This creeping perennial is evergreen in mild climates and spreads quickly to form a low mat that is hard for weeds to penetrate. The attractive foliage ranges from a deep green laced with bronze to a pink and cream depending on the cultivar you choose. Deep blue flowers are held on spikes above leaf rosettes.
Varieties available for nursery/plant sales and mail order (Canada only): Bronze Beauty, Burgandy Glow (varigated leaves), New-Pink Flowered! 3 1/2" $2.50C 6" $4.00C ; Metallica Crispa (dwarf) 4 " $3.00C
Beautiful downy, gray green scalloped and pleated leaves collect dew that appears as silvery drops. This was once collected by alchemists for their pursuits, hence the name Alchemilla. Cloud like chartreuse flower sprays bloom for a long time and complements almost all flower colors. Try cutting for fresh and dried bouquets. Great in dried arrangements.
Package 25+ seeds $1.75US
Nursery/plant sales and mail order (Canada only) 3 1/2" $2.50C 6"$4.00C 1gallon $6.00C
Dwarf form with decorative foliage, dark green scalloped leaves outlined with silver.Spreads slowly by runners. Has the characteristic sparys of tiny chartreuse flowers, foliage gets about 2" high, flower sprays 4-8" high.
Package 25+ seeds $2.50US
This tiny-leaved form of Lady's Mantle is excellent for rockeries, I have it growing in a terra-cotta planter, and it has survived a couple of winters outside with no protection. Stems can turn red in the sun, tiny flower sparys of yellow. 1-2" high with flower sprays 4-6".
Package 25+ seeds $3.00US
Type: bulb
Uses: under trees, front of border, cutting
Habit: goes dormant in summer, can self-seed
Light: Full sun to part sun (blooms in late spring, so can take summer shade)
Flower color: deep purple (shades can vary)
Blooms: late spring, early summer
Height: 2-3 feet
Fertility: average
Soil: well-drained
This a very decorative form with 4-6" spheres of purple that are excellent cut fresh or dried. Foliage naturally dies back as the flower blooms, so I grow short to medium sized perennials at the base.
Package 25+ seeds $2.50US
Nursery/plant sales (Canada only) 1 gallon $5.00C
Type: bulb
Uses: under trees, front of border, cutting
Habit: goes dormant in summer, can self-seed
Light: Full sun to part sun
Flower color: pure sky blue (azure)
Blooms: early -mid summer
Height: 1-2 feet
Fertility: average
Soil: well-drained
This is one of the few true blue Alliums available. Color is definitely it's best feature. Blooms are about 1" diameter balls. Best in groups of 10 or more. Foliage naturally dies back as the flower blooms, so I grow short perennials at the base.
Package 25+ seeds SOLD OUT
Nursery/plant sales (Canada only) 3 1/2" SORRY SOLD OUT
Type: bulb
Uses: great perennial clumper, rock garden
Habit: acts like a perennial, does not go dormant
Light: full sun
Flower color: pink or white
Blooms: - summer
Height: 12-18"
Fertility: average
Soil: average-well-drained
This variety is very rarely found in nurseries, and just recently, I have seen it offered in mail-order catalogues. It is a nice addition to the perennial garden, as it doesn't go dormant, and will fairly quickly form a nice-sized clump of pendant, bell-shaped flowers- seed head is also attractive.
Package 25+ seeds $2.50US
Nursery/plant sales and mail order (Canada only) Limited quantity 3 1/2" $3.00C
Type: bulb
Uses: front of border, cutting, rock garden, native garden
Habit: retains leaves all summer, can self-seed
Light: Full sun to part sun
Flower color: light to dark pink, white
Blooms: summer
Height: 10-12"
Soil: average, well-drained
Darling North American native Allium. Highly desirable garden form. 12-14" stems. Pretty nodding head in a range of pink blooms in summer.
Package 25+ seeds $3.50US
Nursery/plant sales (Canada only) Limited quantity 3 1/2" $3.00C
Type: bulb
Uses: front of border, cutting
Habit: goes dormant in summer, can self-seed
Light: Full sun to part sun
Flower color: silvery lilac
Blooms: early summer
Height: 2-3 feet
Fertility: average
Soil: well-drained
One of the largest flowering (Can be up to 12" in diameter), and most imposing species. Each large sphere is composed of individual star-shaped florets of silvery lilac. Seedheads are just as attractive.
Package 25+ seeds $2.50US
Nursery/plant sales (Canada only) 1 gallon $5.00C
Type: Bulb
Uses: Border, Rock Garden, Dried flower
Habit: goes dormant in summer, can self-seed
Light: Full Sun
Flower Color: Lavender to Deep Lilac
Blooms: early summer
Height: 1-2 feet
Fertility: Average
Soil: well-drained
Definitely the largest flower-heads of all the Alliums- can be 12-15+" across! Looks like a giant exploding sparkler! This is one of the few flowers that looks even better in real life than in catalogues. It only gets 15-20" high, so you want this front and center in your garden bed. As it will go dormant in summer, you can grow a non-invasive ground cover such as dianthus, in the same spot. It likes good drainage. Plant bulbs in fall, or start from seed in early spring.
