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