Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Veronicastrum virginicum White

Family: (Plantaginaceae)

(P) to 6′. White Culver’s Root. Northeast America. A beautiful plant adorned with eight-inch long spikes of tiny, white, tubular flowers. At the base of each central spike exists a second whorl of smaller flower spikes. This plant makes an exotic and very architectural statement in the garden. Midsummer. Sun. 4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Viburnum setigerum ‘Aurantiacum’

Family: (Adoxaceae)

Hardy Shrub to 12′ tall and 8′ wide.  Tea Viburnum.  C & W China.  This rounded, multi-stemmed, upright-arching, deciduous shrub has three to five-inch pointed, slightly toothed, blue-green leaves that were once used to make tea.  Small white flowers appear in terminal, flat-topped, two-inch cymes in spring.  The real show begins in late summer with copious cluster of bright orange, ovoid berries that persist well into early winter.  Berry production is often so abundant that it causes the stems to arch downward from the weight.  In fall the leaves turn reddish brown to deep purple and nicely complement the orange berries.  Sun and high shade.  3 & 6 (64-72° for 8 weeks then 25-39° for 12 weeks), then T1 until germination-can take up to 18 months to germinate.

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Vitex negundo var. heterophylla

Family: (Lamiaceae)

Hardy shrub to 10′. East Asia. Cut-Leaf Chaste Tree. This choice shrub has a loosely branched, open airy habit with palmately compound, finely dissected, greyish green foliage. Small, 5 lobed, lavender, fragrant flowers in terminal panicles appear in July and August. Creates a good architectural backdrop for the dry, sunny border. Well-drained soil. Sun. PC- 4 weeks, 3 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Xanthorhiza simplicissima

Family: (Ranunculaceae)

Hardy shrub to 18″.  Yellowroot.  Appalachians.  A much underused native plant that makes a striking groundcover for the woodland.  In early summer, sprays of peculiar, starry, brownish purple flowers emerge atop stems of rich green, irregularly toothed, pinnate leaflets.  Over time the plants form dense, lush green colonies with the foliage turning a burnished coppery-gold in the autumn.  Partial shade/shade.  PC – 4 wks, 3 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Yucca filamentosa

Family: (Asparagaceae)

(P) to 6’+.  Adam’s Needle.  A native of Southeastern North America.  Architectural, strap-like, sharply pointed, blue-green foliage with white, thread filaments curling along the leaf margins.  In late spring, a flowering stalk that looks like a gigantic Asparagus spear, rises from the center of each rosette.  Long, conical panicle of nodding, bell-shaped, glossy, creamy white, fragrant flowers are long-lasting.  Fruits are elliptical dehiscent capsules.  Yuccas will form a small colony over time from basal offsets.  One of Miss Jekyll’s favourite accent plants, and ours too.  Well-drained soil.  Sun.  3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Yucca smalliana

Family: (Asparagaceae)

(P) to 4′.  Bear Grass Yucca. Southern North America.  This Yucca is similar in many ways to the more popular Adam’s Needle (Yucca filamentosa), however smaller in stature.  Also, the leaves are finer, flatter, and narrower with smoother leaf margins, except for the occasional thread-like fibres.  The flowers are opalescent white and may at times have a light pink-tinge.  Yuccas will form a small colony over time from basal offsets.  Well-drained soil.  Sun.  3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Zanthoxylum simulans

Family: (Rutaceae)

Hardy shrub to 15′. Prickly Ash. China. Small, greenish-yellow flower panicles in July are followed by reddish fruits. Elegant, pinnately compound, lustrous, dark green leaves with a prickly midrib. Spreading branches form a gracefully arching shrub or small tree. Stems have distinctive, broad, flat spines along their length. A lovely and unusual specimen tree. Sun. 3 & 6

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Zizia aurea

Family: (Apiaceae)

(P) to 3′. Golden Alexanders. Eastern Canada to southern United States. Divided green foliage, with compound umbels of many tiny, yellow flowers. Blooming May through June in our Woodland. The evening sun shining through the bronze seedheads is heavenly. Self-sows freely. Moisture and partial shade. Best sown in situ or 3 & T2