This native classic is best known as a food of larval monarch butterflies (along with its cousins A. incarnata and A. tuberosa). Robust, yet beautiful with deep pink clusters of fragrant flowers in June and July followed by lovely pods of silky seeds in October.
This member of the Wood's Aster group has the typical low rounded habit and profuse blooming associated with all three. 'Wood's Blue' has perfectly clean foliage, and in the early fall it is covered with clear, medium blue flowers with gold centers. Bred for compact habit, long bloom period and heavy flowering, all of the Wood's Asters are outstanding pot crops and should be used far more often as a sturdy perennial alternative for mums.
Aster 'Wood's Pink' is virtually mildew and rust free. Like all the Wood's Asters, it is a wonderful container plant, with a compact habit and unstoppable clear pink flowers with gold centers. Bred for compact habit, long bloom period and heavy flowering, all of the Wood's Asters are outstanding pot crops and should be used far more often as a sturdy perennial alternative for mums.
A dark pink fall-blooming aster with a tidy habit and smothered in flowers? Oh man, we think we may have developed a crush. A 'Pink Crush' that is. An introduction from Walters Gardens, this New England aster is a shorter variety that doesn't splay in the late season like other aster cultivars.
Handsome crowns of feathery fronds are typical of this genus. Delicate and lacy with arching fronds and dark red stems at maturity. Strong-growing and dependable, lady ferns are great garden plants. Tough and easy to grow, this beauty is the right choice for perennial borders and woodlands alike. A breathtaking flush of new fronds appears in the spring, with new leaves appearing throughout the season for a continuously fresh look. Found in swamps, thickets and damp woods east of the Rockies.
A tall and lovely prairie native with long spikes of pure white flowers from May to Mid-June. Easy and long-lived, it is native from New York to Minnesota, Texas to Mississippi.
Calamagrostis brachytricha is a clump-forming grass with bright green leaves reaching about 2 feet. In late summer blooms emerge with a pink tint and reach 3 to 4 feet. The feathery flowers fade to cream in fall and finish in a straw color in winter. A graceful addition to the shade or part shade garden! One of the few flowering grasses that is happy in the shade. Wonderful for cut flowers.
One of the most popular garden grasses in the world, 'Karl Foerster' is known for its ease of culture, tidy vertical habit and beautiful feathery blooms. In mid summer flowers open a creamy white tinged with pink. As they age they become narrow plumes of golden straw and last well into winter.
This beautiful selection has narrow (1/4") leaves with white margins, giving it a very fine texture overall. Rhizomatous, forming thick silvery clumps. A bright addition to the shade palette!
Carex cherokeensis is a native sedge with a soft-medium texture. It prefers moist conditions but is adaptive. Grows in part shade but tolerates full sun in the morning. The inflorescence has been noted as insignificant but, we like the little wispy spikes that add a interest in the spring.
A bright groundcover for a shady spot, 'Ice Dance' has long shiny leaves trimmed in bright white. It spreads slowly to fill in and make a tidy cover that discourages weeds. Deer and disease resistant, it is long-lasting and easy to grow!
According to Plantipp, the motto of this stunning Caryopteris isbig, blue & beautiful! We found that to be true in our own trial gardens here at North Creek. Its powdery grey-green foliage is the perfect skirting to present the long wands of stacked deep blue flowers. The flowers are bigger than other Caryopteris that we have trialed with long wands lasting weeks on end. It is a wonderful addition to the landscape or container garden and excellent for cut flowers. Superior low growing habit.
The leathery leaves of Dryopteris marginalis are a beautiful addition to the woodland garden and can form a lovely and easy to maintain groundcover. A sturdy east coast native, it forms a tidy clump that will not spread and is very tolerant of dry shade conditions once it has established. Marginal wood fern is often found in shaded crevices of rocky ledges and bluffs from Newfoundland to Georgia, west to Oklahoma and Minnesota.
It is low and tidy and gently fills an area with its fragrant foliage. 'Azure Rush' is generously covered with light blue 2.5 inch blooms. Everything that you have come to love and anticipate from 'Rozanne' is true + improved by her lighter blue daughter.
