It’s the time of year, we all hopefully stop and take time to thank those who are so important in our lives. I (Tony) am incredibly blessed to be embarking on our 40th year in business in 2026. No sane person thought our model of building a private, ex-situ conservation botanical garden, and mail order […]
We wanted to publicly recognize our friend, plant breeder, Hans Hansen of Walters Gardens, who was just granted his 516th plant patent. Of those incredible numbers, 18 patents came when he worked for Shady Oaks Nursery, and 498 were granted since he moved to Walters Gardens in 2009. To give you some perspective, only six
On Friday, August 13, I received a short, 5am text from a friend, plantsman, Laurence (Larry) Hatch, saying goodbye. Larry 65, had notified me a few weeks earlier, that he was in the late stages of heart failure, brought on by a life of obesity. All I could think was how odd it was to
It’s almost time to say so long to our long-time Plant Records/Taxonomist, Zac Hill, who will be moving to the Charlotte, NC area in early fall, to take over a similar position with the Bartlett Tree Company Arboretum. Bartlett is a private arboretum/research facility that, under the direction of plantsman Adam Black, holds one of
Kit Kat and I were having a heart to heart conversation in my office last week. As hard as we’ve tried to encourage her to strike out on her own innovative life path, she’s opted to take the simpler, less stressful route of just being a copy cat.
I was shocked and saddened to learn of the recent passing of my college classmate, Kim Hawks, 72. Kim and I shared a lot in common, starting with attending the same high school, horticulture classmates at NC State, both of us would start mail order nurseries, travel together in China for a month, and both
We wanted to share Kit Kat and Jasper’s spot on impersonation of our nursery and garden staff after working the two weekends of our Summer Open Nursery and Garden event. Thanks to everyone who visited, including many from across the country. Nothing makes us more excited than to share the garden with visitors, who get
Those of us in the perennial world are morning the loss of retired professor, Dr. Steven Still, 80, who passed away earlier this month. Not only was Steven a professor of renown at The Ohio State University, where he taught for 25 years, but during that time, he was also the first Director of the
The Incredible Hulk of the plant world has returned, once again, to seek a mate. It’s been just over two years since our Amorphophallus titanum ‘Homo Erectus’ gifted us with a giant inflorescence, so we’re thrilled to welcome another flowering event. Below is a photo of our plant on July 3, so, based on past
It’s Back…Homo erectus returns! Read More »
Hello friends of JLBG! Alycia Thornton here—Director of Philanthropy, occasional plant punner, and your guest narrator for a very special blog takeover. I’m commandeering the JLBG blog today with some exciting news that’s as rare as an Amorphophallus titanum blooming on a Tuesday. Tony Avent—yes, our Tony Avent—has been awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal by
JLBG Blog Takeover: 🌿 Holy Hosta! Tony Avent Wins Big—Come Celebrate With Us! Read More »
