The speaking circuit is cranking up for the year, and I hope I’ll see you either in person or virtually at the programs listed below. This Saturday, February 14, I’ll be speaking to the Piedmont Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society at 10am. The program will be held in the McSwain Center at
On the Road and Zooming Again Read More »
Over the last few years, we have trialed two selections of the edible fig, Ficus carica, purported to be dwarf. The first, acquired as Ficus ‘Little Miss Figgy’ was purported to mature at 6′ tall x 4′ wide. Well, our 10 year-old specimen is now 25′ tall x 25′ wide. The second, Ficus ‘Fignomenal’ is
Fignomenally Wrong Read More »
There have been more than once I’ve rolled my eyes, like an Exorcist movie extra, when reading on-line comments about the causes of variegation in plants. Thankfully, our plant friend, Dr. Michael Marcotrigiano got so fed up, he actually wrote a book about the subject, Understanding Variegated Plants, to help dispel many of the oft
Understanding Variegation Read More »
With the advent of A-I, finding accurate horticultural information on-line has become even more challenging, so we thought we’d take time to explain which type of on-line sources you can trust and which you probably shouldn’t. Let’s begin by breaking down gardening websites into information sources levels. From most to least trustworthy, those include: Primary
It’s Online, so it must be Correct Read More »
In 2022, Lysimachia lanceolata ‘Burgundy Mist’ hit the native plant market with great fanfare. Here was an ornamentally improved version of the Eastern North America (Wisconsin south to Florida) moist meadow native, Lysimachia lanceolata (aka: Steironema lanceolatum), from the folks at Tennessee’s GroWild Nursery. The linear-leaf foliage of this selection takes on a burgundy cast
The Legend of Burgundy Mist Read More »
As the late marketeer of fake entertainment, David Hannum, once said, when referring to a P.T. Barnum knockoff of his own fake “Cardiff Man”, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” That saying is never more true with the countless fake plant images popping up on Internet sales sites. Although they’re not the only site, the
Hey Eye, It’s A-I…the Era of Horticultural Con Artists Read More »
We wanted to share another thought-provoking column by Kollibri terre Sonnenblume about the myths of the invasive species movement. Clear-cutting is Clear-cutting, No Matter Where the Trees are From: A rant against dogma and eradication As regular readers know, critiquing the “invasive plant” narrative is one of my main themes here. The name of the
Clearing the Muddy Water Read More »
Earlier this year, my friend, former Garden Rant columnist, Carol Reese, told me about a California blog, Conservation Sense and Nonsense, written by Sierra Club conservationist, Mary McAllister. In her thought provoking blog, Mary calls out those who engage in ethnic profiling of plant for the purpose of discrimination, something about which we have voiced
Conservation Sense and Nonsense – Invasion Biology Read More »
We love the evergreen Viburnum ‘Moonlit Lace’, a hybrid between Viburnum davidii and V. tinus, but are disappointed at the growth sizes given by on-line vendors. The largest mature size I found on-line is 4′ tall x 5′ wide. Our 8 year old plant below is now 7′ tall x 10′ wide. This is growing
Moonlit Lace – Supersize Me Read More »
We’re enjoying the annual fruit drop on our native Ginkgo this month. Word on the streets is to never plant a seed grown ginkgo, since you could get a female tree, which according to articles, smell worse than an aging garbage dump. As is so often the case, there is a lot of exaggeration going
Do you remember Ginkgos Read More »
