The earliest of the pasque flowers of the genus, Pulsatilla have begun to flower in the crevice/rock garden. The common name “pasque” is a reference to the flowering period, which typically coincides with Passover/Easter. The genus is native to Europe, Asia, and North America, where they reside primarily in the colder, drier regions of each.
Pass the Pasque Flower Read More »
Looking lovely in the garden this week is Daphne sericea (aka, D. collina). Unlike the more commonly grown Chinese native, Daphne odora, this gem hails from the Mediterranean region of Italy, Crete, and a disjunct population in southern Asia Minor. While Daphne odora prefers woodland conditions with only a small amount of sun, this gem
A Different Daphne Read More »
More of the winter-flowering hoop petticoat daffodils continue to open every week in the garden. Below is Narcissus ‘Spoirot’…an exceptional 1998 introduction, that originated at Tasmania’s Glenbrook Farm, as a cross of Narcissus bulbocodium var. conspicuus and N. cantabricus subs cantabricus var foliosus. It’s namesake is Agatha Christie’s detective extraordinare, Hercule Poirot. It was originally
Playin’ Hoops in Winter Read More »
If you’re looking for a great chance to learn more about plants for rock gardening, we’d love to have you join our virtual symposium this Saturday, February 10, 2024 from noon till 4pm, EST. The four speakers are: Rod and Elisabeth Zander of CT on their amazing rock garden; Paul Spriggs (Canada), co-author on The
Rockin’ this Saturday Read More »
Snug as the proverbial bug in the rug, is our clump of Aloe aristata, nestled in the crevice garden, where it stays quite dry during the winter. On our 2005 expedition to South Africa, we found these growing at 7,800′ elevation, so the species has good winter hardiness when growing in the proper habitat. Aloe
Tucked away for winter Read More »
Looking great in mid-January in our crevice garden, is the shrubby Mediterranean native, Teucrium marum, known more widely as kitty crack. The incredibly fragrant foliage is enough to drive your cats wild…far beyond anything you’ve seen from its cousin, Nepeta catarica (cat nip), which is also in the Lamiaceae family. It you really want to
A Crack full of Kitty Crack Read More »
Late December marks our first flowering of Iris planifolia. This odd native to Southern Europe and Northern Africa has a similar distribution to the better-known Iris unguicularis, but this Iris belongs to the group, known as Juno or bulbous iris. These deciduous iris are extremely sensitive to summer moisture, which is why this resides in
First Flowers of Flat Iris Read More »
As a high schooler, and through college, I ran a small backyard greenhouse selling tropical plants from my parents home. One of the groups that I specialized in were bromeliads, so I’ve long had a fascination with group. Later in life, when I switched to outdoor winter hardy plants, I continued to look for hardy
We’ve struggled for years to grow some of the exceptional forms of Hart’s Tongue fern, Asplenium scolopendrium in our hot, humid climate. One cultivar that we’d long been enamored with is Asplenium ‘Keratoides’. After killing nearly everything we had, we stuck one in the crevice garden, where, to our amazement, it has performed marvelously. It
Tongue Caught in the Crack Read More »
Putting on a show this week in the garden are the Living Stones. No, not Mick, Keith, and Ronnie, but the horticultural Living Stones, Lithops aucampiae. Our oldest patch starts flowering in early to mid November each year, growing beautifully under an overhanging rock. For all the articles about how difficult they are to grow,
Don’t Miss the Stones latest show Read More »
