Phlox ‘Blue Moon’
Phlox Blue Moon

 

 

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Phlox Fashionably Early Crystal
Phlox Fashionably Early Crystal

White globes of flowers with a faint purple eye float above leathery emerald green foliage about 2-3 weeks earlier than most summer phlox. An excellent hybrid of the paniculata types, this phlox begins blooming sooner and has far more mildew … Read More

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Phlox ‘Flame® Coral’
Phlox Flame Coral

Butterflies and hummingbirds love Flame® ‘Coral’! Fragrant, coral-red flowers bloom in midsummer above compact green foliage.

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Phlox ‘Flame® Purple Eye’
Phlox Flame Purple Eye

Fragrant violet flowers have white eyes. Clusters of pretty blooms appear in midsummer above compact green foliage.

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Phlox Laura
Phlox Laura

Huge panicles of fragrant pink-purple flowers bloom from July to September. Each floret has a distinct white star in its center. This Phlox is very mildew-resistant. Plant it in rich, moist, well-drained soil. Deadhead to prolong blooming season.

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Ratibida columnifera 'Red Midget'
Ratibida column – Red Midget

This sun-loving plant does best in well drained soils and is very drought resistant.

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Rudbeckia fulgida – Viette’s Little Suzy
Rudbeckia fulgida – Viette’s Little Suzy

Culture

Easily grown in dry to medium, organically rich to average, well-drained soils in full sun. Best bloom occurs in full sun, although plants will tolerate some light shade. Plants prefer consistent moisture throughout the growing season, with some tolerance for drought once established. Good air circulation is appreciated. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage additional bloom. Plants slowly spread in the garden by rhizomes.

Noteworthy Characteristics

Rudbeckia fulgida which occurs in both dry and moist soils in open woods, glades and thickets. An upright, rhizomatous, clump-forming, free-blooming coneflower which typically grows to 3′ tall, often forming colonies in the wild. Features daisy-like flowers (to 2.5″ across) with yellow rays and brownish-purple center disks. Prolific bloom production over a long mid-summer to fall bloom period. Oblong to lanceolate, medium green foliage. Good cut flower.

Genus name honors Olof Rudbeck (1630-1702) Swedish botanist and founder of the Uppsala Botanic Garden in Sweden where Carl Linnaeus was professor of botany.

Specific epithet means shining or glistening.

VIETTE’S LITTLE SUZY is a compact, upright, rhizomatous, clump-forming, free-blooming coneflower which typically grows only 10-15″ tall. Features daisy-like flowers with yellow rays and dark brownish-purple center disks. Prolific flower production over a long mid-summer-to-fall bloom period. Oblong to lanceolate, medium green foliage. Good fresh cut flower.

Problems

No serious insect or disease problems.

Garden Uses

Mass in bold drifts in the perennial border, cottage garden, meadow, native plant garden or naturalized area. Provides excellent bloom and color for the late summer. Good cut flower.

A compact cultivar.

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Rudbeckia hirta – Cherry Brandy Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta – Cherry Brandy Black-eyed Susan

This striking Rudbeckia hybrid leaves the standard gold-color behind! Its shockingly-red, velvety blooms will ignite the garden with weeks and weeks of color in the summer through fall. The unique bi-color blooms, on compact, beautiful foliage, will put on a show in the front of your garden or in a container.

As the state flower of Maryland, we understand why everyone loves Black Eyed Susans. Cherry Brandy takes the classic beauty of the standard, yellow Rudbeckia and puts a unique, bright twist with rings of reds and maroons, coming into a chocolate-brown center. Plant this beauty and enjoy long-lasting blooms when much of the garden has settled down for the season.

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Rudbeckia laciniata – Autumn Sun
Rudbeckia laciniata – Autumn Sun

‘Herbstsonne’ is an upright, rhizomatous, clump-forming perennial coneflower which typically grows 4-7′ tall. This is a substantial plant which features large daisy-like flowers (3-4″ across) with drooping yellow rays and elongated bright green center cones. Flowers bloom singly atop slender … Read More

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Ruellia humilis – Wild Petunia
Ruellia humilis – Wild Petunia

Host plant – Common Buckeye Butterfly

Wild petunia occurs in dryish soils in open woods, glades, prairies and fields throughout the State except for the far southeastern lowlands. Typically grows to 2′ tall. Features tubular, bell-shaped, petunia-like flowers (to 3″ long), each with five shallow rounded lobes. May to October bloom period. Lavender to lilac flowers appear singly or in clusters in the upper leaf axils. Oblong to lanceolate, olive green leaves to 4″ long. Leaves and stems are hairy. This plant in on threatened list in the state of Michigan.

Available for shipping mid May

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Senna hebecarpa – Wild Senna
Senna hebecarpa – Wild Senna

Host Plant – Sulphur, Clouded Sulphur, Orange Sulphur

Wild Senna is a versatile plant that we think deserves more recognition as a great choice for garden or restoration projects. Its lovely, bright yellow flowers bloom July-August, attracting many bees and butterflies. Autumn brings beautiful leaf colors and the formation of long black pods with seeds favored by larger birds like wild turkeys. A horizontal root system provides strength against winds, allowing the plant’s stately (4-6′) beauty to be appreciated even after the storm. Some gardeners use this sun-loving plant to form a hedge.

It is virtually indistinguishable from its relative, Maryland Senna (Senna marilandica) until the two species have ripe seeds. The Wild Senna will readily open its pod and the seeds will fall out, whereas the Maryland Senna seed pods will stay tightly closed.  Other than this, it is very hard to tell the two species apart.

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Solidago sphacelata – ‘Golden Fleece’ Dwarf Goldenrod
Solidago sphacelata – ‘Golden Fleece’ Dwarf Goldenrod

Another fantastic Mt. Cuba introduction. A stunning show of sprays of golden yellow flowers from mid-August through September. Semievergreen heart-shaped leaves. Truly an excellent groundcover and bee and butterfly charmer! Hairstreaks, sulphurs and skippers are particularly attracted to goldenrod. Monarchs visit it during their autumn migration.

Goldenrod Interesting Notes
Golden Fleece autumn goldenrod was discovered in 1985 as a spontaneous garden seedling in Eden, North Carolina. It was evaluated under diverse conditions at Mt. Cuba Center and determined to be a low-growing, compact form of the species suitable for use as an herbaceous perennial groundcover only reaching 18” tall. Multi-branched stems arise from basal rosettes of broadly rounded foliage and are covered with a profusion of golden-yellow floral spires from mid-September to October. It performs best in full sun with average moisture but is tolerant of a range of conditions from sunny and dry to partial shade. 'Golden Fleece' is hardy in zones 3-8. It won the Internationale Stauden-Union’s Award for an outstanding new plant in Switzerland in 1994. – Mt. Cuba Center

In many of the gardens I design, I use goldenrod to give late summer and fall gardens just the right autumnal color. Luckily for urban dwellers with limited gardening space, goldenrod also can be grown quite successfully in a container. Beautiful in the garden, goldenrod does double-duty as a long-lived cut flower. In Europe, where goldenrod has long been shown the appreciation it deserves, it is sold by the bunch, and gardening catalogs offer more cultivars than are available in the States.

Solidago sphacelata 'Golden Fleece' Growing and Maintenance Tips

Native to calcarous woodlands and rocky pastures from Virginia to Illinois south to Kentucky and Georgia. Prefers somewhat fertile, sandy, well-drained soils in full sun. Propagate by seed or division every 3-4 years. Cut back to encourage rebloom. Used in butterfly and wild gardens or as a groundcover or border perennial.

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