Even unclothed, Styrax japonica ‘Fragrant Fountain’ still provides great winter interest with it’s weeping branches, like a fountain frozen in time. This gem from Oregon nurseryman, Crispin Silva, is slow growing and should mature around 8′ tall x 8′ wide. Our garden specimen has been in the ground since 2008. Zone 5a-8b.
In 2015, we introduced an amazing selection of the short-lived, but showy, native Silene virginica, discovered by Alabama’s Colleen Keleher and shared by her husband, nurseryman, Maarten van der Giessen (photo below). Silene ‘Jackson Valentine’, was such a dramatic improvement over the typical species, that it was purchased and shared with gardeners worldwide. One of
The Little Native Perennial that Could Read More »
Looking quite impressive after our recent night at 15 degrees F, is the Eastern US native Phlox amoena. The common name, hairy phlox’, is given because of the obviouslyr hairy stems. Native from Kentucky south to Florida, it can be found in dry, open woodlands, usually in sandy, well-drained soils. The typical flowering season is
Phlomis x cytherea is a little-known Jerusalem sage that we find incredibly garden worthy. First published in 1967 and named for the island of Cytherea (Kithira), which lies halfway between Mainland Greece and Crete, this natural hybrid occurs in Greece and the Greek islands, where Phlomis fruticosa and Phlomis cretica cohabitate. Compared to the much
Cytherea – The Phlomis G-Spot Read More »
The amazing Southeast US native groundcover, Amsonia ciliata ‘Georgia Pancake’ is putting on a stunning fall show now, as the foliage changes from rich green to gold, before going dormant for the winter. This is truly one of the most amazing, garden-worthy native perennials we grow. Amsonia ciliata ‘Georgia Pancake’ has been slow to propagate
Looking cute as a proverbial button for the last few months is Pratia angulata, a plant whose recent name change has moved it into the genus, Lobelia, as Lobelia angulata. It is one of a very small number of plants we can grow here, that are native to New Zealand and the Chatham Islands. In
A Parade of the Plant, Formerly Known as Pratia Read More »
I failed for decades to keep the European gas plant, Dictamnus albus alive in our heat and humidity. Despite these mounting failures, I keep trying new genetics as they become available. Finally, this month, we have met with our first success with our first gas plant flowering. Although gas plant looks superficially nothing like its
Gaslighting in the Garden Read More »
A couple of years ago, we installed a new bog garden in front of our nursery office with a rock stepping stone path through the center. Looking for a plant to fill in between the stepping stones without taking over, I thought it would be interesting to try the Southeastern US native Lachnocaulon anceps, a
Spiking over the last few weeks before finally opening is the crazy agave relative, Beschorneria ‘Ding Dong’. All of us who have crazy relatives, can relate to family members that are somewhat off of the bell curve. Beschorneria has thick, evergreen, spineless leaves, and flower stalks that look like Christmas lights on LSD. Beschorneria ‘Ding
Ding Dong…Who’s There? Beschor-who? Read More »
Below are a few of the amazing baptisias flowering at JLBG that we snapped new photos of, over the last few weeks. It’s truly hard to imagine the vast garden improvements that have occured, since we and a couple of other breeders (Jim Ault and Hans Hansen) began working with the genus in the late
