Ilex ‘Emily Brunner’ is a superb fruiting holly hybrid (Ilex cornuta x latifolia) that can be used either as a specimen or as part of a hedge. This is our most recent planting, that’s now 4 years old. Our oldest specimens at JLBG, now 21 years of age, have matured at 18′ tall x 18′
Emily is Berry Nice Read More »
You know a breeder (Hueger) thinks a lot of their introduction when they give it the name ‘Champion’, and we can’t argue with their selection of this fabulous form of the sterile Helleborus x ericsmithii, flowering currently in the JLBG gardens. It’s nothospecific namesake recognized the late English gardener/plant breeder, Eric Smith, at Buckshaw Gardens.
We are the Champion…of the hellebore world Read More »
The late English gardener, Helen Ballard, carried the title, Queen of the Hellebores from the 1960s until her death in the mid-1990s. Although she worked primarily with Helleborus x hybridus, she also was one of the first people to cross Helleborus niger with Helleborus lividus. Those crosses, formerly known as Helleborus x nigerliv, now officially
Helleborus x ballardiae – Helen’s legacy Read More »
With all the emphasis on the amazing colored flower hellebores, folks seem to have forgotten the amazing green-flowered Helleborus foetidus, commonly known as stinking hellebore or bear claw hellebore. To remind everyone how great it is, here is a photo from the garden this week of Helleborus foetidus ‘Krenitsky’. This easy-to-grow species forms a 2′
It stinks to be ignored Read More »
Our 30-year-old plant of Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Duke Gardens’ has reached 3.5′ in height and 14′ in width. This amazing deer-resistant shrub, discovered at the nearby Duke Gardens, is a superb evergreen that tolerates both sun and shade as long as the soil is well-drained. As is our garden policy, our plant has never been sheared.
We grow many century plants at JLBG and one of our best is the amazing Agave ovatifolia…seen here. This 14-year-old clone will be flowering this May, so be sure to catch the amazing 20 foot+ flower spike at the Spring Open Nursery and Garden Days. Some our agaves such as this are clones, while others
A whale of a story…mama told me not to tell Read More »
We absolutely adore the miniature winter flowering daffodils. Here is the tongue-twisting Narcissus romieuxii ssp. albidus var. zaianicus flowering in the garden. These wild species narcissus flower long before most other narcissus have thought about breaking ground.
Completely unlike its namesake, this dwarf beauty is a sight to behold. Flowering in the garden now, Hamamelis vernalis ‘Quasimodo’ is a miniature selection of the Midwest US native witch hazel. Our six-year-old specimen is a whopping 4′ tall, so this gem can be tucked into much smaller sites that full-size selections.
Does this witch hazel ring a bell? Read More »
Truly magical, the aptly named Helleborus x ballardiae ‘Camelot’ in flower now at JLBG. This is yet another of the wonderful new sterile hybrids. Visit us during our 2021 Winter Open Nursery & Garden Days, Feb. 26-28 & March 5-7, 2021, and discover all the wonders of the winter garden.
Because we’ve had another mild winter with regard to absolute low temperatures, the foliage on most of our hardy century plants is still looking good. In colder winters, foliar damage is often caused by our wet, cold winters. While we have been consistently cool and extremely wet (it has rained 50% of the days since
