Looking great in the worst of winter is the amazing native fern, Pleopeltis michauxiana. This epiphytic fern, which only grows on trees and rocks, can be found in the wild in woodlands from Ohio south to Florida, and west to Oklahoma. We used Liquid Nails construction adhesive to attach a tiny piece to this oak […]
Flowering now in the winter garden are several members of the Thymelaeceae family. The more showy of those include the genera Daphne and Edgeworthia. Also in riotous bloom, is their cousin, little-known, not so fragrant, and far less showy North American native, Dirca palustris. It’s also known by its common name, leatherwood, which comes from
While riding my golf cart back from lunch this week, from our home on the nursery property, I was startled to see a furry creature, right out of Caddyshack, running straight toward me at what seemed to be an Olympic pace. Suddenly, it stopped about 15 feet away, stood up, while giving me the evil
Looking great in the early March garden is the miniature Narcissus ‘New Charm’. This Narcissus cantabricus hybrid was bred by Oregon’s Walter Blom, and released in 2005. We love the miniature daffodils that don’t require us to deal with the masses of unsightly foliage that persists long after flowering.
On a recent speaking engagement in Illinois, I was very fortunate to reconnect with one of my early and most important horticultural mentors, plantsman Roy Klehm. Roy, 83, came from a well-known nursery family, and for most of his life, operated Klehm Nursery, Song Sparrow Farms, and later Beaver Creek Nursery in Illinois and Wisconsin.
An Evening with Roy Read More »
While most gardeners are familiar with hybrid hellebores, those all originated with wild species. Although most lenten rose species are far less showy than their hybrid counterparts, there are some that are pretty nice in their own right. Once of these is Helleborus purpurescens, the source of much of the purple color in the Helleborus
Lenten Rose Purp Pose Read More »
One of the earliest bulbous plants to pop up in the garden is Fritillaria verticillata, also known as Fritillaria thunbergii. This Central Asian native has no problem starting to grow while low temperatures are still in the teens F. The leaves form hooks at the end in case climbing on a neighbor is needed. Within
Flowering now in the garden is Daphne odora ‘Wild Winter’. This patterned leaf form was named and introduced by NC Nurseryman, Jason Stevens. The flowers are the same, super fragrant type of typical Daphne odora, which hails from Southern China, Vietnam, and Taiwan. In cultivation, good drainage is the key to success.
The Scent of a Wild Winter Read More »
In 1995, when we named our Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Snow Cream’, few people had even heard of the plant genus, Edgeworthia. Thirty one years later, people are actually visiting the garden and asking about it by name. It is always a favorite during our Winter Open Nursery & Garden weekends when it is in full flower
Time to Enjoy Snow Cream Read More »
Looking lovely in the garden this week, despite the cold, wet rain, is Iris reticulata ‘Carolina’. This Dutch selection of the tough, easy-to-grow, bulbous iris from the Caucuses, was introduced in 2012 by W. van Lierop & Z. B. V. We obtained this as a form of Iris reticulata, which is correct if you agree
Carolina Fan in Winter Read More »
