“You should have seen my garden last week” or some variation on this theme is a common refrain when visiting a garden. I felt much this way recently when I led a tour of Juniper Level Botanic Garden. I just could not find a knock-your-socks off clump of Rhodophiala bifida. So here is a glorious
Hill Country Red Perfection Read More »
How many gardeners have grown a Malgas lily? Our guess is, very few. This beauty, whose real name is Ammocharis longifolia, is an Amaryllid (cousin of the commonly grown genus, Hippeastrum). This is the first time that this summer-flowering species has bloomed for us, adding another member of the genus that thrives here, in addition
More of the winter-flowering hoop petticoat daffodils continue to open every week in the garden. Below is Narcissus ‘Spoirot’…an exceptional 1998 introduction, that originated at Tasmania’s Glenbrook Farm, as a cross of Narcissus bulbocodium var. conspicuus and N. cantabricus subs cantabricus var foliosus. It’s namesake is Agatha Christie’s detective extraordinare, Hercule Poirot. It was originally
Playin’ Hoops in Winter Read More »
Flowering in the crevice garden in early November is the little-known South African bulb, Strumaria discifera ssp. bulbifera. These hail from the winter wet/dry summer region of the Western Cape, and have been right at home in the ground here since 2018. Okay, so it’s not as flashy as a tulip of daffodil, but to
Strumming on a Strumaria Read More »
I posted photos earlier from our lycoris selection back in August, but the season extends through September and into October. Below are some of the later flowering varieties. With a selection of cultivars, you can easily have a lycoris in flower from early July until mid October. Lycoris ‘Tipping Point’ looks like the common Lycoris
The Last Surprises Read More »
We’ve been fascinated with the African genus of bulbs, Ledebouria for many years, and one of our best successes has been the South African Ledebouria ovalifolia, which has thrived outdoors in our garden In 2015, we spotted a single streak of variegation on one leaf. After eight years of work, we have isolated that original
Through the years, we’ve trialed over 130 different agapanthus species and cultivars. One we currently have on trial that has us in love is Agapanthus ‘Quink Drops’. Not only are the buds near black and the flowers dark blue, but the sturdy flower stalks have reached 5′ tall. This is unquestionably the tallest agapanthus we’ve
The US native (Maine south to Alabama) Lilium canadense is looking quite lovely in the sunny garden this week. This particular form is from Cabarrus County, NC. Hardiness Zone 3a-8b.
Here are a few of our favorite hardy Hippeastrums flowering in the garden this week. Many gardeners incorrectly know these South American bulbs as Amaryllis, which is an entirely different genus of two species of South African bulbs, which do not thrive here. Hardiness is Zone 7b-10b.
Check out those Hipps Read More »
Galanthophila, an obsession with snowdrops of the genus Galanthus, is spreading almost as fast as COVID did through both Europe and North America. While we love and value galanthus for their flowering in the winter garden, we’ve yet to take the plunge into full-fledged galanthophilia, which results in people sacrificing meals to have the latest
Have you caught Galanthophila? Read More »
