Saxifragaceae; a hybrid of garden origin.

Germination: Best sown indoors at a temperature of 55-72° and with no cover as light aids in germination. Expect the small seeds to germinate in 20-25 days. Seeds can also be sown outdoors in early spring.

Growth: Transplant when there are at least two sets of true leaves. Space 15-24 inches apart in partial shade. Site in a rich, moist, well-drained soil. Plant out in the spring or fall.

Appearance and Use: This 2-3 foot tall, mounding perennial is best used in shady borders, woodland gardens, or in waterside plantings. Its flowers cut well for fresh use. In mid to late summer, above the green 8-28 inch long, ferny leaves, are borne 6-36 inch, fluffy spikes of white, pink, or red flowers.

Apiaceae, native to Europe.

Germination: Sow indoors at a temperature of 58-62° and at a depth of 4 times the size of the seeds. Expect erratic germination in 14-28 days or longer. Seeds can also be sown outdoors when the ground is still cool in early spring. Outdoors, sow at the same depth as indoors, but expect germination in 1-4 months.

Growth: Transplant when there are at least two sets of true leaves. Site in full sun to partial shade in a fertile, moist, humus-rich soil. As necessary, divide plants in the spring.

Appearance and Use: Grow this clump-forming, upright, 1-3 foot tall by 18 inches wide perennial in a border, woodland garden, or along a stream bank. From the basal rosette of green, deeply lobed leaves arises the flowering stems in early to mid-summer. The flowers are borne in small, 1 inch diameter, pincushion-like umbels. Each flower is papery and colored white or pink with green veining.

Brassicaceae, native to the Mediterranean.

Germination: Best sown indoors, in spring or summer, at alternating temperatures of 55 and 72° and with no cover as light aids in germination. Expect the small seeds to germinate in 10-15 days. Seeds can also be sown outdoors during the early spring.

Growth: Transplant when there are at least two sets of true leaves. Space 6-8 inches apart in full sun. Site in a sandy, well-drained soil. Shear after flowering to promote fresh, new growth.

Appearance and Use: Grow this perennial in a sunny border, rock garden, or on a sunny bank. It is a small, but upright (6-12 inch tall) perennial that is clump forming to 12 inches wide. In April and May masses of tiny, 1/2 inch diameter, pale yellow to gold flowers appear over the 1 1/4 - 3 inch long, gray-green foliage.

Fabaceae, native to eastern North America.

Germination: Nick or file the seed coat to promote faster germination. Sow seeds indoors at alternating temperatures of 68 and 86 degrees and with no cover as light aids in germination. Expect germination in 15-30 days. Seeds can also be sown outdoors when the ground is cool in late fall or early spring, with germination occurring that spring.

Growth: Transplant when there are at least two sets of true leaves. Space 18 inches apart in full sun to part shade. Site in an average, well-drained garden soil. Keep the plants well-watered and stake them if necessary. Deadhead after flowering or refrain from doing so to let the seed pods form.

Appearance and Use: Add this perennial to a border, hillside, or naturalized garden. Its flowers cut well for fresh use. The habit is upright and gently spreading from 2-5 feet tall by 24 inches wide. In May and June spikes of pea-like, 1 1/4 inch, indigo-blue (sometimes flecked with white) flowers appear and are followed by black seed pods. The blue-green leaves are palmate and divided into three, 1 1/2 inch long leaflets.

Iridaceae, native to China and Japan.

Germination: Sow seeds indoors at alternating temperatures of 68 and 86° and at a depth of 4 times the size of the seeds. Expect germination in 15-30 days. Seeds can also be sown outdoors during the spring or summer, up to two months before first frost.

Growth: Transplant when there are at least two true leaves. Space 6 inches apart in full sun or light shade. Site in a rich, sandy, exceptionally well-drained soil. Keep plants moist during the growing season.

