I’ve always been fascinated with the use of contrasting textures and forms in the garden, so this combination of the Texas native, Clematis carrizoensis and Agave x protamericana at JLBG, give one idea how that’s possible in the dryer part of the garden.
One of our favorite desert/dryland ferns that grace our crevice garden is the Texas native, Pellaea ovata. The zig-zag rachis (the thing that holds the leaflets) gives it its common name of zig-zag fern. This dryland evergreen native from Central Texas south into Central America, makes a great specimen for a rock garden setting. For
Looking great recently is a new, still undescribed dryland, shrub mint from south-central Georgia. This amazing dwarf Clinopodium sp. nov. Upson County, matures at only 6″ tall x 18″ wide with a stunning show of pink flowers for us, in early June. We’ve long treasured the shrubby wood mints, but this is truly exceptional. Hopefully,
The Missing Shrub Mint Read More »
Ablaze now in our well-drained, gravel-infused, dryland garden is the amazing Calylophus berlandieri ssp. pinifolius ‘Fugitive’. This Patrick’s McMillan superb collection of the US native (Missouri west to New Mexico) sundrop from Kimble County, Texas. The 1′ tall x 2.5′ wide patches are clothed with short and extremely narrow, fleshy green leaves, and topped with
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Flowering now is the amazing groundcover selection of the European daphne, Daphne cneorum ‘Pygmaea’. For years, we were told this wouldn’t grow in our climate, and if you treat them too well, they will not thrive. This is in flower now, growing in our dryland berm, composed of 50% Permatill gravel, 25% native sandy loam,
How Low can you Grow? Read More »
I have long been a fan of the fascinating dryland geophyte, Asphodeline lutea. Native from the Mediterranean through the Caucuses, and south into Africa, Asphodeline lutea is prized for its early spring spikes of bright yellow, star-like flowers. About a decade ago, I heard rumors of an orange-flowered form, which immediately went on my desiderata
Asphodels…a Color Change Read More »
Looking amazing this month is the evergreen, southeast US native groundcover, Houstonia procumbens. Our selection of roundleaf bluets, Houstonia ‘White Clay’, is our 2003 cutting collection from Clay County, Florida. Originally discovered in 1902 in Charleston, South Carolina, and hailing from the southeastern US, (southeastern South Carolina west to eastern Louisiana), roundleaf bluets live their
Florida’s Houston-ia Read More »
Here’s a recent shot on our dryland welcome berm with the amazing southwest US (Arizona, Texas) native, Thymophylla pentachaeta var. pentachaeta ‘Laredo Gold’ in full flower. This incredible perennial has been in flower since spring in this rocky, un-irrigated bed. I’m not sure how much more you can ask from a perennial. Hardiness in zone
A Thymophylla whose Time has come Read More »
Eurybia hemispherica ‘Baby Blues’ (southern prairie aster), formerly known as Aster hemispherica, is a little-grown South Central US (Kansas south to Florida) native aster that’s thrived in our full sun garden since 2011. This Van der Giessen Nursery collection of this little-known mesic (moderately moist) to dryland species hails from the Black Belt region of
The Aster hemisphere Read More »
Although our focus is primarily on longer term perennials, we just can’t resist growing and sharing one of the coolest plants we know, moon carrot. Seseli gummiferum hails from Crimea, Turkey, and the Agean Islands. This crazy plant has silver grey foliage that resembles an artemisia, but the spikey carrot-like flowers, just opening this week,
Launching Moon Carrots Read More »
