Hardy Geranium `Biokovo`

 Hardy Geranium ‘Biokovo’
(Geranium x cantabrigiense)
2015 Perennial Plant of the Year
6-12” lush mounding mat, making an excellent groundcover.
Slowly spreads via rhizomes to 2-3’ wide. Semi-evergreen.
A naturally occurring hybrid Geranium found in the
Biokovo Mountains of Dalmatian region of Croatia.
Masses of ¾-1” white-to-blush-pink
flowers, with petals curved back to
reveal pink-suffused bases and
contrasting deep- pink center stamens,
which dance with the breezes. Buds
look like little balloons stained deep pink
and chartreuse. A long flowering period,
May to July, with occasional later season
flowers, if spent flowers removed.
Lemon-scented lobed rounded 3”
leaves. Attractive all season, but can be
cut back after flowering for fresh leaves.
Brilliant hues of orange and scarlet in
the fall.
Shear any dead foliage at winter’s end.
Full sun to part shade. Prefers morning
sun and some shade during heat of the
day, or bright woodland edges.
Medium to moist well-drained soil.
Tolerates dry (light)-shade.
Likes rich soil, but tolerates sand and clay.
Space 12-15”. Low maintenance.
Undemanding weed-choking groundcover,
naturalizing under ideal conditions.
Excellent in masses, fronts of borders,
cottage gardens, edging, filler, rock gardens.
Good with spring bulbs, where new season
foliage covers yellowing buld leaves.
Erosion control.
Attractive to bees and butterflies.
Photos 1, 2, 3, 7: Susan E. Rice Mahr, Master Gardener Program Coordinator,
University of Wisconsin, Madison;
wimastergardener.org/?q=Geranium%27Biokovo%27
Photo 4: Ghislain118 (AD) http://www.fleurs-des-montagnes.net;
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Geranium_x_cantabrigiense_%27Biokovo%27_2.jpg
Photo 5: Todd Boland; news.aces.illinois.edu/news/2015-perennial-plant-year-geranium-x-cantabrigiense-%E2%80%98biokovo%E2%80%99
Photo 6: Weston Nursery; westonnurseries.com/Plant/geranium-cantabrigiense-biokovo/
Heath Aster ‘Snow Flurry’
(Aster ericoides)
4-6” cultivar of Heath Aster with prostrate form.
Heath-like rigid sprawling stems spread 1-2’ along ground,
forming a dense carpeting foliage mat.
CT native, found in dry open sites, rocky woods.
Masses of showy ½” star-shaped flowers with snow-white rays
and yellow centers, completely blanketing the plant in September.
Distinctive heather-like 1” narrow stiff light-green leaves.
Full sun, tolerates filtered shade.
Dry to medium well-drained soil. Prefers sandy or
gravelly-loam type soils, tolerates poor and shallow soils.
Drought-tolerant once established.
Low maintenance, mildew resistant. A strong grower.
Use this unique lovely plant as
groundcover, over ledges and
rocks in rock gardens or
gravelly areas, over walls, at
the front of borders, along
walks, edges of open woodland
gardens, in butterfly gardens,
under taller plants like New
England Aster, Lavender.
Good at weed suppression.
Attracts long and shorttongued bees, honeybees,
bumblebees.
Attracts butterflies, skippers,
moths. Larval host for Pearl
Crescent, Silvery Checkerspot.
Photo 1:
Alfred Osterloh
de.hortipedia.com/wiki/Datei:Aster_p_SNOW_FLURRY_application_photo_file_1,02MB.jpg
Photo 2:
Perry’s Perennial Pages
perrysperennials.info/pom/sep11per.html
Photo 3:
Mount Cuba Center; mtcubacenter.org/plant-finder/details/symphyotrichum-ericoides-var.-prostratum-snow-flurry/
Photo 4:
University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point
Merel R. Black
wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=CORSTO
Photo 5:
Missouri Botanical PlantFinder
mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder
Helen’s Flower ‘Salsa’
(Helenium autumnale)
1.5-2’ compact upright clumps;
stout rigid stems branch near the top.
CT native. Found in thickets, wet meadows,
swamps, along streams.
Abundant showy 2” daisy-like flowers with wedgeshaped vibrant tomato-red rays, with a prominent
gold-tipped chocolate-brown center dome,
on upright stems, from July to frost.
Narrow lance-shaped dark green 6” leaves.
Full sun. Medium to wet soil, prefers rich, moist soils.
‘Salsa’ can be grown without staking. Remove spent
flowers for additional bloom. May be cut back in June/
early July to reduce plant height, encourage branching,
and increase flowering.
Divide clumps in spring every 3-4 years to maintain vigor.
Easy to grow.
Use in borders, cottage gardens, cutting gardens, rain gardens, meadows, moist soils, along bodies of water.
Excellent for massing and drifts, especially with ornamental grasses. Excellent cut flowers.
