Looking lovely in the late July garden is the rare North American native Allium oxyphyllum. This little-known species hails from the shale barren (eroded, and often baking steep slopes of degraded shale) region of Virginia and West Virginia, where it is extremely rare, with a global G2 rank. The 1′ tall x 1′ wide clump
Selaginella, also known as spikemosses, are the horticultural version of punk rockers.
Horticultural Punk Rockers Read More »
A plant that’s really thriving in our summer heat and drought is the Southwest US (Arizona, Texas, New Mexico) native cactus, Grusonia emoryi. This colorful, compact, rock garden-sized specimen, matures at 1′ tall x 3′ wide, with great age. If you have free-range pets, who like to play with such plants, you may want to
One of the rarest of the Southeast US native Barbara buttons is Marshallia ramosa, a plant previous more abundant, but now classified at one of the rarest and imperiled levels, G2. This endemic to a few populations in Georgia and Florida has dwindled, primarily to a lack of fire, and a subsequent takeover by more
Barbara almost lost her Buttons Read More »
We are infatuated with the dwarf Greek daphne, Daphne jasminea, that lights up our dryland rock garden with small, white, star-shaped flowers in May and June. For us, flowering also continues sporadically throughout the summer. Our five year old specimen has reached 8″ tall x 20″ wide.
Look down at the White Stars Read More »
Draba is a genus of 431 species of mostly small, rock garden-sized plants in the cabbage family. The majority of the drabas grown in gardens are European, although the US can claim about 100 species. The majority of those are either native to the far West or far North in alpine climates. Only 2-3 species
Looking lovely in the garden this week, despite the cold, wet rain, is Iris reticulata ‘Carolina’. This Dutch selection of the tough, easy-to-grow, bulbous iris from the Caucuses, was introduced in 2012 by W. van Lierop & Z. B. V. We obtained this as a form of Iris reticulata, which is correct if you agree
Carolina Fan in Winter Read More »
Looking good in late-winter is the rare, Japanese holly selection, Ilex crenata ‘Kufujin’. This superb, rock-garden-sized specimen, grows slowly, to only 1′ tall x 2′ wide in a decade. This gem hails from Japan’s Ishiguro Nursery, first brought to the US, by retired Hawksridge Nursery manager, Rick Crowder. Hardiness is Zone 5a-9a.
Nice and Bright in the Rock Garden Read More »
I’ve been enchanted with the New Zealand native fern, Paesia scaberula, since obtaining my first specimen from Washington fern guru, Judith Jones in 2011. We didn’t expect any plant from the cool summer climate of New Zealand to have a chance of surviving here, but after fourteen years, it actually thrives. We almost failed on
Aloe grandidentata has been a lovely surprise in our hardiness trials for the genus. This caespitose (doesn’t grow on a stalk) species forms 1′ wide dull green rosettes, spotted white, that spread via short underground rhizomes. The plant in the photo below is only 2.5 years old from a single division. We’d killed this twice
Big-tooth Medicine Plant Read More »
