Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Abelmoschus manihot

Family: (Malvaceae)

(A) to 6′.  Sunset Hibiscus. Southeast Asia.  Pale yellow flowers with a highly contrasting maroon centre.  A stout plant with prickly stems and palmately-lobed leaves.  Seedpods look like okra; what a nice bonus.  Sun.  3 & T3

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Acmella oleraceae

Family: (Asteraceae)

(A) to 10″.  Toothache Plant.  South America.  A profusion of rounded, orange-yellow disc florets with brownish red centres resemble eyeballs.  Creeping, bronze-green foliage has numbing properties when chewed, hence the common name.  Easy to grow.  Very unusual and fun; a “must have”.  Summer blooming.  Sun.  3 & 6

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Actaea racemosa (syn. Cimicifuga racemosa)

Family: (Ranunculaceae)

(P) to 6′. Early Snakeroot, Black Cohosh. An eastern North American native with branched wands of white, bottlebrush flowers. Blooms prolifically in June. Light green, divided foliage remains at three feet tall. Partial shade. 3 & 6A

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Actaea simplex 'Brunette' (syn. Cimicifuga ramosa 'Brunette')

Family: (Ranunculaceae)

(P) to 6′. One of the darkest leaved Cimicifugas. Stems are a rich purplish brown with pure white, upright, fragrant flower spikes in September. Not all seedlings will be as dark as ‘Brunette’, but definitely worth a try. Partial shade. 3 & 6A

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Actaea simplex (syn. Cimicifuga simplex)

Family: (Ranunculaceae)

(P) to 4′. Bugbane.  China, Korea, Japan.  Small, numerous, creamy white, strongly fragrant flowers appear in long, terminal racemes.  The fluffy spires up to two feet long, rise above the foliage on upright, wiry stems. Astilbe-like, deeply cut, ternately compound foliage is an attractive deep green. Adds architectural height and a welcomed late-season bloom to the woodland garden.  Partial shade.  3 & 6A

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Adenophora liliifolia

Family: (Campanulaceae)

(P) to 2.5′. Lilyleaf Ladybell. Central Europe to Siberia. Fragrant, pendant, violet-blue flower bells bloom like crazy in midsummer. Excellent cut flower. Well-drained soil. Will self-sow when happy. Sun. 4 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Aethionema oppositifolium

Family: (Brassicaceae)

(P) to 2”. Caucasus. Our first alpine to bloom braving the long-awaited snowmelt. The round, glaucous, grey-blue leaves are succulent in appearance and form a dense, two-inch high mat smothered in tiny maroon buds that open to four-petalled, pale pink flowers in early spring. Definitely one of our favourites. A tough gem. Sun. 3 & T1

This seed is either sold out or unavailable

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Agastache foeniculum

Family: (Lamiaceae)

Short-lived perennial to 3.5′.  Anise Hyssop.  A North American native with aromatic, anise-scented foliage.  Lavender-blue flowers appear in many-flowered verticillasters which are densely packed into showy, cylindrical, terminal flower spikes up to 6 inches long.  Mid-summer bloomer attractive to all pollinators. Self-sows.  Sun/partial shade.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Agastache foeniculum 'Alba'

Family: Lamiaceae

Short-lived perennial to 3.5′.  White Anise Hyssop.  A white cultivar of the above. Sun/partial shade.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Agastache nepetoides

Family: (Lamiaceae)

(P) to 5′.  Yellow Giant Hyssop.  South Canada to Southeast US.  Whorls of tiny, greenish-yellow flowers closely packed into five-inch terminal spikes appear on stiff, square stems. Toothed, arrowhead-shaped leaves are up to five inches long. Whilst the leaves lack the strong smell like other species in the mint family, the bitterness of its leaves make it deer resistant.  Tolerant of summer heat and humidity, this late summer bloomer is a favourite of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.  Grows best in rich, open woodlands. Sun/partial shade.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Agastache scrophulariifolia

Family: (Lamiaceae)

(P) to 5′. Purple Giant Hyssop. Native to eastern North America. Many terminal spikes of small, violet to rosy pink flowers on tall, branching stems. The coarsely toothed, lanceolate leaves are aromatic. Blooms July to September. Well-drained soil. Sun/partial shade. 4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Agrimonia gryposepala

Family: (Rosaceae)

(P) to 5′. Tall Agrimony. North America. Slender, erect racemes of bright yellow, five-petalled blooms open from the bottom upwards, atop upright, softly hairy plants bearing paired, coarsely toothed, chartreuse green leaves. This native of open woods and thickets makes a surprisingly attractive garden plant. A patch planted outside our greenhouses was a joy all summer. Well-drained soil. Partial shade/sun. 3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Allium albidum subsp. caucasicum (syn. Allium denudatum)

Family: (Alliaceae)

Hardy bulb to 6″.  W Russia, Romania, Bulgaria.  This rhizomatous Allium is a fine, compact, mat-forming onion for the rock garden.  The white, star-shaped flowers in July and August are large, plentiful and sublime against the carpets of fine, green, flat foliage.  A great way to jazz things up in the rockery in mid to late summer.  Full sun and average moisture soil.  3 & 6

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Allium angulosum

Family: (Alliaceae)

Hardy bulb to 16″. Mouse Garlic. Europe. Loose heads formed by multiple, cup-shaped flowers of pale purple. Blooms June to August. Sun. 3 & 6

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Allium atropurpureum

Family: (Alliaceae)

Hardy bulb to 3.5′. South Europe. On top of sturdy stems, very dark wine-red florets with prominent purple anthers form an intense, two-inch wide, spherical inflorescence in late spring. Very striking in our Purple/Magenta Square in the Flower Garden. Sun. 3 & 6