| Erigeron pulchellus . . Robin's Plantain
. . 2 to 4 in. . . Sun to mod. shade
. . Zones 4 to 8 . . Avg. soil . . Spring
Native
Fine-petaled white flowers on 1 ft. stems change to pink as they age. Spring bloom. Glossy, crinkled leaves hug the ground making an excellent small area cover. Moderate rate. Space about 8 to 12 in.
A plant that deserves more use in the garden. The ground hugging foliage of Robin's Plantain gives it a place in front of or between taller plants. Remove the faded flower stems for appearance and to prevent unwanted seeding.
Once used as a cure for snake bite.
#1008 . . Quart pot
Eryngium yuccifolium . . Rattlesnake Master
. . 3 to 4 ft. . . Sun
. . Zones 3 to 10 . . Avg. soil . . Summer
Native
Long, thick yucca-like leaves armed with small teeth on the edges. Bears large clusters of cream colored flowers in summer.
One of several plants commonly named Rattlesnake Master. They were reputed to either repel rattlers or cure the effects of their bite.
#1643 . . Quart pot
Eupatorium coelestinum . . Perennial Ageratum
. . 12 to 24 in. . . Sun to lt. shade
. . Zones 6 to 9 . . Avg. soil . . L. Summer to E. Fall
Native
Numerous, blue flower heads first appear in late summer. can grow into large colonies. Vigorous. Good cut flower.
The flower heads look like the annual ageratums, but this plant is completely hardy and perennial. Plant in full sun for best bloom. Botanic name has been changed to Conoclinium coelestinum.
#1066 . . Quart pot
Eupatorium fistulosum . . Joe-pye Weed
. . 6 to 8 ft. . . Sun to mod.shade
. . Zones 4 to 9 . . Avg. soil . . Late Summer
Native
Strong straight stems with whorled leaves. Huge pink to purple flower heads in August. Best in full sun with moist soil.
Joe-Pye is an outstanding garden plant. Its neat and symmetrical form contrasts well with bushy, rounded plants. Just be sure to place it behind everything else. It does get tall.
There is some confusion as to what the herbal uses were. The name "Joe-Pye" has been applied to many of the Eupatorium species.
#1067 . . Quart pot
Eupatorium perfoliatum . . Boneset
. . 4 to 6 ft. . . Sun to lt. shade
. . To Zone 4 . . Avg. soil, moist . . L. Summer to E. Fall
Native
The stem appears to grow through the joined, opposite leaves. White, flat-topped flower heads in late summer. The unique symmetrical foliage attracts attention in the garden.
Boneset is the most celebrated of the Eupatorium species for medicinal use. It was a treatment for numerous ailments, including the common cold. I have met several mountain residents that have less than fond memories of Boneset Tea as a cure for colds. They said the taste of the stuff was enough to cure anything!
#1068 . . Quart pot
Eupatorium rugosum . . White Snakeroot
. . 2 to 4 ft. . . Sun to mod. shade
. . Zones 5 to 9 est. . . Avg.soil . . L. Summer to E. Fall
Native
Medium-green, wide leaves with a tall, open habit. Pure white heads of flowers appear in very late summer. Use for naturalizing in open woods or at wood's edge. The botanic name is now Ageratina rugosum.
A toxic alcohol is transmitted through the milk of cows that eat the plant, causing "milk sickness" in humans. Abraham Lincoln's mother is said to have died from this disease.
#1069 . . Quart pot
Eupatorium serotinum . . Late Flowering Thoroughwort
. . 2 to 4 ft. . . Sun
. . To Zone . . Avg. soil . . L. Summer to E. Fall
Native
A white blooming species having flower heads up to 16 inches in breadth. A durable plant often found in old fields and along railroads.
#1505 . . Quart pot
Eurybia divaricata . . White Wood Aster
. . 12 to 18 in. . . Lt. to full shade
. . Zones 4 to 8 . . Avg. soil . . Late Summer
Native
Clusters of small white blooms in late summer. Dark green leaves and purple stems. Spreads with rhizomes. Good for naturalizing at the woods edge.
One of the few Asters that prefers shade. Can be invasive.
