(Red Valerian)

This selection of valerian is a compact perennial with white flowers borne in clusters on a profusion of stalks above the foliage throughout the summer. Originally from dry, rocky slopes surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, it is well-suited to a dry area of the garden. The flowers are borne in three-inch clusters called cymes and are lightly fragrant. It is a clumping plant with leaves that are fleshy and mid-green with hints of yellow or blue.

Grow ‘Albus’ in well-drained soil of poor to average...

(Common Buttonbush)

The American native shrub, common buttonbush, develops striking pincushion-like flower balls of ivory in summer and early fall. These are followed by attractive fruits and russet red autumn leaves. This rounded, deciduous shrub is native to much of eastern North America as well as Cuba and regions in Mexico. Wild specimens can be found growing in moist or wet soils around lakes, ponds and streams.

Buttonbush has shiny, medium green leaves that are oval to almost lance-like in shape. The leaf...

(Snow-in-Summer)

Snow-in-Summer is an easy-care, mat-forming perennial that flowers so profusely in sproing that it resembles a drift of snow. This is a rampantly-spreading plant with small, wooly silver leaves that can persist through a mild winter. In spring, a carpet of clear white, star-shaped flowers with button centers rise above the leave on short stems and cover the plant into summer.

Grow Snow-in-Summer in full sun and average well-drained soil, A native of Italy and Sicily, it tolerates hot, dry conditions....

(Snow-in-Summer)

Tough and hardy, snow-in-summer is a vigorous, mat-forming perennial native to Italy. Its low-growing, fine, wooly, silver-gray leaves often persist through winter. In late spring to early summer, it blooms showily with five-petalled, star-like white flowers on stalks, covering the plant so densely that it resembles a mound of snow. This selection, ‘Columnae,’ lifts the flowers slightly higher than the parent species. The flowers draw many pollinators.

Give ‘Columnae’ full sun and average to poor...

(Silver Carpet Snow-in-Summer, Snow-in-Summer)

Tough and hardy, snow-in-summer is a vigorous, mat-forming perennial native to Italy. Its low-growing, fine, wooly, silver-gray leaves often persist through winter. In late spring to early summer, it blooms showily with five-petalled, star-like white flowers on stalks, covering the plant so densely that it resembles a mound of snow. This selection, ‘Silver Carpet,’ lifts the flowers slightly higher than the parent species. The flowers draw many pollinators.

Give ‘Silver Carpet’ full sun and average...

(Blue Leadwort, Plumbago)

Blue leadwort is a deciduous perennial from western China. Foliage emerges in late spring, followed by true blue phlox-like flowers summer. In fall the foliage turns a striking bronze-red.

The drought-tolerant perennial blue leadwort will perform best in rich, well-drained soil in full sun. Use it as a groundcover (even under a small tree), an edger, in a mixed border, or a rock garden. Blue leadwort is great for mixing with spring bulbs because its leaves emerge when bulbs are fading. In hot...

(Katsura Tree)

Regarded as one of the world's most beautiful small shade trees, the katsura tree has uniform heart-shaped leaves, golden orange fall foliage and persistent coppery-tan seedpods that decorate its bare winter branches. A deciduous tree from China and Japan, it generally has a spreading, vase-shaped to oval-canopy and gray-brown bark that exfoliates in vertical bands, adding winter and spring interest.

The heart-shaped leaves first emerge with a bronzy color before turning medium green. The leaf...

(Heronswood Globe Katsura Tree, Katsura Tree)

Regarded as one of the world's most beautiful small ornamental shade trees, the katsura tree has uniform heart-shaped leaves and pinkish apricot to gold fall foliage that releases a faint fragrance akin to burned sugar or caramel as they drop. A deciduous tree from China and Japan, 'Heronswood Globe' develops with a dense and perfectly round silhouette with gray-brown bark that exfoliates in vertical bands, adding winter and early spring garden interest. This cultivar was selected by Dan Hinkley...

(Katsura Tree, Red Fox Katsura Tree)

Regarded as one of the world's most beautiful small ornamental shade trees, the katsura tree has uniform heart-shaped leaves. The German selection 'Red Fox' produces new spring leaves of a burgundy-purple or bronze-red hue that mature to blue-green by early summer. In autumn the leaves turn pinkish apricot to gold and release a faint fragrance akin to burned sugar or caramel as they drop. The gray-brown bark exfoliates in vertical bands, adding winter and early spring garden interest on the upright...

(Weeping Katsura Tree)

An elegant and variable form of one of East Asia's most beautiful trees, weeping katsura bears dainty shimmering heart-shaped leaves on cascading, mounded branches.

The leaves of this deciduous tree emerge with a bronzy color before turning medium green. The leaf blades have tiny scalloped edges and are usually held in opposite pairs on the branches. In early spring, before the leaves emerge, tiny flowers appear, with red female flowers and green male flowers borne on separate trees. Fertile...