Monarda ‘Purple Rooster’ is one of the darkest and truest purple flowers around! Its upright, rigid stems create a strongly vertical aesthetic while the dull green leaves have a rough, sand-papery texture. Purple Rooster is very much so mildew resistant, which is a big plus when it comes to Beebalms! This cultivar was selected by The Flower Factory in Stoughton, Wisconsin and named by the owners David and Nancy Nedveck.
Ligularia ‘The Rocket’ is a stately plant with very tall, 5 to 6′ golden yellow flower spikes that rise up high over large, serrated green foliage. This variety needs constantly moist to wet soil for best growth but is spectacular in the right situation. The foliage will wilt during the heat of the day or if the sun hits it, but this is a natural reaction that doesn’t always mean they are dry. If they don’t recover as it cools in the evening check the soil moisture and then water deeply if needed.
Jacob Cline Beebalm (Monarda Jacob Cline) is one of our most spectacular native Beebalm hybrids with heads of long tubular deep red flowers. Discovered in a Georgia garden, it has excellent mildew resistance and blooms for a month or so in mid-spring.
36-48″ tall x 36″ wide. With its spectacularly large, deep-red flowers, vigorous growth habit and mildew-resistant foliage, ‘Jacob Cline’ is a must for the perennial border. Planted into a compost-enriched soil with regular irrigation, this big boy will form impressive clumps that should be divided every 3rd year to keep it vigorous. Companion plant with Phlox paniculata ‘David’ for long-blooming summer color. (Cutting propagated.)
The Catmint ‘Little Titch’, ‘Nepeta ‘Little Titch’, is one of the smallest in the Catmint family. With a bloom time of May through September, it is more upright and compact than many on the market today.
‘Little Titch’ requires full sun and will tolerate morning shade. It has a plant height of 8-10″ and a plant spread of 12-15″.
The abundant lavender blue flowers have light fragrances with mid-green leaves.
Use ‘Little Titch’ in front of border, as an edging plant, or in rock gardens.
This Nepeta is drought and seaside tolerant and attracts hummingbirds.
For best results, deadhead after each bloom time. This plant was discovered at Four Seasons Perennials in Great Britain.
This plant may also be known by its common name, Persian catmint.
Developed at the University of Nebraska, this is an outstanding taller selection for the middle to back of a sunny border. It forms a mound of deep purple-red foliage, bearing spikes of bicolor soft and deep-pink bell-shaped flowers in summer. An easy border plant, also tolerant of heat and humidity. Terrific as a cut flower. In particularly rich soil this may need to be staked. A 2008 introduction from TerraNova Nurseries in Oregon. USPP#20013: unlicensed propagation prohibited. Registered with COPF.
Culture: Easily grown in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils in full sun. Sharp soil drainage is especially important. Avoid wet, poorly drained soils. Plants have good drought tolerance. Best flowering occurs in full sun locations. Stems are more likely to flop if plants are grown in part shade. Cut back plants almost to the ground in late winter to early spring as soon as new growth appears.
Although the taller species sometimes benefits from a spring pinching to control height, this small cultivar performs well without pinching.
Noteworthy Characteristics: Perovskia atriplicifolia, commonly called Russian sage, is a woody-based perennial of the mint family which typically grows 2-4′ (less frequently to 5′) tall and features finely-dissected, aromatic (when crushed), gray-green leaves on stiff, upright, square stems and whorls of two-lipped, tubular, light blue flowers tiered in branched, terminal panicles (12-15″ high). Long summer bloom period. Perennial Plant Association Plant of the Year (1995).
Genus name honors Russian general V. A. Perovski (1794 – c. 1857).
Specific epithet means with leaves resembling salt-bush.
‘Little Spire’ is a compact Russian sage cultivar which typically grows to 2′ tall (species typically grows to 3-4′). It is a woody-based perennial of the mint family. Features finely-dissected, aromatic, gray-green foliage on stiff, upright, square stems. Whorls of 2-lipped, tubular, violet-blue flowers tiered in branched, terminal panicles appear over a long summer bloom. Silvery foliage can provide good winter interest in warm winter climates.
Problems: No serious insect or disease problems. Plants tend to sprawl or flop over as the summer progresses.
Garden Uses: Mass or specimen in borders. Provides long summer bloom for the perennial border. Contrasts well with both pink (e.g., phlox, mallow or roses) and yellow (e.g., rudbeckia) perennials.
Edger along paths. Gray-green foliage and blue flowers provide good texture, color and contrast to many other summer blooming plants.
Culture: Grow in moderately fertile, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Best in full sun. Prefers rich, moist, organic soils. Also prefers moderate summer temperatures over the heat and humidity of the deep South. Needs good air circulation (space well and thin out stems as needed) to help combat potential powdery mildew problems. Intolerant of drought and needs to be watered in dry spells. Avoid overhead watering however. Appreciates a summer mulch which helps keep the root zone cool. For winter, cut plants to the ground and remove from the garden plus clean up all plant areas in order to minimize possible powdery mildew infection for the following growing season. Remove faded flower panicles to prolong bloom period and to prevent unwanted self-seeding (cultivars generally do not come true from seed).
