Here’s a recent view from our home drive. The amazing fern patch, growing in full baking sun, is a selection of the US native Lindheimer’s maiden fern, Thelypteris ovata var. lindheimeri, which we collected a couple of decades ago, near Austin Texas, and subsequently named Thelypteris ‘Austin City Limits’. For the sake of full disclosure,
Austin City Limits Read More »
In 2021, Patrick McMillan brought us seed of a desert prairie grass that he’d seen on an expedition to West Texas at elevations of over 8,000′. Below is the photo Patrick shared of Elionurus barbiculmis in the wild. Although interesting, it’s doesn’t seem overly ornamental. We grew out a number of seedlings and planted them
We love the curled leaf tips of Nolina erumpens as the afternoon sun lights the clump. This bear grass is native to the border region of Texas and New Mexico. For us, it thrives in a sunny, well-drained location. LIke its cousins, agave and hosta, nolina is another member of the asparagus family, but without
Looking exceptional in the garden is the selection of the North American native Yucca flaccida ‘Hairy’. Yucca ‘Hairy’ is a Tom Foley selection that we feel is probably the finest clone of Yucca flaccida that we’ve ever seen. It’s truly puzzling why this isn’t an industry staple. Below is a photo of our 20 year
Winter is a good time to be Hairy Read More »
One of the frustrating things about growing and propagating plants is when you find an incredible plant, offer it for sale, and virtually no one buys it. Such is the case with the Texas native, Ageratina havanensis, aka: Havana Mistflower, Eupatorium havanense. This fascinating woody perennial, formerly classified as a eupatorium, forms a 3′ tall
If you grow it, they may not buy it Read More »
We have a number of favorite legumes in the garden, but most flower in the spring or early summer. The star of the fall garden is undoubtedly Dalea bicolor var. argyaea, which starts flowering in mid-October. All summer, we get to enjoy the silver foliage, which thrives in our summers, only to be further rewarded
Dalliances with Daleas Read More »
The beautiful Gaillardia aestivalis var. winkleri ‘Grape Sensation’ is still in full flower as we approach the end of October. This amazing, but quite rare blanket flower is only found in a small area of the East Texas pineywoods region. Although it’s currently listed as a variety of Gaillardia aestivalis, we feel it deserves to
A Grape Sensation Read More »
Our plants of Eysenhardtia texana ‘Uvalde’ are perfuming the air with their sweet fragrance in October. As you can imagine, it’s abuzz with pollinators. This Texas/Mexico native, known as Texas kidneywood, makes a 10′ tall shrub that’s quite heat and drought tolerant. The common name comes from the fact that the genus Eysenhardtia has been
In full flower now at JLBG is the longspike tridens, aka: Tridens stricta ‘Buffalo Feathers’. Athough native from NC west to Texas, the genetics of our clump hails from a Wade Roitsch (Yucca Do) collection in Lee County, Texas, and is superior ornamentally in both form and longevity. We have found this little-known ornamental grass
Why not try Tridens? Read More »
Everyone grows the Asian butterfly bushes because of their huge flower panicles, but there are some really cool native buddleias that are mostly overlooked. Below is Buddleia marrubifolia from Presidio, Texas. Native to the Chihuahuan Desert, mature plants can reach 6′ tall x 6′ wide. The hairy white foliage serves as a nice foil for
Horehound Butterfly Bush Read More »
