One of our prized confers in the garden is the little-known, Nothotsuga longibracteata. Originally thought to be a hemlock, this Chinese native hails from several of the southern provinces, where they grow on acidic soils at elevations between 1,000′ and 7,000′. Sadly, they are now endangered due to excessive logging. In the wild, they eventually
Long-bracted False Hemlock Read More »
There are few plants better to add a upright, phallic statement to the garden, than the native (Canada south to South Carolina) American arborvitae, Thuja occidentalis ‘Degroot’s Spire’. It is truly odd that I’ve never heard a native plant talk that recommended planting this…hmm. I’ve grown this in every garden I’ve every built, valued for
We have long had a love affair with the conifer genus, Podocarpus. Of the 116 currently recognized species, many are much too tropical for our long, cold winters. We have trialed 23 species here at JLBG, and so far have found only 8 that will survive in our climate. The most unusual, and least-known of
Parlatore’s Podocarp Read More »
One of the dazzling conifers at JLBG that always leaves visitors guessing and admiring is the monotypic genus, Taiwaniana cryptomeroides. While there are many specific epithet names that commemorate countries, this Taiwan endemic is one of the only plant genera named after a country. Taiwaniana ‘Independence’ is a superb, glaucous leaf clone that hails from
Taiwania, from, wait…you guessed it, Taiwan Read More »
We’ve written many times about the huge number of plants we’ve killed, but we find that’s the best way to learn. Often, we have a good idea if a particular plant will be successful, and sometimes, it’s just a random attempt. Such was the case, when we planted a cultivar of Rocky Mountain subalpine fir,
Rocky Mountain Hurricane in NC Read More »
Looking great in the garden now is our specimen of Turkish Fir, Abies bornmuelleriana. Our 27 year old specimen was planted as a young seedling, and has shown none of the root disease problems associated with our similar looking native, Abies fraseri. This is despite it being planted where the roof gutters dump water. The
The Born Supremacy Read More »
Cryptomeria japonica ‘Araucaroides’ is looking nice now, but what does the name mean. Let’s start with first of the trinomial (three) parts of the name, Cryptomeria. It seems obvious that this probably should be a word used to describe people who purchased lots of Bitcoin before the recent rise. In reality, the word means “hidden
Looks like an Araucaria, but… Read More »
Most gardeners know the genus, Chamaecyparis (false cypress) only through the Asian members other genus. Chamaecyparis obtusa (Hinoki Cypress), and Chamaecyparis pisifera (Sawara Cypress), both of which are commonly grown landscape staples. All the time, our native Chamaecyparis thyoides (Atlantic White Cedar) remains in horticultural obscurity. Boat enthusiasts, and cedar shingle makers both value these
The Atlantic White Cedar Mystery Read More »
One of the late JC Raulston’s favorite conifers was Keteleeria davidiana. Although we certainly enjoy our garden specimen, it doesn’t have nearly the elegance of many of the firs or spruces. That said, it is odd, and we always like odd. Thanks to JC, I was already familiar with the plant, when it showed up
Eat a Little Keteleeria Read More »
