Fall officially arrived last week, and this weeks brings the return of cooler weather.  Fall is in the air, and although it may be early, there are signs of the season everywhere.  You don’t have to look far for glimmers of fall color, and the transition will accelerate rapidly over the next week or two.  Fall is the best time to plant, and a truly enjoyable time to be out in the garden!  Here are some fall pictures that we took while walking through the nursery today.

The warmer weather has really accelerated plant growth and development, and we are well on our way to the late spring and summer blooming season.  We will now also be adding plants with interesting foliage to the “What’s Blooming” feature, as some plants have amazing seasonal foliage that deserves a closer look!

Voodoo Lily

Every once in a while you come across a plant so weird and unusual that you just don’t quite know what to say.  These plants don’t have any of the traditional flower traits that we normally value like vibrant color, pleasing scent, or overall attractiveness.  They are, well, just plain weird.  Complete oddities.  So here’s one of the weirder that you can grow in our area.

Amorphophallus rivieri, or the Voodoo Lily, is the little brother of Amorphophallus titanum, which holds claim to the largest flower on earth (up to 8′ tall).  A. titanum needs it to be constantly warm, and is usually relegated to conservatories where they draw huge crowds of people and the local news if they can get it to flower.  A. rivieri grows just fine outdoors in our area though, and has an equally odd-looking flower that grows to only a few feet tall (still plenty of weird to go around).

We just happen to have a supply of mature Voodoo Lily, that are currently in flower and ready to go home and be planted in your yard.  We must warn you, they tend to put off an interesting aroma at the height of their bloom, strong enough to attract the flies that pollinate them.  This odor wears off quickly though, and is just another part of the total weirdness that is the Voodoo Lily.  You know you want one!

The past few days have been the warmest since last September, and the spring bloom has gone into high gear.   There are so many plants blooming right now that we simply don’t have room to post all of them!   Here are some of the highlights from a trip around the nursery yesterday:

The weather has been beautiful for the past few days, and the plants are definitely responding!  Flowering Plums, Pears, and early flowering Cherries are bursting into bloom, as well as many shrubs and perennials.  Here are some of the highlights from the past few days:

We all have the best of intentions to get spring-blooming bulbs planted in the fall, like we are told…..  However, sometimes the best laid plans just don’t work out.  If that happened to you this year, we’ve got you covered!   We’ve got a great variety of spring bulbs blooming right now – quite a festive sight out there!  There are several types of tulips and narcissus (daffodils), as well as fragrant hyacinths; muscari (grape hyacinth); cute little dwarf iris; checkerboard fritillaria; bright crocus; and a variety of colors of anemone and ranunculus.  Nothing says “Spring!” like these little beauties, so resolve two things:  tuck a few of these into spots in your garden now, and mark your September calendar for bulb planting! 

We’re on the verge of the “big show”, and we’re really starting to see some plant growth.  Buds are swelling, and we’ll be experiencing the full magnificence of spring really soon!  In the meantime, here are a few things that we caught blooming around the nursery today…

Appleblossom Bergenia

Salix caprea 'Pendula'

Anemone

Golden Glory Cornelian Cherry Dogwood

Valley Valentine Pieris

Dwarf Iris

Pansies

Burgundy Belle Red Maple

Evergreen Clematis

Here are some pictures of things I found blooming or looking especially great in the nursery today.  Spring is definitely on the way!

Primrose

Hellebore

Jasminum nudiflorum 'Mystique'

Nandina domestica 'Gulf Stream'

Sarcococca ruscifolia

Skimmia japonica - Male

Helleborus orientalis 'Red Lady'

Corydalis flexuosa 'Purple Leaf'

Erica darleyensis 'Kraemer's Red'

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Ruby Glow'

Here are just a few of the things blooming at the nursery now…

Camellia sasanqua 'Yuletide'

Cyclamen 'Something Magic'

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Dianne'

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Pallida'

Helleborus 'Ballerina Mix'

Pansies, pansies, pansies!

Just kidding, there are actually a few odd plants that do like to bloom in winter.  Camellias are the most obvious at the moment.  Soon we’ll be seeing the bulk of the Hellebores come into bloom, and Winter Jasmine, Pink Dawn Viburnum, and Winterhazel will come out later.  We’ll keep you posted, and hopefully turn this into a good resource to find out what looks good at the moment.