(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...

(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)

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...

(Batchelor's Buttons, Cornflower)

Easily grown from seed and treasured for its blue flowers that resemble small thistles, cornflower is a short-lived, cool-season annual from the northern temperate regions. The Silver medal in the 1937 AAS flower trials, 'Jubilee Gem' is a true old-fashioned favorite. This large-flowered cultivar has rich, double, dark blue blooms on stems sparsely furnished with narrow gray-green leaves. The compact bushy plants stay neat in the garden and the seed heads attract many types of birds. Fall-sown seedlings...

(Mountain Bluet, Perennial Cornflower)

Native to the mountainous regions of Central Europe, mountain bluet is a perennial that thrives in temperate climates with drier soils. Plants form low mounds of gray-green, lance-shaped leaves from which arise stems of single blue feathery flowers in late spring to summer. This montane plant is great for rock or alpine gardens as well as perennial borders. Plants tend to self-seed, so spent flowers should be removed. Divide these perennials every two to three years for best growth.

(Mountain Bluet, White Mountain Bluet)

Native to the mountainous regions of Central Europe, white mountain bluet is a perennial that thrives in temperate climates with drier soils. Plants form low mounds of gray-green, lance-shaped leaves from which arise stems of delicate single white spidery flowers in late spring to summer. This montane plant is great for rock or alpine gardens as well as perennial borders. Plants tend to self-seed, so spent flowers should be removed. Divide these perennials every two to three years for best growth....

(Mountain Bluet)

A striking mountain bluet, Amethyst Dream’ originates from the mountainous areas of Central Europe. This mounding perennial is distinguished by its deep purple flowers, high vigor and overall good garden performance.

The foliage is silver-green, lance-shaped and forms a low mound. In late spring to early summer strong stems topped with spidery royal purple. The blooms are attractive to butterflies and set lots of seed once spent. In fact, mountain bluets are known to self-sow with efficiency,...

(Amethyst in Snow Cornflower, Mountain Bluet, Perennial Cornflower)

What a pretty mountain bluet. The patented ‘Amethyst in Snow’ originates from the mountainous areas of Central Europe. This mounding perennial is distinguished by its large feathery white and purple flowers, high vigor and overall good garden performance.

The foliage is gray-green, lance-shaped and forms a low mound. In late spring to early summer strong stems topped with spidery white flowers with purple centers appear. The blooms are attractive to butterflies and set lots of seed once spent....