Appearance and Use: Plant it in borders, wildflower gardens, and rock gardens. The flowers cut well for fresh use. The habit is that of an upright clump (12-24 inches tall) that spreads via its rhizomes and has iris-like foliage. In late summer the lily-like, orange with red flowers appear. They are followed by the brown seed pods that open to reveal clusters of large, black seeds that resemble blackberries.

Asteraceae, native to Europe.

Germination: Best sown indoors at a temperature of 68-70° and with no cover as light aids in germination. Expect germination in 10-15 days. Seeds can also be sown outdoors during early spring; in mild areas they can be sown outdoors in late summer.

Growth: Transplant when there are at least two sets of true leaves. Space 6 inches apart in full sun or light shade. Site in a light, rich, fertile, moist, well-drained soil. Keep them well watered and fertilize them monthly. Deadhead the flowers to prevent plants from self sowing around the garden. This plant does best in climates with cool summers; treat it as an annual in Zones 8-10.

Appearance and Use: Grow it in borders, rock gardens, in containers, and as a bedding plant. The plants form 4-6 inch tall by 2-8 inch wide basal rosettes of spoon-shaped leaves. The single or double, white, pink, red, or purple, daisy-like flowers appear in May and June.

Saxifragaceae; native to Afghanistan and the Himalayas.

Germination: For best results, sow indoors at temperatures of 55° F nights and 72° F days. Or sow outdoors, in late fall or early spring for spring germination. Germination takes 15-20 days; plants bloom the second year from sowing.

Growth: In spring or fall, space 12-16 inches apart in well-drained soil in full sun (North) or part shade (South). The plants, thriving in 60° F nights, tolerate deep shade and wide range of soils. Keep the soil evenly moist and feed moderately. No staking is required, but deadhead if the stems become leggy. If planting in fall, allow at least two months for seedlings to become rooted before the cold sets in. Mulch heavily for winter.

Appearance and Use: Ideal for edging, borders, or ground cover, Bergenia displays dark, heart-shaped foliage that is attractive in arrangements. Mounding plants, 12-18 inches tall and 12-24 inches wide, are non-invasive and spread via rhizomes. Coarse, cabbage-like blooms of rose or red arrive in April and May. Glossy, dark green 10- inch foliage is heart-shaped with a leathery texture. As winter arrives, the evergreen plants turn burgundy. New growth arrives in March.

Asteraceae, native to North America.

Germination: Best sown indoors at a temperature of 68-70° and with no cover as light aids in germination. Expect germination in 10-15 days. Seeds can also be sown outdoors when the soil is warm in late spring. Outdoors, sow with barely any cover and look for germination in 12-18 days.

Growth: Transplant when there are at least two sets of true leaves. Site in full sun or partial shade in a fertile, moist, well-drained soil. Divide plants as necessary.

Appearance and Use: This is a great perennial for situating in borders or for naturalizing. Its flowers cut well for fresh use. The habit is upright to 6 feet tall and spreading to 3 feet wide. In late summer and fall, 3/4 inch, white, lilac, or pink, daisy-like flower heads cover the plants. The leaves are green or blue-green, toothed, and an inverted lance to 5 inches long.

Solanaceae; native to South America.

Germination: Sow anytime of the year for indoor growth. For outdoor growth, sow indoors 6-8weeks before planting outside, and leave the seed uncovered. Maintain a temperature of 68-70°F during germination, which takes 14-21 days.

Growth: When the danger of frost is past, space seedlings 8-10 inches apart in moderately fertile, well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. Plants prefer morning sun and afternoon shade; they thrive in 60° F nights. Mulch in the summer to keep the roots cool and moist. Before the first frost, dig up the plants, cut them back in frost-free areas and pot them up. Place in sunny window so that they will flower freely all winter. Plants can overwinter in the garden.

Appearance and Use: The velvety, bell-shaped blooms add color to beds, borders, baskets, or greenhouses. Mounded, well-branched plants, 12-18 inches tall and 24 inches wide, sport glossy emerald-green, elliptical-shaped 3-inch foliage. Solitary, star-shaped blooms of blue, purple, or white measure up to 2 inches across.

