Most folks think of Zinnias, as an annual bedding plant, but the genus actually includes so much more, including some little-known, North American native perennials. One that has thrived for us, since 2018 is Rocky Mountain zinnia, Zinnia grandiflora, which naturally resides from Kansas to Arizona. We’re growing a particularly vigorous selection, Zinnia grandiflora ‘Gold
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I can’t say that I’d ever thought about using cast iron plants as hedging, but we might need to rethink that with one of new hybrids. Aspidistra x sichlatior ‘Screen Gem’ is our hybrid of Aspidistra sichuanensis x Aspidistra elatior. This selection from our 2021 seedlings has already reached 4.5′ in height. Other than acubua,
While we can grow an incredible assortment of lycoris species and cultivars in our climate, the same is not true for their amaryllid cousins in the genus, Nerine. The only Nerine that we have found so far, that truly thrives here is Nerine angustifolia. This African endemic hails from Lesotho, Swaziland, and the South Africa
Where Nerines Fear to Tread Read More »
One of the truly great WHATZAT plants of the fall garden, that results in more questions than anything else is the weeping fall shrub mint, Rostrinucula dependens. Little known outside its native haunts in Shaanxi, China and south to Yunnan, this deciduous shrub to 4′ tall is adorned with flaking brown bark and acts as
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For the first time in six year, we will once again have enough Fatsia japonica ‘Murakumo Nishiki’ to share, in our January 2027 catalog. Our 8 year old garden specimen of this amazing evergreen shrub, pictured below, is one of the most asked about plant in the garden, so we’re thrilled to be able to
One of our favorite vines is unquestionably the South American, Brazilian firecracker vine, Manettia cordifolia. This amazing, well-behaved plant doesn’t emerge for us until mid-to-late June, but once the temperatures rise, it explodes into a hummingbirds dream. The peak flowering season for us, is September and October, when it puts on a show like little
Manettia – a Hummer’s Dream Read More »
It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Jeff McMillan and his family and staff at Almost Eden mail order nursery in Merryville, Louisiana. Like many of us, they have been struggling with financial issues over the last few years, and it appears the end has finally arrived. Jeff still hopes to sell
So, You Think you want to Buy a Nursery Read More »
The monarchs at JLBG, are busy consummating their final hookups of the year, before heading south, presumably before authorities come looking for them. Monarch butterflies are usually only 3-8 days old when they start having sex. Even in Appalachia, where a lot of unusual sexual behaviors are normalized, that just ain’t right. At that young
The Kinky Monarchy Read More »
September 10 – Those Pesky Details Today is where the focus shifts from field work to paperwork, that makes all the fieldwork worthwhile. We departed the Sud Hotel before dawn for the nearby ferry terminal. Compared to our trip coming to Corsica, the signage was slightly less confusing. This time the ferry was nearly 1/3
Pizza, Pasta, and Plants – Botanizing in Italy and Corsica (Final chapter) Read More »
Wednesday, September 9 – Corsican Wrap-up Today is our final day in Corsica, so we arose early to retrace our steps back from the Southwest part of the island to the Northeast ferry port. Yesterday, we noticed some greener areas toward the higher peaks, so this would be our focus for the day. Our first
Pizza, Pasta, and Plants – Botanizing in Italy and Corsica (Part 10) Read More »
