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Liriope
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Sun to Shade Zone: 6-10 10" tall Origin: China, Japan, Taiwan
Wow! This has long been one of my favorite perennials, but there has never been enough to share with the rest of the gardening world...until now! From South Carolina's own Ursula Herz comes this clumping monkey grass with wonderful chartreuse-golden foliage (brightest after the new foliage emerges). We like to use this as a golden accent in the dark woodland parts of our garden. In late summer, the clumps are topped with typical 1' tall spikes of lilac-lavender flowers. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #03096
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Light ShadeZone: 6-9, at least 15" tall Origin: China, Japan, Taiwan
Liriope muscari 'Sno Cone' comes from the garden of South Carolina plantsman John Elsley, who found this seedling in his garden around 1990. The foliage on the 15" tall x 20" wide evergreen clumps is streaky white and green, lightening slightly as the season progresses. The vigorous clumps are topped with stalks of purple flowers in midsummer. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #08724
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Sun to Light ShadeZone: 6-10, guessing 18" tall Origin: China
NEW!
When we first got this plant from China in 2005, we knew we had something different...we just didn't know what. Liriope platyphylla makes a tight 18" tall x 4' wide clump of 1" wide x 2' long arching glossy dark green leaves. The 3' tall flower stalks of small lavender flowers top the clump in June and July. Some mothball-sniffing herbarium taxonomist went and lumped L. platyphylla in with L. muscari...no way, Jose. Too much naphthalene can do really strange things to your mind...this is not your grandmothers' Liriope muscari! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #06707
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Lobelia
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Sun to Light ShadeZone: 6-9 2" tall Origin: China
Open House/Web-Only!
This cute little groundcover we've been growing has been moonlighting as a Chinese herbal vitamin supplement. We're not exactly sure what it does for you, but one catalog says, "Lobelia chinensis can help give you that little extra boost that will help you to achieve this state of being." Sorry, but our plants have not been approved by the FDA, FCC, or Michael Jackson's lawyers. For us, it makes a darling groundcover of tiny leaves, topped all summer with miniature pink, lobelia-like flowers. It seems to perform equally as well in moist or dry soils. It does spread nicely (3' in a year), so don't put it too close to choice gems that can't run fast enough to get away. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #05649
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Sun to Part SunZone: 4-9 36" tall Origin: USA Hybrid
This is one of the most exciting of the new cardinal flowers to hit the market in years... all thanks to master lobelia breeder, Thurman Maness of Pittsboro, NC. L. 'Monet Moment' boasts massive heads of exquisite large, rich pink-violet flowers (RHS 59C). The flowers adorn the tops of the 3' tall stems beginning in early August, continuing for 3-5 weeks for an extended "Monet Moment." Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #03758
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Sun to Part SunZone: 7b-10, at least 60" tall Origin: Mexico
Open House/Web-Only!
Forget what you know about lobelias and you'll be ready for Lobelia 'Candy Corn'. This unidentified Mexican species (possibly a sister genus Siphocampylus) makes a truly unique perennial, with tall stalks to 5'+, clothed with dark green leaves against the purple stems. Starting in late spring, the upper stalks are adorned with candy corn-like flowers of bright orange, ending with a reflexed yellow tip...very cool! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #05054
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Sun to Light ShadeZone: 6-9, possibly colder 36" tall Origin: USA Hybrid
This stunning hybrid (Lobelia cardinalis x L. siphilitica x L. fulgens) tetraploid seed strain from Germany's Benary Seed Company has large, velvety, wine-red (RHS 61A) flowers with a satiny finish that are absolutely scrumptious on 3' tall vertical stalks. From late summer, Lobelia 'Compliment Deep Red' is adorned with an incredible floral display that lasts into early fall...a sock-knocker-offer! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #01578
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Lonicera
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Sun to Part SunZone: 6b-9, at least 24" tall Origin: China
Open House/Web-Only!