Much loved by long-tongued bees, honey bees,
bumblebees, miner bees.
Butterflies are attracted by the abundant blooms.
Photo 1:
Mark Dwyer, Director of Horticulture
rotarygardens.blogspot.com/2013/08/another-busy-weekend.
html
Photo 2:
Valley Brook Gardens, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
flickr.com/photos/valleybrookgardens/8033304968/in/photolist-6Ny8nd-oAHe3S-oRfERa-deSMG5-d2dfJ3
Photo 3:
North Central Conservation District
Ostrich Fern
(Matteuccia struthiopteris)
3-6’ x 5-8’, shorter in cultivation.
Symmetric vase-shaped clumps,
upright to arching.
Spreads to make impressive colonies.
CT native. Grows in flood plains, along streams,
in moist thickets, damp woods.
Bright green fronds, finely dissected and
resembling long feathery ostrich plumes,
overall form a shuttlecock-like shape.
Part shade to full shade, avoid full sun.
Medium to wet, best in rich soils
with constant moisture.
In optimal growing conditions,
spreads by underground rhizomes.
Unwanted plants easily removed.
Use in masses in moist, shady woodland areas,
wild gardens, wet areas.
Good to plant in conjunction with early spring
wildflowers, which will be well on the way
toward dormancy by the time this fern reaches
full size.
Emerging fronds edible as “fiddleheads”.
Streamside buffers.
Provides protective cover for wildlife.
Photos:
Missouri Botanical PlantFinder
www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder
Sharp-lobed Hepatica
(Hepatica acutiloba)
3-6” x 8-12” elegant tidy clumps that increase
yearly. If well-grown, each clump will in time
have dozens of leaves and flowers.
CT native, found in moist to medium rich
(often alkaline) open high quality upland
woods (beech-maple), north slopes, rocky
bluffs.
Downy buds on upright reddish-green 4-5”
stems; open to charming cup-shaped 1”
flowers with 6-8 oval petals, variably white,
blue, violet, or pink, with yellow-green domelike centers circled with many sparkly-white
stamens. March to April, before leaves. One of
the first wildflowers to bloom.
Just after flowering, leathery leaves appear,
with three 3” deeply-cut oval sharp-pointed
lobes, held on 6” slender stems. Leaves turn
purplish in fall, then remain a red-brown
through winter. Leave undisturbed until new
leaves emerge in spring.
Part sun to shade, prefers dappled sun in
spring, light shade in summer.
Moist well-drained, rich, neutral to slightly
alkaline soil. Tolerates somewhat dry soil,
slightly acid soil, heavy soil. Likes good air
movement.
Responds well to being in gardens, with light
fertilization in spring, and an occasional bit of
limestone.
Provide leaf mold or compost mulch in fall or
late spring after flowering. Once planted, do
not move.
Long-lived and tough once settled.
A harbinger of spring in woods. Use in
woodland gardens. Place some where you can
view then close up. The best effects are in
drifts and among rocks.
Provides pollen for bees.
Photos 1, 2 R.W. Smith Michigan Flora Online,
University of Michigan
michiganflora.net/species.aspx?id=2376
Photo 3 Ettore Balocchi
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ranuncolaceae__Anemone_hepatica-1.jpg
Photo 4 Archenzo Moggio
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File;hepatica_nobilis_plant.jpg
Photo 5 Fornax en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hepatica_nobilis_Kelchbl%C3%A4tter_W.jpg
Photo 6 Kenraiz Krzyszlof Ziarnek en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hepatica_nobilis_kz1.jpg
Photo 7 Merel R. Black University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=ANEACU
Photo 8 L. Wallis Michigan Flora Online, University of Michigan michiganflora.net/species.aspx?id=2376
Photo 9 Christopher Noll University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=ANEACU
Photo 10 Peter M. Dziuk Minnesota Wildflowers minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/sharp-lobed-hepatica
Summer Phlox ‘Laura’
(Phlox paniculata)
3-4’ vigorous upright clump.
‘Laura’ is a top garden performer,
according to Summer Phlox ratings by
the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Native New York south, found in rich
open woods, thickets, fertile bottomlands, meadows, by streambanks.
6-12” large dense pyramidal clusters of
1-1.5” five-petal fragrant fuchsia-purple
flowers with starry white centers and
dark eyes, atop stiff upright stems. Very
long-blooming, from July into Sept.
Strong upright leafy stems with pairs of
4-5”-long narrow lance-shaped leaves.
Sun to part shade; moist to average
well-drained moderately fertile soil,
prefers rich moist organic soil, good air
circulation, and a layer of mulch. Top
dress with compost in the spring. Likes
water during dry spells, summer mulch.
Remove spent flowers for re-bloom.
Very good mildew and spider mite resistance.
Phloxes are the backbone of late summer
flower borders. Good cut flowers.
