| Brads Garden in Smithville, TN |
| Hello, my name is Brad and I grow a lot of plants, wildflowers, annuals, bulbs, perennials, but mostly gesneriads. Gesneriads are a large family of mostly tropical and sub-tropical plants, including Seemannia, Saintpaulia (African Violets), Achimenes, Nematanthus (Goldfish Vine), Aeschynanthus (Lipstick Vine), Streptocarpus (Cape Primrose), and Sinningia (Florist Gloxinia). I mostly grow and hybridize in the family Sinningia, they are fascinating plants from the size of a quarter to 4 foot tall, most fall between. I have been growing native plants for over 30 years now and have a few really nice ones, so be sure to look at the pictures. Recently, I have started collecting some of the Impatiens and Begonia species, they are very unusual and not what most people recognize, as I get more pictures I will be adding details about them. |
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| Above - The first blooms from my seedling Columnea ('Sunfire' x 'Aladinn's Flame'), originally I had a multitude of seedling, but most succumb to various problems over the last 5 years. I have three survivors, almost identical , semi upright growth, that is deep burgundy red as new growth, turning medium green with red tints on the edges. All three were put in small hanging baskets and hung on my front porch this year, lo and behold suddenly after 5 long years they covered themselves in bloom. They have the more upright, heavy growth of 'Sunfire', but the blooms and leaves are straight from 'Aladinn's Flame'. Also, they root easily, my cats decided one was low enough to sleep in, imagine walking out of the front door and a 7 pound cat laying on the hybrid in a 4" hanging basket, 5 feet off the ground! |
| Above - Lily of the NIle (Agapanthus) bought these from Daylily Nursery at the Nashville Lawn & Garden Show many years ago. They bloom with a couple of umbels of amazing sky blue flowers, but the plants are only a couple of feet tall. I grow them in a 20 inch pot and have them beside my front porch. |
| Above - Nematanthys jolyanus variant (I have the name written down somewhere) - order the seed for this plant several years ago from Mauro Peixoto, it took a couple of years to become large enought to bloom. It goes through a bloom cycle for 3 months and then growth for a couple of months. It looks like N. tessmanni in pictures, but side by side they don't look that much alike. The blooms on this have a maroon calyx and striping on the bloom that matches. Medium sized and easy to grow. |
| Above - Saintpaulia confusa 'Mathers', the blooms are blue, it has stayed relatively small for me, about the same size as my semi-miniatures. I bought this little beauty at the 2016 Tennessee Gesneriad Show and S. ionanatha, put them on wicks and they grow very well. I also have about 20 semi-miniatures on wicks, that for the most part do well. |
| ©Brad Walker, January 1, 2018 |
| Above - Sinningia 'Rebecca Margarita' ('Iris Walker x 'Cherry Delight') One of my hybrids, easy to grow, stays very compact, root easily and fully double. Named after a dear friend of mine. |
| Above - Asclepias 'Hello Yellow' I have this lovely plant growing about 4 feet from the wild orange form, together they are breathtaking. It blooms about 2 weeks earlier than the wild Asclepias tuberosa, with a bright yellow that is extremely eyecatching. |
| Above - Columnea 'ABG' seedling - Carol Ann brought this back from the Atlanta Botanical Gardens (ABG) while volunteering there, she had it in one of our show at Cheekwood several years ago and gave me a piece. It has become one of my favorite columneas, this year it has covered itself in tiny blooms, sometimes as many as a hundred orange blooms from bright burgundy red calyxes that match the color on the bottom side of the leaves. You have to be below this plant to really enjoy the show. It grows easily and sets seed that are fertile and produce seedling identical to the plant, but alas nothing close to an identity. I grow it in a ten inch hanging basket, it has developed about a 5 foot spread. |
| Above - Codonanthe devosiana ? - Bought this at a Tennessee Gesneriad Society checking all the references I could find suggest it is devosiana, but will never be sure. It is a beautiful little plant that trails and has abundant little white flowers blushed with CAbove - Codonanthe devosiana devosiana at work and other than . ? - Bought this at |
| Above - Nematanthus 'Champagne Crim' second blooming in 4 years. This is a large plant, the small one here is about 3 feet across and a baby. One of the reasons I need a larger greenhouse The blooms are about 2.5 inches in length on a long calyx as you can see in the second picture. I have several of the larger nematanthus, but have to keep them trimmed back so close, they won't bloom.. |
| Above - Sinningia Noid - this pretty plant is a noid, probably has at least eumorpha, conspicua, one of the semi-miniatures and possibly several other species growing on the benches during the summer. It stays very compact, the flower is compressed like conspicua and has a light scent of lemons during the evening. The purple could be coming from |
| Above - Beardtongue - Penstemon species - one of the natives plants from up the road. It seeds itself around the yard and I just move them or give them away. People are always surprised that we have plants this beautiful growing on the side of the road. |
| Above - Drymonia uninerva is a large plant with thick stems and has small white flowers that appear on the stems. When I got this plant it was only stems that were firm and with a greenish tint, imagine my surprise when it bloomed before it started putting on leaves. The plant itself is actually quite eye-catching more for its imposing stature than the bloom. Apparently, the plants produce copious amounts of nectar as I couldn't keep the ants of the blooms. It was given to me by Carol Ann Bonner. |