An explosion of golden yellow flowers combined with a manageable height makes this a superior selection. Despite its name, this plant can be found literally blanketed in flowers in the late summer and into the fall when most other Helianthus are past. Flowers form on upright, self-supporting stems but instead of the typical tall sunflower, Helianthus 'First Light' forms a nice, compact clump of fuzzy, linear leaves topping out just above 3 feet.
A widely used and attractive evergreen groundcover which is dense, but not invasive. Deep green, oval leaves and 2" gold flowers with pincushion-like, center-clustered stamens in late spring and early summer. One of the nicest groundcovers when in bloom. Most content in cooler areas away from drying winter winds, although quite tough once established.
The sweetly-scented tubular red flowers of this native honeysuckle often attract hummingbirds to the garden throughout the summer. Flowers are followed by bright red fruit, attractive to birds. A twining vine, it needs a trellis or fence for support.
'Gardenview Scarlet' is one of the most mildew resistant Monarda varieties available. A classic variety that is well-earned, it's rose-red flowers sit on stems rising to 3' tall. Blooming from June to August, this long-flowering Monarda is beautiful, especially when massed in drifts to attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.
A fan favorite at Mt. Cuba Center’s Monarda trials thanks to superior resistance to powdery mildew—this selection boasts sturdy, upright stems, and a prolific floral display of purplish-red flowers atop clean green foliage.
A White Flower Farm introduction. The buds really do resemble raspberries! Clear wine-red flowers from June through August. Very mildew resistant. Cherished by butterflies and hummingbirds, but loathed by deer. Also makes an excellent cut flower.
Confused for many years in the trade, we are proud to carry the true 'Fireworks'. Deep bronze foliage and red stems are contrasted by red buds opening to canary yellow blooms in June. The individual flowers may not last for more than a day or two, but they open in succession leaving the plant in continuous bloom. Burgundy rosettes in winter. More compact and darker than 'Summer Solstice'. The most popular cultivar of the Oenotheras!
A North Creek discovery sure to give a brilliant performance in the landscape, worthy of applause. It keeps a tight, upright habit throughout the entire season and has stood strong even in the rich soils of our trial gardens. A warm season grass that does well in poor, dry soils. Spikey bluish-green stems and leaves transition to a sizzling display of oranges, reds, yellows, and purplish-browns in the autumn. Also provides winter interest before cutting back in early spring to make way for new growth.
We’re thrilled to offer Chris Hansen’s breakthrough new Sunsparkler® series! Selected for compact growth habit, attractive foliage, large flower heads, and brilliant bloom color…'Cherry Tart' does not disappoint! Masses of brilliant pink, 5" diameter flower clusters explode above cherry-red leaves from late summer into early autumn. Perfect for the landscape or container garden.
Soft blue star-shaped flowers with gold centers rise above fine, semievergreen, Iris-like foliage from May to June. Excellent for edging, the 3/4" flowers are very good sized for the genus. A strong floral show without seeding around and a tidier habit with more flower power than the straight species.
This clump forming, non-invasive native perennial boldly displays arching wands of golden clusters in September, contrasted by blue-green stems. Adds life to a dry shady spot. Great with Aster cordifolius and Chasmanthium. Incredible butterfly magnet and cut flower!
This cultivar features smaller leaves and finer texture than 'Helene von Stein', and seldom blooms. Silky hairs cover the leaves, giving them a very silvery appearance overall. Great for hot, dry locations.
'Sweet Kate' is an easy-to-grow perennial that produces a profusion of unusual deep-blue flowers from summer to fall. An eye-catching accent for the border, the vibrant golden-yellow foliage is the perfect foil for its bloom and a bright companion for purple-foliaged plants.
One of the few varieties of Tricyrtis with variegated leaves that is a good, tough garden plant with clean foliage! Green leaves with creamy, almost gold edges are topped in fall with lily-like flowers of purple with dark purple spotting with yellow throats. Best admired from close by, it is lovely planted near a patio or sitting area mixed with other shade perennials.