#1043 . . Quart pot
Eurybia macrophylla . . Bigleaf Aster
. . 6 to 8 in. . . Lt. to full shade
. . Zones 4 to 7 . . Avg. soil . . Late Summer
Native
Four inch wide heart shaped leaves. Can form large dense colonies. Floral stem is 2 to 3 ft. tall with white flowers. Spreads with stolons at a moderate rate. Use for natural woodland ground cover. Plant about 12 in. apart.
Bloom stems are infrequent and look little like the dense ground covering growth. I had cultivated a bed of Large Leaf Aster for several years before I figured out that the 6 inch high ground cover with the huge leaves and the 4 foot flowering stems were one and the same. The garden value is in the foliage, not the flowers.
I had not known of any culinary uses for Asters until I met a local Korean lady that collected the young leaves of A. macrophyllus for spring greens.
The herbal uses are scant. The Indians are said to have made a tea for headache and used the dried leaves in lieu of tobacco.
#1004 . . Quart pot
Filipendula ulmaria . . Meadowsweet
. . 3 to 4 ft. . . Sun to lt. shade
. . Zone 2 . . Avg. to moist soil . . Summer
Eurasia
Attractive foliage plant in spring. Large, creamy white flower heads in summer.
#2079 . . Quart pot
Geranium macrorrhizum . . Geranium "Walter Ingwersen"
. . 15 to 18 in. . . Sun to lt. shade
. . Zones 4 to 8 . . Avg. soil . . L. Spring to E. Summer
Europe
A vigorous, heat tolerant, drought-resistant, pink flowering selection notable for the delightful fragrance of its divided, rounded foliage.
It is semievergreen, but does develop bright autumn color. It can be used as a dense, weed-proof ground cover, for either sun or shade.
#1918 . . Quart pot
Geranium maculatum . . Wild Geranium
. . 12 to 24 in. . . Lt. to mod. shade
. . Zones 3 to 9 . . Avg. soil . . Spring
Native
Dark green, deeply divided leaves. Purple to pink flowers in spring. A standard in the wild garden.
One of the few hardy geraniums that prefers some shade. The foliage is attractive long after the blooms fade. Easy to grow.
Used by early settlers and Indians alike as a herbal medicine. Mentioned in literature as early as 1672.
#1072 . . Quart pot
Geranium x cantabrigiense . . Cranesbill Geranium "Biokovo"
. . 12 in. . . Sun to lt. shade
. . Zones 5 to 8 . . Avg. soil, well drained . . L. Spring to E. Summer
Hybrid
Masses of rounded leaves with white, faintly blushing flowers.
A hybrid of G. macrorrhizum and G. dalmaticum, first discovered in Yugoslavia, it is noteworth for the beauty of its flowers. It can also be used effectively as a ground cover.
. . . . "The cranesbills fit into their surroundings with that subtle sympathy which weds the harebell to the heaths." G.S. Thomas, "Perennial Garden Plants"
#1785 . . Quart pot
Helianthus divaricatus . . Sunflower
. . 5 ft. . . Sun
. . Zone 4 . . Avg. soil, well drained . . L. Summer to E. Fall
Native
Lanceolate, shallowly toothed, slightly hairy opposite leaves and yellow row of ray flowering surrounding the disc. Quite robust, they are best used in the back of a border or for naturalizing.
#1339 . . Quart pot
Helianthus maximiliani . . Maximilian Sunflower
. . To 10 ft. . . Sun
. . Zones 3 to 8 . . Avg. soil . . Late Summer
Native
Numerous 3 inch, bright yellow flowers. Late summer. Tall, strong stems. Native to the Central Plains states.
Good source of forage for wildlife.
#1457 . . Quart pot
Helianthus mollis . . Ashey Sunflower
. . To 6 ft. . . Sun
. . Zones 4 to 9 . . Avg. to poor soil . . Late Summer
Native
Gray-green, densely hairy leaves are soft to the touch. Bears numerous four inch, yellow flowers in late summer.
#1518 . . Quart pot
Hemerocallis fulva cv. . . Double Daylily "Kwanso"
. . To 40 in. . . Sun to lt. shade
. . To Zone 4 . . Avg. soil . . Summer
Japan
A double-flowered form of the Tawny Daylily. The bloom is later and larger than the Tawny. Vigorous and beautiful.
