Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Pulsatilla patens

Family: (Ranunculaceae)

(P) to 12″.  Eastern Pasque Flower.  Native to Europe, Russian, China, Canada and US.  Blooming in April at 4″ high, before the leaves develop, the ethereal, open, bell-shaped, flowers command attention.  The solitary, two-inch flower has six blue-violet, petal-like sepals and a ring of many yellow staminodes that surround a light green central boss of stamens. The sepals are pointed at the tip and lined with many parallel veins.  Flowers, stems and foliage are all covered in fine, silky, whitish hairs.  The flowers are followed by plume-like seed heads (reminiscent of some Clematis and Geum) that have good ornamental interest.  Deeply divided basal foliage grows to 12 inches tall after the flowers have faded.  A great rock garden plant and the state flower of South Dakota.  Grows best in drier, sandier soil.  Sun.  3 & T2 & ∆

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Clematis integrifolia pink-flowered

Family: (Ranunculaceae)

(P) to 3′.  Solitary Clematis.  Central Europe and Asia.  An upright, non-climbing Clematis with 2-inch, bell-shaped flowers that are a bright clear to pale mauve pink with heavily ribbed, spreading tepals and a central cluster of deep yellow stamens. Attractive, feathery seedheads follow.  Mid-to-late summer.  Sun.  3 & 7 for 8 weeks, then T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Codonopsis lanceolata

Family: (Campanulaceae)

(P) to 4.5′.  Southwest China.  This Bonnet Bellflower  has a twining habit and is best supported by a trellis or tripod where one can see to full effect the fat, greenish white, nodding bells with prominent, bluish purple venation inside the cup.  Blooms midsummer.  Well-drained soil.  Sun/partial shade.  5 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Campanula rotundifolia

Family: (Campanulaceae)

(P) to 18″.  Harebell.  Charming native wildflower throughout much of the northern hemisphere.  Graceful, branched stems with narrow, thread-like leaves arise from the basal rosette.  Many small, bright blue, pendulous, bell-shaped flowers abound from late spring to early summer.  Sun.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Tricyrtis macropoda

Family: (Liliaceae)

(P) to 3.  Japanese Toad Lily, Yama-hototogisu.  Japan.  Shining, deeply veined, dark, heart-shaped leaves on erect, arching stems that branch into loose terminal and axillary clusters of upward pointing, orchid-like buds and flowers.  Flowers are creamy white with sparse dark mauve and purple spots with stamens and stigma that protrude far above the six splayed petals.  Blooms a good few weeks earlier than Tricyrtis formosana, in late August.  Moist soil.  Sun/partial shade.  3 & 6

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Mirabilis longiflora

Family: (Nyctaginaceae)

(TP) to 3.5′.  Sweet Four o’Clock, Angel’s Trumpets.  Texas, Arizona and Mexico.  Extraordinary, six-inch long, very slender, white trumpets are borne in great profusion on mounds of sticky, bright apple-green foliage.  The flowers release a sweet orange-blossom fragrance in the evening.  These unusually long flowers need a special pollinator with an extended proboscis, such as the Hawkmoth.  The Hawkmoth is similar to the Hummingbird in that they hover in place and unfurl their proboscis and drink the sucrose-rich nectar they require, thus creating a mutually beneficial relationship.  Lift and store the swollen tubers over winter as you would a Dahlia.  Blooms midsummer to fall.  Sun/partial shade.  4 & T3

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Dianthus barbatus – Darkest of All

Family: (Caryophyllaceae)

(B/A) to 18″.  Sweet William.  South Europe.  Long-lasting, dark maroon to almost black, clove-scented flowers bloom in flat-topped cymes.  Attractive dark foliage too.  Sun.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Schisandra chinensis

Family: (Schisandraceae)

Vine to 29′. Five Flavour Berry. Not only an attractive, hardy and unusual vine for a trellis or pergola but an intriguing plant with a rich history in Chinese herbology. The common name speaks to the fact that the berries possess the five basic flavours – salty, sweet, sour, pungent (spicy), and bitter. It is used widely in China and Russia to produce juices, extracts, wine and sweets and is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs in Chinese herbalism. The deciduous leaves are a deep, glossy green, elliptic to ovate, and up to 5-½ inches long. Leaf margins are somewhat variable and described as cuneate, denticulate or serrate. Wonderfully fragrant, half inch, pale rose to bright pink flowers occur in axillary clusters on pendulous one-inch long pedicels. Small, scarlet-red fruits borne in dense, hanging clusters to four inches long, ripen in autumn. Berries, leaves and bark have a lemon-like aroma. Plants are dioecious, requiring male and female plants present in order for seed to develop. Blooms late spring and early summer. Sun to partial shade, moist, humus-rich, but well-drained soil. 2, 3 & 6A

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Cneorum tricoccon

Family: (Rutaceae)

Tender shrub to 2′.  Spurge Olive.  This attractive and rare evergreen shrub with glossy, dark green leaves blooms in early summer.  Clusters of deep, four-petalled, yellow flowers are followed by red fruits that age to black.  Sun.  3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Petunia exserta

Family: (Solanaceae)

(A) to 2′.  A rare and lovely Brazilian Petunia with deep red, 2-inch long, five-lobed, trumpet-shaped flowers.  Flower centres are light green and showcase the contrasting yellow anthers and prominent green pistil.  The sticky, pubescent leaves are grey-green, ovate to lanceolate, sessile and oppositely arranged along the upright stems.  A star on our Order Beds!  Sun and average garden soil.  4 & T2