We’re always on the search for new ornamental grasses, and especially those with good blue foliage, since many of the more cold loving grasses aren’t exactly thrilled with our summers. Well, back in 2003, we were botanizing in Liberty County, … Continue reading
For several years, we’d followed the development of fruiting St. John’s worts, developed for the florist industry, so finally we decided to get some plants for trial and see if they had any garden value. Much to our delight, they … Continue reading
If you’ve driven through the any of the Mediterranean countries in spring, you are undoubtedly familiar with the common Mediterranean spurge, Euphorbia characias (ker-ack-iss). For years, I admired this in virtually every English garden book, but always failed in my … Continue reading
In 2006, NC plantsman, and our long time customer, Graham Ray of Greensboro, emailed to see if we were interested in a dwarf Asaparagus densiflorus (Sprengeri) fern that he grew in his rock garden, and had been winter hardy for … Continue reading
Now that fall has arrived, we’re all enjoying peak plume season for many of our favorite ornamental grasses. Unfortunately, there are a few significant mix-ups in the trade. The top photo is our native Eragrostis spectabilis, known as purple love … Continue reading
Flowering this week at JLBG is the amazing Miscanthus transmorrisonensis. Many gardeners, who blindly believe everything they read/hear think the genus miscanthus is the horticultural version of the devil itself. Like everything in life, it’s all about those pesky details, … Continue reading
Plant nerds use the term BIO plant, short for Botanical Interest Only, for plants which have little, if any ornamental value, but are highly prized by crazed plant collectors. Spathicarpa hastifolia is such a plant. This odd aroid from Southern … Continue reading
There aren’t a large number of trees that flower in winter in temperate climates, but one we can’t imagine gardening without is Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’. This amazing Mediterranean native has thrived for us since the late 1980s. Arbutus is a … Continue reading
I fell in love with the Arizona/Mexico native ornamental grass, Muhlenbergia dumosa when the the late JC Raulston first brought it back from Yucca Do Nursery in 1992. This odd member of the genus muhlenbergia resembles a clumping bamboo unlike … Continue reading
Late summer and fall are a great time to enjoy the plumes of our US native ornamental grass, Panicum virgatum. Here are two photos from the garden this week. The first is one of my favorites, the giant Panicum ‘Cloud … Continue reading
Arundo donax ‘Golden Chains’ is looking quite nice in the garden this month. We love this selection of the giant ornamental grass that’s used for making reeds for wind instruments. Arundo ‘Gold Chains’ is much less vigorous than the the … Continue reading
Allium ‘Ostara’ is a new bulbous ornamental onion from a cross of the lovely, but difficult to grow (in the southeast US) Allium karataviense and Allium atropurpureum. We’re growing this in our crevice garden, which is working well…so far. We’re … Continue reading
Blooming now in the crevice garden is one of our favorite edimentals. If you haven’t heard this word before, it’s the new combo term for edible ornamentals. Crambe maritima, known as sea kale, is a plant we first grew for … Continue reading
Looking lovely this week is the winter flowering anise, Illicium anisatum. This clone is Illicium anisatum ‘Murasaki no Sato’, which has creamy-centered leaves and new purple growth that’s just scrumptious. The winter floral show is also truly spectacular! This is … Continue reading
We have finally closed the book on a tumultuous 2020, as we turn the calendar page to 2021. Over the past twelve months, it suddenly became not only legal, but required to wear masks in public. So, we quickly learned … Continue reading
This is the week that we had expected to welcome hundreds of participants from all over the world to the 2020 Southeastern Plant Symposium in Raleigh, NC, but world events had other plans. So, we shifted gears and put together … Continue reading
When we finally discovered that sea kale (Crambe maritima) is indeed growable in our hot, humid climate, we’ve planted it all around. It’s also been rewarding that people have actually purchased it to try for themselves. Frankly, I’d grow sea … Continue reading
Here are some ornamental seed pods from the gardens this week.
Here are some seedpods and seed heads from the garden today. Seedpods/fruit don’t have to be colorful to be decorative. The shape of the seed capsule as well as hairs and filaments that capture light also add ornamental value.
Here are some interesting seed pods and other fruiting/reproductive photos from the garden this week.
More ornamental seed pods from the garden.
Here are some ornamental seed pods from the garden this week.
Here are some ornamental and edible seed pods from the garden this week.
