(Black Beauty Western Coneflower, Western Coneflower)

Strange looking but elegant and sophisticated at the same time, the blackened flowers of the Black Beauty western coneflower also have small petal-resembling green sepals (bud leaves). A clumping herbaceous perennial native to the shortgrass prairies and montane meadows of the American West, it attracts butterflies and seed-eating songbrids. Growing from a rhizome (underground stem), it appreciates moisture and usually grows in acidic moist pockets or alongside streams.

The lance-shaped dark...

(Brown-eyed Susan, Thinleaf Coneflower)

The brown-eyed Susan is sister to the more common black-eyed Susan except that its numerous yellow flowers are smaller, have shorter petals and brown central eyes. It is tough, long-blooming and much underused in the landscape. When the tall, bushy plants bloom in summer they create a colorful cloud of dark-eyed daisies.

This short-lived perennial is native to a vast expanse of the central and eastern United States, from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean. It is clump-forming and has...

(Garden Sorrel)

Garden sorrel's tart, lemony leaves make a sprightly addition to salads and sauces, and are rich in vitamin C. This clump-forming herbaceous perennial is native to cool temperate regions of Eurasia.

The large, arrowhead-shaped leaves are borne in dense rosettes that arise from a stout taproot. Branching clusters of inconspicuous reddish-green flowers appear on tall stalks in early summer. Plants bear either male or female flowers. Female plants produce tiny three-sided fruits that ripen to deep...

(Garden Sorrel, Profusion™ Garden Sorrel)

This non-flowering selection of garden sorrel produces tender, tangy new leaves from spring to fall. They make a sprightly addition to salads and sauces, and are rich in vitamin C. Profusion garden sorrel was introduced by Richter's Herbs of Goodwood, Ontario.

Garden sorrel is a clumping, tap-rooted, Eurasian perennial grown for its lush rosettes of large, tasty, arrowhead-shaped leaves. A prolific self-sower, it typically produces branching clusters of inconspicuous reddish-green flowers in...

(Red Sorrel, Sheep Sorrel, Sour Weed)

A familiar weed of waste places and gardens, this creeping herbaceous perennial originated in Eurasia but is naturalized worldwide.

The small, smooth, arrowhead-shaped leaves of this hardy perennial are borne in rosettes. Plants spread via threadlike underground rhizomes to form large colonies. The leaves contain sour-tasting oxalates that render them unpalatable (and potentially toxic) to cattle. Spikes of insignificant flowers appear on short, upright stalks from spring to late summer. Plants...

(Curly Dock, Sour Dock, Yellow Dock)

This rosette-forming perennial is a common weed over much of the temperate world. It has long been used as a medicinal plant in its native Europe.

Rosettes of glossy-green, narrow, lance-shaped leaves with conspicuously rumpled edges emerge in spring. The leaves may become purple-tinged in summer. Plants grow from a stout taproot that produces new plants if severed. In late spring to midsummer, depending on climate, curly dock produces tall sturdy stems lined with numerous small, greenish flowers....

(Ornamental Sage)

Salvia ‘Pink Delight’ brings a hardy constitution and showy good looks to gardens in a wide range of climates. Bred from European meadow sage hybrids, this patented variety forms a compact, basally-branched clump of elongated, oval-shaped, wrinkled foliage. The unusually large green leaves are aromatic and have wavy edges. Dense, knee-high spires of small, tubular, lavender-pink flowers appear profusely in late spring, continuing throughout summer if sheared back periodically.

Plant this exceptional...

(Meadow Clary)

This old European herb proves a hardy flowering perennial for gardens in a wide range of climates. It is native to much of Europe and mountains of Morocco where it thrives on less than ideal soils often in conjunction with meadow grasses. This is a clump forming plant grown early on in cottage gardens as clary sage. Unusually large green leaves are oddly toothed, wrinkled and aromatic. Plants are lush and mounding, making a fine casual perennial for beds and borders.

Clary sage blooms early...

(Meadow Clary)

This lovely salvia brings a soft look to the summer garden with its elegant spires of clear pink flowers. ‘Rose Rhapsody’ is a cultivar of European meadow sage, a hardy perennial native to Europe and Morocco. It forms a basal clump of unusually large, oblong, aromatic green leaves with wavy edges and a wrinkled texture. Branched, knee-high racemes of hooded, tubular, rose-pink flowers appear from early to midsummer, which are highly attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Provide...

(Bloodroot)

A familiar and beloved wildflower from rich woods of eastern and central North America, this early-blooming perennial is grown for its fleeting white flowers and handsome foliage.

Bloodroot's bold, lobed, blue-green leaves push from the ground in early spring, their parasol-shaped blades folded like a butterfly's wings. The delicate, snowy, eight-petaled blooms open atop short stems that emerge from the folded leaves. The flowers last only a few days, dropping their petals as the leaves unfurl....