Blog

Its cheerful, early spring blooms crawl over slopes and spill over walls, providing a welcome blanket of vibrant color to winter-weary gardens and gardeners.Winding through rock gardens, edgings, and naturalizations with a profusion of showy color and vigorous growth, Phlox subulata is a semi-evergreen, blooming groundcover, hardy to Zone 2. This tough, durable, North American native tops out at less than half a foot, just right for between pavers, bordering walkways, and edging perennial beds.S

Coming soon to a mailbox near you!Our hot-off-the-press 2023-2024 edition features an appealing assortment of hot new Fresh Picks. With six brand-new ornamental grasses and grass-like plants, and twelve unique perennials and succulents, our complete collection has grown to an impressive offering of more than 700 selections. You are sure to find favorites you've trusted for years and interesting new options just waiting for a space at your place.Designed with the user in mind, our complete c

The current hunger for succulent plants of all kinds has increased awareness of this tough, fascinating genus. But do folks who've recently discovered it realize how long it's been in cultivation?Mankind's love for this genus goes back centuries. The name is Latin for "always living," a testament to its durability. In antiquity, it was used in medicine and magic. Its juicy flesh was said to heal stings and sores, much like Aloe.Some say only two things can kill a Sempervivum: Shade and poor drai

In 1806, President Thomas Jefferson bought some real estate from France. The Louisiana Purchase involved a staggering 828,000 square miles – over half a billion acres, give or take.But nobody really knew what he had bought. Zillow was no help. So Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to do a two-year walk-through.Among the many marvels they found was a succulent-leaved perennial called “bitter root” by natives. A river and a mountain range bear that name still. The newcomer was named

Yes, it’s Lavandula, all right. Nothing else can match the fresh, clean fragrance of this legendary herb. We know that fragrance well, since we grow 12 varieties in several species. Let’s look at more of them, shall we?Earlier, we examined L. angustifolia, a.k.a. English lavender, and L. stoechas, a.k.a. Spanish lavender. This time, let’s take a look at a hybrid: L. intermedia , a.k.a. Lavandin. This cross combines the assets of two species: L. angustifolia and L. latifolia, a.k.a. Por