Saxifraga stolonifera 'Autumn moon'

Strawberry saxifrage - Saxifragaceae - stolons like strawberry - hardy evergreen groundcover - can be an indoor plant - looks good in heavy shade but only flowers in some sun happiest in dappled shade - moist rich acid soil - woodland - shady rock garden - edible leaves + stems

Kirengeshoma palmata

 Yellow wax bells - Hydrangeaceae - deep rich moist but not too wet - one of most valuable herbaceous perennials for Vancouver area - can grow up to 4m tall - no afternoon sun unless lots of water - part shade shade - Korea Japan - waxy tubular bell shaped pale yellow flowers - July August September blooms - rhizomatous

Dactylicapnos scanders

Climbing bleeding heart - Papaveraceae - part shade - woodland - China - delicate - climber - light airy foliage - yellow heart blooms - herbaceous perennial - June to September blooms - moist rich well drained - zone 6-10

Macleaya microcarpa

 Plume poppy - Papaveraceae - rhizomatous spreading - herbaceous perennial - 3m tall - bright yellow orange sap - self seeding - sun part shade - moist well drained - bronzy pink flower in summer - grey green leaves - China

Calycanthus chinensis

Chinese sweetshrub - Calycanthaceae - zone 6-9 - China - thick waxy blooms - May to July blooms - 3m x 3m - part shade shade - deciduous shrub - big sprawling - flowers on new growth - woodland - needs a lot of space - glossy green opposite leaves - beetle pollinated -  moist - rare in the wild

Centaurea cyanus

Bachelor buttons - Cornflower - Asteraceae - well drained - sun part shade - edible flowers - annual - weedy - wild one is blue - Europe - 1m tall - June to August blooms - bee butterfly moth pollinated - drought tolerant - upright - deep blue flowers

Anemone hupehensis

Japanese anemone - Ranunculaceae - zone 4-8 - Central China - sun part shade - August September blooms - herbaceous perennial - well drained - rose pink petals yellow stamens - trifoliate dark green foliage - woodland

Clematis heracleifolia var. davidiana

Clematis - Ranunculaceae - fragrant sweet flowers hyacinth like flowers - lilac flowers roll back - compound trifoliate leaf - July to September blooms - rhizomatous - spreading - 9cm tall - moist well drained soil - sun part shade - herbaceous perennial - attractive fluffy seed heads - zone 3-8 - China

Filipendula x purpurea 'Nana'

Meadowsweet - Rosaceae - sun part shade - zone 5-9 - tiny white flowers white red stamens = looks pink purple - long lived - spreading - moist - looks good with ferns - rhizomatous - pinnately divided leaves - herbaceous perennial

Kniphofia nelsonii

Torch lilies - Red hot pokers - Xanthorrhoeaceae - South Africa - full sun - bulb - container - red orange red flowers - rhizomatous - 60cm tall - mountain grasslands streambanks - moist well drained - flower spikes on erect stems - zone 5-9 - late summer early fall blooms - grass like long green leaves - architectural - hummingbirds

Buddleja loricata

Popcorn buddleja - Scrophulariaceae - South Africa - evergreen dwarf shrub - opposite course dark green leaves silvery beneath - fragrant honey scented flowers cream with orange throat - drought tolerant - July August blooms - zone 7-11 - well drained - full sun - butterflies

Zantedeschia jucunda

Pink calla lily - Araceae - yellow spathe yellow spadix - semi erect spotted green leaves - 40cm tall - sun part shade - rhizomatous tuber - South Africa - moist well drained - sheltered position - endangered in native range - 

Zantedeschia rehmannii

Pink calla lily - Araceae - rose purple spathe yellow spadix - semi erect green leaves - 40cm tall - sun part shade - rhizomatous tuber - South Africa - moist well drained - zone 10-11 - sheltered position - red berries

Phygelius capensis

Cape fuchsia - Scrophulariaceae - South Africa - nodding tubular flowers sometimes point back at stem - orange pink flowers yellow centre - moist fertile well drained - full sun - long blooming - semi evergreen shrub

Crocosmia masoniorum

Swan Crocosmia - Iridaceae - 60-90cm tall - herbaceous perennial - full sun part shade - red flowers on horizontally branched stem - moist well drained - upright - South Africa - corm bulb - hummingbird insect wind pollinated - too much water = stems flop over - zone 5-10 - July August September late summer fall blooms - rare in wild - stiff leaves

Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora 'Lucifer'

Lucifer's Crocosmia - Iridaceae - 60-90cm tall - herbaceous perennial - full sun part shade - red flowers on horizontally branched stem - moist well drained - upright - South Africa - corm bulb - hummingbird insect wind pollinated - too much water = stems flop over - zone 5-10 - July August September late summer fall blooms - C. masoniorum crossed with C. paniculata 

