In flower this week is one of the most amazing fall-flowering sages we grow, Salvia ‘Phyllis Fancy’. This Salvia leucantha hybrid is far more winter hardy than it’s parent. Below is our two decade old clump, that looks amazing in October. The mature height and spread are 7′ tall, so be sure to allow enough
Is Phyllis Fancy? Read More »
Salvia glabrescens is a little-known (in gardening circles) woodland perennial sage from the mountains of Japan’s Honshu Island. We have been thrilled with their garden performance since 2005, but equally disappointed at their sales. Customers continually ask for fall-flowering plants for the woodland garden, yet fail to buy them when they are made available. Salvia
The Bald Sages of Fall Read More »
From 20 feet away, the bright red fruit on our native coral bean, Erythrina herbacea stands out like a glowing red light district sign. Reportedly, the seed have hallucinogenic properties, but we don’t recommend trying this at home, since in Mexico, the seed are reportedly used to poison animals from rats to fish. We’ll stick
Seedy Red Light District Read More »
This spring, we flowered the highly confused NC native wild ginger, mistakenly known as Asarum memmingeri in the garden. In reality, it’s never been given a proper name, so we refer to it as Asarum sp. nov. Allegheny Wild Ginger. Below, Patrick explains how this ginger was dropped into a botanical abyss, and what needs
Much ado about Memminger’s Heartleaf Wild Ginger Read More »
Here are few images of our Solomon’s Seal (polygonatum) going to sleep in the garden. We think they are fascinating even as they approach dormancy. The top image is Polyongatum falcatum showing the amazing fruit set contrasting with the aging foliage. The next image is Polygonatum odoratum, which probably has the best golden fall color
Solomon’s going to sleep Read More »
Here’s a recent garden combo that we’ve been enjoying with purple eucomis (pineapple lily), Agapanthus ‘Navy Blue, backed with Foeniculum vulgare ‘Purpureum’ (bronze fennel).
A Shot of Summer to Go Read More »
There aren’t a huge number of Siberian native plants that thrive in our heat and humidity, but one that has been outstanding for us is Angelica dahurica. For those, who have traveled the world, the specific epithet “dahurica” means, from Davuria (Dahuria), a region of south-east Siberia and north-east Mongolia. Angelica dahurica is a widely-cultivated,
From Siberia to Raleigh Read More »
We were delighted to find a flower on our Arisarum simorrhinum in early February, tucked in a the base of a dwarf Chamaecyparis (false cypress). This little-grown Mediterranean native, dryland aroid is first cousin to the better known mouse plant, Arisarum proboscideum. This baby has been in the ground for 20 years, so slow is
Arisarum in hiding Read More »
