Spring Color Echo
Here’s a fun spring color echo in the garden, where Yucca smalliana ‘Bright Edge’ is using Agave ‘Cordial Canary’ as a complimentary skirt and groundcover.
Sandy & Myrtle
Our Eastern US native sand myrtle, Kalmia buxifolia is a far cry from its better-known cousin, mountain laurel, Kalmia latifolia. This is why for many years, it was placed in an entirely different genus, Leiophyllum. This more diminutive cousin prefers moist acidic sandy soils. Our collection from NC’s Brunswick County has made itself right at
Longing for Lawsons
We’ve long lusted to grow the US West Coast native, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, but our summer rains cause root disease that take them out at a far too young age. Several years ago, I was thrilled to find a West Coast wholesaler who was grafting these on a disease resistant Lawson cypress root stock. Adhering to
Longing for Lawsons Read More »
The Monkey’s Puzzle
Norfolk Island Pines (Araucaria heterophylla) are popular house plants, but we always longed for being able to grow araucarias outdoors in central NC. Since this native of the region around Australia/New Zealand has poor winter hardiness, our obsession focused in on the more winter hardy, South American species, in particular, Araucaria araucana, known as Monkey
The Monkey’s Puzzle Read More »
Crass Ginger
One of the wild gingers that consistently sails through our winters without a blemish is the shockingly hardy, Asarum crassum. Asarum crassum is endemic to two small uninhabited islands off the south coast of Japan, Ucchima and Ujimukaeshima. Where they grow in the wild, the temperature never freezes, so, why are they so winter hardy? The
You’re a good sport!
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 »
False Advertising
The bright red fruit of Rohdea japonica, the Japanese sacred lily, are showy all fall and winter so we wait to collect them until after our Winter Open Garden and Nursery so our guests can enjoy them and realize that this is another ornamental aspect of Rohdea. The fruit are worn by these plants like
Inspirational
In flower this week is the amazing evergreen Magnolia ‘Inspiration’. This extremely floriferous hybrid is a cross of Magnolia doltsopa x laevifolia, often sold incorrectly as a selection of the latter. Very few nurserymen still grow it because it grew too fast in containers…what an odd problem. Our ten year-old specimen is now 15′ tall
Hark, the Arp
Our plant of Arp rosemary is looking quite spectacular this time of year. This seven year-old plant is now 7′ tall x 11′ wide. This is a lovely plant, but not one for a small location. It was discovered by the late Texas plantswoman and herb specialist, Madeline Hill, in the town of Arp, Texas.
Curly Bear Grass
We love the curled leaf tips of Nolina erumpens as the afternoon sun lights the clump. This bear grass is native to the border region of Texas and New Mexico. For us, it thrives in a sunny, well-drained location. LIke its cousins, agave and hosta, nolina is another member of the asparagus family, but without