Frozen in Time
Our 28 year old clump of Hedera rhombea ‘Cheju’ is looking fabulous with an ice coating in late January. This is an adult form of English ivy that forms a woody compact shrub.
Take a Walk on the Wild Side
If you’re a member of the clipped hedge crowd, you can stop reading this blog now. Because we enjoy a more naturalistic look, we never shear any woody plants at JLBG. We find the diversity of shapes and forms of plants to be fascinating, and worthy of embracing, instead of making them conform to a
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Self Preservation
We’ve made it to the end of another calendar year, which, with the financial business challenges of the last two years, is indeed a feat that didn’t come easy. 2026 marks our 40th year as both a botanical garden and nursery. It’s been a fascinating journey, which now has many more years behind us, than
Thanksgiving
It’s the time of year, we all hopefully stop and take time to thank those who are so important in our lives. I (Tony) am incredibly blessed to be embarking on our 40th year in business in 2026. No sane person thought our model of building a private, ex-situ conservation botanical garden, and mail order
Don’t Miss Deadlines
We wanted to remind you of a couple of immenent deadlines. The first is our on-site class this Saturday at PDN/JLBG, about Understanding Soils in the Garden, from 10-noon. This annual class for the last 30 years, is chance to take a deep dive into understanding the importance of garden soils, and how to manage
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Open House Staff
We wanted to share Kit Kat and Jasper’s spot on impersonation of our nursery and garden staff after working the two weekends of our Summer Open Nursery and Garden event. Thanks to everyone who visited, including many from across the country. Nothing makes us more excited than to share the garden with visitors, who get
Ginger sure is Dense
One of our favorite ginger lilies is the shade-loving, Hedychium densiflorum ‘Stephen’. While it may look similar to the other members of the genus, Hedychium, it’s actually quite different. While most ginger lilies adore heat, this one tolerates heat, but prefers a cooler summer. It was discovered in 1966 in the Dudh Kosi Valley of
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Time to Visit…Summer Public Open Garden and Nursery
It’s that time of year when we open the gardens and nursery once again, so visitors can see what’s possible in the garden during the summer months. From July 11-13 and 18-20, the JLBG and PDN plant experts will be here to answer your garden questions or just talk plants. If you’ve got plants or
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Deciphering Defuniak
Sabal ‘DeFuniak’ is a mystery palm, first spotted years ago, in the town of DeFuniak Springs, Florida, as an oddity and potential hybrid. Palm experts agree that the trunk looks like Sabal bermudana, while the foliage more closely resembles Sabal minor var. louisiana. Our first Sabal ‘DeFuniak’ plants are currently flowering this year at 5
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Room with a View
I thought I’d share the view from our home kitchen table, where Anita and I enjoy dinner. The house was designed so that the garden view was integrated into the home. Our JLBG staff do an amazing job of keeping the garden maintained. As is the case throughout our entire property, plants are installed on