T We just snapped this photo of a blush pink-flowered bloodroot seedling in our trial beds, that originated from a pink-tinged plant we found in the mountains of Virginia many years ago. The new leaf, flower bud, and outer petals are pink, while the center is almost pure white. Perhaps one day, we’ll have […]
Sanguinaria canadensis – pink-flowered bloodroot Read More »
Join me for another round of trillium photos that capture many of the later blooming species and hybrids grown here at JLBG. These typically wrap up here around mid-to-late April, depending on the weather. We hope this stirs up interest in this amazing group of perennials, especially the little-known species that hail from the southeast
Trilliums – Sound the Bell for Round 2 Read More »
One of the earliest bulbous plants to pop up in the garden is Fritillaria verticillata, also known as Fritillaria thunbergii. This Central Asian native has no problem starting to grow while low temperatures are still in the teens F. The leaves form hooks at the end in case climbing on a neighbor is needed. Within
Through the years, we have grown 21 of the 35 North American native species of bear grass species. Nolinas currently reside in the Asparagaceae family, with the likes of Agave, Dasylrion, Yucca, and of course, Asparagus. One Nolilna species we didn’t expect to be winter hardy is the Sonoran bear grass, Nolina matapensis. This very
Cozying up to a Sonoran Bear Grass Read More »
Flowering for us, just after the Christmas rose, Helleborus niger, are the Helleborus x lemperi group. These hybrids represent crosses between Helleborus niger, which only comes in white flowers, and the slightly later group of Helleborus x hybridus, which come in a range of colors. These sterile hybrids flower with, or slightly after the Christmas
In only its third winter in the garden, Camellia vietnamensis has already surpassed our expectations. The large, single white flowers that start for us in early winter, combined with the beautiful foliage has been exceptional in our trials. So far, our plants have sailed through 14 degrees F. There seems to be quite a bit
From Vietnam, with Love Read More »
One of the superstars in our fall garden every year is the amazing Aloysia virgata, better known as tree verbena. Our 24 year old clump, pictured below is grown here as a dieback perennial. From the ground in spring, this South American (Argentina, Brazil) native reaches 10-12′ tall by fall in our zone 7b/8a garden.
Going bowkers in the garden now is the South African Chlorophytum bowkeri. Named after the late South African botanist J.H. Bowker (1822-1900), this perennial is an African native (Mozambique, Swaziland, South Africa, and Zimbabwe), non-running spider plant that can be found in damp grasslands and forest margins to 6,000′ elevation. In the garden, it has
We love any late season flowering woodland perennials, and few are more impressive than our native Actaea cordifolia. This wonderful rare native (globally rare ranking of G3) from Virginia west to Tennessee has languished in taxonomic purgatory under a parade of invalid names. The 4′ tall, upright, branched terminal spikes end in finger-like clusters of
One of the great surprises in our bog garden is the survival of the North American native, bog bean, aka: Menyanthes trifoliata. This odd monotypic genus (only a single species), hails from cool parts of North America and Europe, and we assumed had little chance of survival in our hot, humid Southeastern climate. That was
