Over the last decade, we’ve grown a large number of cast iron plants from seed, and due to the diversity of plants in our collection (228 unique taxa), the diversity of seedlings have also been quite astonishing. Below is the latest seedling of Aspidistra elatior, that we found worthy of the name, Aspidistra ‘Split Personality’.
What a lovely surprise to find our native liver leaf (Hepatica americana) in flower in the garden on Christmas day. This fabulous North American native, evergreen perennial, is found in moist woodlands, throughout the Eastern US. Because this collection is from Western South Carolina, it’s flowering months earlier than forms from colder regions. The common
Liver for Christmas Read More »
We truly love the amazing English boxwood, Buxus sempervirens ‘Elegantissima’ in the winter garden. We’ve never been able to track down it’s origin, but we know that it was grown in Europe around 1860. We’ve grown this in both sun and light shade, and while it thrives in both, the density of the foliage is
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We recently included a photo of this amazing cast iron plant in a garden vignette, but thought it was also deserving of a full frontal centerfold. Aspidistra sichuanensis ‘Spotty’ is one of 16 named cultivars we grow, of this wonderful species from Sichuan, China. This exceptional clone was selected by our friend, Sean Hogan of
It’s odd that one of the most talked about gardenias in our garden is one that never flowers, but such is the case for Gardenia jasminoides ‘Screech Owl’. This previously un-named gem was passed around by plant collectors for years, before we put on our hound dog gear and traced it’s origin back to Texas
Screaming Gardenia Read More »
We have been enjoying the amazing Cyclamen hederifolium in the fall garden. One of my favorites is Cyclamen hederifolium ssp. crassifolium, with its uniquely mottled foliage. Cyclamen hederifolium ssp. crassifolium is a subspecies of Cyclamen hederifolium from the Greek Peloponnese that was formally described in 2009 as being different from typical Cyclamen hederifolium in both
Looking quite lovely in the garden, now is Camellia japonica ‘Nuccio’s Bella Rossa Crinkled’. This stunning camellia is slow growing, has golden edged foliage, and large, fully double, rose-red flowers.
We wanted to share a late November photo of our selection of our native evergreen wild ginger, Asarum minus ‘Woodland Wonder’, which came from a division from a plant we found growing back in 2000, in North Carolina’s Davidson County. Perhaps, one day, we’ll have enough of this exceptional clone to share.
Here’s another picture that shows contrasting forms and textures in the garden. In the center is a Cryptomeria japonica Gracilis’, backed by a clump of cast iron plant, Aspidistra sichuanensis ‘Spotty’. Rounding out the combination in the front is Alstroemeria psittacina ‘Variegata’
I snapped this photo of Agave geminiflora ‘Leaping Lizards’ last week, as we were bringing our tender, potted agaves in for the winter. When I gaze at this, I get the feeling that I’m either looking down on one of those three dimensional pinwheels, or an M.C. Escher drawing. The green form of this unusual
