Hungry Eyes
Instead of singing the blues, this Asian praying mantis is hanging out with the blues of Ceratostigma willmottianum, while it stealthily waits, like the invisible man, for Grub Hub to arrive with dinner.
Flatter than a Georgia Pancake
One of our favorite native perennial groundcovers is the Georgia Pancake Bluestar, discovered by our friend Bob McCartney, retired of Woodlanders Nursery. We purchased our first plant from Woodlanders in 2001, before it even had a name, which we quickly remedied. Twenty five years later, we still think this is one of the finest perennial
Flatter than a Georgia Pancake Read More »
Three Dimensional String Theory
A North American perennial selection that’s put on quite a show this spring is Hans Hansen’s dwarf Amsonia hubrichtii ‘String Theory’. Not only is this amazing blue star introduction more compact, but the floral show is nothing short of outstanding. Here it is in our garden, growing beside agaves, a testament to its heat and
Three Dimensional String Theory Read More »
A Stylized Iris Cousin – Nemastylis
Raise your hand if you’ve grown the North American native iris relative, Nemastylis tenuis? This fascinating small bulb is in full flower now at JLBG. In the wild, it can be found straddling the US/Mexico border, crossing into the US in two counties each in Texas and Arizona. There, they grow in rocky grasslands, both
A Stylized Iris Cousin – Nemastylis Read More »
Playing with the Queen of Hearts
Pretty as a Juice Newton song is our patch of Brunnera macrophylla ‘Queen of Hearts’. For so many decades, we struggled to keep any brunneras alive in our hot, humid summers. Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’ was the first to survive here, but thrive is a word we never could really use to describe it. That all
Playing with the Queen of Hearts Read More »
Take a Deep Breath for these Lungworts
Two of the best performing lungworts in our trials are pictured below, Pulmonaria ‘Diana Clare’ from Cotswold Garden Flowers, and Pulmonaria ‘Shrimps on the Barbie’ from the breeders at Terra Nova. Both have incredible vigor, and put on an exceptional show in the late winter garden and into spring, currently at JLBG. Both are planted
Take a Deep Breath for these Lungworts Read More »
Carolina Fan in Winter
Looking lovely in the garden this week, despite the cold, wet rain, is Iris reticulata ‘Carolina’. This Dutch selection of the tough, easy-to-grow, bulbous iris from the Caucuses, was introduced in 2012 by W. van Lierop & Z. B. V. We obtained this as a form of Iris reticulata, which is correct if you agree
Carolina Fan in Winter Read More »
Golden Pancakes
The amazing Southeast US native groundcover, Amsonia ciliata ‘Georgia Pancake’ is putting on a stunning fall show now, as the foliage changes from rich green to gold, before going dormant for the winter. This is truly one of the most amazing, garden-worthy native perennials we grow. Amsonia ciliata ‘Georgia Pancake’ has been slow to propagate
Ravishing Ravenel
If you’re tired of failing with those short-lived European eryngiums that look so good in gardening magazines, look no further. Looking absolutely dazzling for the last few weeks is the extraordinary Southeast (SC to Florida) native perennial, Eryngium ravenelii. This amazing plant, which is still virtually unknown in gardens, is found naturally in flooded ditches
High on Late-summer Hydrangeas
After peak hydrangea season is long in the rear view mirror, the Japanese/Taiwanese Hydrangea involucrata erupts in flower. For us, that means August and September in NC. The main clone on the market (pictured below) is Hydrangea involucrata ‘Wim Rutten’, from Dutch plant breeder, Catherine Rutten. Our garden specimen is now just over six years
High on Late-summer Hydrangeas Read More »