We are thrilled to offer the exciting new selection of the well-known Lonicera nitida 'Baggesen's Gold' that I first saw in the UK garden of Ashwood's John Massey. Lonicera 'Twiggy' makes a compact 2' tall x 2' wide shrub with twiggy growth, lined with tiny yellow leaves that hold their bright yellow color well into the fall when the leaves drop. I have seen literature from the UK that claims this cultivar will become taller than 2', but we haven't seen this to be the case in our trials. We're not sure if Lonicera 'Twiggy' was named for the twiggy growth or for a famed former model, who was also proportionally smaller in all parts. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #04823
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Lychnis
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Part Sun to Light ShadeZone: 5-9, guessing 12" tall Origin: Hybrid
This amazing Chinese native from several provinces including Sichuan, has been cultivated in Japan and England for nearly 300 years. This particular clone is quite sterile, indicating either the need for a mate or the fact that it already had too many. L. coronata makes a tidy 1' tall x 1' wide mound of light green foliage, topped, starting in late May, with 1"+ light orange flowers that continue through most of the summer. This is a truly superb deer-resistant specimen for a part-sun spot in the garden...very tolerant of a variety of soil types, but propagation will drive you nearly insane...we're proof! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #07907
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Part Sun to Light ShadeZone: 6-8a, at least 18" tall Origin: Japan
This deer-resistant woodland perennial hails from 5,000' elevation in the Japanese mountains of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. The upright stems are clothed with small green leaves and topped with clusters of 1" fleshy-peach colored flowers from July-October...a time when very little is flowering in the woodland garden. L. 'Momobana' (translated as "pink flower") is unusual in color compared with typical vermilion flowers of this species. L. miqueliana is best in open light shade or a couple of hours of sun in the morning. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #08114
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SunZone: 5-8, at least 15" tall Origin: Europe
Open House/Web-Only!
(aka: Silene x robotii) This one had us stumped as it was first introduced under the invalid name, Silene x robotii, only to later become a Lychnis flos-jovis. Since Lychnis flos-jovis normally has white-hairy foliage, we won't rule out a yet unnamed baby daddy. Despite one parent hailing from the central European Alps, this Gerardus Oudshoorn hybrid has thrived in our hot, humid summers. For us, the deer-resistant, drought-tolerant Lychnis 'Rolly's Favorite' forms a compact 10" tall x 18" wide basal rosette of fuzzy green leaves, covered from mid-March (NC) through summer with 15" stalks, ending in masses of 1" dark pink flowers...quite stunning! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #07610
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Lycoris
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Sun to Light ShadeZone: 7b-9, at least 36" tall Origin: China
We are pleased to offer a superb strain of the true Lycoris aurea that hails from China's Guizhou Province. The short, green leaves, which emerge just after flowering in October, make a small deer-resistant clump of foliage usually persisting all winter and finally disappearing in late spring. From a seemingly bare patch of ground, the 3' tall flower spikes emerge in September, topped with huge 10" flower heads composed of brilliant, ruffled, golden-yellow flowers. Without question, this is the showstopper of the genus Lycoris. Plants from this population have proven to be reliably hardy into the single digits F in our trials. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #07493
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Sun to Light ShadeZone: 6-10, at least 15" tall Origin: China
This deer-resistant southern heirloom bulb is one of the most popular plants in old southern gardens. The small, narrow, strap-like, blue-green leaves die away in early spring. Then seemingly out of nowhere in August, the 15" tall spikes emerge from underground, topped with a deciduous azalea-like flower of bright red. After the flowers fade, the leaves emerge again and persist until spring, producing food for next year's flowering. L. radiata doesn't always flower every year...we feel the flowering is probably controlled by aliens who like to torment Earth-bound gardeners. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #04054
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Sun to Light ShadeZone: 6-10 15" tall Origin: China
NEW!
(aka: L. radiata 'Plenum') Oh my! You've got to hand it to those Japanese nurserymen who have an amazing penchant for discovering the most unique horticultural treasures. Lycoris radiata 'Fireworks' is a double flowered selection of surprise lily, whose flowers seemingly appear overnight atop the 15" tall stalks in September. To me, the flower heads resemble a young Phyllis Diller...does anyone remember Phyllis? After flowering, the dark green deer-resistant basal leaves emerge, which remain evergreen until late spring when they go dormant. These are in very limited supply, so don't delay if these float your proverbial boat. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #08921
SOLD OUT
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Sun to Part SunZone: 6-10 12" tall Origin: China
NEW!
