Plant Profile: East Indies Aster (Aster tongolensis)
Karen East Indies aster is a mat-forming herbaceous perennial native from India to western China. It is a member of the Asteraceae family that also includes sunflowers, yarrow, and lettuce. The…
Plant Profile: Showy Fleabane (Erigeron speciosus)
Showy fleabane, also called aspen or garden fleabane, is a herbaceous perennial native to open woods, prairies, meadows, and roadsides from Alberta and British Columbia, south to the Black Hills,…
Plant Profile: Tatarian Daisy (Aster tataricus)
Tatarian daisy is a herbaceous perennial native to southern Siberia, northern China, Mongolia, Koreas, and Japan where it grows in wetlands and meadows. It is a member of the aster…
Plant Profile: Hairy Garden Pink (Dianthus knappii)
Hairy garden pink is a short-lived herbaceous perennial native to eastern Europe where it grows in grassy places and scrub. It belongs to the carnation family that includes baby’s breath,…
Plant Profile: Rhone Aster (Aster sedifolius)
Rhone asters are herbaceous perennials native to southern Europe. They belong to the Asteraceae family that also includes daisies, sunflowrs, and lettuce. The multi-stemmed plants have a bushy habit with…
Plant Combination: White Sage (Artemisia ludoviciana) ‘Silver King’ and Wallflower (Erysimum linifolium) ‘Bowles Beauty’
This silver and purple duo provides all season interest but is especially striking in early summer when the wallflower blooms. The purple color of ‘Bowles Beauty’ could be garish but…
Garden Plants for Flower Arrangements: Bloody Cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum)
Bloody cranesbill is an herbaceous perennial native t Europe and temperate Asia where it grows in grasslands, open woodlands, sand dunes, and rocky slopes. Thick rhizomes form mounts of shallowly…
Plant Profile: New York Aster (Aster novi belgi AKA Symphyotrichum novi-belgi)
New York aster, also called Michaelmas daisy, is a herbaceous perennial native to the Atlantic Coastal Plain from Maine to Georgia where it grows in low areas, moist meadows, thickets,…
Plant Profile: Boris Avens (Geum x borisii)
This clump forming herbaceous perennial is the result of a cross between Geum bulgaricum and Geum reptans and a member of the rose family (Rosaceae) that also includes apples, pyracantha,…
Plant Combination: Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum) ‘Burgundy Lace’ and Coral Bells (Heuchera) ‘Plum Pudding’
For long season color in a shade garden try this subtle combination of fern and coral bells. Coral bells ‘Plum Pudding’ is evergreen in warm climates and has plum purple…