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Red flowers with yellow centers hang like drifts of softly illuminated lanterns in April and May. Excellent as a shady rock garden naturalizer, it also is quite content in average garden conditions. Occurs naturally in rich rocky woods, north-facing slopes, cliffs, ledges, pastures, and roadside banks. Native to all states east of the Rockies, but not found in Louisiana.

A widely adaptable and tough native is a deer-resistant food for larval butterflies. The fine-textured foliage provides a dark green backdrop for the clusters of white flowers that appear in June and July.

A second introduction from Chicagoland Grows, Starlite Prairieblues shines with soft blue pea flowers that glow white at the base for a sparkling overall appearance. A good strong grower with long spikes of flowers in early summer.

A spectacular new clump-forming sedge with powder blue leaves up to an inch or more wide. Spreads slowly to form a wonderfully textured groundcover in moist or average soil. Tolerates dry shade once established. An early spring haircut makes room for clean new growth. Great for deciduous shade.

Blue Mist Shrub is aptly named as its gray-green foliage is shrouded in a cloud of blue from mid to late summer. It is a well-behaved garden plant that is very attractive to butterflies. Dark Knight has deep purple blue flowers closely spaced on long stems.

A wonderful new addition to the fall palette of pink and blue asters. Clusters of loose, single, 2", bright yellow daisy flowers cover the plant in the fall. Maryland goldenaster truly is drought tolerant and easy to grow.

New from Itsaul Plants, this stunning little guy seems to always be in bloom. A cross between 'Zamphir' and 'Early Sunrise', it has broader fluted petals, a compact habit and an extended flowering season. Responds beautifully to cutting back, but will rebloom without it.

Succulent, spreading, dark green foliage of Delosperma 'Osberg' produces dazzling white star-shaped flowers accented by a yellow center. Though diminutive in stature, flowers consistently blanket the foliage throughout the season. Reaching nearly 3 inches, D. 'Osberg' performs quite well as a rock garden groundcover in moderate to xeric soil moisture.

Pink Double Delight is a vegetatively propagated selection that is compact and free flowering. Flowers are consistently double and are double right away upon blooming. The stems are sturdy and numerous, for a full appearance in containers and in the garden. We've been very impressed with this double and think it is an easy sell at retail! Shorter than Razzmatazz and Double Decker, and blooms sooner with double flowers from the start.

Helenium 'Mardi Gras' produces a festival of multicolored blooms jazzes up the garden for six to eight weeks in mid to late summer. Yellow petals are lavishly edged with bright orange red, aging to clear red edged in gold, all surrounding deep chestnut cones. Gorgeous in a pot! Great as a cut flower, its long stems are sturdy and vase life is long. Heleniums are naturally resistant, even toxic, to deer and rabbits. An early pinch back helps promote branching. Blooms of Bressingham variety.

The darkest of the new H. villosa hybrids from Thierry Delabroye, Mocha is a stunning rich purple that deepens in summer sun. Compact, with nicely arranged foliage, it shows very well in a container and makes an elegant and long-lasting addition to the garden.

This delightful selection of 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.

 

Finally a production and landscape friendly native honeysuckle! Major Wheeler is the best selection of Lonicera sempervirens we've grown and it stands out so far above the rest that we've dropped all other red cultivars. Clean foliage is the first benefit. Even in periods of drought or in overgrown production, we've never seen a speck of mildew on this one. But its real asset is FLOWER POWER! This selection is COVERED in red trumpet flowers in late spring and keeps churning them out all summer long, especially with a post-bloom trim. The hummingbirds will find it from miles around.

Looking for a native substitute for Ajuga or Lamium? This could be it. Long trailing stems run across the ground and root along the way. In late spring the green carpet gives way to hundreds of blue flowers opening to reveal spotted throats. Beautiful from a distance and under close scrutiny. Irresistible in a pot!

Named for the son of Georgia plantsman and garden designer Jean Cline. This is the ticket as far as mildew resistant monardas. Wonderfully aromatic foliage and stems with enormous red tubular flowers from June to August. A Saul Nursery introduction. Cherished by butterflies and hummingbirds. Also makes an excellent cut flower!

