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
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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
It’s been a while since we posted a photo of our Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Snow Cream’ in full flower, so for those who missed seeing it at our recent Winter Open Nursery and Garden, here it is in its full splendor in mid-March. Our 26 year old specimen is now 8′ tall x 15′ tall, growing
I have long been a fan of the fascinating dryland geophyte, Asphodeline lutea. Native from the Mediterranean through the Caucuses, and south into Africa, Asphodeline lutea is prized for its early spring spikes of bright yellow, star-like flowers. About a decade ago, I heard rumors of an orange-flowered form, which immediately went on my desiderata
Asphodels…a Color Change Read More »
A plant that always draws the interest of garden visitors is our ever-expanding collection of non-running bamboos. One that I get to admire daily from my second floor office window is the Chinese (Sichuan) native, Fargesia robusta. Bamboo taxonomy is at best difficult, since most species only flower once every 100 years. Consequently, Fargesia robusta
While the genus Oxalis has a few species that are known “bad actors”, it has many others that are amazing garden gems. One of our favorites has always been Oxalis palmifrons. Hailing from South Africa’s Southwest Cape Province, this gem forms texturally-fascinating, ground-hugging rosettes, that are right at home in the rock garden. We grow
Palm-leaf Wood Sorrel Read More »
Flowering this week are an array of winter flowering trout lilies of the genus Erythronium, a plant I’ve admired since being a young child, and seeing it grow naturally near our Raleigh, NC home. Erythronium is a genus of only 33 species, spread throughout the Northern Hemisphere. While many of the cold climate species won’t
Fishing for Trout Lilies Read More »
Carpeting the woodland garden now is the North American native spring ephemeral, Sanguinaria canadensis. This widespread wildflower is native to virtually the entire Eastern US. The common name, bloodroot, comes from the red pigment, Sanguinarine, which can be found in all plant parts, especially the underground rhizomes. The red pigment has long been used for
Red Roots and White Flowers Read More »
