Late June is when the amazing hidden cone gingers (curcuma) begin to explode here at JLBG. Here is our clump of Curcuma ‘Pink Wonder’ this week emerging from what looked like a bare patch of ground in the woodland garden. After the flowers finish, the red-striped foliage explodes to 6-7′ tall.
In the plant world, plants that have no chance of selling, except to a tiny few crazed plant collectors, are called BIO plants, which stands for “of botanical interest only”. Coptis japonica var. dissecta fits the bill on all accounts. This fascinating Asian woodland perennial maintains a small evergreen rosette, topped in spring with tiny
The ultimate BIO plant Read More »
Few flowering plants are older than members of the genus chloranthus, which first originated between 22 and 150 million years ago, during a time that flowering plants were just evolving, and long before nurseries or garden centers came into existance. Chloranthus aren’t just interesting botanically, they also are unique textural plants for the spring woodland
Chloranthus – Respect your horticultural elders Read More »
It was a real thrill last week to visit a population of Cypripedium kentuckiense (Kentucky Ladyslipper Orchid) in Texas with native plant guru, Adam Black. Adam has made numerous trips to this and other nearby sites, carefully pollinating the orchids to ensure seed set and enhance reproduction. While we’ve offered this species as seed-grown plants
Visiting Kentucky in Texas Read More »
Although some may have unpleasant memories of Wuhan after a year of pandemic conditions, let’s not forget that many incredible joys come from the same town. We are delighted to share the floral show of Iris japonica ‘Wuhan Angel’ this week…a plant originally shared by gardening friend Hayes Jackson, from his trip to Wuhan, China
One of our garden finds from 2013 is this lovely pewter colored toothwort, that we believe to be a hybrid of two southeast US native species, Dentaria diphylla x heterophylla. If stock building up continues well this spring, we’ll be able to finally share next January. It’s hard to capture the color well in a
Welcome Pewter in the Garden Read More »
Variegated plants have part of the normal green portion of the plant leaf being replaced by white, cream, yellow, or occasionally other colors. How cool is that! As a design element, variegated plants are often used as the center of attention or as a focal point in the landscape to lighten up a normally dark
Make Your Shade Garden Cool! Read More »
There are lots of different gingers to keep straight, starting with a memorable one that was a part of the band of misfits stranded on Gilligan’s Island. Horticulturally speaking, however, ginger refers both to a group of plants in the Zingiberaceae and Aristolochiaceae (birthwort) families. Hardy members of the Zingiber family are plants who mostly
Do You Remember Ginger? Read More »
Tony’s first encounter with hardy cyclamen was in the garden of the late Rachel Dunham of Cary, NC in the 1960s. He was amazed to see what he thought was a rare perennial, seeding all through her woodland lawn and was immediately struck by how tough cyclamen were, and obviously, how easy they were to
Cold Hardy Cyclamen Read More »
Here’s a new image of our 2017 introduction, Asarum ichangense ‘Silver Lining‘ in the garden this week. Our 17 year old patch is nearing 3’ wide…pretty special in the woodland garden. Hardiness is Zone 5b-8a, at least.
Find the Silver Lining Read More »
