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
I’m just back from speaking to a couple of North American Rock Garden Society Chapters in Massachusetts, an area I hadn’t visited in over two decades. My journey began at the Berkshire Botanic Gardens in Stockbridge, a venue I last spoke at in 1999. Over 50 folks showed up on a cold, drizzly day, as
Hanging with a Mass of Rockers Read More »
I became entranced with the South African succulent genus, Aloinopsis, years ago, after discovering that Colorado rock gardener Bill Adams had found many of them hardy there in Zone 5/6. We tried quite a few, but found that while they take our winter cold temperatures, they do not take winter moisture. Once we built our
How Low can Aloinopsis Go? Read More »
Our patches of Lithops (Living Stones) seem to enjoyed their first snow in years. This is something they never see in their native haunts, the deserts of South Africa. The experience and the accompanying 14 degree F temperatures have left them nonplussed.
Rockin’ in the Snow Read More »
Looking good in the garden as we end January is the Himalayan native ground orchid, Goodyera biflora. In the wild, it can be found in Nepal, Bhutan, China, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, up to 6,500′ elevation. This is a first cousin look-alike to our Southeast native, Goodyera pubescens. Goodyera biflora is a lithophyte, growing
We’ve tried many times to grow the common rock garden perennial, Cerastium tomentosum, commonly known as Snow in Summer. Its origin in the European Alps, has not exactly been a climate match for our hot, humid summers. A few years ago, we were excited to obtain seed from a Balkan native cerastium from Greek plantsman,
Snow in a Real Summer Read More »
In our search for the worlds’ most esoteric perennials, we’ve managed to grow enough of the hardy monotypic aroid, Ambrosinia bassii, to share in the new 2025 catalog, that launches at year end. This miniature oddity from Europe’s Mediterranean region, prefers to hang out in woodlands, growing in humus over the top of limestone rocks.
It’s all about that Bassii Read More »
Here’s a recent shot on our dryland welcome berm with the amazing southwest US (Arizona, Texas) native, Thymophylla pentachaeta var. pentachaeta ‘Laredo Gold’ in full flower. This incredible perennial has been in flower since spring in this rocky, un-irrigated bed. I’m not sure how much more you can ask from a perennial. Hardiness in zone
A Thymophylla whose Time has come Read More »
We’ve grown a number of herbal thymes through the years, and most either take over the garden or die in our hot, humid summer. One that has really impressed us recently is the wonderful Thymus neiceffii, known as Juniper leaf thyme. This native to the Balkan peninsula forms a ground-hugging silvery mat that looks very
What a Nice Thyme Read More »
In January, we posted photos of the Asian epiphytic fern, Neolepisorus fortunei ‘Green Ribbons’ growing in the ground, in our woodland garden. Here is another planting of it, growing as a lithophyte (on rocks) in our crevice garden. This six year old patch of ribbon fern shows that it doesn’t require soil to thrive. This