Loganiaceae; native to China.

Germination: Sow indoors in early spring for fall flowering, or sow outdoors anytime in late spring or summer, up to two months before first fall frost. Cover seeds with 4 times their height in soil and maintain a temperature of 68-70° F during germination, which takes 15-20 days.

Growth: Plant outdoors in sun or light shade in average, well-drained soil. Butterfly Bush blooms the first year if started early, and tolerates heat, humidity, drought, and a wide variety of soil conditions. Mulch in winter to protect the roots. Prune back to 10 inches each spring before new growth to encourage more blooming and a bushier habit.

Appearance and Use: An easy-to-grow source of summer-to-fall color with quick growth, it is ideal as a hedge, screen, or specimen. Buddleia is deciduous and shrub-like, growing up to 14 feet tall. Tapered bloom spikes, up to 12 inches long, arise from summer into fall in shades of white, lilac, pink, red, or yellow, sometimes bi-colored. Butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds love the sweet honey scent of the blooms. Dark green foliage, 8 inches long, is lance-shaped and coarse with a felted underside.

Ericaceae; native of northern Europe.

Germination: Sow outdoors in late fall for early spring germination, or sow indoors. Fresh seeds will germinate in 30-35 days if a temperature within the medium of 55-70° F is maintained. Seeds may benefit from being placed in a moistened medium in the refrigerator for 4 weeks, followed by germination as above. Heather blooms the second year from sowing.

Growth: In spring, space 12 inches apart in full sun in an acid, infertile, highly organic soil that is well-drained. Keep the soil evenly moist and feed once in spring. Shear in early spring and mulch the plants to help them retain moisture. These evergreen plants require no staking and tolerate wind and partial shade.

Appearance and Use: These attractive evergreen shrubs for edging, foundation planting, borders, slopes, and rock gardens are also ideal for containers or as a holiday potted plant. Upright plants 12-36 inches tall and 12-18 inches wide, range from dense and woody at their bases to more sparse and free-growing. Late summer brings 10- inch spikes of pink, purple, or white blooms. Scale-like, 1/2- to 1- inch foliage can be green, yellow, bronze, and variegated. In fall, the leaves turn bronze, red, yellow, or silver depending upon the cultivar.

Theaceae; native to Asia.

Germination: Soak seeds of C. sasanqua in warm water for 24 hours before sowing. Maintain a temperature within the medium of 70-75° during germination which takes 1-2 months. Prior to sowing C. sinensis, soak seeds for 48 hours and then place them in a moist medium in the freezer for 3 weeks. Germination will then take 2 months or more with a temperature within the medium of 70-75°. Camellia can be sown outdoors in fall.

Growth: Plant outdoors in warm climates in light shade and a rich, acid, well drained sandy soil. Keep evenly moist and mulch 2 inches deep. Indoors, grow with cool (55°) nights, keep soil evenly moist, and give 3-4 hours of sun a day.

Appearance and Use: C. sasanqua is used as a foundation planting, pot plant, cut flower, and greenhouse specimen. This shrub has broad evergreen leaves and an open habit, growing to 20 feet tall. Hardy zones 7-8, it’s fragrant pink or white, single or semi-double flowers appear in fall. C. sinensis is grown as a shrub in warm climates or as a house plant or in the greenhouse elsewhere. The leathery, toothed leaves of this tender evergreen shrub are used in making tea. C. sinensis can grow to 30 feet, is hardy to zone 8, and has fragrant, white or pink flowers in clusters of 2-5.

Campanulaceae; native to Asia and Europe.

Germination:
Annual - Sow indoors 6 to 8 weeks before planting outdoors and maintain a temperature of 68-70° F within the medium during germination which takes 10-14 days. Leave seeds uncovered.
Biennial/Perennial - Sow outdoors in late spring or early summer for blooms the following year. Or, sow indoors in the same way as annual forms. Germination takes 14-21 days and light is beneficial to all types.