Summer Phlox nectar attracts
hummingbirds, butterflies,
including Swallowtails and
Fritillaries, and moths,
including Hummingbird Moths.
Photo 1:
Hardy Plant Society,
United Kingdom
hardy-plant.org.uk/
imagelibrary/P16.php
Photos 2, 3, 4
MO Botanical Garden PlantFinder
missouribotanicalgarden.org/
plantfinder/plantfindersearch.aspx
Tall White Penstemon
(Penstemon digitalis)
2-4’ x 14-16” robust clumpforming perennial.
CT native; found in moist
forest gaps, bottomlands, fields.
Lovely panicles of many 1.25”
two-lipped tubular flowers,
pure-white with purple lines
within the throat, several weeks
May to July. Held atop strong
upright red stems with shiny
lance-shaped leaves,
Shiny brown capsules are formed
by July and remain through the
fall, above foliage tinged red with
the first frost. After, flower stems
set seed and die back, leaving
behind a basal clump of shiny
broad semi-evergreen
leaves with red-purple tints.
Sun to light shade, moist to
moderately dry, well-drained,
loamy soil. Tolerates clay loam
and sand. Tolerates dry shade.
East to grow.
Use in perennial borders,
naturalized gardens, meadows,
rock gardens, rain gardens.
Good cut flowers.
Special value to long-tongued native bees: including Bumblebees, Miner Bees, Mason Bees. Also attracts Honeybees.
Butterflies, moths (including Sphinx Moths and hummingbirds visit the flowers for nectar.
Songbirds sometimes eat ripe seeds from the flower stems.
Photo 1:
The Battery Conservancy
thebattery.org/plants/about.php
Photos 2: Missouri Botanic PlantFinder
mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder
Photos 3, 6:
David G. Smith
delawarewildflowers.org/plant.php?id=1418
Photo 4:
North Central Conservation District
Photo 5:
Jeffrey Pippen, North Carolina Wildflowers, Shrubs, and Trees
jeffpippen.com/plants/penstemon.htm
Virginia Bluebells
(Mertensia virginica)
1-2’ spring ephemeral, upright and clump forming.
Native NY south, found in moist rich woods,
river floodplains
Loose clusters of pink buds and flowers change
to fragrant nodding sky-blue bells, hanging on
arching leafy stalks. Flowers appear sequentially
over several weeks, March-May.
6” smooth oval leaves emerge deep purple,
then turn blue-green when exposed to sun.
Part sun to shade. Spring sun and summer shade
ideal, i.e. under deciduous trees.
Well-drained soil, moist in spring.
Can tolerate some drought in summer.
Foliage dies to the ground by mid-summer as
the plant goes dormant, so it’s helpful to
interplant with ferns, etc. in borders.
Spectacular in masses, in woods, with wildflowers.
18th century garden writers commonly referred to the flowers
As "Jefferson's blue funnel flowers" because
Thomas Jefferson grew them at Monticello, his home.
Attracts long-tongued bees, including honeybees,
bumblebees, Miner bees, seeking pollen and nectar.
Provides nectar to hummingbirds, butterflies, skippers,
and Sphinx moths, including hummingbird moths.
Photo 1
Christian Hummert (Ixitixel)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
File:Mertensia_virginica_(Flower).jpg
Photos 2, 6
David G. Smith
Delaware Wildflowers
delawarewildflowers.org/plant.php?id=1274
Photos 3, 4
Missouri Botanic PlantFinder
mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder
Photo 5
Derek Anderson
University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point
wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/
detail.asp?SpCode=MERVIR
Wild Bleeding Heart
(Dicentra eximia)
15" wildflower, with flower stems and leaves
growing directly out of the scaly rootstock.
Unlike other Bleeding Hearts, does not go dormant
in summer. Naturalizes, forming drifts.
Native New Jersey south. Typically occurs on
forest floors, rocky woods, and ledges.
Rose-pink nodding, heart-shaped flowers
carried above the foliage on long leafless stems.
Protruding inner petals appear to form a “drop
of blood” at the bottom of each flower.
Long bloom period from April into early fall.
Deeply-cut, fern-like, grayish-green foliage.
Part shade. Easily grown in average well-drained
soil. Prefers moist, humus-rich acidic soils.
Intolerant of wet soils in winter and dry soils
in summer. Self-seeds in favorable environments.
Use in shaded borders, woodland gardens, rock gardens, wildflower gardens, naturalized areas.
Attracts birds, hummingbirds, butterflies.
Photo 1: Mount Cuba Center, Delaware
mtcubacenter.org/plant-finder/details/dicentra-eximia/
Photo 2: Kurt Stuber
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dicentra_eximia1.jpg
Photo 3: Hedwig Storch
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Herzblume_(Dicentra_eximia)_5692.JPG
Photo 4: North Centrall Conservation District