Lady’s mantle is an old-fashioned plant that still has a place in the ornamental garden. The European native Alchemilla mollis offers interesting foliage and an airy spray of yellow flowers in early summer. To learn more about this tough plant, read this article…
Want a sturdy, pink-flowered Dianthus for the border, rock garden or cottage garden for a burst of color this time of year? ‘Bath’s Pink’ is one of the most tolerant of heat, cold, humidity and drought – and is still vigorous enough to form a mat up to 3 feet across. To learn more about this great cultivar, read this article…
Do you need a low-growing groundcover that also flowers in the spring? Something to cover poor, rocky ground, or fill in among flagstones or pavers? There are a number of species of speedwell that fit the bill. To find out more about these plants in the genus Veronica, read this article…
Are you familiar with the wildflower Uvularia grandiflora, one of the first woodland perennials to emerge in the spring? Also planted as an ornamental with understated pendant yellow flowers, this native plant is at home in the informal, shady garden as well as the woods. To learn more about this relatively uncommon plant, read this article on bellwort…
You can readily find Easter lilies in bloom at this time of year. This hardy bulb is forced out of season to provide floral displays for this holiday. Whether you want these fragrant flowers to brighten your home at this time of year, or would just like to have them bloom in your garden at their normal time, this is a plant well worth getting to know. Read on to learn more about Lilium longiflorum …
Baptisia australis is a great, under-used herbaceous plant. This tough, but beautiful, prairie native has been chosen by the Perennial Plant Association as their Plant of the Year 2010. Purple-blue flowers and foliage that remains attractive throughout the season make this a nice a specimen plant or a good addition to the perennial border. Read more…
Make a splash in the garden with a brightly colored black-eyed Susan – minus the black eye. ‘Prairie Sun’ is a former All America Selections winner with a green center and rich, orange and yellow petals. Learn more about this intriguing cultivar …
Are you ready to add an exotic blue flower to your summer patio display, and then keep it as a houseplant? Lily-of-the-Nile is used extensively in landscaping in mild climates, but it’s not any harder to grow this plant in the north than many other tropicals. Learn more about the tender perennial Agapanthus in this article…
Looking for a miniature-scale ground cover? Brass buttons is a different type of low-growing plant, hailing from New Zealand, but hardy to zone 4. Learn more about the perennial Leptinella squalida in this article…
With silvery, woolly leaves and small, bright magenta, rose, pink or white flowers, rose campion, Lychnis coronaria can be a wonderful addition to the dry garden. It is a relatively short-lived perennial, but does self seed (not invasively) and has few pest problems. Read more about this pretty plant…
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…
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…