When designing your garden, incorporate as many visual treats as possible. So in addition to selecting plants for their attractive flowers and leaves, consider choosing some perennials for their ornamental seed or fruit. Here are some decorative seed pods in … Continue reading
True, not all false red yuccas are red! The genus Hesperaloe is a small genus of just 7 species that are related to aloe, yucca, and agave. All 7 species of hesperaloe are native to the Chihuahuan desert in the … Continue reading
We’re now 2 years into our first successful attempt at growing the European Sea Kale, and have just finished our first flowering season. They key to success with Crambe maritima seems to be growing it hot and dry, since it … Continue reading
February 2019 Greetings from wet Raleigh, where we’re making good progress with our arc construction after a record-setting year of precipitation that topped out at just over 60” of rainfall…the most ever recorded for Raleigh. Of course, both the east and … Continue reading
When we had our new home built, the design resulted in several potential planting areas under a wide overhang that never sees any moisture…unless something akin to a hurricane blows in. The idea was to keep water/irrigation and mulch away … Continue reading
You are all probably aware of our upcoming merger with NC State University, but what you may not know about yet is the Plant Breeding Consortium. NC State has long had a number of world class plant breeding programs including … Continue reading
It is with a heavy heart that we share news of the passing of our friend Richard Dufresne (pronounced Doofrane), 75, who passed away this month at his home in Candor, North Carolina. Rich was truly a one of a … Continue reading
Most gardeners think vegetables when crucifers (brocolli, kale, cabbage, etc.) come to mind, while lawn afficinados, think weedy bittercress, and lab researchers think arabadopsis (the horticultural guinea pig). It’s hard to imagine, but these are all members of the giant … Continue reading
Since we have a passion for native plants, we constantly seek out both new species and new selections that simply aren’t widely known. Eryngium aquaticum var. ravenelii is one of those plants that leave us asking why it isn’t grown … Continue reading
Sixty is the new Thirty It doesn’t seem possible, but both Anita and I hit the big 60 this year. During my youth, I entertained occasional thoughts about what old age would be like, and wondering if I’d actually make … Continue reading
Nursery Intern Plant Delights Nursery is seeking a driven and energetic student or recent graduate who is interested in working for a world-renowned mail order nursery in Raleigh, NC. Come learn with us as we rotate you through each of … Continue reading
We hope you’ve received your new Fall 2016 catalog and are enjoying the plants we selected for inclusion. If not, they’re all on-line. It’s been years since we were able to offer one of our favorite garden plants, the Hardy … Continue reading
We’ve been growing Carex ‘Silk Tassel’ for nearly three decades and it is one of our woodland ornamental grasses. The very narrow variegated leaves are an absolutely delightful texture, although it’s hard to photograph well. Here’s our latest attempt to … Continue reading
I just snapped this photo of the amazing Allium kiiense…one of the best performing and best behaving ornamental onions. There aren’t nearly enough fall flowering perennials, and this is one of the best. Hardiness is Zone 5a-9b.
Greetings PDNers! It’s hard to believe, but September is here and it’s time for our final Open Nursery and Garden for 2015. We hope you’ll join us to see all the gems that look great this time of year and … Continue reading
Ornamental grasses make such great combinations. Looking outside our back door now is this combo of Chasmanthium ‘River Mist‘ with tricyrtis, and a thelypteris fern. No colorful flowers…only great textures and form.
Greetings PDNers! Summer Open Nursery and Garden Come see our 30 foot flowering agave at our final Summer Open Nursery and Garden Days this weekend. Visitors from around the country have been showing up to see our giant agave in … Continue reading
I always look forward to mid-October because I know I’ll get to again enjoy one of our largest and most stunning ornamental grasses, Saccharum arundinaceum. The giant ornamental sugar cane is truly a spectacle of the fall garden…here it is … Continue reading
I just snapped this photo of the South African Asparagus fern, Asparagus virgatus, in the garden. This is one of my favorite hardy foliage plants. Not only does it provide a nice foil for bolder foliage, but it grows in … Continue reading
I just caught Liriope muscari ‘Sideswiped’ in full flower making a lovely show. This unusual selection of the clumping monkey grass has irregular horizontal banding instead of vertical edges…like a zebra miscanthus. The non-weedy liriopes really make a lovely summer … Continue reading
Allium ‘Millenium’ is looking great now in our full sun rock garden. As I travel around the country, it’s great to see this ornamental onion finally getting planted more. Unlike many of the larger alliums that go summer dormant, this … Continue reading
Greetings PDN’ers! We hope you are enjoying your garden this summer and taking time to relax a bit, especially when the temperatures are soaring. JLBG News It was so nice to see and chat with many of you at the … Continue reading
Here’s a fun combination in the garden today where we used the airy ornamental grass, Sporobolus wrightii as a backdrop for the bold texture of Canna ‘Australia’. You’ll see this and more if you drop by this weekend for the … Continue reading
Yes, those unmistakable harbingers of early May are releasing their amazing fragrance in the gardens today, and flies from all around are welcoming the news. Few plants evoke the emotional response of an Amorphophallus konjac in the garden..sure to get … Continue reading
