(Colicroot)

A weed-like rosette of bright green leaves is overlooked until the colicroot produces a wiry flower stem in spring. This herbaceous perennial is native to the American Southeast's coastal plain, a naturally occurring hybrid between the southern colicroot (Aletris obovata) and yellow colicroot (Aletris lutea) where their natural ranges overlap. It naturally grows in moist pinelands, damp grasslands and roadside ditches. Up until the 19th century, roots of these plants were dug up...

(Millenium Ornamental Onion, Ornamental Onion)

Bred by ornamental onion expert Mark McDonough, this excellent and unique allium hybrid peps up the late summer garden with a profusion of spherical, pastel purple, drumstick-like flowerheads. The softly-colored blossoms can decorate the garden for up to a month, and are borne on slender stems which rise from dense, compact clumps of slender, glossy, deep green foliage.

Grow this perennial in full to part sun and well-drained soil of average moisture and fertility. The late-flowering habit...

(Hardy Elephant Ear, Went's Taro)

This is much hardier that your average elephant ear. Went's taro can tolerate winters to zone 7, especially if planted in a protected location. This clump-forming herbaceous plant originates from the montane regions of New Guinea. If offers bold deep green leaves with purple or bronze-hued undersides. In summer it produces fairly inconspicuous flowers that consist of an ivory floral column, called a spadix, that's wrapped by a green petal-like leaf, called a spathe.

Sites with partial sun to partial...

(Mountain Madwort)

Mountain madwort is native to the Mediterranean. It is a mound forming perennial that produces fragrant clusters of yellow flowers borne above gray-green hairy foliage.

Mountain Madwort thrives best in dry rocky soil and has a preference to full sun, although it will tolerate light shade. Add vibrancy to the facade of stone walls by planting mountain madwortin empty crevices or plant towards the front of dry borders. Interesting addition to the edge of a large alpine trough container. Cultivars...

(Mountain Gold Madwort, Mountain Madwort)

Mountain madwort is native to the Mediterranean. It is a mound forming perennial that produces fragrant yellow flowers borne in clusters above gray-green hairy foliage. Mountain Gold is one cultivar that is worth its weight, since it covers itself entirely with yellow flowers that its foliage becomes hardly visible.

Mountain Gold madwort thrives best in dry rocky soil and has a preference to full sun, although it will tolerate light shade. Add vibrancy to the facade of stone walls by planting...

(Serviceberry)

(Blue Ice Bluestar, Bluestar)

This is one of the best bluestars for the garden. Discovered at White Flower Farm in Connecticut, 'Blue Ice' is a dwarf hybrid that is believed to be a cross between among Amsonia tabernaemontana and Amsonia montana. It is a heavy-flowering, vigorous selection that looks good even after it has stopped blooming.

In spring this bushy perennial puts forth stems lined with linear green leaves that become covered with loose clusters of blue starry flowers. These are highly attractive...

(Hubricht's Bluestar)

This plant is beautiful in spring, summer and fall. Hubricht's bluestar is a clump-forming herbaceous perennial grown for both its beautiful flowers and foliage. This native of Arkansas and Oklahoma is tough, clump-forming and can become quite large over time.

In spring, clusters of five-petaled starry pale blue flowers appear with the first foliage. The dense upright stems are densely lined with very fine green leaves. These offer a soft ferny appearance to the garden throughout the rest...

(Eastern Bluestar)

A shrubby wildflower from the eastern United States, eastern bluestar offers loads of delicate, starry blue flowers in late spring to early summer. Its dense, bushy appearance and crisp, green leaves continue to look attractive through fall. A native of open forests as well as meadows, this herbaceous perennial thrives in both full sun and partial shade locations.

The lance-shaped, rich green leaves of eastern bluestar are smooth and sometimes glossy. The upright stems are hairless and emit white,...

(Willowleaf Eastern Bluestar)

Willow-leaved blue star is a vigorous herbaceous perennial prized for its size, distinctive fine texture, starry flowers, and its golden fall color. In spring, thin unbranched stems rise from the center of the roots. The inner stems grow upright while the outer stems lean slightly, giving the plant a spreading silhouette with a rounded crown. The willow-like leaves of this variety are much narrower than those of the species and grow almost at right angles to the stems, producing a resemblance to...