Most red hot pokers flower in late spring, but virtually none have been hybridized with the late summer/fall flowering, Kniphofia rooperi. One of our favorite Kniphofia rooperi hybrids flowering this time of year is Kniphofia ‘Yellow Cheer’, which we first imported from South Africa in 1995. Since then, it’s never failed to put on an
Yellow Cheer in Fall of the Year Read More »
Hypericum lloydii has looked great in the garden for the last few years. This little-known, imperiled (G4 rank) Southeastern US native, has shown excellent potential as a garden plant. In the wild, it’s found in dry open woodlands and woodland edges in well-drained soils in a narrow band from Virginia south to Alabama. In the
Lloyds St. John’s Wort Read More »
Goin’ bonkers in the garden in late August is the hardy South African spider plant, Chlorophytum bowkeri. Chlorophytum bowkeri is an African native (Mozambique, Swaziland, South Africa, and Zimbawae), non-running spider plant that can be found in damp grasslands and forest margins to 6,000′ elevation. In the garden, it has been an outstanding performer for
Flowering now in the garden is the North American native, Echeveria runyonii, a Northern Mexico succulent native to rocky cliffs in the state of Tamaulipas. This gem was discovered in the wild by our friends at Yucca Do Nursery in 1990 and the species was later named in honor of botanist, Robert Runyon. This delightful
One of our favorite rock garden perennials for summer color is the amazing Ruellia ‘Black Beauty’. We love this small, easy-to-grow, unobtrusive perennial, and spent over a decade searching for it after we first saw it in the Maryland garden of the late Alexej (Sasha) Borkovec, where it occurred as a probable hybrid of East
We just love plants that flower in a true shade of blue, and there aren’t many, especially during the summer months. There are plenty of plants that flower horticulturally blue, which to those who aren’t color blind or prone to exaggeration, are actually purple. Ceratostigma willmottianum is one of those perennials we simply wouldn’t garden
Agastache ‘Crazy Fortune’ is putting on an incredible show in our garden during summer, bringing in an array of both native bees and butterflies. This Eastern Yellow Swallowtail was enjoying it’s visit so much, it didn’t mind posing for a quick photo op. This pollinator magnet is one of the easiest agastaches to grow in
Crazy as a Fortune Read More »
Flowering in the garden today is the little-known Southeast US native, Rudbeckia mohrii. This odd coneflower can only be found naturally from nine counties on the border of Florida and Georgia, where it thrives with pitcher plants in flooded ditches. The plant is named for German born pharmacist, turned Alabama botanist, Charles Theodore Mohr. Mohr
Mohr, Mohr, Mohr…How do you like this Coneflower Read More »
Looking lovely in the rock garden this month, despite the heat and drought is our 10 year-old patch of the Greek native, Dittany of Amorgos (Origanum calcaratum). This amazing woody perennial oregano can be found on island like Crete, hanging out in crevices of limestone cliffs. At JLBG, we grow it in our gravel amended
Dittany of Amorgos Read More »
It’s that time of year, where the parade of lycoris (surprise lilies) kicks into high gear. For us, flowering season begins in late June, and continues into October with a steady parade of cultivars. Lycoris flowering is trigged by the natural timing window, but increases after rain showers, and can be consequently be delayed during
Surprise time begins Read More »