Growth: Set plants 4-18 inch apart depending upon the species in a rich, moist, well-drained soil and keep well-watered. Most will perform their best in full sun but (C. pesicifolia) and (C. rotundifolia) will perform well in partial shade.

Appearance and Use:
Annual - C. medium blooms in 3 months from seed with pink and blue flowers on 2- foot plants.
Biennial - C. medium ‘Calycanthema’ (Cup and Saucer) is named for its flower shape. Zones 3 to 7.
Perennial - C. carpatica grows 8-18 inches tall with 1 1/2 to 2 inch blooms of violet-blue or white. C. glomerata ‘Superbra’ is showy with 1- inch deep violet blooms in dense cluster on a 2 foot plant. C persiciflolia (Peached Leaved Campanula) has 1 1/2 inch blue or white blooms in open, 2 foot racemes. C. rotundifolia (Blue Bells-of-Scotland) is the dandiest with 1 inch, bright blue blooms on wiry, 1 1/2 foot stems. Zones 3-7.

Bignoniaceae; native to Northeast North America.

Germination: Place seeds in moistened medium in the refrigerator for two months, followed by germination maintaining a temperature within the medium of 70°. Germination will take place in 15-20 days. Trumpet Vine may also be sown outdoors in early spring.

Growth: Plant in sun or light shade in a rich, moist, well drained sandy soil. Keep well watered and fertilize during the growing season. Pinch back frequently to promote bushiness. A trellis or some other support is necessary.

Appearance and Use: This fast growing vine is ideal as a screen or grown on a trellis. Growing to 30 feet, it has dark green compound leaves and 3 inch trumpet shaped flowers of orange or scarlet borne in clusters of 6-12 during the summer.

Cannaceae; native to South and Central America.

Germination: After all danger of frost is past, sow outdoors where plants are to grow. For best results, sow indoors, covering the seeds with 4 times their thickness in soil, and maintaining a temperature within the medium of 75-85° F. If the seed coats are nicked or filed and the seeds soaked in warm water for 48 hours. They will germinate in 7-14 days. Blooms arrive in 3 months from sowing.

Growth: In spring, after danger of frost is past, space 18-24 inches apart in full sun in a rich, well-drained soil. Keep the soil evenly moist and fertilize the plants regularly. Taller varieties may require staking. In the north, dig up the rhizomes after frost and store them in peat, vermiculite or sand in dark, dry place, preferably with temperatures of 45-50° F for winter. In zones 7-10, mulch the plants for winter.

Appearance and Use: A long-time garden favorite in the South. Canna is at home in borders, background plantings, at pool side, or in containers. The blooms are also used in cut flower arrangements. Upright, rhizomatous plants, 2-7 feet tall and 12 inches wide, with 3- to 4- inch, gladiolas-like blooms of red, white, cream, yellow, or orange from July to frost. The blooms can be bi-colored, bordered, spotted, or show marking on their throats. The solid green to bronze-red foliage has a glossy appearance for a tropical look. The leaves are leathery and sometimes have prominent veining.

Cyperaceae; native to New Zealand.

Germination: Best sown indoors at 68° or alternating 55 and 72°. Sow on the surface of the medium; do not cover as light aids in germination. Seeds will germinate in 12-16 days. It is not recommended to sow Carex seeds outdoors.

Growth: Transplant when there are at least two true leaves. Site in full sun or partial shade. A good moist, well-drained garden soil is recommended; avoid extremes of wet or dry.

Appearance and Use: Every green in nature and colorful in leaf. Hair Sedge is useful for adding year-round interest to a flower border or container display. A rounded mound of grassy leaves that is best described as a tufted tussock. The plant grows to 14 inches tall and 30 inches wide. The inconspicuous flowers are no reason to grow this plant; the delight is found in the long, thin, evergreen leaves that range in color from pale green, to pale gray, to reddish brown.

Verbenaceae; native to China and Japan.

