(Plume Cockscomb)

The colorful, very large broad plumes of Kimono plume cockscomb are commonly enjoyed in annual borders and containers. These dwarf, bushy annuals to short-lived perennials may have leaves of bright green, purple-red or bronze and large dense, bracted floral clusters of yellow, orange, salmon, red or ivory. Plant them in sites with full sun, and average, well drained soil.

(Plume Cockscomb)

The colorful pyramidal plumes of cockscomb in the popular New Look Series make beautiful additions to annual borders and containers. These dwarf, bushy, warm season annuals may occasionally survive for a year or more in southern regions where winters are mild. They grow quickly from seed and have large leaves that may be green, purple-red, or bronze, depending on the selection. Their long-lasting flowers are dense, plume-like and comprised of many small bracted flowers of bright yellow, orange, pink...

The colorful pyramidal plumes of plume cockscomb are commonly enjoyed in annual borders and containers, and tall cultivars make great cut flowers. These bushy annuals may occasionally survive for a year or more in southern regions where winters are mild. They grow quickly from seed and have foliage that may be bright green, purple-red or bronze, depending on the cultivar. Their long-lasting plumes are comprised of many small bracted flowers that come in shades of bright yellow, orange, pink, purple,...

(Common Hackberry, Hackberry)

Common hackberry is a deciduous shade tree native to the eastern United States nad extreme southern Canada. The foliage is reminiscent of the American elm but often suffers from small warty galls. It has purple, pea-sized fruit in the fall and readily self seeds and can become invasive. Fall foliage color is a clear yellow. Mature trees have distinctive, coarse ridged bark. It is susceptible to witches-broom.

Common hackberry is a tough plant, tolerant of windy and/or cold winter locations. Plant...

(Hackberry)

Valued for its handsome foliage, compact habit, and tough constitution, this small deciduous tree is found over much of the central and western United States and northern Mexico. It typically forms a short multi-trunked tree with sinuous branches and an asymmetrical rounded crown. The oval, dark-green to gray-green, prominently veined leaves have toothed edges and pale yellow-green undersides. They turn yellow in fall. Inconspicuous flowers in late winter or early spring give rise to pea-sized fruits...

(Dwarf Hackberry)

In effect a dwarf version of common hackberry, this native of eastern and central North America typically forms a dense multi-stemmed shrub with rough oval dark green leaves. The elm-like foliage is sometimes marred by warty galls. Fall color is dull yellow. Inconspicuous flowers in spring give rise to pea-size fruits that ripen orange, brown, or red in late summer. Birds and other wildlife harvest the fruits for their thin, edible flesh, which surrounds a hard central nutlet. The gray, often warty...

(Dusty Miller)

Mounds of silvery white foliage, stunning in daylight glowing eerily in night gardens, make dusty miller a favorite of gardeners everywhere. This perennial is often grown as an annual and is native to southern Europe mostly Italy.

Botanically known as a sub-shrub, dusty miller will develop a woody base with age. The plants are evergreen and well branched. The leaves alternate each other on the stem. They are extremely variable, most are oblong to oval, much divided and often look like feathers...

(Colchester White Centaurea, Dusty Miller, Silver Centaurea)

Few silver-leaved ornamentals offer the cool, crisp color of ‘Colchester White.’ This favorite foliage plant produces tall mounds of frosty, ferny leaves that look cool in the daylight and glow eerily in the evening. Centaurea cineraria is native to southern Europe where it is adapted to heat and moderate drought. It is a short-lived, shrubby perennial that’s often grown as an annual.

Botanically known as a subshrub, dusty miller develops a woody base with age. ‘Colchester White’ is...

(Batchelor's Buttons, Cornflower)

Cornflower is a short-lived annual that can be found growing in northern temperate regions across the globe. Its rich blue blooms are thistle-like in appearance and appear atop tall stems. There are many cornflower cultivars with flowers in shades of blue, purple, pink or white. One notable selection is the dwarf 'Florence White' that becomes covered with bright white flowers. Plant these in sunny sites with well-drained soil and remove spent flowers to prolong bloom time. Cornflower is a useful...

(Batchelor's Buttons, Cornflower)

Treasured for its sky-blue flowers that resemble small thistles, cornflower is a short-lived, cool-season annual from the northern temperate regions. The cultivar 'Blue Boy' has frilly double blooms on thigh-high stems sparsely furnished with narrow gray-green leaves. Fall-sown seedlings often overwinter as rosettes and flower the next spring. Plants bloom about 85 days after early-spring sowing.

Sow cornflowers in full sun and well-drained soil in early spring. In USDA zones 6 and warmer, seeds...