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The Ethereal Epimedium

Huddled together in the shade of the early morning, our collection of Epimedium greets the cool air with its upright, misty sprays of spidery looking flowers. This somewhat diminutive, slow-spreading groundcover is a plant collector’s dream. Under the Epimedium umbrella exists approximately 58 species, with the heart or arrow shaped leaves and ghostly blooms presenting themselves in an array of colors, shapes, and sizes. One could enthusiastically collect Epimedium varieties over the course of a lifetime and fill a shade garden with an impressive assemblage. Our ever-expanding selection of Epimedium here at the Nursery is simply the tip of the Epimedium iceberg.

By Kate Irvine Deer Resistant · Evergreen · Full Shade · Groundcover · Pollinators · Read More

Mesmerizing Mertensia

This week, we’re enthusiastically promoting our crop of Mertensia virginica, which, as you read this, is slowly peaking its pink-and-periwinkle blooms above its velvety blue-green foliage. If you’ve been sleeping on this lovely little early spring-blooming perennial, now’s the time to familiarize yourself with it. 

By Kate Irvine Full Shade · Native · Read More

Considering Corylopsis

Corylopsis veitchiana, the artist formerly known as Corylopsis sinensis f. veitchiana, or Veitch’s Winter Hazel, is a member of the family Hamamelidaceae, known better as the Witch Hazel family. Many of the species that fall within the Corylopsis genus exhibit attractive flowering structures at the cusp of spring, later than the bloom time of Hamamelis, usually falling somewhere between March and April in the Mid-Atlantic region. The showy inflorescences of Veitch’s Witch Hazel, specifically, appear first as succulent buds in mid-winter on top of smooth, sinewy bark, slowly unraveling to reveal drooping, lime green to fluorescent yellow clusters of layered frills. The flowers appear before the foliage begins to push, making the pendulous, brightly colored blooms stand out amongst the still-barren atmosphere of the late winter landscape.

By Kate Irvine Deer Resistant · Fragrant Flower · Winter bloom · Read More

Yearning for Yellowroot

The emergence of the snowdrops and daffodils suggest rebirth and renewal as we step into the 2023 growing season. Meanwhile, cool-temperature-loving crops are waking from their slumber beneath their protective plastic domes. Of these early risers, Xanthorhiza simplicissima takes the subtle approach, blending into the fallen brown debris of last year’s growth and allowing only the most curious to seek out its hidden secrets. This week, we’re celebrating the ethnobotanical and ecological sides of Xanthorhiza simplicissima, known commonly as yellowroot, a highly underutilized native woodland shrub that has a lengthy and storied past.

By Kate Irvine Groundcover · Native · Yellowroot · Read More

In Light of Lungwort

This week, we’re going to explore the cultural, ecological, and societal uses of a plant as old as time itself – lungwort, botanically known as the genus Pulmonaria. So, take a deep breath and let us dive in.  

By Kate Irvine Deer Resistant · Full Shade · Read More