This batch of lycoris is one that we originally got from China in 2003. These Lycoris radiata var. pumila represent different genetics from the plants that are typically offered for sale in the US. Lycoris 'Red China' represents a late August (NC) cherry-red flowering strain of unique seedlings. After flowering, the plant rests until the narrow strap-like green leaves emerge in early winter. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #09004
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Sun to Light ShadeZone: 5-9 24" tall Origin: Japan
L. squamigera is certainly the most well-known and easiest-to-grow of the surprise lilies. The robust, 24" tall, "nekkid" scapes emerge from dormancy in late summer, topped with large, clear pink, outward-facing flowers. L. squamigera is great mixed into the border for a summer change or naturalized in the woodland garden. After flowering, the grey-green, strap-like foliage emerges to produce energy for next year's flowers. In the Raleigh garden of the late garden writer Elizabeth Lawrence (whose home sold in the '40s and later became a fraternity house), a row of these still persists. This is a very long-lived and durable deer-resistant lily for a wide range of garden soils and sites. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #00177
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Sun to Part SunZone: 7-9, at least 18" tall Origin: China
Lycoris traubii is one of the great garden geophytes (bulbous plants) that hail from the floristically rich island of Taiwan. This October-flowering surprise lily produces an 18" tall stalk topped with 4-7 brilliant golden-orange, spidery flowers, held at a 90 degree angle to the stalk. Several weeks after flowering, the dark green foliage appears like a small clump of liriope that persists through the winter. This deer-resistant plant is often mistakenly sold as the related L. aurea, which is much shorter and comes into leaf several weeks earlier. Good winter drainage is best for top performance.
Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #03971
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Sun to Light ShadeZone: 5-9 15" tall Origin: Japan
This wonderful white-flowered, sterile, hybrid surprise lily (probably L. traubii x L. radiata) is similar in form to L. radiata. The short, narrow, green deer-resistant foliage emerges in fall and remains until late spring. In September, the flower stalks pop out of the ground to surprise all around. The flowers are glowing-white spidery heads (occasionally tipped light pink) on 15" stems...fun to mix through the garden for a later summer moment! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #00043
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Sun to Light ShadeZone: 6-10 20" tall Origin: China
This rare, naturally-occurring hybrid surprise lily (L. straminea x L. radiata var. pumila) is found in the Chinese provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. It was first imported to the US in 1948 and named in 1957 by Dr. Traub in honor of bulb collector Cecil Houdyshel. The frilly, light-yellow flowers top the 20" tall stalks that seemingly appear from nowhere in mid- to late-August. Emerging from the center of the petals are long stamens, often tinged in light pink, like eyelashes on a lady of the evening. After flowering, the deer-resistant winter rosettes of 15" long basal leaves emerge in late September and persist all winter. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #03820
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Lygodium
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Part Sun to Light ShadeZone: 7-10 120" tall Origin: Japan
This is one of the most unique members of the fern family...a fern that climbs. The climbing fern has very lacy foliage resembling an arthritic hand, with the male fronds looking less frilly, contrasting with the lacy female foliage that bears the spores in late season. While Japanese climbing fern dies down each winter, the energy stored in the roots produces a taller climber each year. In the deep South, L. japonicum may become weedy by spreading spores around...be careful or avoid this plant in environmentally sensitive areas. By cutting the plant to the ground in late fall, spore production can also be eliminated. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #00203
SOLD OUT
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Lysimachia (Loosestrife, Gooseneck, Moneywort)
While there are terribly invasive members of this family, we have carefully selected some easy-to-grow, but choice, plants that won't eat your garden. As a rule, they prefer moist rich soils, but we find many types to be amazingly tolerant of a wide range of conditions. |
Sun to Part SunZone: 6-9, at least 2" tall Origin: China
This amazing new moneywort is the handiwork of plantsman Darrell Probst. This semi-evergreen groundcover makes a mass of small purple foliage on a nicely spreading groundcover. For us, it makes a 3' wide mat in one season but doesn't show tendencies to eat plants that it surrounds. In late spring, the purple foliage is topped by hundreds of golden bells...a really amazing sight. We've had great luck using this to cover extremely difficult nearly vertical slopes. In hanging baskets or color bowls, it's a killer! Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #05803
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Sun to Light ShadeZone: 3-8 2" tall Origin: Europe
Open House/Web-Only!
This easy-to-grow moisture lover is a marvelous, low-growing, golden groundcover whose dime-sized leaves give the ground a year-round golden color. Gold moneywort is perfect for brightening an area in the garden or interweaving to make some great color combinations...it needs sun to maintain the golden color. Pot size: 24 fl. oz (709.77 ml) #00242
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| <Lantana - Lilium] | [Malvaviscus - Miscanthus> |
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