I’m simply again from a latest plant journey to coastal Virginia and needed to share some journey highlights and images. Mark Weathington of the JC Raulston Arboretum and I headed north for a fast 2 day jaunt to the Norfolk space of Virginia.

Our first cease was the backyard of very long time backyard good friend, Pam Harper. For many years, Pam was most likely essentially the most prolific and educated backyard author within the nation, along with having what was as soon as the biggest horticultural slide library.

At 92, and regardless of affected by debilitating eyesight points, Pam nonetheless gardens, together with planting and pushing carts of mulch across the backyard. It was such a pleasure to as soon as once more stroll her wonderful backyard, listening to the each the historic particulars and efficiency of every plant we handed.

Pam was donating the rest (20,000) of her slide assortment, which beforehand numbered over 100,000 photos, to the JC Raulston Arboretum. There, they are going to be digitized for public availability.

Her 45 year-old Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’ was the biggest both of us had ever seen.

We each additionally fell in love with Camellia x vernalis ‘Meiko Tanaka’…a plant we’d by no means encountered in flower, however appears to have good business availability.

The gold barked Japanese maple, Acer palmatum ‘Bihou’ was additionally displaying off its beautiful winter colour.

Pam’s backyard has at all times yielded a few of the most wonderful Arum italicum seedlings I’ve ever seen. We’re already rising two of her alternatives in hopes of future introduction, however we discovered a number of extra that we couldn’t resist.

Our subsequent cease was the Virginia Tech Tidewater Arboretum on the Hampton Roads Experiment Station. It had been a few years since both of us had visited.

What we discovered was an incredible plant assortment that has been principally deserted, aside from some minimal mowing upkeep. Generally the labeling was considerably intact, though some required Easter egg-like hunts, and others have been merely nowhere to be discovered.

The late Virginia Tech researcher, Bonnie Appleton had labored to get householders to plant shorter maturing timber beneath energy strains. To make her demonstration extra genuine, she had fake energy strains put in, which you can also make out among the many branches. It was fascinating to see that nearly all the crops she promoted as dwarf, had all grown nicely into the ability strains. Mark recalled conversations along with her many years earlier explaining that her selections weren’t actually very sound.

There have been various wonderful older specimens together with one of many largest Quercus polymorpha (Mexican Oak) that we’d ever seen in cultivation. This 75′ tall specimen dated to 1989, was initially gifted to them by the late JC Raulston, from a Yucca Do Nursery wild assortment.

The outdated specimens of Ilex buergeri have been completely beautiful. It is a beautifully-textured, spineless broadleaf evergreen that’s nearly unknown within the business commerce.

One other spineless holly, Ilex pedunculosa (long-stalk holly), is thought for being troublesome to develop in our scorching, humid local weather. Their specimen, nonetheless, seemed completely very good.

We caught Fatsia japonica in full flower…at all times an awesome nectar supply for honeybees within the winter months.

A spotlight for me was catching the wonderful stinkhorn fungus, Clathrus columnatus in full splendor…each visually and odoriferously.

Leaving the Hampton Roads station, we headed to the Norfolk Botanical Backyard, the place Mark labored earlier than he got here to the JCRA. A lot of their efforts within the fall and winter are put towards their large winter lights pageant.

Norfolk Botanical Backyard is house to an intensive and renown camellia assortment, so we spent little bit of time roaming the woodland backyard the place they develop. We have been notably excited by their Camellia species assortment, a number of of which had questionable labeling. Right here is one which was right, Camellia gaudichaudii.

We spent little bit of time learning a holly, labeled Ilex purpurea (syn. chinensis). The plant was wonderful, however seems nothing like that species. Hopefully, a holly skilled will be capable of assist us establish it from our images.

This was my first time seeing the self-fertile idesia, Idesia polycarpa ‘Kentucky Fry’. I can’t think about why this wonderful, easy-to-grow plant isn’t extra extensively planted. I can consider few timber with extra winter curiosity.

The shrub/small tree that blew us away from a number of hundred toes was a specimen of Arbutus unedo ‘Oktoberfest’. We’ve grown Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’ for many years at JLBG, however have by no means seen something as beautiful as this clone.

Whereas we’re speaking about crops with purple fruit, I used to be fascinated with their specimen of Cotoneaster lacteus. I had mistakenly assumed that almost all cotoneasters fail in our scorching, humid summers, however clearly, I’ve by no means tried this species, which is usually rated as hardy solely to Zone 8a. I feel we have to trial this at JLBG.

Lastly, I used to be notably fascinated with a Quercus nigra (water oak), that previously had a planter constructed round it’s base. As you’ll be able to think about, the tree roots made quick work of the planter, however as soon as the planter boards have been eliminated, the ensuing tree root sculpture is just beautiful.

I hope you’ve loved the highlights of our latest journey.