical blue Atlas
Blue Atlas Shrugged Read More »
Just finishing it’s flowering for the year is our specimen of Cylindropuntia kleinii. This North American native to the Chihuahuan desert regions of Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, forms a 5′ tall, gnarly specimen, composed of long, jointed sections, that break away as they become attached to anything that tries to pass to near. Many
Almost two years ago, when I first saw photos of Zantedeschia ‘Frozen Queen’, I was overly skeptical that this was the result of A-I or Photoshop. To find out for sure, I ordered a few for the garden to see for myself. Well, after over a year in the ground, below are the plants in
The Ice Queen Awakens Read More »
On a recent Saturday morning, I took a little time away from the garden, to visit a couple of local natural areas, prompted in part by our Facilites Manager, Nathan Rahrig, who had located a colony of 3’+ tall Arisaema pusillum nearby. The first stop was a set of narrow streams, carved through a mild
Wild Colors on a Really Good Acid Trip Read More »
Although it was discovered by U.T. Waterfall (not making this up), in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, in 1966, and subsequently named in 1970, the Glade Bee Balm, Monarda stipitaglandulosa is still little-known in gardens. This is only found in Arkansas and adjacent Oklahoma, where is grows in glades and open woodlands, over alkaline rock. These odd
A lively color combination we enjoy near our home, combines Clematis ‘Sapphire Indigo’, Tradescantia pallida, with the bright gold Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo’. Clematis ‘Sapphire Indigo’, Tradescantia pallida, Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo’
Fun with Purple and Gold Read More »
When I first read the 2010 paper describing the discovery of an orange-flowered Musella (dwarf yellow banana), I was hopelessly hooked, and my heart filled with lust. Hanging out at 4,000′ elevation in China’s Sichuan province was a previously undiscovered population of only 130 orange-flowered plants, compared the more typical yellow. When you have grown
If Live Gives you Bananas, Make ’em Orange Read More »
Twenty years ago (2006), we were botanizing in Southern Alabama, when I spied a particularly unique clump of Adiantum pedatum with finely divided fronds. Despite the common name, Northern maidenhair fern, this was growing at the Southern extreme of its natural range. A small division returned back with us to NC, where it has formed
A Lust-worthy Alabama Maiden Read More »
Looking quite stunning is the garden, is the Eastern Chinese (Anhui, Zhejiang provinces) native, Acer pubipalmatum. Our 13 year old specimen is now 15′ tall. Related to the more common Japanese maple, Acer palmatum, the main difference is the pubescent (hairy) leaf backs. If that isn’t complicated enough, taxonomists then lumped Acer pubipalmatum with Acer
Hairy Backside Maple Read More »
