Flowering now in the garden is one of the more fascinating woody plants we grow, Daphne pseudomezereum. This odd Daphne, hailing from Japan and Korea, is the only known Northern temperate plant that loses its leaves in summer, but regrows them in fall, for a wintergreen appearance in the garden. I should add that Daphne
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
Flowering now in the garden is Daphne odora ‘Wild Winter’. This patterned leaf form was named and introduced by NC Nurseryman, Jason Stevens. The flowers are the same, super fragrant type of typical Daphne odora, which hails from Southern China, Vietnam, and Taiwan. In cultivation, good drainage is the key to success.
The Scent of a Wild Winter Read More »
Once we made our first wide cross in the genus Arisaema, back in the early 1990s, we realized that there were probably few interspecific crosses in the Araceae family that weren’t possible, so we ramped up our work, as time permitted. The genus, Amorphophallus, was one of these in which we further explored the lack
Crossing into the Impossible Read More »
You’ve officially strayed into the realm of horticultural obscurity when you’re excited about the performance of the woodland-growing genus Helwingia in your garden. Helwingia‘s namesake is the little-known Prussian botanist and pastor Georg Andreas Helwing (1666-1734). This odd genus also appears like something transported to Earth through a paranormal portal, since it’s one of a
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Pinus thunbergii ‘Banshosho’ has made a great specimen at JLBG. This dwarf Japanese selection of Japanese black pine, reportedly matures at 3′ x 3′, but we forgot to let our plant read the books, which is why it’s now 5′ tall x 9′ wide after only six years. Those published growth rates probably come from
A Great Show with Banshosho Read More »
There are few plants in the garden that put on a holiday show like Photinia serratifolia ‘Green Giant’. I’ve admired this since I was a young horticulture student at NC State, where the west wall of the horticulture building housed some ancient specimens. This member of the rose family hails from China, Japan, Taiwan, and
Christmas Photinia Read More »
One of the more unusual fairy bells we grow is the Asian (Assam to Central China) Disporum longistylum. Starting in mid-April (NC), the open, upright stalks are adorned with clusters of small ivory flowers that form at the branch tips. In our climate, Disporum longistylum is evergreen down to 20 degrees F, but below that,
Looking lovely in the fall garden is the little-known fern, Microlepia strigosa ‘Shishi’. Despite the durability and appearance of this Southeastern Asia native, it has never been a fern that has sold well. In our garden it forms an 18″ tall x 3′ wide patch. Perhaps now that some fern taxonomists have moved it into
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In 2014, we spotted a unique holly fern sporeling in the garden, which appeared to be a hybrid of Cyrtomium falcatum ‘Butterfieldii’, and the typical species. After watching it for several years, we christened it Cyrtomium ‘One Off’, and introduced it in 2023. In form, it’s much more compact than both parents, and has continued
