My North Creek Nurseries Wish List

Green to bright chartreuse flowers appear in clusters above scalloped, grey-green foliage from late spring through summer. Robust and vigorous, Alchemilla mollis 'Auslese' prefers full sun to part shade and has a wonderfully uniform habit.

A fantastic native with large, fine-textured feathery blooms in late Spring. Though closely related to Spiraea, goat's beard more closely resembles a giant Astilbe. When happy, Aruncus can be a formidable garden plant, reaching a spread of 6 feet or more. It is lovely when used at woods edge and it can provide a dense screen beneath a high canopy.

Vibrant, hot-pink, star-shaped flowers with yellow center accents adorn lance-shaped green foliage through autumn. The compact, mounding habit of this sport of Aster 'Purple Dome' has proven mildew resistance. Reaching between 18 and 20 inches, 'Vibrant Dome' performs best in fertile, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. A beautiful performer for late season color.

A versatile native grass with bamboo-like foliage and delightful nodding seed heads that rustle in the breeze from late summer to winter. It grows in most sites and is a quite vigorous groundcover when given consistent moisture and sun. It is better behaved in average garden conditions and in shade. A unique cut flower in fresh or dry arrangements.

Our local native with yellow or bronze single daisy-like flowers on stout branched stems in late summer. Petals have distinct tooth-like indentations; hence the common name, dog-toothed daisy. All sneezeweeds have three-lobed petals which distiguish them from Rudbeckia and other yellow coneflowers. Brown, rust colored fruit appear in fall. Great for cut flowers and the avid butterfly gardener.

A valuable ecological species, Monarda punctata is the equivalent of a juice bar at the gym for nectar loving/needing insects! BONUS, it also resists all other kinds of mites that could impact the bees because it is incredibly high in thymol. If you are in the area where the endangered Karner Blue still resides, you will be helping restore them to safe status by planting a stand of Monarda punctata, as this is their food mothership.

This knee-high performer is a knockout in the landscape! Selected for copious floral display and dwarf habit with increased manageability, this variety has excellent branching and forms a tidy, compact clump. A bit more floriferous than 'Goldsturm', flowers are held high above rich green foliage and bloom from July into October.

Our friend Larry Lowman of Ridgecrest Nursery in Wynne, Arkansas graciously gave us this marvelous plant. It was collected from a railroad prairie remnant in southern Illinois and named for the man who found it, Henry Eilers, a horticulturist and retired nurseryman. Basal leaves appear in early spring and flowering stalks begin their ascent in June, reaching five to six feet and full flower by August, often staying in bloom into September. 'Henry Eilers' has finely quilled flowers of true yellow, not gold, and is stunning in a mass planting. It has captivated many visitors who have seen it here and motivated them to ask us to grow it. The leaves of Rudbeckia subtomentosa are sweetly scented with a subtle vanilla fragrance. It is lovely with Joe-Pyes and grasses, and it blooms with the Hibiscus hybrids and makes a great companion for them as well. 'Henry Eilers' has undeniable potential as a cut flower with its unique appearance, sturdy straight stems and long vase life.

A quick-spreading groundcover that turns shades of rose and copper in the sun, creating a tapestry of color that bursts in to brilliant yellow bloom in mid-summer. Often used on green roofs, it is highly adaptable and thrives in any sunny location. Tough and easy to grow. The species name is derived from its little leaves that appear in six spiral rows.

Dr. John Creech, former director of the U.S. National Arboretum, discovered this little beauty in the Siberian Academ Gorodok Gardens in 1971. The small, scalloped green leaves of this weed-smothering groundcover are topped with rose pink flowers in late summer and fall. It is very hardy, vigorous and gorgeous weaving in and out of stepping stones or along a garden path. Ideal for green roofs, rock gardens and containers as well. Tolerant of light shade.

Chris Hansen has done it again! Lime green foliage with a crisp, contrasting red edge. Hot pink flower heads last for weeks through late summer into fall, and don't flop or fade! A perfect addition to the front of the perennial border, and works great in containers.

Delightful, compact and easy to grow, Silene 'Short and Sweet' is an excellent choice for bright shade or full sun. It is covered in deep pink flowers in late spring. Very reliable for us through wet and dry seasons, and in a cool spring it seems to bloom forever—one year we tracked 8 weeks of full bloom! A great native substitute for Dianthus, this Silene has similar appearance and bloom time, but tolerates a wider variety of garden situations. Silene 'Short and Sweet' is a fantastic plant for naturalizing, yet it can hold its own as a specimen in a container or patio garden as well.

Delightful, golden-yellow flowers are borne in axillary clusters along reflexing stems from late summer into fall. Reliable, deep green, glossy foliage remains clean throughout the growing seasons. Not an aggressive runner, 'Solar Cascade' is a clump forming perennial reaching knee height, maxing out somewhere between the taller 'Fireworks' and more compact 'Golden Fleece'. Performs best in moist to average garden soil under full sun or partial shade; extremely drought tolerant once established. This great garden plant is easy to propagate and proved to be a standout in The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden perennial trials. Plant en masse for a dramatic effect or incorporate into seasonal arrangements.

Brilliant yellow flowers bloom in spring atop blue-green, pinnately lobed foliage. Leaf underside has a silvery cast. An easy-to-grow native that will self sow and form a dense shade groundcover. Tolerates all but the driest conditions. Beautiful paired with Mertensia virginica, Aquilegia canadensis, Aruncus dioicus, and Phlox divaricata.