My North Creek Nurseries Wish List

With its tough disposition and spreading habit, this native sedge makes an excellent shade groundcover. Fine texture and fountaining habit give this sedge a soft appearance that is lovely as an underplanting for bolder shade perennials or on its own as a shade lawn. Great in containers too! Easy to grow. Happiest in the company of oaks, but who isn't?

Introduced by Jelitto, who gave us 'Magnus', Echinacea 'Ruby Star' is a slightly shorter plant with large flat topped flowers that are a deeper purple pink, almost ruby red, than most others. Plants are easy to grow, tough, and heat and drought tolerant once established. Their roots have famous medicinal qualities, they make great, long lasting, cut flowers and attract numerous butterflies and small birds.

A bright new foliage color for shady sites! Golden yellow, oval leaves with reddish edges support 2" gold flowers with pincushion-like center clustered stamens in late spring and early summer. You will hardly notice the flowers in the sea of gold foliage. This plant is most content in cooler areas away from drying winter winds, although once established it is quite tough.

This delightful selection of our native crested iris came to us from Don Shadow in Winchester, TN. 'Tennessee White' is a vigorous spreader and prolific bloomer, covering the fan-like foliage with brilliant white flowers in spring, each accented with delicate yellow crests. Its late spring show starts earlier and lasts longer than the other selections we've tried.

Juncus effusus is a clump forming wetland plant that is a striking vertical addition to any garden or container planting. Upright, fanning, deep green, rounded stems make a great accent in a container or water garden. Soft rush can be planted at the edge of a pond or in up to 6" of standing water. Inconspicuous golden flowers appear atop the stems in summer. Native to most of North America, soft rush provides food and shelter for birds and other wildlife. Distribution Map

A seed cultivar with upright silver stems covered in a mist of lavender-blue flowers. The perfect plant to intermingle textures in flower borders, it is tough as steel and adds cool color through the late summer. A favorite of butterflies and bumblebees, avoided by deer, and able to withstand the baking and sweltering temperatures of summer—what’s not to like?

A long-hoped-for color break in garden Salvia. Ernst Pagels selected it for bluer flowers and compact habit. Insect and disease resistant, long flowered and tough as its brethren to follow. Attracts birds, butterflies and bees.

A dense mat of conifer-like blue foliage forms a tight, weed resistant groundcover in any sunny location. In June deep mauve pink stems rise to 10" and are topped with brilliant yellow flowers. 'Blue Spruce' grows quickly and is easy to maintain even in the most unwelcome of sites. Great for rock walls, green roofs, walkways and containers. Evergreen in warmer zones.