Our Plants

Yulan magnolia is a deciduous tree native to central and eastern China, where it has been cultivated in Chinese Buddhist temple gardens since 600 AD. Its flowers were regarded as a symbol of purity in the Tang dynasty and it was planted in the grounds of the emperor’s palace. This specimen tree has an excellent white to ivory colored floral display in the spring before the leaves emerge, which contribute to the origin of the Chinese name for the plant, "jade orchid." With creamy white flowers born on the bare branches at the end of winter, the yulan magnolia is regarded as an emblem of purity, feminine sweetness, and beauty.

Scilla siberica, commonly called Siberian squill, is a small bulbous perennial native to southwestern Russia, the Caucasus, and parts of Turkey. It is one of the earliest spring bloomers, producing nodding, vivid blue, star-shaped flowers that can naturalize into striking carpets in lawns and woodland edges. Blooming before trees leaf out, it provides an important early nectar source for pollinators such as bees. Like many spring ephemerals, its foliage emerges, flowers, and then fades back to dormancy by late spring, allowing it to thrive in sunny spring conditions and shaded summer environments.