Below are a few of the amazing baptisias flowering at JLBG that we snapped new photos of, over the last few weeks. It’s truly hard to imagine the vast garden improvements that have occured, since we and a couple of other breeders (Jim Ault and Hans Hansen) began working with the genus in the late
One of the frustrations of creating so many amazing new baptisia cultivars is the difficulty in getting them propagated to share. The propagation part of baptisias is actually easy, but it’s the overwintering of cuttings that is not. We root our baptisia cuttings in 48 count cell packs early in the growing season, and by
This Bud’s for You Read More »
We have long been fascinated with tissue culture, and it’s ability to produce a large number of difficult to propagate plants in a short time. Without tissue culture, many of the plants we grow in our gardens today, simply wouldn’t be available. New hostas, that we all enjoy, would still be priced north of $200
The Great Lab Experiment Read More »
We’re moving into the later stages of the spring baptisa season, but here are a couple images of two of our hybrids, taken on a recent photo shoot in the beds surrounding our parking lot. The top is Baptisia ‘Aspiring’ with its very tall lavender flower spikes. Below is Baptisia ‘Cherry Pie’, the closest we
Baptisia Baptismal Read More »
A few years ago, we propagated and offered what we think is a really cool native perennial, closely related to baptisia, Orbexilum psoralioides. That experiment was a flame out, as sales were some of the worst we’ve ever experienced. We dumped most of the crop, but planted several in the garden, where we continue to
Baptisia’s Little Cousin – Shunned by the Masses Read More »
Our clump of Hans Hansen’s hybrid, Baptisia ‘American Goldfinch’ looked quite outstanding this April. This is a 4 year old clump from a 1 quart pot. Hardiness is Zone 4a-9b.
A Fine Yellow Bird Read More »
We love it when Baptisia perfoliata ‘Flying Saucers’ emerges in the garden. The purple stems and perfoliate foliage (the stems run through the middle of the leaves) are fascinating as they awaken from their winter slumber. This special clone of the native to Interstate 20 in South Carolina was a 2020 Plant Delights introduction. We
Flying Saucers in the Garden Read More »
Looking great in the gardens this week is our 2021 introduction of Baptisia ‘Blue Bunchkin’ (available again in 2023). Baptisias are North American native perennials and are equally at home in a bone dry site or as a marginal aquatic…as long as they get at least 4-6 hours of sun daily. Hardiness in Zone 4a-9b.
Sweet little Bunchkin Read More »
Our favorite fall-flowering legume is looking fabulous now. While most daleas (baptisia cousins) flower in spring and summer, only one that we’ve grown waits until fall to produce its amazing floral show. Dalea bicolor var. argyraea is an easy-to-grow species, found in the dry alkaline sandy soils of Texas and New Mexico. Here at JLBG,
Here’s a fun combination this week with Gladiolus byzantinus ‘Cruentus’ mingling with Baptisia alba. The European native glads, such as this and Gladiolus italicus are the earliest gladiolus to flower in our climate.
