(Japanese Painted Fern, Pewter Lace Painted Fern)

Pewter Lace Painted Fern, or Japanese Painted Fern, is a deciduous ground fern grown for its dense clumps of delicately divided metallic pewter fronds with a deep burgundy stem. The fronds are bluish-green closest to the stem and silver at the outer edges. It is native to the forest floors of Japan, where it grows in moist, fertile soil. It spreads slowly by forming multiple crowns.

The Japanese Painted Fern requires consistently moist acidic to neutral soil; enrich it with leaf mold or compost....

(Japanese Painted Fern, Silver Falls Japanese Painted Fern)

This selection of Japanese Painted Fern is a hardy, deciduous ground fern grown for its dense clumps of delicately divided silver fronds with a prominent dark-burgundy stem. The leaflets are grayish-blue closest to the stem and become more silver toward the outer edges. This fern is slower to emerge in spring than other painted ferns, and its silver color becomes more pronounced as the season progresses. It is descended from a native of forest floors in Japan, where it grows in moist, fertile soil....

(Butterleaves, Cultivated Orache)

A lovely addition to vegetable gardens, edible landscapes, and ornamental plantings, this medium-sized to large annual has been cultivated for thousands of years for its nutritious, tasty, and attractive leaves. Native to Asia, it has naturalized over much of Europe, the Mediterranean and North America.

Heart-shaped or arrow-shaped leaves with smooth or toothed margins line the upright unbranched stems. The leaves are green, yellowish-green, red, or purple, with a luminous sheen when young....

(Red Butterleaves, Red Cultivated Orache)

A cool-season annual originating in Asia but naturalized throughout much of the rest of the world, orache has long been cultivated for its nutritious, tasty, and attractive leaves. The variety rubra is known for its stunning red or purple leaves and stems. It has given rise to numerous showy-leaved cultivars.

Heart-shaped or arrow-shaped leaves with smooth or toothed margins line the upright unbranched stems. The leaves and stems have a luminous sheen when young. In hot weather stems...

(Blue Beauty Purple Rockcress, Purple Rockcress)

What a fantastic blue-flowered perennial for the early border. The floriferous ‘Blue Beauty’ is a mat-forming, semi-evergreen perennial that becomes clothed in blue from late spring to early summer. Its blooming period lasts for an average of three weeks, sometimes even a month. The vivid violet-blue flowers are double and play beautifully against its deep green mats of foliage.

Sunny locations with fertile, neutral to alkaline, well-draining soil are preferred. It should be watered regularly...

(Blue Whale Rockcress, Purple Rockcress)

The large-flowered ‘Blue Whale’ offers many big, beautiful, vivid violet-blue flowers. This mat-forming, semi-evergreen perennial becomes clothed in flowers in late spring to early summer. Its blooming period lasts for an average of three weeks, sometimes even a month. The vivid violet-blue flowers and play beautifully against its rich green mats of foliage.

Sunny locations with fertile, neutral to alkaline, well-draining soil are preferred. It should be watered regularly before and after...

(Doctor Mules Purple Rockcress, Purple Rockcress)

The brilliant violet-purple flowers of ‘Doctor Mules’ add a striking color burst to sunny borders. This mat-forming, semi-evergreen perennial becomes clothed in flowers in late spring to early summer. Its blooming period lasts for an average of three weeks, sometimes even a month. The vivid flowers and play beautifully against its grayish blue-green mats of foliage.

Sunny locations with fertile, neutral to alkaline, well-draining soil are preferred. It should be watered regularly before and...

(Purple Rockcress, Royal Violet Rockcress)

The genus Aubrieta contains approximately 12 species of evergreen to semi-evergreen flowering perennials in the cabbage family. Most of the species originate from the mountainous and alpine regions of southern Europe and Central Asia and are grown for their showy springtime blooms. This genus is named in honor of Claude Aubriet (1665-1742), a botanical illustrator to the French court.

These mat-forming, herbaceous plants are clothed in simple, lightly hairy leaves. The small leaves...

(Royal Rockcress)

The genus Aubrieta contains approximately 12 species of evergreen to semi-evergreen flowering perennials in the cabbage family. Most of the species originate from the mountainous and alpine regions of southern Europe and Central Asia and are grown for their showy springtime blooms. This genus is named in honor of Claude Aubriet (1665-1742), a botanical illustrator to the French court.

These mat-forming, herbaceous plants are clothed in simple, lightly hairy leaves. The small leaves...

(Rockcress)

The genus Aubrieta contains approximately 12 species of evergreen to semi-evergreen flowering perennials in the cabbage family. Most of the species originate from the mountainous and alpine regions of southern Europe and Central Asia and are grown for their showy springtime blooms. This genus is named in honor of Claude Aubriet (1665-1742), a botanical illustrator to the French court.

These mat-forming, herbaceous plants are clothed in simple, lightly hairy leaves. The small leaves...