The Gorgeous Genus of Geum Geums – I love them! And if you’re uncertain how to pronounce this little Latin name, then split it in two: Gee-Umm. The genus Geum is a member of the massive rose family (Rosaceae), which provides many useful plants, including important crops (apples, pears, cherries, peaches, strawberries) and ornamentals (roses, […]

Good Foliage Amongst a Richness of Flower Foliage First. Far more people are familiar with the genus Ilicium than the nerdy gardener. Authentic cuisine in SE Asia has long relied on sweet, spicy aroma of star anise, the star-shaped seed capsules of Illicium verum, which also supplies approximately 90% of the world’s supply of shikimic […]

Philesia Navidad! During my first tour of S. Chile in 1998, there was a single shrub I wished to see more than any other. Related to the national flower of Chile, Lapageria rosea, Philesia magellanica is less a climber and more an advantageous scrambler. All in all, it has equally splendid pendulous bells ranging from […]

A taste of the tropics Orchid flowers evoke exotic locations – tropical trees bedecked with these glamorous blooms, standing above palm-lined beaches, a waiter brings a cocktail… While most orchids are indeed native to the tropics, a small number make their homes in cooler climes. Spotted orchids, in the genus Dactylorhiza, are extremely hardy and […]

Tales from the Old Country Geums – I love them! And if you’re uncertain how to pronounce this little Latin name, then split it in two: Gee-Umm. The genus Geum is a member of the massive rose family (Rosaceae), which provides many useful plants, including important crops (apples, pears, cherries, peaches, strawberries) and ornamentals (roses, […]

The Dove Tree; Davidia involucrata The near mythical Davidia is in full splendor this weekend at Heronswood. Its unique and fanciful floral display always draws commentary by those who see it for the first time. Hailing from the mountains of Western China, where it is considered rare in its natural haunts. It was first noted […]

Primitive, yet pretty Amongst the mass of spring flowers, some less showy perennials are easily overlooked. This is often the case with Asarum, or wild ginger, a genus of evergreen ground cover. Indeed, by calling it ground cover, I’ve already diminished its status to something that’s useful, functional, but scarcely worth getting excited about. Wild […]

The Rue Anemone; Anemonella thalictroides, or Whatever First, always first, lets start with the name, shall we? A charming woodlander from much of eastern North America, its true place in the botanical kingdom continues to be in flux. First described by Linnaeus in 1753 as Anemone thalictroides, the specific epithet referred to the similarity of […]

Flowers before foliage With Spring’s arrival, the beds and borders at Heronswood are awash with flowers. Carpets of corydalis, stately tufts of trilliums and hordes of hepaticas are an assault on the senses. But take a moment to glance upwards and you’ll see there are trees that more than match the flamboyant display below. A […]

The Genus Hepatica I have certainly said the same before as I am sure I will say the same again. Each year, in mid-March to early April, I note that the Hepaticas have never looked better. As they have now become happily established in our woodland at Heronswood, they have become to recombine and self […]