Those of us of an advanced age remember the old, but ubiquitous 1950s/1960s television commercials from the late John Cameron Swayze, extolling the toughness of Timex watches. I have flashbacks to that tagline every time I look at our plants of Rhododendron ‘Elizabeth Ard’ (sold as Southgate Grace). Through the years, I’ve killed far more
Rhodies that Take a Lickin’ and Keep on Tickin’ Read More »
One of the legendary palms of the Southeast US, is a plant known simply as Sabal ‘Birmingham’. It’s origin is the stuff of legends, and like a good legend, grows better with the passage of time. What we know is that the palm first came to the knowledge of the public in 1976, when a
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
As we were putting away the tender xMangaves for the winter, I took time to grab one more photo of a plant that has enchanted open house visitors this year. xMangave ‘Bridal Falls’ is a creamy edged sport of xMangave ‘Falling Waters’, developed by Walters Gardens Director of New Plant Development, Hans Hansen. This gem
Mahonias are highly prized by gardeners as winter-flowering evergreen shrubs, but the majority of mahonias that most people know are the Mahonia x media (M. japonica x lomarifolia) selections, that originated in the UK. With age, these can reach 10-12′ tall, and are highly prized for their fragrant winter flowers, and ability to feed pollinators
Re-imagining Mahonia Read More »
Who says there isn’t much flowering in fall? Our clump of Crinum ‘Lil’ Suzy’ is looking pretty amazing in early October. This little-known, but stunning hybrid was created by Texas plantsman Steve Lowe from a cross of Crinum scabrum x Crinum oliganthum. Crinum are one of Juniper Level Botanic Garden’s specialty collections which includes about
The procession of Lycoris (Surprise lilies) continues as we pass mid-August. Here are some recent images. So far, this year, we have flowered over 300 different taxa. Below is Lycoris aurea, which has the widest natural range of any lycoris, from India to Africa, south to Indonesia. Winter hardiness of this fall-leaf species is dependent
A Summer of Surprises Read More »
One of our favorite rock garden perennials for summer color is the amazing Ruellia ‘Black Beauty’. We love this small, easy-to-grow, unobtrusive perennial, and spent over a decade searching for it after we first saw it in the Maryland garden of the late Alexej (Sasha) Borkovec, where it occurred as a probable hybrid of East
After finally getting some long overdue rain, the crinum lilies have put on quite a show. The crinum flower season at JLBG runs from March thru October. Here are a few of the July flowering cultivars to enjoy. These amaryllid family members form huge underground bulbs, making them difficult for most nurseries to offer in
The Crinums of Summer Read More »
It’s that time of year, where the parade of lycoris (surprise lilies) kicks into high gear. For us, flowering season begins in late June, and continues into October with a steady parade of cultivars. Lycoris flowering is trigged by the natural timing window, but increases after rain showers, and can be consequently be delayed during
Surprise time begins Read More »