Package 25+ seeds $3.00US
Nursery/plant sales (Canada
only) 1 gallon $5.00C
Type: Bulb
Uses: Border, Rock Garden
Light: Full sun
Flower Color: Rosy pink
Blooms: June-July
Height: 12-15"
Fertility: Average
Soil: well-drained
Very rare, nice perennial, clumping allium with rosy-purple balls of florets 1-1 1/2 " across. Alpine native, so obviously suitable for the rock garden.
Package 25+ seeds $2.00US
Nursery/plant sales and mail order (Canada only) Limited quantities 3 1/2" $3.00C
This showy white blooming onion is also edible. Use like chives for cooking, it also puts on a wonderful Fall blooming display in the garden. Grows 1 to 2' tall, and the blooms reach sometimes 6" across in a cluster of flat headed yet rounded masses.
Package 25+ seeds $1.50US
Type: Bulb
Uses: Border, Rock Garden
Habit: Clump-forming
Light: Full Sun, Part Shade
Flower Color: Pinky-Lavender
Blooms: May-June
Height: 15-20"
Fertility: Rich
Soil: Neutral, Well-drained
This is a really pretty little Allium, best in clumps of at least 10 bulbs. North American native, it forms umbrella shaped blooms of a delightful baby-pink lavender tone. Leaves go dormant by mid-summer, so best to grow amongst a low- growing ground-cover or an annual or perennial that will bloom later.
Package 25+ seeds $2.50US (Sold out)
Plant Type: Perennial tuber
Uses: Border, Rock Garden
Habit: Spreading, Round
Light: Full Sun, Part Shade
Flower Color: Various (Deep shades and white)
Blooms: Spring and again in fall/winter
Width: 1.25 ft.; Height: 1 - 1.5 ft.
Fertility: Rich
Soil: Neutral, Well-drained
I just love Anemones, and the blue Poppy-flowered anemone may just be my favorite flower! It is so striking that literally every person who sees it blooming in my garden wants to have it! It also comes in deep red, fushia and white. Though it goes dormant in the hot summer months, it does bloom all spring, and again in the fall and sparingly throughout the winter.
Red poppy anemone package of 25+ seeds Sold out
Blue poppy anemone package of 25+ seeds $3.00US
Nursery/plant sales 3 1/2" $3.00C
Japanese Anemones like moisture-retentive soils and are low-maintenance plants which are suitable for borders or rock gardens. Clumps flower best if left undivided. The branching stems are covered with seedheads in winter that look like cottonballs. These plants will need protection from the wind. This plant gives good garden value, attractive foliage and long-lasting flowers!
Package 25+ seeds $2.50US
Nursery/plant sales and mail order (Canada only) 3 1/2" $2.50C 1 gallon $6.00C
There aren't very many gardens that can't find a spot for a columbine and this cultivated variety is one of the best. Flowers come in a variety of colors and are large and showy. They nod gracefully in the slightest breeze and will make an enchanting display. You should plan to replace some plants each season as the hybrid varieties are not long-lived. Cut flower stems when they have finished flowering.
Aquilegia vulgaris Magpie (Dark purple and white) $2.00US
Aquilegia vulgaris Pink Towers package 25+ seeds $2.00US
Aquilegia vulgaris Purple package 25+ seeds $1.50US
Aquilegia Woodside- varigated foliage, double blue flowers Package 25+ seeds $2.50US
Varieties available for nursery/plant sales and mail order (Canada only):Woodside 4" $3.00C ,
A. Saximontana 3 1/2" $2.50C, 4 1/2" $4.00C
A. Dragonfly 3 1/2" $2.50C
An evergreen, clump forming plant that blooms in late Spring and early Summer with pink flowers. Flowers are born on long stems floating above dense clumps of glasslike foliage . This is a drought tolerant plant.
This tiny form is excellent for rock gardens in the sun. Definitely needs well-draining soil, and then will reward you with a long season of bloom. Needle-like leaves only an inch or two high, and tiny pink pom poms look adorable on 2-3" stems. Place this where it won't be overlooked.
Package 25+ seeds $3.00US (Sold out 2004)
This is the type of Artemesia called perennial dusty miller. A prostrate growing plant with silver white, slightly hairy leaves that only reaches 6" tall. Spreads to about 12" per year. Works well in hanging baskets. One of my favorite plant combinations is silver brocade with allium ostweriunum and lavatera silvercup.