Introduced in 1860. The word Kwanso is the Japanese equivalent of "daylily"
#1017 . . Quart pot
Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus . . Lemon Lily
. . 18 to 30 inches . . Sun to lt. shade
. . Zones 3 to 9 . . Avg. soil . . Spring
Asia
Unforgettably fragrant, clear yellow blooms in spring--earliest of the Daylilies. An old garden plant first described in 1596. Easily grown--spreads freely.
#1320 . . Quart pot
Hemerocallis x . . Daylily "Stella D'oro"
. . 12 to 24 in. . . Sun
. . To Zone 4 . . Avg. soil . . All season
Hybrid
Well known (at least most advertised) hybrid daylily. Narrow foliage and neat habit. Stays small. Not invasive. Yellow-gold flowers from late spring to fall, with heaviest bloom in the spring. Excellent in the border. The name means "Star of Gold".
#1018 . . Quart pot
Hibiscus coccineus . . Texas Star Hibiscus
. . To 6 ft. . . Sun
. . Zones 6 to 9 . . Avg. to moist soil . . Summer
Native
Enormous red blooms are 6 to 8 in. across. Forms stands of tall, strong stems. Herbacious perennial--foliage dies back in winter. Heat tolerant.
#1475 . . Gallon container
Hosta cv. . . Border Hosta "Golden Sceptre"
. . To 12 in. . . Lt. to full shade
. . To Zone 4 . . Avg. soil . . Summer
Japan
Forms a bright gold, dense mound up to 20 in. wide. Stalks of purple flowers in late spring. Brightens up those shady areas.
#2187 . . Quart pot
Hosta cv. . . Border Hosta "Lemon Lime"
. . 6 in. . . Sun to full shade
. . Zone . . Avg. soil . . L. Spring to E. Summer
Cultivated
Lemon-Lime (Chartruse), wavy edged leaves. Low growing, stays small. Showy stalks of purple flowers in late spring.
Good for edging and the front of the garden. Brighter chartruse color when planted in sun. Can tolerate full sun with some leaf burn appearing in late summer.
#1804 . . Quart pot
Hosta cv. . . Border Hosta "Twist of Lime"
. . To 10 in. . . Lt. to full shade
. . Zone 4 . . Avg. soil . . Summer
Japan
Forms a bright green gold, dense mound up to 20 in. wide. Leaves feature a fine, dark green border. Stalks of purple flowers in late spring. Brightens up those shady areas.
#2158 . . Quart pot
Hosta sieboldiana . . Crinkle-leaf Hosta
. . 24 to 36 in. . . Lt. to full shade
. . Zones 3 to 9 . . Avg. soil, moist . . Summer
Asia
Grows into a dramatic four foot wide clump. Magnificent, rounded, seersucker leaves may be a foot across. Large scapes of lavender flowers in summer.
#2159 . . Quart pot
Hylotelephium telephioides . . Allegheny Stonecrop
. . 8 to 16 in. . . Sun to lt. shade
. . Zones 5 to 8 . . Avg. soil, well drained . . Late Summer
Native
Clusters of pale pink to white flowers in late summer. Formerly Sedum telephioides.The plant resembles a smaller version of the common, cultivated Asian Sedum "Autumn Joy".
The parent of this plant is from a rock outcrop high in the N. Carolina mountains.
#1255 . . Quart pot
Hypericum perforatum . . St. Johnswort
. . 12 to 36 in. . . Sun to lt. shade
. . Zone 5 . . Avg. soil, well drained . . Late Summer
Europe
Scented yellow flowers with black dots, and small oblong stalkless leaves which are covered with tiny perforations which are in fact translucent glands.
When the flowers are pinched, the petals turn red, appearing to bleed. The "blood" is supposed to be that of the beheaded St. John. The crushed leaves release a balsamic odor, similar to incense.
This is one of the more medicinally active species. It is said to be useful for depression and nervous complaints.
. . . . In folklore, it has been known as "Grace of God." In England, it was believed to cure mania, and in Russia it was used for hydrophobia.
#1864 . . Quart pot
|