| December 30, 2017 Site is being renovated - being updated weekly until finished. 2017 has been a hard year for me, lost my mother and work has increased dramatically. Also constructing a new 15 foot by 15 foot greenhouse, so my hanging baskets have more headroom and adding a couple of larger aquariums. As of today, December 30, 2017 I have the frame covered in plastic, wood stove and working on the roof, hoping to move plants next weekend. |
| Above - 14703 (sinningia hirsuta x bragae {was sp. 'Ibitioca']) The hybrid that shocked me horribly, when the seedlings came up they looked like hirsuta, so I didn't pay a lot of attention to them. A year or two later I was potting some misc. seedling cups out to make space and planted these and moved them to the greenhouse. Imagine my surprise when they took off, quickly lengthening theirs leaves and losing some of the hairiness, then the incredible purple blooms, just total shock. I have had a couple of these wonderful surprises over the years, but this was definitely the best. There are 3 identical seedlings with no variance that is noticeable and they stay compact (in a 2.5 inch pot). |
| Above - Achimenes flava - bright yellow little species achimenes, |
| Above -Balloon Flower (Platycodon) - This is an interesting version of the old fashioned balloon flower, about 3.5 to 4 feet tall with bright white flowers that blue fantasy markings, the blooms are about 4 inches across. The parent plants are in my front yard, a deep blue and a snow white about 3 feet tall each. This seedling was the only one with the fantasy markings and the only one I kept. |
| Above - Epiphyllium 'Grand Empress' or 'German Empress' the name seems interchangeable. One of my new obsessions, the orchid cactus, large blooms in many different colors. So far I have limited myself to only 5 different plants, but when they bloom I want more!! |
| Above - Achimenes 'Camille Brozzoni' - this achimenes will literally smother itself in small lavender blooms. I bought this one in 2016 at the Tennessee Gesneriad Show. I planted a couple of pots this year and they are amazing plants that everyone should be growing, easy, colorful, and bright. |
| Above - Achimenes antirrhina - one of the species with long bright red and yellow/orange blooms. Easy to grow. |
| Above - Huernia zebrina - bought this little plant at the 2015 lawn and garden show in Nashville, TN. I have since bought 4 other different members of the family. Cool little plants that take up little space with interesting growth and ease of care, blooms sparingly, but when it does, you will notice! |
| Above - Black Swallowtail on lantana 'Miss Huff' - I plant the lantanas for the butterflies and bees and because they smell wonderful. I like to grow many plants that have ornamental value, but also smell good, bronze fennel being one, turns out that it is also one of the alternat food sources for Black Swallowtails and for the last two years I have had caterpillars that changed to butterflies! In the second picture is one of the early forms, it later changes to the green form in the next picture ending with the chrysalis in the last picture on my miniature geranium. |
| Above - The bees also get into the act, I have bees all over the yard , starting in early spring all the way through fall. I don't swat or bother them and they leave me alone as well. The only thing they do that bothers me is they cut holes in the top of my seemannia and achimene blooms to get to the nectar. |
| Above - Spigelia marilandica - Indian Pink - Showstopper, period. One of the most beautiful plants you can grow. It has medium dark leaves with red upright flowers that open to bright yellow stars. These are wildflowers here, this clump actually had spread from the woods into the yard, were it has become a large patch about 4 feet across. People have finally started noticing them and several nurseries are carrying the. |
| Above - Calycanthus floridus - 'Sweet Bubby' - native shrub related to magnolias. It grows to about 8 feet and in the spring will cover itself with these small flowers that smell wonderful. |
| Above - Achimenes 'India' - Large flat faced achimenes with a deep, rich blue. It is a good dependable variety. |
| Top - Columnea 'Aladinn's Flame' pollen parent -deep red trailing plant with dark foliage. Lost this plant to a cold spell a couple of years ago. upright foliage and narrow leaves. The shape of the bloom and netting on the bloom came from this plant, also more upright growth pattern. |
| Above - Moss Rose (Portulaca) - one of the seed mixes, I really enjoy these little plants again. They years, but give great color and are heat and drought tolerant. They also come in a striking range of colors. |
| Above - Aeschynanthus grown from a cutting. As we were cleaning the room at Cheekwood after a Tennessee Gesneriad Society show, I saw some stems in the trash can and took them, they turned out to be this plant and A.'Big Apple'. I think this is A. 'Fireworks', but can't be sure, it was in the show that year. |
| Above - Nematanthus nervosa? labeled by the original grower as 'Black Magic'. Pretty plant that makes a nice basket, dark leaves and pendant blooms that are pink with an orange yellow tip. Grows rapidly and blooms well. |
| Above - Eucodonia andrieuxii 'Cathy' - I have grown this little plant for several years, grows in the same conditions as the achimenes. It stays smaller with little bright purple and white flowers. Easy to grow and reproduces rhizomes like crazy. |
| Above - White Bergamot - Monarda sp. - another native, grows in the woods on my property. Smells of pineapple, only about a foot tall, with a loose spreading habit. I have two patches in the yard and love them. |
Adiantum beautiful little fern that can take dry spells and high temperatures like a champ. |