Noteworthy Characteristics: Phlox paniculata, commonly known as garden phlox, is native from New York to Iowa south to Georgia, Mississippi and Arkansas. It has escaped gardens and naturalized into areas beyond its original native range. In Missouri, it is typically found south of the Missouri River in moist or rich low woods, thickets, alluvial banks and gravel bars along streams and bluff bases (Steyermark). This is an upright perennial that grows in a clump to 2-4′ tall and to 2-3′ wide on stiff stems clad with conspicuously veined, opposite, pointed, elliptic, deep green leaves (to 4-6″ long). Fragrant, tubular, pink-purple to white florets (to 3/4” diameter) are densely packed in large, tiered, domed terminal clusters (to 6-8″) over a long July to September bloom period. Each individual floret has a long corolla tube and five flat petal-like lobes. Butterflies love the flowers.
A large number of garden phlox cultivars in flower colors including white, lavender, pink, rose, red and bi-color are available in commerce. Cultivars resistant to powdery mildew are often the best choices.
The genus name is derived from the Greek word phlox meaning flame in reference to the intense flower colors of some varieties.
Specific epithet refers to the plant bearing flowers in panicles.
‘David’ is a garden phlox cultivar that typically grows in an upright clump to 3-4′ tall. Fragrant, tubular flowers (1/2″ to 1″ diameter) with long corolla tubes and five flat petal-like lobes are pure white. Individual flowers are densely arranged in large, terminal, pyramidal clusters (panicles to 6-12″ long) in summer atop stiff, upright stems which seldom need staking. Long mid to late summer bloom sometimes extends into early fall. Narrow, opposite, pointed, lance-shaped leaves (to 5″ long). Good fresh cut flower.
Problems: Phlox is not always an easy plant to grow well. Phlox bugs, powdery mildew and root rot can be serious problems. Spider mites can also be a problem, particularly in hot, dry conditions. Taller stems may need staking.
By reputation, ‘David’ has good resistance to powdery mildew.
>Garden Uses: Garden phlox is a staple of the perennial border. Mixes well with other perennials and provides long summer bloom. Regardless of flower color, garden phlox is attractive to hummingbirds and is a good selection for inclusion in a bird garden.
Campanula carpatica, the tussock bellflower or Carpathian harebell, is a species of flowering plant in the family Campanulaceae, native to the Carpathian Mountains of Central Europe. It is a low-growing herbaceous perennial, with long stems bearing solitary blue bell-shaped flowers. It was introduced to the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew in 1774 by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin. Several cultivars in shades of white, blue, pink and purple, have been developed for garden use.
Laura garden phlox blooms in mid-summer with round heads of large, lavender-purple flowers that are delightfully fragrant. The foliage is mildew resistant and this perennial grows easily in compost enriched garden soil.
24-30″ tall x 18″ wide (cutting propagated). If you love flowers with rich, saturated colors (and who doesn’t!), Phlox ‘Laura’ is a “must have” cultivar for your perennial flower beds. The white-eyed deep lavender-purple flowers are are deliciously fragrant. The plant’s foliage has excellent mildew resistance making it a wonderful, low maintenance garden phlox. Plant ‘Laura’ in compost enriched garden loam and irrigate regularly.
It is an herbaceous perennial growing up to 120 cm (47 in) tall, with bright yellow daisy-like composite flower heads.
Growth and reproduction: In the garden, this plant spreads aggressively by both stoloniferous stems and seed. The seeds are produced in fruits called cypselae, which are 2.2 to 4 mm long and have short coroniform pappi, 0.2 mm long. The ripe seed is a favorite food of finches in winter.
Morphology: Stems are hairy, ridged, and dark green. Leaves are dark green, sparsely but roughly haired, simple, with sparsely serrate margins. Flowers are heads, with black disk florets and bright orange ray florets, borne singly on stems that extend above the foliage. Stems are glabrous or moderately covered in hirsute hairs with spreading branches. The leaves have blades that are lanceolate to broadly ovate or elliptic in shape without lobes. The leaf bases are attenuate to cordate in shape and the margins of the leaves are usually entire or serrate, or sometimes lacerate. The upper surfaces of the leaves are glabrous or have hirsute to strigose hairs. The basal leaves are petiolate, with petioles that are 5 to 30 cm long and 1 to 8 cm wide, the cauline or stem leaves have petioles that are 2 to 25 cm long and 0.5 to 7 cm wide, the bases are attenuate to cordate or auriculate in shape.
The flower heads are often produced one per stem but are also often produced in corymbiform arrays with 2 to 7 flowers per stem. The cups that hold the flowers called receptacles, are hemispheric to ovoid in shape with paleae 2.5 to 4 mm long, the apices are obtuse to acute in shape with the ends usually glabrous and the apical margins ciliate. The flower heads have 10 to 15 ray florets with laminae elliptic to oblanceolate in shape and 15–25 cm long and 3 to 6 mm wide. The abaxially surfaces of the laminae have strigose hairs. The flower discs or center cones are 12 to 16 mm tall and 10 to 18 mm wide, made up of 50 to over 500 disc florets, with the corollas proximally yellowish green and brown-purple distally in color, 3 to 4.2 mm long, having style branches 1.3 mm long.
