Sweet Woodruff, Galium odorata

Sweet woodruff is an attractive groundcover for moist, shady spots, producing tiny white flowers in the spring. This European plant was used as an herbal remedy for a variety of ailments, and the dried leaves and flowers smell like freshly mown hay. If you want to learn more about this herbaceous perennial, continue reading…

Euphorbia myrsinites

With lots of common names including creeping spurge, donkey tail, and myrtle spurge, Euphorbia myrsinites is an interesting succulent perennial that can be either a great garden plant or an aggressive pest. Learn more about this Eurasian species with blue foliage that’s in bloom now (at least in the Madison area) in this article…

Celandine Poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum

Celandine poppy or wood poppy will soon be opening its bright yellow flowers in shade and woodland gardens throughout the area. Learn more about this eastern US native perennial in this article…

Pea-Staking

Don’t like the look of metal or plastic stakes, but you need to offer some support for a few floppy annuals or perennials? How about using prunings from your yard or elsewhere to do the job in an informal way? Learn more about this time-honored technique…

Purple Heart, Tradescantia pallida

Want to add a splash of purple foliage to your containers and plantings this season? One easy-to-grow plant is Purple Heart. This tender perennial can be used outdoors during the growing season, but makes an easy houseplant in the winter. To learn more about this species, read on…

Blue Anise Sage, Salvia guaranitica

Looking for an unusual flower that comes in truly blue shades (as well as purple)? There is a tender perennial sage that can be grown as an annual to add this unusual color in the landscape or in containers. To learn more about Salvia guaranitica read this article…

Fountain Grass, Pennisetum alopecuroides

Ornamental grasses add interest in the landscape, especially at this time of year. Fountain grass, Pennisetum alopecuroides, is a nice short-stature grass for the home garden.  Learn more about this plant in this article…

Tropical Milkweed, Asclepias currasavica

It has showy orange and red flowers that are attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds, and is a favorite food of monarch butterfly caterpillars. Learn more about tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, in this article…

Yellow Coneflower, Echinacea paradoxa

If you were the only plant with yellow flowers in a genus of all purple-flowered plants, you might get the name “paradox”, too. At least until the recent development of yellow and orange cultivars of purple coneflower, Echinacea paradoxa was the only plant in its genus with yellow flowers. Learn more about this interesting plant in this article…

Nodding Onion, Allium cernuum

Ornamental onions can be nice additions to the landscape. If you’re looking for something a little different than the “ball on a stick” look, check out Allium cernuum. This native species, called nodding onion, has drooping umbels of pink flowers. Read more about nodding onion in this article…

Yellow Foxglove, Digitalis grandiflora

Most people are familiar with the purple or white-flowered biennial foxglove. Did you know there is a perennial species with yellow flowers? Lean more about this attractive plant in this article…

Prairie Smoke, Geum triflorum

Geum triflorum is an attractive little prairie plant that easily makes the transition to a perennial border or rock garden to charm you with both its nodding pink flowers and wispy seedheads. Learn more about this interesting native plant in this article…

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