Germination: Best sown indoors at 68-70° and at a depth 4 times the size of the seed. Seeds will germinate in 16 to 24 days. Can also be sown outdoors from spring (after frost) to early fall (before first frost).

Growth: Transplant when there are at least two sets of true leaves. Site in full sun to light shade in a light, well-drained soil. It prefers only moderate fertility. Over fertilizing will increase growth, but at the expense of floral display.

Appearance and Use: Bluebeard is a shrub prized for adding blue flowers to a mixed border, be it a perennial or shrub border. A deciduous shrub, though it has no appreciable fall color, it is grown for its blue (sometimes white) flowers and aromatic foliage (smells of mint when crushed). Fragrant flowers appear in late summer through autumn in rounded cymes that emerge from the upper leaf axils. The ovate leaves are gray-green with a toothed margin and are 3 inches long. Bluebeard grows to 4 feet tall and spreads to 5 feet.

Asteraceae; native to the Mediterranean.

Germination: Sow outdoors in early spring, or start indoors 6-8 weeks before planting outdoors. Cover the seeds with 4 times their thickness in soil and maintain a temperature within the medium of 68-70° F during germination which takes 21-25 days. If sown early enough, plants will bloom the first year.

Growth: In spring, space seedlings 10-12 inches apart in full sun in an average, well-drained soil. Fertilize moderately and allow the soil to dry out between waterings. C. caerulea prefers a sunny, dry climate and 60° F nights. These easy-to-grow, trouble-free plants are dormant in winter and should be mulched for protection.

Appearance and Use: This perennial is a source of blooms for cutting or drying and is used in sunny borders. Rosettes of grass-like, silvery-green foliage form clumps, 24-30 inches tall and 12 inches wide. From June to August, this perennial sports papery, daisy-like blooms, 2 inches across, of lavender-blue on thin wiry stems.

Valerianaceae; native to the Mediterranean.

Germination: Best sown indoors at alternating temperatures of 55 and 72° with no cover. Seeds will germinate in 15-20 days. Seeds may be sown outdoors in spring or fall, when the soil temperature is cool. Barely cover the seeds as light aids in germination.

Growth: Transplant seedlings when there are at least two sets of true leaves. Space seedlings 2-3 feet apart in full sun in an alkaline, well-drained soil. Very tolerant of poor, low-fertility soils. Deadhead regularly to keep plants tidy. Plants will decline after a few years, so expect to replace them every 3 to 4 years. Will self-sow around the garden.

Appearance and Use: A natural fit in any border, it also takes well to rock gardens, in pockets between stones in a wall, and on stony banks. Centranthus is of clump-forming habit to 24 inches tall and spreading to 3 feet. The 1/2 inch flowers are carmine red to deep crimson and are very fragrant. Individual flowers are funnel-shaped and borne in dense cymes. During their long flowering season from late spring to late summer, the fragrant flowers are very attractive to both humans and bees. The 3 inch long, lanceolate to ovate, green leaves are fleshy-smooth in texture and have a slightly serrated margin.

Carylphullaceae; native to Europe.

Germination: Sow outdoors in spring or summer, up to 2 months before frost. Indoors, cover the seeds with 4 times their thickness in soil and maintain a temperature of 65-70° F during germination which takes 10-15 days. Blooms arrive in the second year.

Growth: In spring or fall, space 12 inches apart in full sun in normal, well-drained soil. Shear the plants after blooming to encourage bushiness. Provide moderate moisture and feed lightly. The plants are dormant in the winter. C. tomentosum is tolerant of heat and drought and needs no staking.

Appearance and Use: When these mounding plants are in bloom in summer, they have the look of a cool mound of snow. An excellent ground cover, Cerastium is also used for edging, rock gardens, slopes, and banks. Grown for its foliage and blooms, C. tomentosum is a mat-forming perennial, just 6-12 inches tall and spreading up to 30 inches wide. From May to June, star-shaped, white blooms, 1/2 to 1 inch wide, are borne on 8- to 12- inch stems. The silvery-white leaves are covered with thick, white, wavy hairs.