The genus Sinningia is a South American gesneriad (African violet and gloxinia relative). Hummingbirds and butterflies just love the tubular flowers of Sinningia, and several species including Sinningia tubiflora, are quite fragrant. Sinningia flowers come in a wide array of colors from white, to yellow, pink, red and all shades in between. Sinningia species are
Tubing! Hummers! Summer! Read More »
Hymen flowers (aka Hymenocallis) are still going, as the Northern Mexican species now perfume the garden. The genus begins flowering in spring, and if you grow a wide range of species, you can have flowers until late summer/early fall. Here’s a photo we recently took of Hymenocallis pimana in the garden. While many hymenocallis prefer
Early June is an amazing time for crinum lilies in the gardens here at Juniper Level and here’s one of our favorites, photographed yesterday. Crinum ‘Improved Peachblow‘ is simply amazing…great flower form, sturdy stems, pink buds that open white, and a fragrance that’ll make a honeysuckle jealous. Crinum lilies are very easy to grow, but
Crinum ‘Improved Peachblow’ Read More »
One of the great winter-flowering evergreen perennials is in full flower now. Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis, aka sweet box is a fascinating boxwood relative that forms a dense groundcover in shade. What make sweet box special are the intensely fragrant flowers toward the end of winter. All sarcococca are similar in form and flowering, varying
Sweet box begin sweet Read More »
The native midwestern trout lily, Erythronium mesochorum showed it’s lovely face for the first time this week. We sowed lots of seed last year, so hopefully we’ll have enough to share in a couple more years. Even after the early flowers of the Christmas rose, Helleborus niger, finish, the lovely green petals and developing
Photos from the winter garden Read More »
We’ve been enjoying the late-flowering hostas over the last few weeks, with many just beginning. One of our favorites is Hosta ‘Sugar and Spice’…a stunning sport of Hosta ‘Invincible’ with fragrant flowers and variegated foliage. We put this as one of the best performing hostas we’ve ever grown..great foliage, great flowers, and great vigor in
Hosta ‘Sugar and Spice’ Read More »
Another of the milk and wine striped crinum lilies is Crinum x digweedii ‘Stars and Stripes’…here’s a recent photo from the garden. It just oozes with fragrance! This has been an amazing summer for crinum lilies at Juniper Level. These mostly African species and their hybrids are wonderfully fragrant, hard-to-kill bulbs for the sunny garden.
Crinum lilies in the garden Read More »
It’s been absolutely amazing to watch the swarm of honeybees, ants, and hummingbirds feeding on our giant 30′ tall flowering agave. Here’s an updated photo of the blessed event from yesterday. This weekend’s final summer open house is the last chance to see it in person.
30′ tall Flowering Agave – a pollinators dream Read More »
Here’s our research staff getting the giant ladder in place for breeding as the giant Agave salmiana x asperrima begins to open. And here’s Jeremy, who heads up our Research Division, gathering pollen and making crosses. Breeding agaves is a little different from breeding daylilies, iris, and hostas. We hope you’ll join us during our summer
Giant Agave flowering Read More »
Here are photos of our lovely specimen of Magnolia (Parakmeria) lotungensis that flowered extremely well this year. This evergreen magnolia is one of our favorites and has never shown a sign of winter damage here. Fingers crossed for good seed set.
Magnolia lotungensis flowering at JLBG Read More »
