Flowering now is the amazing groundcover selection of the European daphne, Daphne cneorum ‘Pygmaea’. For years, we were told this wouldn’t grow in our climate, and if you treat them too well, they will not thrive. This is in flower now, growing in our dryland berm, composed of 50% Permatill gravel, 25% native sandy loam,
How Low can you Grow? Read More »
I always find it amusing when I encounter gardeners with a staunch opposition to hybrids and cultivars in their garden, despite them being unable to look in the mirror and realize that they are both a hybrid and a cultivar. The first photo below is our wild collected lungwort from Croatia, Pulmonaria officinalis. The second
I Hate Hybrids – Lungwort time Read More »
Looking quite lovely in the garden this week is Magnolia ‘Frank’s Masterpiece’ from magnolia breeder, Dr. Frank Galyon of Knoxville, TN. This represents a hybrid of Magnolia x soulangeana ‘Deep Purple Dream’ and Magnolia ‘Paul Cook’. This amazingly fast growing selection is expected to mature at 30′ in height. For us, this normally flowers in
Frank’s Masterpiece Read More »
While the genus Oxalis has a few species that are known “bad actors”, it has many others that are amazing garden gems. One of our favorites has always been Oxalis palmifrons. Hailing from South Africa’s Southwest Cape Province, this gem forms texturally-fascinating, ground-hugging rosettes, that are right at home in the rock garden. We grow
Palm-leaf Wood Sorrel Read More »
Pieris, a member of the Ericaceae family, have long been a shrub we love, but not one that has thrived in our sandy loam soils, and coastal climate. One cultivar of the popular Pieris japonica, which has thrived here is Pieris japonica ‘Dorothy Wyckoff’. This Pieris, was introduced in 1960 by the internationally acclaimed Henry
Pieris ‘Dorothy Wyckoff’ Read More »
Even after growing the hardy Cyclamen hederifolium for over five decades, I’m still amazed by the incredible diversity of leaf patterns. Since cyclamen are obligate out-crossers (they can’t have productive sex with themselves), the pattern diversity from each new crop of seedlings continues to expand. In the garden, we plant similar patterned forms nearby, resulting
Psyched for Cyclamen Read More »
This October marks our first flowering of Musa aurantiaca, a little-known species from the Arunchal-Pradesch and Assam region of India, into surrounding Myanmar and Tibet. We love that both the flower and developing bananas are both bright red. So far, our plant has sailed through winter temperatures of 11 degree F, with no problems. Thanks
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 »
One of the many wonderful North American natives from just south of our southern US geopolitical border is the amazing Purple Mexican Spiderwort, Tradescantia pallida, aka Setcreasea pallida. Although most people know it as a hanging basket specimen, it is also a fabulous garden perennial from Zone 7b south. Here is a plant at JLBG
From Mexico with Love Read More »
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 »
