My North Creek Nurseries Wish List

Clouds of blue flowers in early fall in shade! A great naturalizer under trees, at the edge of woods, or as a filler among Hostas and Astilbes, which look pretty rough by September. Found in woods and dry meadows.

"This is the most spectacular of all cultivars in its magnificent frond architecture. It is really the Queen of Green", according to Dr. John Mickel, former curator of ferns at the New York Botanical Garden and author of "Ferns for American Gardens". As with other forms of lady ferns there is so much variability with spore production that it is necessary to produce this form in tissue culture, so its clones are identical to the parent. This superb selection has fronds whose pinnae (leaflets) crisscross to form x's and has crested pinnae tips. Another superior cultivar in the Mickel Collection™.

Vigorous mounds of foliage reach up to a sturdy 30” tall. Flower display lasts for a full 6 weeks. Bright and sunny for end of summer blooming that holds through the fall. C. palustris is native to the swampy forests of the south and particularly prolific in the Carolinas. It is one of the slower spreading Coreopsis and is a faculative that tolerates wet roots for extended periods. Mt. Cuba Center's 2015 Coreopsis Trial

Heuchera 'Green Spice' spices up the shade garden! With dark red venation in spring transitioning to cool greens and silver in the summer, it wraps up its foliage show with oranges and rust colors in fall! This groundcover is a perfect way to brighten up dull spots, to edge along a garden path, or to intermingle with other interesting textures to liven things up. 

From Peace Tree Farm comes the next generation of Lavender—Lavender Sensational!® What makes it different from Phenomenal™? With large, thick flowers and sturdy stems, this lavender has a dense silver habit and great branching. The flowers are packed with that trademark lavender scent with low camphor notes. Peace Tree has improved its heat and humidity tolerance, as well as its cold tolerance, making this plant a great addition to a wider range of gardens!

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.

Soft, fragrant, gray-green foliage with sprays of large, distinct bluish purple flowers from April to October. Compact, prolific and beautiful! Named for English garden Walker's Low.

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 of 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. '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 irresistible 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 for year-round interest. Insect and pest free. White flowers with amber fruits in late spring. Very durable!