A lively color combination we enjoy near our home, combines Clematis ‘Sapphire Indigo’, Tradescantia pallida, with the bright gold Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo’. Clematis ‘Sapphire Indigo’, Tradescantia pallida, Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo’
Fun with Purple and Gold Read More »
The clump of Iris ensata ‘Silverband’ outside our kitchen window has just outdone itself this week. This striped leaf Japanese iris is naturally an aquatic plant, growing in shallow water, but as long as the garden soil isn’t drought stricken long term, it makes a suberb, easy-to-grow garden specimen. Although it grows in a tight
Ravishing Silverband Read More »
Putting on an incredible show now is one of my favorite evergreen magnolias, Magnolia crassipes ‘Purple Queen’. This amazing selection comes from legendary Japanese nurseryman, Akari Shibimichi. Our four year-old plant is now 7′ tall x 7′ wide. Both the floral show and delicious fragrance are outstanding. Magnolia crassipes is the purple-flowering counterpart to the
A Purple Queen in the Garden Read More »
This is the second year, we’ve tried to offer the Southeast US native (Arkansas through Texas) beardtongue, Penstemon tenuis, to miserable sales. It’s always fascinating what sells, and what doesn’t. Below is a photo of our garden specimen this week. This robust grower forms a tight mass of rosettes that give rise in early spring
A Tenuis Situation Read More »
While most gardeners are familiar with hybrid hellebores, those all originated with wild species. Although most lenten rose species are far less showy than their hybrid counterparts, there are some that are pretty nice in their own right. Once of these is Helleborus purpurescens, the source of much of the purple color in the Helleborus
Lenten Rose Purp Pose Read More »
We’ve long admired the woodland genus Veratrum, for both their large, pleated, orchid-like basal foliage, and also for their tall flower spikes. Having grown fifteen of the twenty-seven known corn lily species, we can confidently say that fourteen of them don’t like our hot, humid summers. The lone survivor from our years of trials is
Corn Lilies…Been there, Killed that Read More »
In full flower now is our patch of Agapanthus ‘Ever Amethyst’, from the agapanthus kings, De Wet agapanthus breeders in South Africa. This has been an exceptional performer in our trials. For us, agapanthus flower after the spring floral flush, and before the summer flowering plants begin, providing a great early summer filler. We will
Amazingly Amethyst Read More »
This combination recently caught our eye, where we planted the variegated tiger lily, Lilium lancifolium ‘Fukurin Fu’ in the midst of Clematis ‘Rain Dance’.
The amazing Clematis ‘Purple Gumdrops’ is looking rather fabulous in the crevice garden this month. This amazing 2023 Plant Delights/JLBG introduction is a Hans Hansen creation, using the native Clematis addisonii. It is a tight clump former in the garden, starting to flower for us in early April. It’s hard to imagine a better clematis
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 »
