I’m just back from a quick trip to Texas, where I was able to witness the amazing Texas bluebonnet show in person. Lupinus texensis is a short-lived annual that thrives in rocky, dry soils, in full sun. Decades ago, I was told by a gardening expert that we couldn’t grow them in NC, so that’s
The Bluebonnets of Texas…and North Carolina Read More »
Carpeting the woodland garden now is the North American native spring ephemeral, Sanguinaria canadensis. This widespread wildflower is native to virtually the entire Eastern US. The common name, bloodroot, comes from the red pigment, Sanguinarine, which can be found in all plant parts, especially the underground rhizomes. The red pigment has long been used for
Red Roots and White Flowers Read More »
I was walking underneath our trellis of the native Wisteria macrostachya last week, and was amazed how artfully Mother Nature had arranged the seed pods on the patio. Wisteria seed are heavy, and would naturally drop in a single pile, but instead, the pods twist, and in doing so, ballistically shoot the seed out at
It’s always a great day when our NARGS seed order arrives, as it did yesterday. So, what is a NARGS, you ask? NARGS is the North American Rock Garden Society, a group of rather intense gardeners from across North America, with some members scattered worldwide. NARGS has what I’m pretty sure, is the worlds largest
I just snapped this photo of the amazing Ulmus parvifolia ‘Golden Rey’ last week, looking absolutely fabulous. We wish it didn’t seed around so much, as we really love everything else about this 1989 introduction from Oklahoman, Bruce Rey.
Aren’t plants endlessly fascinating? Today in the nursery I noticed that the Pelargonium aridum had set a good crop of seed. A few had opened in the fascinating way that Pelargoniums and their close cousins in the genus Geranium do: each of the 3 carpels opening and reflexing upward on the central column of the
Endlessly Fascinating Read More »
