(Flatbud Pricklypoppy, Pricklepoppy)

The enormous white crepe paper flowers are beguilingly at odds with the rest of this prickly short-lived perennial from dry regions of western North America. Borne on stout spiny stems that can vary from calf- to waist-high, the white, four- to six-petaled blooms open from bristly buds in late spring and summer. A powderpuff cluster of numerous yellow stamens ornaments the center of each flower. The blossoms are held above handsome dense clumps of deeply lobed gray-green leaves that are prickly on...

(Dutchman's Pipe)

Foremost grown for its lush green, large heart-shaped leaves, Dutchman's pipe also bears small, pipe-like flowers in late spring. A heavy, deciduous vine native to the woodlands of the Appalachians in the eastern United States, the flowers are normally well-hidden by the foliage and do not smell of rotting flesh like other members of Aristolochia. The bright green leaves can become as large as a dinner plate. Heart-shaped, thye can become slightly purpled in late summer; their undersides...

(Ministicks White Sea Thrift, Sea Pink, Sea Thrift)

A small tuft of a plant, ‘Ministicks White’ is a white-flowered selection of an evergreen species native to Europe and the Mediterranean region as fast east as Turkey. This sea thrift grows as a clump of short, narrow, stiff, dark-green leaves. In mid-spring upright stems rise from the clump in profusion and bloom at their tips with a pompom of small flowers that last almost to summer. It is a charming, extravagant show for a small plant.

In its native region, sea thrift is often found in full...

(Pink Lusitanica Sea Thrift, Sea Pink, Sea Thrift)

Tiny and exquisitely beautiful, ‘Pink Lusitanica’ is a perfect problem solver for small spaces and perennial container compositions. It is a hybrid of the species, Armeria maritima, native to the shores of the Mediterranean extending eastward into Turkey. Its species name refers to a preference for coastal or maritime climates. It grows as mounded tuft in the rapid drainage and full sun at the edge of a bluff. The leaves are stiff, narrow and dark, rising into a delightful, tidy dome.

...

(Horseradish)

This hardy, coarse, deep-rooted perennial is the source of horseradish, the familiar, fiery condiment. It grows as a clump of large, toothed, puckered, dark-green leaves on long stems arising from a fleshy root that divides vigorously into offshoots and sends out tunneling stems to start new plants with such vigor that one plant soon becomes many. Unless dug out regularly, the new plants can become invasive pests. Even a tiny fragment of root left in the ground will grow a new plant.

From late...

(Chokeberry)

(Black Chokeberry, Black Chokecherry, Viking Chokeberry)

Small, pretty white blossoms in spring, orangey fall color and dark purplish-black berries make black chokeberry a great shrub for naturalistic massed plantings. An upright deciduous shrub that suckers to form a thicket of twigs and leaves, it is native to the moist soils of the eastern United States and a thin sliver of southeastern Canada. Individual plants have a cluster of many, thin, dark brown stems that have a white, waxy, semi-flaky film on the smaller, reddish-brown twigs. It is slightly...

(Powis Castle Wormwood, Wormwood)

When it comes to super silver foliage nothing performs like ‘Powis Castle’!

This distinctive wormwood is a large, semi-woody, mound-forming, deciduous perennial. From spring to fall it offers feathery silver leaves that partner well with many other flowering ornamentals. In late summer insignificant silver and yellow tinged panicles of blooms may appear, though ‘Powis Castle’ often does not flower. If blooms do appear simply remove them to keep the distinctive soft textured foliage neat looking....

(Southernwood)

Southernwood is a deciduous to semi-evergreen shrub that produces fragrant gray green, feathery, foliage. This southern Europe native has panicles of insignificant yellowish gray flowers in late summer.

Southernwood does best in well drained, fertile soil and full sun. In heavy soils the plant will be short lived. The lemon-scented foliage of this plant is of much interest and is a great addition to any shrub border. It has some medicinal purposes and be of use to people with an interest in...

(Absinthe, Wormwood)

Absinth, or wormwood, is a clump forming, woody, perennial that is native to Europe and Asia. The aromatic, hairy, silver gray foliage also bears panicles of insignificant grayish yellow flowers.

This plant is best grown in rich, well drained soil and full sun. It is commonly used as an ingredient in the liquor absinthe and has other medicinal purposes that may be useful for an herb garden. It is also excellent in a rock garden or in the background in a perennial border. It is a lovely companion...