Flowering in the garden this week is the virtually unknown geophyte, we fondly refer to as the Milli Vanilli lily, aka. Milla magnifica. Native from the Mexican states of Guerrero and Morelos, this unusual member of the onion family grows from a bulb that remains dormant until mid-June. Once the bulb breaks dormancy, the long,
As gardeners, we have a slightly different take on the words from Neil Diamond’s popular oldie of the same name. As Diamond writes; Where it began, I can’t begin to know whenBut then I know it’s growin’ strongWas in the spring, and spring became the summerWho’d have believe you’d come along? In our case, we
Sweet Carolyn…a Diamond in the Rough Read More »
One of the finest, and most floriferous perennials we grow is the amazing Berlandiera pumila ‘Chocoholic’. The flowering season is just beginning as you can see in the recent image below. For us, it flowers pretty much non-stop until frost. In early morning, and later in the afternoon, the flowers smell exactly like milk chocolate
Approximately twenty seven thousand different plants (27,000 taxa) make up the plant collection at Juniper Level Botanic Garden, and there was one plant that elicited a huge number of questions at the recently completed Spring Open Nursery and Garden Days. It probably helped that at 40′ tall it towered over the welcome tent (no it
Lilacs don’t grow in the South, or do they? Read More »
If you don’t grow Magnolia ‘Serendipity’ and live from Zone 7b south, I hope you’ll check this out. This amazing JC Raulston Arboretum introduction is a seedling they named from a cross made by Camellia breeder, Bobby Green of Alabama. The number of fragrant creamy-yellow flowers in late April to early May is truly unimaginable.
Serendipitous Behavior Read More »
We always celebrate when the Chinese tree peony species, Paeonia ostii bursts into flower, which for us, is usually mid-March. This is always the first peony to flower for us. Our oldest specimen below is now 21 years old, and measures 4′ tall x 7′ wide, so the term “tree” peony probably should be replaced
Looking lovely in the garden this week is Daphne sericea (aka, D. collina). Unlike the more commonly grown Chinese native, Daphne odora, this gem hails from the Mediterranean region of Italy, Crete, and a disjunct population in southern Asia Minor. While Daphne odora prefers woodland conditions with only a small amount of sun, this gem
A Different Daphne Read More »
For years, the larger narcissus, commonly known as daffodils, have been given precedent in garden catalogs as well as gardens. We find that the smaller narcissus are equally as showy when in flower, and far less obtrusive when they finish flowering. Here are a couple that look great in the garden today. These are from
Narcissus…size shamed Read More »
Here are a couple of our favorite winter-flowering mahonias currently in bloom at JLBG. The first is the North American native, Mahonia gracillis, which is virtually unknown in cultivation. Without several collections from the former Yucca Do Nursery, this probably wouldn’t even be known by US gardeners. The 8′ tall, unkempt form is adorned, starting
I can honestly say that no plant perfumes the garden better than the amazing Osmanthus fragrans ‘Conger Yellow’. We currently grow nine cultivars of tea olive, but none can hold a candle to the fragrance of this yellow-flowered clone. Anyone visiting the garden in September/October is dazzled by the fragrance from up to 200′ away…a
Conjuring up a Conger Read More »