Epilobium canum

California fuchsia - Zauschneria - Onagraceae - hummingbird bee love - full sun - dry slopes chaparral - Western North America California - sub shrub - 50cm tall - variation in appearance & habit - red funnel shaped flowers - rhizomatous - August September late summer blooms - herbaceous perennial

Cistus laurifolius

Laurel leaf Cistus - Cistaceae - reliable evergreen shrub in Vancouver - people make hedges out of it - 1-2m tall - reddish bark - lanceolate dark green leaves - white flowers with yellow centre - fire adapted - Western Mediterranean - full sun - well drained - opposite leaves - long flowering summer

Callistemon citrinus

Crimson bottlebrush - Myrtaceae - evergreen sub shrub - borderline hardy - long flowering - hummingbird love - Australia - woody seed capsules - full sun - fertile moist well drained - rock garden - spring summer blooms - tolerates drought

Alchemilla erythropoda

Dwarf lady's mantle - Roseaceae - sprays of yellow flowers - Eastern Europe - alchemilla = alchemy = water droplets sit and look silver - floppy and open in shade - long petiole - palmately lobed slightly convex fanlike = concentrates light and water - self seeding - sun to part shade - moist - summer flowers - 15cm tall - Doug's favorite alchemilla - better behaved - bluer - herbaceous perennial - crown protects soil - dense compact

Rhodiola rosea

Sedum roseum - Roseroot - Crassulaceae - herbaceous sedum - 10-15cm tall - roundish clusters - propagate by layering = pour sand on top of crown and individual side branches will root - dioecious - arctic alpine Northern Hemisphere - medicinal may improve mood & depression reduce fatigue & stress used for centuries in Russia Scandinavia - crowded small yellow flowers - dense - full sun part shade - well drained - rock garden - July August blooms

Inula hookeri

Hooker's Inula - Asteraceae - involucral bracts are fuzzy - hairy stems - herbaceous perennial - 1m x 1m - stands up in part shade flops over in sun - deep fertile moist well drained - upright - China India Nepal Myanmar

Gillenia trifoliata

Bowman's root - Rosaceae - looks like shrub - woodland - elegant - part shade - rhizomatous perennial - sprays of star shaped white pale pink flowers - maroon stems - moist well drained - 1m tall x 0.5m spread - Eastern North America - 3 lobed leaves

Ophiopogon japonicus ‘Nana’

Dwarf mondo grass - Asparagaceae - zone 7-8 - evergreen - tips die back turn yellow = can look horrible for 6 months - groundcover - sun shade - dark green grass like leaves - 5-7cm tall - moist - lilac flowers blue berries - clumping spreading - Japan

Lamium galeobdolon ‘Herman’s Pride’

Weasel stench - False lamium - Lamiaceae - non invasive lamium cultivar - will grow in deep dry shade - mound of green and silver white leaves - small creamy yellow flowers - part shade shade - groundcover - semi evergreen perennial - slow growth - 30cm x 30cm - April May blooms - opposite leaves on upright stems - stinks

Hosta plantaginea

August Lily Hosta - Asparagaceae - fragrant sweet flowers - white lily like flowers - part shade shade - herbaceous perennial - moist well drained - zone 3-9 - China Japan - late summer August September blooms - hummingbirds - best Hosta flowers - dense foliage

Lychnis coronaria

Rose Campion - Caryophyllaceae - zone 4-8 - weedy - Southeastern Europe - herbaceous perennial - full sun - magenta flowers - well drained - tolerates drought dry rocky shallow soil - self seeding - wooly silver grey leaves + stems - long blooming May to July - 60-90cm tall

Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae

Leather leaf spurge - Euphorbiaceae - evergreen perennial - >50cm tall - rosettes of oblong dark green leaves - sprays of yellow green flowers - sun part shade shade - moist well drained - toxic - spreading mound - groundcover - tolerates dry shade

Nymphaea hybrid

Water lily - Nymphaeaceae - aquatic - submerged - sun part shade - large floating plate like leaves - rhizomatous - some are invasive - long blooming May to frost - flower opens in morning closes at night - flower appears on water surface - helps reduce growth of algae - zone 4-10

Alisma plantago-aquatica

Northern water plantain - Mad dog weed - Alismataceae - aphids - wet or submerged in water - aquatic - full sun - Northern Hemisphere - mud fresh water - small white flowers open in the afternoon - zone 5-10 - rain garden - July August blooms - once thought remedy for rabies - self seeding = can be aggressive

Pontederia cordata

Pickerel weed - Pontederiaceae - aquatic - Eastern Canada to Argentina - aphids - wet or submerged - aphids - aggressive = needs to be contained - wetlands ponds lake margins - tolerant of low soil oxygen - July to September late summer flowers - rhizomatous - bee pollinated - varying leaf shape - purple flower - edible seeds young leaves - zone 3-10 - height >1m

Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’

Black eyed Susan - Asteraceae - long lasting blooms July to September - rough textured dark green foliage - SE North America - full sun - zone 3-8 - drought tolerant - bee butterfly hummingbird - well drained - deadhead to prolong bloom - mass planting - late summer blooms - >90cm tall x >75cm spread - rhizomatous - flowers on old growth - take out 3 year old stems

Eucalyptus gunnii

Cider gum - Eucalyptus - Myrtaceae - tree in mild climates - juveniles and adults look different - Tasmania - evergreen - elliptical to ovate grey green leaves - well drained - sun - sheltered position - zone 8-11 - leaves fragrant when crushed - small creamy white flowers - July August flowers - bee pollinated

Leycesteria formosa

Himalayan honeysuckle - Caprifoliaceae - East Asia - 2.5m x 2.5m - deciduous shrub - June to September blooms - insect pollinated -  musical hollow stems can be made into whistles and flutes - fragrant flowers - wildlife - sun part shade shade - moist - tolerates air pollution maritime conditions strong wind - purple black berries possibly edible - upright green stems - white flower purple bract - opposite dark green leaves - hummingbird love

Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’

Wormwood - Asteraceae - often grown because it doesn't flower - full blazing sun - hard to grow on the flat - sub shrub here - zone 6-9 - well drained - fragrant foliage - bushy - finely divided silvery foliage - dusty yellow flowers - drought tolerant - evergreen - poor dry soil - >90cm tall >60cm spread

Artemisia vulgaris

Wormwood - Mugwort - Asteraceae - Eurasia - used to flavour absinth - herbaceous perennial - 1-2m tall - stem has red purple tinge - July to September blooms - yellow dark red flowers - medicinal / culinary uses - middle ages smoking herb insect repellant magical protective herb - remedy for fatigue - protects travellers against evil spirits and wild animals - flavour beer instead of hops - pollen = hay fever - wind pollinated - sun part shade - well drained

Echinops ritro

Small globe thistle - Asteraceae - zone 3-8 - Europe Western Asia - >1m tall - full sun - blue thistle like flower - July to September blooms - aphids - well drained tolerates dry rocky soil - thistle like foliage - upright - herbaceous perennial

Hemerocallis fulva

Daylily - Xanthorrhoeaceae - tolerates hot dry  - shabby looking "least attractive daylily" - Asia - herbaceous perennial - >1.5m tall - orange - red edible flowers - flowers close at night - leaves have hallucinogenic properties - June to August blooms - sun part shade - zone 3-9 - butterflies - tolerates air pollution - well drained

Cynara cardunculus

Cardoon - Asteraceae - edible stem vegetable - attracts aphids aunts farm aphids - 4m tall - herbaceous perennial - big bold - Mediterranean - domesticated in ancient times - violet flowers - silver green spiny leaves - rich well drained - full sun - architectural - August September blooms

Aconitum napellus

Monkshood - Ranunculaceae - deadly poisonous ! - ancient times hunters / archers  tipped their spears / arrows with Monkshood - used in murder plots - Europe Asia North America - herbaceous perennial - height 2m - dark purple to blue flowers look like monks hoods - medicinal uses - zone 3-7 - sun part shade - July August - rich moist well drained

Borago officinalis

Borage - Boraginaceae - annual - Syria - height 1m - bristly hairs stems + foliage - alternate leaves - blue sometimes pink or white flowers - culinary / medicinal uses - edible cucumber taste flower honey taste originally used in Pimms - companion plant for tomatos legumes brassicas strawberries - June to October blooms - bee pollinated - sun part shade - drought tolerant

Oenothera biennis

Evening primrose - Onagraceae - North America east of the Rockies - biennial - herbal / medicinal oil used to treat PMS - height 30-150cm - night flowering flowers open quickly every evening - moths butterflies bees - yellow flower - edible leaves peppery flowers sweet - June to September blooms - lanceolate alternate leaves - waste spaces disturbed sites dunes - fragrant

Valeriana officinalis

Set well - Valerian - Valerianiaceae - calming effect - height 2m - needs lots of room - full sun - zone 4-7 - fragrant sweet - pale pink white flowers - Europe Western Asia - June to July blooms - well drained moist - rhizonmatous - self seeding - herbal / medicinal anxiety restlessness insomnia tranquilizer

Acanthus spinosus

Bear's breeches - Acanthaceae - zone 5-9 - Mediterranean - June to August blooms - spreads by creeping rhizomes - use it to keep people out - Purple pink flowers - sun part shade - well drained - thorns - architectural - herbaceous perennial - clump forming