One of the finest variegated hollies to ever hit the market is the amazing Ilex ‘Solar Flare’. This sport of Ilex ‘Oakland’ was discovered and introduced by the former Unique Plant Nursery and Garden in North Carolina. Sadly, this plant is rarely seen in commerce, due to its slower than normal growth rate, as desired
The Splendor of a Solar Flare Read More »
Our conifer collection really shines in the winter, and one that I walk by daily is the false cypress, Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Clouded Sky’. This sport from the old standard, Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Squarrosa’ is an introduction from Holland’s L. Konijn & Company Nursery. Our 18-year old Clouded Sky False Cypress is now 8′ tall x 12′
This week, we spotted a variegated sport on a large hedge of Thuja ‘Green Giant’ at JLBG. Sports are a common term used to refer to plant mutations. These mutations, which are often chimeral in nature, occur due to an error during the cell division process. This is similar to what happens when cancers develop
Are you a Good Sport or a Bad Sport? Read More »
It’s odd that one of the most talked about gardenias in our garden is one that never flowers, but such is the case for Gardenia jasminoides ‘Screech Owl’. This previously un-named gem was passed around by plant collectors for years, before we put on our hound dog gear and traced it’s origin back to Texas
Screaming Gardenia Read More »
Fenway Park Golden Ivy is a fabulous, deciduous, Asian native vine for covering buildings, fences, or the belongings of sloppy neighbors. On the way to a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park in 1988, now-retired Arnold Arboretum Research Scientist, Peter Del Tredici, spotted a golden mutation on a Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata), growing on
Fenway Park is a Hit Read More »
While walking around the garden recently, we spied a bright gold sport on a patch of Juniperus conferta ‘Sunsplash’, that had sent out several all gold branches. Sports are fairly common on an array of garden plants, but few ever wind up having any garden or commercial value. We like the brightness of the gold,
The other morning when pulling into the parking lot at work, I noticed a broad leafed evergreen tree, growing on the edge of Tony and Anita’s private garden, that had a bright yellow spot near the top. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a bright gold-leaf branch sport on Machilus thunbergii ‘Ulleung Island’.
You’re a good sport! Read More »
