In late January, I was handed a small stack of mail, and on top was an envelope from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), which I assumed to be a journal renewal notice. Upon opening the letter below, I sat stunned, unable to even fall from my chair, which would have been the appropriate response. After
In flower now, is our specimen of Distylium racemosum ‘Akebono’. While Distylium is quite popular now, compared to decades earlier, many of the specialty variegated cultivars are still little known. The word Akebono is Japanese for the color of the sky at dawn. It is commonly used in Japan to name plants with a bright
Akebono…no relation to Sonny Read More »
We were walking by our specimen of Chinese redbud (Cercis chinensis ‘Avondale’) recently, and couldn’t get over the number of feeding bees, including both honeybees, as well as our native bees. Chinese redbuds have far more flowers than our native redbuds, so can feed more pollinators, although we certainly love both. It’s good that the
It’s the start of arum flowering season at JLBG. These fascinating tuberous aroids grow through the winter, and sleep during the summer months. Our earliest species to burst into bloom are Arum creticum from Greece, Arum sintensii, from Cypress, and Arum palestinum from Palestine. Unlike many of their relatives, arums don’t produce foul odors. Arum
We’ve long admired the weeping elm at the JC Raulston Arboretum, and the specimen at JLBG (below) was rooted as a cutting in 2018 from their plant, which has long been labeled Ulmus minor var. minor ‘Pendula’. When we starting digging deeper on its background, we became even more confused. First, the plant is not
Crying over Weeping Elms Read More »
Most folks only know daphnes that retain evergreen foliage, but one of our favorite exceptions is the Chinese native, Daphne genkwa, which happens to be in full flower at JLBG this week. This floriferous species needs moist, but well-drained soils, unlike so many of its European counterparts. Unlike the commonly grown, Daphne odora, it has
The Naked Chinese Daphne Read More »
Putting on quite a show in late March is Leucojum aestivalis, commonly known as summer snowflake. The specific epithet “aestivalis” means “of the summer”, but I’m not sure why a late winter/early spring flowering bulb has such an odd epithet, as well as a common name of summer snowflake. Regardless, since we’re living in a
Giant Spring Snowflakes Read More »
I always find it amusing when I encounter gardeners with a staunch opposition to hybrids and cultivars in their garden, despite them being unable to look in the mirror and realize that they are both a hybrid and a cultivar. The first photo below is our wild collected lungwort from Croatia, Pulmonaria officinalis. The second
I Hate Hybrids – Lungwort time Read More »
Looking quite lovely in the garden this week is Magnolia ‘Frank’s Masterpiece’ from magnolia breeder, Dr. Frank Galyon of Knoxville, TN. This represents a hybrid of Magnolia x soulangeana ‘Deep Purple Dream’ and Magnolia ‘Paul Cook’. This amazingly fast growing selection is expected to mature at 30′ in height. For us, this normally flowers in
Frank’s Masterpiece Read More »
We always know that spring isn’t far away when our native mayapples, Podophyllum peltatum, emerges, as it’s doing now. This ephemeral groundcover, native to the entirety of Eastern North America, is a great garden plant, if you have the space. Unlike its Asian counterparts, it spreads quickly and widely, before going summer dormant as hot
