Thermopsis caroliniana
Carolina or Southern lupine
June is one of my favorite garden times when spiky perennials, like lupines, foxgloves, and mulleins punctuate our borders with torches of color. Thermopsis caroliniana (or villosa depending on what taxonomist you follow) is making its bold color statement at the nursery entrance right now and will continue for another week or so.
Thermopsis closely resembles lupines or baptisias, although botanically it is neither. Native to the mountains of North Carolina, Thermopsis performs beautifully where true lupines don’t–because of heat and other conditions. Clean compound foliage rises 3 to 4 feet with spikes of bright sulphur-yellow, pea-like flowers during June in the Hudson Valley. The flower color is bold and guaranteed to attract attention. I love to mass Thermopsis next to ornamental grasses, like the blue-bladed Panicum virgatum ‘Dallas Blues’ (pictured), to tone down its fluorescent bloom. (more…)
WELCOME TO OUR 7th year at Loomis Creek Nursery. We jump-started spring with an updated website and are very excited about our new online look. We hope you find it attractive, easy to navigate, and indicative of the quality and beauty of Loomis Creek Nursery. We’ve got a big season planned: Mark your calendars!
- Hosta Pot, Why Not? Container Garden Workshop with Margaret Roach and Bob Hyland, Saturday, June 13, at Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge, MA.
- Contained Exuberance: A Fresh Look at Gardening in Containers – an outdoor exhibit and garden installation at Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, MA. Bob Hyland and Margaret Roach, curators. Opened June 6 – runs through frost.
- Our popular Plant of the Week feature is back, so check our website frequently for updates or subscribe to receive news of each week’s hot plant by email.
