(Hybrid African Daisy)

Frost-tender, shrubby perennials often used as annuals, these showy hybrids result from crosses between several South African members of Arctotis. They bear large colorful daisies with contrasting dark halos on calf-high, leafless stems. The solitary blooms may be pink, red, orange, white, or yellow. They appear from summer into fall above densely massed, silvery green, slightly fuzzy leaves with deeply lobed margins. Blooms tend to stay open wider and longer in cloudy conditions than do...

(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.

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(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...

(French Tarragon)

The fragrant leaves of tarragon lend herbal sweetness to vegetables, salads and meats. Native from Europe to western North America, it is a clump-forming, shrubby perennial herb that's sun-loving and quite easy to grow. It is related to wormwood and absinthe and a member of the sunflower family, Asteraceae.

The aromatic, green, strap-like leaves of tarragon appear in spring, when they are at their sweetest. In summer insignificant clusters of yellowish white flowers may be produced. Stems of...

(Schmidt's Wormwood, Silvermound, Wormwood)

Schmidt's wormwood, or silvermound, is an herbaceous perennial that originates from Japan. It forms a mounded carpet of very finely divided silver foliage, hence the common name silvermound. It has panicles of insignificant yellow flowers that appear in mid-summer. The cultivar 'Nana' is a nice selection with a more compact habit. One ornamental aggravation with this plant is its tendency to fall open in the middle and show its bare inner stems (not pretty). This is a very hardy perennial that is...

(Dwarf Silvermound, Schmidt's Wormwood, Silvermound, Wormwood)

Dwarf silvermound is a prized selection of an herbaceous perennial native to Japan. It forms a mounding, fine-textured carpet of very finely divided, soft, silky, silver leaves, hence the common name. It blooms in loose clusters of small and insignificant yellow flowers in mid-summer. This dwarf selection, ‘Nana,’ is much shorter and more compact than the species.

This is a very hardy perennial that tolerates moderate drought and does best in full sun and well-drained soil. One ornamental failing...

(Silver Mound Wormwood, Wormwood)

Silver mound wormwood, is an herbaceous perennial that originates from Japan. It forms a low, mounded, clump of very finely divided silver foliage, hence the name silver mound, and has insignificant yellow flowers that appear in mid-summer. This cultivar is more compact than the straight species. One ornamental aggravation with it is its tendency to fall open in the middle and show its bare inner stems. This is a very hardy perennial that is moderately drought tolerant and does best in sites with...