Fuzzy flower spikes that are a smoky purple-black color emerge in late summer and contrast nicely with the fine, deep green foliage. Makes a wonderful accent in the sunny landscape, or plant it in drifts for a massed effect. The ornamental grasses will dance and sway in the breezes. Completely drought-proof once established.
Fantastic for stabilizing a slope or for erosion control. Grows in sun or shade, 12-18 inches tall. Great cut flower for arrangements.
This Dianthus is one of my new garden favorites. A prolific bloomer with an extremely long bloom time (late April – June) make it a star in the spring border. Since it grows only 12″ tall, it is a fantastic edger along the front of your beds. Comes in many shades of pinks and whites, and is a pollinator magnet! Prefers full sun, but grows well in any soil and is very drought-tolerant.
It is also a great cut flower which is long-lasting in a vase.
Hypericum ‘Brigadoon’ has golden foliage that brightens a shady spot
This marvelous little plant glows golden. It loves a spot in part sun, and is a great edging plant. The golden color brightens your garden from spring and lasts almost all winter before it ought to be sheered back to the ground to promote new growth. Truly one of my favorite foliage plants in the garden. Part sun, 10″ high, fantastic in cut arrangements.
Strawberries!
Strawberries are easy to grow in full sun, and don’t require any spraying or special coddling to get fruit. They are great for edging a bed, so the fruit are right where you can reach them.
A few years ago I ordered named cultivars from a very highly reputed grower. Now mine are spreading all over the place and I have many to share.
Cultivars I have are: Cavendish, Chandler, Earliglow, Record, Sparkle, and Mara De Bois.
The first flowers of spring!
Purple hellebores bloom in early spring, sometimes in February!
Hellebores are extremely long-lived perennials that surprise us in late winter and early spring with gorgeous flowers over evergreen leaves. Highly prized and very expensive, they are a gem in any garden. Plant by a well-trafficked walkway so you won’t miss the blooms. Full sun to full shade, they grow anywhere!
Creeping Jenny is a vigorous and dense groundcover, spreading quickly to fill in bald spots in the front of the bed. A mere 3″ high, the lovely golden foliage is a tremendous contrast with purple-leaved plants, like this bugleweed (ajuga).
Creeping Jenny grows in sun or shade, and is drought-proof once established.
Hardy blue ageratum has tidy lime green leaves all summer until late August, when it explodes with clusters of furry blue flowers. Drought-proof. 2′ high with a clumping habit. Full to part sun.