Greetings PDN’ers! It looks like we’ve finally moved past our persistent winter at Plant Delights, as have many of you in much of the country. Yes, we feel for those of you living in more northerly climates who still have … Continue reading
Dear PDNers, Greetings from Juniper Level Botanic Gardens, where a low temperature of 26 degrees has left the garden feeling and smelling like fall. I was just noticing the strong smell of chrysanthemum foliage yesterday, whose oils were released after … Continue reading
Dear PDN’ers We’re fast approaching our final Open Nursery and Garden dates for 2013 and, to put a fitting exclamation point on our 25th anniversary year, we’ve invited one of the country’s most famous beach music bands, The Embers, to … Continue reading
Tony Avent hosted Plant Delights Nursery’s Let’s Talk Plants Garden Walk yesterday at Juniper Level Botanical Gardens. Despite a steamy high of 93 degrees, the turnout was great and the enthusiastic gardeners kept Tony answering questions on a vast and … Continue reading
Greetings from Plant Delights! We hope everyone has made it through another summer garden season in good shape. We’re wrapping up the open houses for 2012 with our final three days, Friday through Sunday this weekend. If you’re in the … Continue reading
I picked a lovely night to write to you from our home patio, where I’m sitting adjacent to the falling water sound of the Mt. Michelle waterfall, punctuated by the intermittent peeps from nearby mating frogs, each in search of … Continue reading
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of our extended PDN family. As we wrap up the year and get the new catalog ready to go in the mail and online (Dec 31), we want to remind everyone that this … Continue reading
Fall has nearly come and gone before many of us had time to blink. As always, we have enjoyed the wonderful fall season, watching plants that didn’t appreciate the summer re-emerge and put on a new crop of foliage and … Continue reading
After a reasonably cool spring, summer has been like a toaster oven here at Plant Delights. As you can imagine, the keys to having a summer garden are irrigation and drought-tolerant plants. While we certainly have both, I happen to … Continue reading
I have to begin the newsletter with a congratulations to American Idol winner, Scotty McCreery from just a few minutes up the road in Garner…well done! We wish him and all the other top contestants well as they embark on … Continue reading
Howdy folks and welcome to spring! Alright, I know that’s rubbing it in to those of you in the northern climatic zones, but here at Juniper Level, spring is in full swing. Even for those of you still suffering through … Continue reading
Unlike many gardeners in the upper states of the country who are still having winter, we’ve turned the corner and have been enjoying several days of spring-like temperatures. Hopefully, we won’t have too many of these days until the danger … Continue reading
We hope you’ve all received your 2011 catalogs by now. If not, it’s probably been confiscated by a postal carrier who also has a penchant for gardening, so give us a holler and we’ll send another. We were very honored … Continue reading
Dear PDN’ers: Greetings from Plant Delights, where fall has officially arrived along with some welcome cooler temperatures. Despite recent obscenely hot weather in much of the country (the hottest summer on record in our region), most plants in the garden … Continue reading
Dear PDN’ers: Whew…we made it though another year thanks to those of you who stuck with us during the last couple of years, when everyone’s budget was stretched to the point of breaking. I’m sure we’re all tired of the … Continue reading
September was a busy month at Plant Delights, not only with our Fall Open House, but also with a visit from 655 of America’s top garden writers as the group descended upon the Raleigh-Durham area for their annual convention. It … Continue reading
Greetings from PDN and we hope you’ve all had a great gardening summer. Folks in much of the Northeast and Midwest still haven’t had much of a summer, many experiencing the coldest summer temperatures in recorded history. Many of you … Continue reading
Happy fall greetings from Plant Delights to all of you out there in gardening land! We hope you’re enjoying your fall garden as much as we are, unless of course, you’re in a region that has already seen the arrival … Continue reading
Greetings from PDN and we hope all is well in your garden. It’s been a challenging time since we last wrote, from Hurricane Ike to the stock market dropping like a hot potato. Our thoughts go out to the people … Continue reading
Greetings from Plant Delights, we hope your spring has been as beautiful as ours…realizing, of course, that some of you in the colder climates are just starting the spring season. We have had wonderful rains and no temperatures in the … Continue reading
It’s been quite a month since we last talked. August at the Raleigh-Durham airport was the hottest month here since records have been kept… some 60+ years. As part of our 3-week heat binge, our 105 degree F temperature also … Continue reading
The 2005 shipping season is drawing to a close at the end of November, so if you’ve procrastinated until now, time is running out. If you need to purchase Christmas or holiday gifts for that special gardener, remember that a … Continue reading
June started with a bang as we welcomed Horticulture Magazine’s Great Plants, Great Plantsman Symposium to Raleigh. After a wonderful series of talks by speakers such as Tom Fischer (Editor, Horticulture Magazine), Helen Dillon (Ireland), Bob Lyons and Todd Lasseigne … Continue reading
Greetings from Juniper Level! We hope you are having a great winter if such is possible. If you are near Oswego, New York, we’re really sorry that you are buried under 5′ of snow, but I bet your perennials are … Continue reading
January is off to a roaring start in many ways as orders begin rolling in. So far, we aren’t sold out of any catalog items, but unexpected strong demand on a few items will soon result in some sold out … Continue reading