woody ornamentals

Loropetalum 'GrifCRL' (aka: Little Rose Dawn)

Lots of petals on the Loropetalums

Our extensive collection of loropetalums are looking great this spring. Loropetalum ‘GrifCRL‘, marketed as Little Rose Dawn, is especially stunning this week. The main problem with loropetalums is that when people plant them, either they don’t pay attention to the mature sizes, or they believe the lies that persist on far too many nursery plant

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winter garden structure

Woody Winter Wonderland

We’re rapidly approaching our Winter Open Garden and Nursery, from February 23-25 and March 1-3, 9am-5pm each day. Here’s a current image of one section of the woodland garden showcasing what’s possible, even during the winter months. So many shade gardens simply aren’t very interesting in the winter, usually due to the lack of botanical

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Aucuba japonica var. borealis 'Male Man'

Time for the Male Man

Looking good in the garden this month is Aucuba japonica var. borealis ‘Male Man’. The subspecies “borealis” is from a much colder region than typical Aucuba japonica, and consequently will survive much further north, reportedly as far north as Zone 6a. This subspecies grows in the Honshu region of Northern Japan, where they are subjected

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Camellia euryoides

Eurya-like Camellia

We’ve spent the last few years assembling a collection of species camellias, many of which are quite dainty, and very different from what most gardeners think of, when they hear the genus Camellia mentioned. Flowering today is Camellia euryoides, the camellia that looks like a Eurya, with small pendant white flowers. Eurya is an even

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Acer palmatum 'Fjellheim'

Fine Fjellheim

Looking great in early February is the fabulous red-twigged Japanese maple, Acer palmatum ‘Fjellheim’. Don’t confuse this with the better-known Acer palmatum ‘Sango Kaku’. Interestingly, Acer ‘Fjellheim’ is a witches broom (dwarf mutation) discovered on a plant of A. ‘Sango Kaku’. For us, the parent has red twigs when it’s very young, but looses the

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Mahonia gracilis

Winter Mahonias

Here are a couple of our favorite winter-flowering mahonias currently in bloom at JLBG. The first is the North American native, Mahonia gracillis, which is virtually unknown in cultivation. Without several collections from the former Yucca Do Nursery, this probably wouldn’t even be known by US gardeners. The 8′ tall, unkempt form is adorned, starting

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Daphniphyllum macropodum

Looks like a Daphne, but…

When people first hear the name, Daphniphyllum, they immediately think, Daphne, and obviously, when this was named by Blume in 1826, he thought the same. Daphniphyllum, however, couldn’t be more different. First, it’s completely unrelated. Daphne is in the Thymelaeaceae family, while Daphniphyllum sits alone in its own family, Daphniphyllaceae. Daphniphyllum is a small genus

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If you grow it, they may not buy it

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

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