Category Archives: Photo Challenge

The Most Beautiful Flower # 30

Posted on February 1, 2024 by johnvic8

‘This week’s MBF is a local native, Gelsemium sempervirens ‘Carolina jessamine.’ In late winter/early spring, its yellow blossoms appear just as the deciduous leaves are beginning to show. It is one of those wonderful early blooming plants that announces, “Spring … Continue reading →

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The Most Beautiful Flower #29

Posted on January 17, 2024 by johnvic8

I love peonies. Those who are following this series will see peonies turn up frequently in my MBF offerings. Among my favorites are the tree peonies. I grew them for the first time in my North Carolina garden and discovered … Continue reading →

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The Most Beautiful Flower #28

Posted on January 10, 2024 by johnvic8

This week’s MBF is the Japanese flowering apricot (Prunus mume ‘Peggy Clarke’). These photographs were taken on January 10th in North Carolina (zone 7B). I wrote about this tree in Guess What’s in My Garden! (available to download in digital … Continue reading →

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The Most Beautiful Flower #26

Posted on December 6, 2023 by johnvic8

I love peonies…the antique herbaceous varieties from my grandmother and the tree peonies. Several years ago I learned of a new breed of peonies…Itoh (intersectional) peonies. They are a cross between the herbaceous and tree varieties. And they are beautiful. … Continue reading →

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The Most Beautiful Flower # 25

Posted on November 29, 2023 by johnvic8

This week’s MBF is Camellia sasanqua ‘Our Linda.‘ The plant was a gift from David Parks of Camellia Forest Nursery in Chapel Hill, NC. The nursery is one of the best sources of camellias in the country. I planted Our … Continue reading →

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The Most Beautiful Flower #24

Posted on November 8, 2023 by johnvic8

This week’s Most Beautiful Flower is Camellia sasanqua ‘Hana Jiman.’ Its blossoms kept color going from fall into winter in my North Carolina garden. Mine grew to about four feet wide and eight feet high in ten years. The literature … Continue reading →

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The Most Beautiful Flower # 22

Posted on October 25, 2023 by johnvic8

This week’s offering of the MBF is oriental lily Lilium ‘Le Reve.’ I loved having it blooming in my Chapel Hill garden in early summer. The color is enchanting. Le Reve is a fountain of joy for butterflies and hummingbirds. … Continue reading →

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The Most Beautiful Flower #20

Posted on October 11, 2023 by johnvic8

One of my favorite shrubs for the summer garden is Hydrangea paniculata ‘Tardiva.” I have grown it in both my North Carolina gardens, and it has done well in this climate. Its size makes it a focal point in a … Continue reading →

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The Most Beautiful Flower #19

Posted on October 5, 2023 by johnvic8

I have chosen for MBF#19 a shrub that I have grown successfully in my two North Carolina gardens. Weigela florida ‘Variegata’ has far exceeded my expectations, growing in both locations to be much larger than the catalog description. The catalog … Continue reading →

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The Most Beautiful Flower #18

Posted on September 27, 2023 by johnvic8

For this week’s MBF I am going back to my visit to Maui in August to offer the Red Ginger (Alpina purpurata). I also saw a pink and a purple gingers, but the red one was clearly the most striking. … Continue reading →

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