One of many incredible plants discovered by our garden staff, is an amazing selection of the native (NC to Arkansas and south to Florida) Hymenocallis occidentalis var. occidentalis, found by Jeremy Schmidt on a 2012 botanizing trip through Alabama. We’ve always loved this August-flowered spider lily, but the extraordinary floriferous nature of this discovery outshines
The Queen of Flowers Read More »
I doubt that even most native plant enthusiasts have grown the amazing spring-run spider lily. Hymenocallis rotata hails from only a few counties in north to central Florida, yet has thrived in our garden. The narrow leaves emerge alongside the 18″ tall flower stalk in mid July, which terminates in 2-4, pure white, large, nocturnally
Spring-run Spider Lily Read More »
Flowering recently in our heated greenhouse was the little-known Paramongaia weberbaureri. This fascinating bulb, native to Coastal Chile at 10,000′ elevation, is a distantly evolved cousin of our native spider lilies, the genus Hymenocallis. We typically don’t grow many non-hardy plants, but are interested to see if it will hybridize with our native Hymenocallis, since
Paramongering in the Greenhouse Read More »
Back in the early 2000s, I printed out every exchange from the International Bulb Society email list that discussed the bulb genus, hymenocallis (spider lilies). Most conversations originated with Victor Lambou, who was obviously an authority on the genus. It’s now been years since the Bulb Society went defunct and I had lost track of
My Summer Vacation trip to Lambou Field, Florida Read More »
Just caught this image of two North American (Northern Mexico) natives snuggled up closely together in the garden. At top is one of the spider lilies, Hymenocallis acutifolia, and wrapped around its ankles is Tradescantia pallida. We truly love Tradescantia pallida as a great combination-enhancing perennial that’s completely winter hardy here in Zone 7b.
Don’t let the name fool you, Hymenocallis caribaea ‘Tropical Giant’, as this North American native spider lily (Northern Mexico) has been hardy in our garden (zone 7b) without any protection since 2000. It’s flowering season has begun here at JLBG. Unlike some hymenocallis which require moist soils, this one will grow darn near anywhere. The
A Not so Tropical Giant Read More »
Flowering today at JLBG is Crinum ‘Walter Flory’…not only a superb crinum, but one named after one of NC’s pre-eminent botanists. Dr. Walter Flory (1907-1998) was a botany professor at Wake Forest University. Dr. Flory received his PhD in 1931 from the University of Virginia for his work with both edible asparagus and phlox. From
Who is Walter Flory? 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
