Black Cohosh has showy white stamens, attracting many native bees, from May through August. It is a host plant for many butterflies, including the Spring Azure, Holly Blue, and Appalachian Azure. Given its aesthetic, it would look fantastic in a cottage garden. This perennial prefers part to full shade, and…
Marsh Marigold is an herbaceous perennial in the Ranunculaceae family. Found naturally in wetlands, it would do well in a sunny wet location in your garden. Yellow flowers resembling buttercups show April to June. In spring, this plant does well with more sun, but would prefer shade from the hot…
Xantho (yellow) rhiza (root) simplicissima (most simple, as the stems are unbranched) — what a wonderful name!! — is a very interesting, deciduous, rhizomatous subshrub native to shady, damp depressions and stream banks in wooded habitats throughout the mountains and piedmonts of our Southeastern states. It has lacy foliage to a…
Leatherflower, described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, is a belle of the Southeast. This slender, herbaceous perennial vine is valued for its sheer delicate beauty. The nodding, reddish-purple, bell-shaped flowers are thickly textured and the rosy, recurved petals are cream-colored at the tips and inside. But they do more — the…
Generous, easy to grow, cheerful and carefree, Wild Columbine is a favorite in perennial gardens from the simplest to the most sophisticated. Native to the entire eastern half of North America, it thrives in partial shade, but tolerates full sun (if not too hot or dry) as well as full shade.…