by Josh Coceano | Jan 31, 2013 | Plant of the Week
Sequoiadendron giganteum ‘Hazel Smith’ is considered one of the hardiest forms of giant sequoia and is noted as a strong grower with blue-green needles. A chance seedling, S. giganteum ‘Hazel Smith’ was selected by Don and Hazel Smith of Watnog Nursery. Hardy in zones...
by Josh Coceano | Jan 17, 2013 | Plant of the Week
I had believed for over 2 years that a rounded shrub anchoring a planting near Old Tarble was an Ilex crenata. Then cymes of flowers appeared. The rounded evergreen shrub, approximately 3’ in height, was not a holly but Viburnum obovatum ‘Reifler’s Dwarf’. Viburnum...
by Josh Coceano | Jan 16, 2013 | Plant of the Month
The scientific epithet Coleus blumei was given to the showy foliage plants we commonly call coleus based on an understanding that the multitude of variations and cultivars were derived from Coleus blumei, a tropical plant native to Malaysia and Southeast Asia named...
by Josh Coceano | Jan 9, 2013 | Plant of the Week
Croton alabamensis, or Alabama croton, is an atypical member of Euphorbiaceae. The semi-evergreen shrub is, according to Mulberry Woods Native Plant Nursery and Farm, a rare but easy-to-grow shrub indigenous to four counties in Alabama, frequently in poor soils along...
by Josh Coceano | Dec 19, 2012 | Plant of the Week
I find myself repeatedly admiring the form, character, and presence of the mature Quercus macrocarpa growing in the Terry Shane Teaching Garden. The bur oak is a slow growing oak native to the eastern United States bearing a columnar habit in its youth...