One of the easiest and most rewarding plants you can grow in the sunny garden, Pennisetum 'Foxtrot' has silvery plumes that appear in mid summer continue into fall when the foliage takes on fiery tones of orange and red. Its tall stature and prolific bloom make it an excellent feature in a small garden or a great candidate for a drift or modest screen where space allows. Combines beautifully with mid and late summer bloomers like Phlox, Joe Pye and Sunflowers.

Founded by garden writer Tammy Clayton, Phlox paniculata 'Lord Clayton' is a regal combination of leaf and bloom. Unique, cherry-red flowers add excitement to the perennial border from late June into September. Foliage emerges a deep purple with lime green stems and veins, later transitioning to a deep purple-green. Phlox paniculata 'Lord Clayton' performs quite well in average garden soil with average moisture.

Also known as Indian Physic or American Ipecac, Bowman's Root is an easy-to-grow native for bright shade or partial sun and it tolerates tree root competition well as long at it has a nice layer organic mulch. Bowman's Root is lovely in a mass planting where its lacy white flowers can shimmer in a light breeze. It makes a nice filler - think Gaura for shade! A compact rounded plant is topped in late spring with ethereal white flowers growing in a few loose terminal panicles, with red petioles and mahogany stems. Clean, disease-free foliage often turns deep bronzy red in fall and contrasts beautifully with the more typical oranges and yellows in the perennial border. Interesting form and unique seed heads persist into winter. Great for cut flowers!

We've been enjoying this great native for many years in our garden, since it was given to us by the Mt. Cuba Center in 2001. We are thrilled to finally be able to offer it to you thanks to a breakthrough in propagation! Porteranthus 'Pink Profusion' has clear pink flowers that are held daintily above reddish leaves on deep red stems. The best part is the way the flowers shimmer in a light breeze, as though they will take flight at any moment.

An irresistable quilt textured creeping groundcover. Turns deep, vivid red in the fall. Small ( 1-1.5" ) deep green, maple shaped leaves, with smooth light tan undersides. Nearly evergreen, insect and pest free. White flowers with amber fruits in late spring. Very durable!

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 Future Plants intro, this hybrid with S. pratense brings color and flower power to the hardy salvias. Tall, upright spikes boast big bicolor flowers of light pink with dark calyces for a stunning show that is sure to please! A tidy habit in containers is handy too. Tags will ship unless otherwise requested.

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 profusion of sky-blue pincushion flowers. A fantastic performer, butterfly magnet, flowers continuously from May to killing frost. Top ten container and sunny border plant and cut flower.

Delightful round blue foliage on low spreading plants with gracefully arching stems. In late summer the foliage is completely hidden behind tiny brilliant pink star flowers.Tough and easy to grow, it loves a hot dry location and thrives in containers and rock walls.

A nice, easy plant that pleases everyone. A quick spreading ground cover with needle-like foliage, it emerges chartreuse, then turns golden yellow in the sun. In fall it turns to rich shades of orange and red. Yellow flowers appear in mid-summer. Great for containers and hanging baskets, or as an underplanting in the full sun or bright shade garden. Reported to be zone 6 hardy with good drainage.

Delightful, compact and easy to grow, Silene caroliniana 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 for three years now 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.

According to wild Niel Dibol, of Prairie Nursery, Westfield, WI, it is "often considered to be the most handsome of the prairie grasses. It makes a well defined and very distinctive border when planted 18-24" apart." Fine textured, deep green foliage with lovely, light and airy flowers to 2 1/2" in September and October. Flowers have a slight fragrance similar to coriander. Often has glowing pumpkin orange fall color. Good drought tolerance.

Excellent for flowers and foliage, S. 'Hummelo' hosts a lovely display of lavender-purple flowers atop tall, leafless stems while the stoloniferous nature creates small mounding clumps. Selected for strong flower production, plant health, habit quality and winter hardiness. A true garden delight!