Podophyllum peltatum ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy’ is a 2015 discovery of former JLBG staffer, Jeremy Schmidt from Calhoun County, Alabama. This is undoubtedly, the hairiest of the American mayapple selections we grow. The foliage emerges with a lovely brown flush, before aging green. If the hairs weren’t enough, this clone flowers light pink, which is extremely rare
I’ve always loved the genus Mukdenia, since first spying it cliffside on a 1997 botanical expedition through South Korea. This monotypic genus currently belongs is the Saxifragaceae family…think Tiarella, Heuchera, and Astilbe. Although, it’s typically grown as a woodland plant, we tried one clump of Mukdenia rossii ‘Karasuba’ in our full sun crevice garden, planted
With a Name like Mukers, It’s Gotta Be Good Read More »
I continue to rave over the new hybrid ajuga groundcovers from Michigan plant breeder, Chris Hansen, who is oddly, no relation to Michigan plant breeder, Hans Hansen. Below are a few that are looking fabulous this week in the garden. Ajuga ‘Parrot Paradise’ in the garden this week. Below is the superb Ajuga ‘Cordial Canary’.
Getting Grounded with Avian Ajugas Read More »
Epimedium breeding has come so far in the last few years, they look nothing like some of the still commonly sold selections. Below are just a few fairy wings that look amazing now at JLBG from our recent photo sessions. Looking absolutely amazing in the garden is Epimedium ‘Lyrical Lemonade’. In the history of fairy
Red Bull may give you Wings, but we prefer Fairy Wings Read More »
One of my personal favorites in the very early spring garden is the amazing Chloranthus japonicus. This delightful Asian (China, Japan, Korea, and Russia) native is naturally found in moist woodlands, growing streamside, up to 6,000′ elevation. In the garden, it forms a 15″ tall x 20″ wide clump. We have found it very easy
Essentially Essoteric Read More »
Putting on a lovely flower show in the garden is the North American native (PA to Oklahoma) Antennaria solitaria, commonly known as the southern single-head pussytoes. We’ve always had a “thing” for pussytoes, a primarily North American genus of 70 species. Despite being native in acidic soils, our plants below are thriving in our alkaline
Pussy Toes in the Garden Read More »
While we love the typical redbuds that we’re all familiar with in our garden, only one plant stands out in the genus, as a true shade tree. While most redbuds that gardeners know, mature at 10-20′ tall, Cercis glabra towers above them all at a whopping 50-60′. This long-lived redbud is sadly virtually absent in
Flowering this week in the garden is Cymbidium (pronounced “Some Biddy Yum”) goeringii ‘Datuanyuan’. The evergreen foliage of this woodland, terrestrial orchid, resembles a clump of monkey grass, until it starts flowering in early March. While we have grown these for decades, this is the first flowering of this special cultivar with rounded petals and
Some Biddy Yum flowers Read More »
Here are more wild gingers flowering this week in our garden collection. This fascinating genus is a member of the pipewort family, Aristolochiaceae. All of the images below are clump forming species. Asarum asaroides ‘Dohmu’ is a yellow-flowerd form of a typically purple-flowered Japanese species. Asarum campaniflorum ‘Ginormous’ is our selection of the beautiful Chinese
Wild Ginger Flowers – Part 2 Read More »
In full flower this week is the amazing dwarf saucer magnolia, Magnolia soulangeana ‘Kiki’s Broom’. This amazing witches broom mutation was discovered by Vermont plantsman Greg Williams, and subsequently propagated and named by Oregon nurseryman, Talon Buchholz. This gem should be in every garden where it can be grown. We expect it to mature at