This majestic perennial grows up to 7 feet tall. Ornamental sprays of tiny white flowers bloom briefly but spectacularly for two weeks in early summer. Its native environment is the semishade of woodland clearings and it is most attractive in this setting. In the wildflower garden it makes an imposing background plant, especially when displayed in an isolated grouping. Each flower spray contains thousands of tiny blossoms which rise in loose plooms 6 to 10 inches above rthe foliage. In a mixed border, place Goat's beard in the back both because of its height and because its bloom season is short and the attractive foliage will make a nice backdrop for shorter, longer blooming plants. The plants are either male or female; one plant does not contain both sexes.
Aruncus will grow in almost any soil, and in sun or partial shade. The soil should be moist.. The plants need little care as long as the soil remains moist; they will survive indefinitely if left undisturbed.
Package 25+ seeds $2.25US
Tolerant of dry soils. Blooms in late summer. Does well in shade. Lovely pink flower spikes. Neat dwarf habit. These are some pretty convincing reasons to add this cutie to your garden plans. 'Finale' is a late-blooming cultivar while the popular 'Pumila', pictured, blooms earlier.
Package 50+ seeds $1.50US
This is a tall astilbe which is more drought tolerant than most other species. Will perform very well in average garden soil that is moist and partially shaded. The soft pink flowers are densely clustered on long flower spikes. This astilbe will benefit from a monthly fertilizing during the growing season. 'Superba' is the cultivar pictured.
Package 50+ seeds $2.00US
Nursery/plant sales and mail order (Canada only): 1 gallon $6.00C
This perennial has large, lobed leaves and forms a neat clump. The flowers are held high above the leaves on branching stems. This is one of the longest-lasting cut flowers- will last 2-3 weeks, and it dries well too. Some recommended cultivars are 'Ruby Wedding'(Deep pink)and 'Hadspen Blood'(Red). Masterwort prefers to have a soil that does not go completely dry.
Package 25+ seeds $2.25US
Nursery/plant sales and mail order (Canada only):4 1/2" $4.00C 1 gallon $8.00C
pic fm Terra Nova www.terranovanurseries.com/ pages/plantsA1.html
Plant Type: PerennialThis perennial has lobed leaves and forms a neat clump. The flowers are held high above the leaves on branching stems. This is one of the longest-lasting cut flowers- will last 2-3 weeks, and it dries well too. This cross of Astrantia major and Astrantia maxima was made at Hadspen House in England in 1988. Multiple flowerheads of dark crimson held by near-black bracts on upright stems from May until October. Needs fertile, rich soil in sun to colour best. Excellent cut flowers. Here is a description from an English catalogue: Sultry, dark red flower heads, surrounded by near black bracts on wiry, branched stems from June to August above deeply lobed, dark green leaves with almost imperceptible black margins. This stunning dark red astrantia works equally well in contemporary and cottage style plantings. To achieve the best colouration it needs fertile, moist soil in full sun. http://www.crocus.co.uk/
Seed 20+ seeds $4.00US (2004 seed)
Nursery/plant sales and mail order (Canada only):4" $6.00C (Sold out)
CBC's Canadian Gardener decribes this as a perennial border plant for the whole country. So I'm assuming it is very hardy - perhaps to zone 1 or 2? This perennial has large, lobed leaves and forms a large clump. The multiple flowers are held high above the leaves on branching stems. This is one of the longest-lasting cut flowers- will last 2-3 weeks, and it dries well too. Masterwort prefers to have a soil that does not go completely dry.
Package 25+ seeds $2.50US
Nursery/plant sales and mail order (Canada only):4 1/2" $5.00C 1 gallon $8.00C
Plant Type: Perennial
Uses: Naturalizer, Cutting Bed, Dried Arrangements
Habit: Spreading, Clump
Light: Full Sun, Part Shade
Flower Colors: Begins Chartreuse and turns sherbet pink
Blooms: Summer, Autumn
Width: 1.5 ft.; Height: 2 ft.
Fertility: Average
Soil: Neutral, Well-drained
Zone: 3 - 9
2002 was the first year that I grew this variety- I loved it! Large (larger than A. major) flowers than begin chartreuse and gradually turn candy-floss pink. Petals are also bigger. Flowers are on single stems. I recommend adding this one to your Astrantia collection.
Seed sold out
Nursery/plant sales and mail order (Canada only): 4 1/2" $5.00C 1 gallon $8.00C
Basket-of-Gold is a profuse-blooming perennial which bears bright yellow flowers in early spring. The silvery gray-green foliage makes a good contrast through the growing season. Drought-tolerance makes this perennial an ideal choice for a sunny rock garden. For best growth and flower production, plant in a sunny, warm place with good drainage. Seeds may be planted by mixing with sand or garden soil before broadcasting them over the exposed garden bed in early spring or fall. Thin your seedlings from 6 to 12 inches apart. You will want to mulch in winter where temperatures drop much below freezing. Avoid over-watering or over-fertilizing to keep plants compact and in vigorous flower. Rejuvenate plants every 3 to 4 years by dividing. When in bloom has quite a sweet fragrance.
Nursery/plant sales and mail order (Canada only):4" $2.50C (Sold out)