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. […]
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 »
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 »
Putting on a lovely flower show in the garden is the North American native (PA to Oklahoma) Antennaria solitaria, commonly known as the southern single-head pussytoes. We’ve always had a “thing” for pussytoes, a primarily North American genus of 70 species. Despite being native in acidic soils, our plants below are thriving in our alkaline
Pussy Toes in the Garden Read More »
Agave x victosa ‘Starfish’ is one of our prize agaves, a very rare hybrid between Agave victoriae-reginae and Agave bracteosa, which we planted in 2004. Knowing that it was approaching flowering size, at which point, it would die, and since it has never offset, we chose to drill out the central core, to force it
Where there’s a Will, There is a Way Read More »
Our world renown trillium collection has now topped 1,800 different, selected taxa. Below are a few photos from the earliest round of flowering. For us, peak trillium season is typically late March, but due to our cool daytime high temperatures this winter, we are about 2.5 weeks behind normal. Our focus in the genus Trillium, are
Trillium Time – Round 1 Read More »
