(Barrenwort, Bishop's Hat, Fairy Wings, Fröhnleiten Barrenwort)

One of the best groundcovers for dry shade, this evergreen to semi-evergreen perennial is prized for its handsome foliage and its relatively large and abundant spring flowers. It is a hybrid of Epimedium pinnatum var. colchicum and Epimedium perralderianum.

This hardy perennial forms dense, low, steadily expanding clumps of leathery compound leaves with heart-shaped to arrowhead-shaped, conspicuously toothed leaflets. The foliage is maroon and green when new, solid...

(Chatterbox, Giant Helleborine, Stream Orchid)

Stream orchid is a deciduous herbaceous perennial that's upright but forms loose clumps in time. This wide-ranging orchid species is native to both western North America (from British Columbia to central highland Mexico) and eastern Asia (the Himalayan, central Chinese and Japanese highlands) in distinct pockets. It grows in moist sandy soils alongside rivers, in swamps, meadow seepages or wet woodland edges from rhizomes (swollen underground stems).

The medium to light green leaves are wide...

(Horsetail)

This ancient plant is flowerless and spreads by rhizomes. Commonly called horsetail, it is a hardy evergreen perennial that consists of fine, hollow, green stems divided by black-rimmed joints. It has a broad natural distribution and can be found growing in temperate regions throughout North America and Eurasia.

Horsetail prefers moist to wet organic-rich soil and will tolerate full sun to partial sun. It can become invasive if not properly contained or maintained and looks best in naturalistic...

(Winter Aconite)

Dappling the ground with sunny blooms very early in the year, this little perennial from southern Europe and Asia Minor is a delightful garden presence in winter and early spring. Arising on short stems from a knobbly tuber, the yellow, saucer-shaped blooms perch atop a ruff-like whorl of three deeply dissected leaves. They bloom with the first hints of spring, opening their flowers wide in sunlight, and attracting bees with their honeyed scent. The tubers also give rise to palmately lobed basal...

(Winter Aconite)

Dappling the ground with sunny blooms very early in the year, this little perennial from Asia Minor is a delightful garden presence in winter and early spring. Arising on short stems from a knobbly tuber, the yellow, saucer-shaped blooms perch atop a ruff-like whorl of three deeply dissected, bronze-tinged leaves. They bloom with the first hints of spring, opening their flowers wide in sunlight, and attracting bees with their honeyed scent. The tubers also give rise to palmately lobed basal leaves....

(Robust Foxtail Lily)

Bearing long showy clusters of pink flowers on lordly stems, this herbaceous perennial from Central Asia makes a spectacular garden subject.

Rosettes of long, upright to lax, narrowly strap-shaped leaves grow in spring from a brittle fleshy-rooted crown. Plants send up tall stout leafless flower stems in early summer, each terminating in a long dense feathery tail-like cluster of pink flowers with starry petals and protruding stamens. The flowers open successively from the bottom of the cluster...

(Narrow-leaved Foxtail Lily)

When in bloom, foxtail lily is a tall, regal perennial that produces feathery spikes of golden yellow flowers in summer. It is native to Central Asia, in countries such as Pakistan and Iran. In the wild, it inhabits dry, rocky slopes in open, sunny areas. Purchased plants are usually sold as dormant rhizomes with fleshy, slightly brittle, tuberous roots. These should be handled with care and planted upon arrival.

A modest fountain of narrow, gray-green leaves is produced in spring, and the...

(Foxtail Lily)

The tall, upright flower scapes of these exceptional ornamentals come in shades of apricot, yellow and bright orange. These foxtail lily hybrids were first bred in Great Shelford, Cambridge, England by Sir Michael Foster. They are crosses between Eremurus olgae and E. stenophyllus created in the late nineteenth century. Foster's are the most common of all Eremurus x isabellinus and commonly called the Shelford hybrids. Two other hybrid groups in the trade include...

(Foxtail Lily)

The tall, upright flower scapes of this exceptional ornamental are Spanish orange. 'Cleopatra' was bred by the Dutch Breeder N.C. Ruiter and first registered in 1956. It is a cross between Eremurus olgae and E. stenophyllus. The parent species are native to Central Asia where they inhabit dry, rocky or sandy slopes in open, sunny areas, and garden grown specimens grow best under similar conditions. Sharply drained soil is particularly key.

A modest fountain of narrow, green...

(Foxtail Lily, Shelford Mix Foxtail Lily)

The tall, upright flower scapes of these exceptional ornamentals come in shades of apricot, yellow and bright orange. The Shelford hybrids were first bred in Great Shelford, Cambridge, England by Sir Michael Foster. They are crosses between Eremurus olgae and E. stenophyllus created in the late nineteenth century. These are the most common of all Eremurus x isabellinus hybrids. The parent species are native to Central Asia where they inhabit dry, rocky or sandy...