Category: Rarium | Sub-Category: Woodland
Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Kirengeshoma palmata Koreana Group (syn. Kirengeshoma koreana)
Family: (Hydrangeaceae)
(P) to 4′. A Korean dignitary. Large, sharply lobed, maple-like leaves in opposite pairs display a handsome silvery pubescence when emerging in spring. The foliage provides interest through late summer when the flowers emerge. Pale yellow, waxy, five-petalled flowers are borne on a stiffly upright inflorescence. Blooms a bit earlier than K. palmata. A “must-have.” Prefers partial shade. 5 & T2
Category: Rarium | Sub-Category: Alpine and Rock Garden
Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Aquilegia flabellata var. pumila f. rosea
Family: (Ranunculaceae)
(P) to 6″. Fan Columbine. A Japanese garden treasure with short-spurred, pale pink, nodding flowers in spring. Biternate to triternate, blue-green foliage is somewhat suggestive of meadow rue. The leaflets of this species are rounded and fan-shaped, hence the common name. Adorable. Sun. 4 & T2
Category: Rarium | Sub-Category: Alpine and Rock Garden
Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Campanula poscharskyana
Family: (Campanulaceae)
Perennial to 12″. Serbian Bellflower. Northern Balkans. Serbian bellflower is a prostrate, sprawling Campanula capable of clinging to dry walls or developing into a low, mounding ground cover. Classic bell-shaped, lilac-blue, five-petalled flowers with flaring, star-shaped lobes (to 1-inch wide) appear in loose panicles along the stems in late spring. The dark green, toothed, cordate leaves are semi-evergreen in warmer climates. A real mainstay on our raised beds in late spring. Sun/partial shade in moist, well-drained soil. 4 & T2
Category: Rarium | Sub-Category: Alpine and Rock Garden
Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Draba bruniifolia
Family: (Brassicaceae)
(P) to 4″. Caucasus to Turkey. An excellent and carefree Draba for the rock garden or trough. The slender, hairy leaves form a nice mound of stiff, woolly rosettes. In early spring, corymbs of small, showy, four-petalled, bright yellow flowers rise just above the tight green mat and last for weeks. Full sun in well-drained soil. 3 & T1
Category: Rarium | Sub-Category: Alpine and Rock Garden
Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Inula ensifolia
Family: (Asteraceae)
(P) to 18″. Swordleaf Inula. Eastern Europe. A sturdy little plant with narrow, stalkless 4″ leaves on erect branching stems carrying terminal, solitary golden yellow daisies. Very likable. Blooms mid-summer onwards. Sun. 4 & T2
Category: Rarium | Sub-Category: Annuals for Sun
Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Talinum paniculatum 'Aureum'
Family: (Portulacaceae)
(A) to 2.5′. Jewels-of-Opar. Southeast US to Central America. Many slender flower stalks bear panicles of shiny, red-orange, three-part buds followed by tiny, rose-red, ¼-inch flowers containing 15 to 20 stamens. Jewel-like, ruby-orange, rounded berries that eventually turn black. The bright yellow-green, fleshy leaves make this a “must-have” in the yellow border. Sun. 4 & T3
Category: Rarium | Sub-Category: Alpine and Rock Garden
Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Leontopodium alpinum
Family: (Asteraceae)
(P) to 8″. Europe. “Edelweiss, Edelweiss, every morning you greet me. Small and white, clean and bright, you look happy to meet me…” The large, distinctive, star-like flowerheads are formed from tight terminal clusters of small, whitish yellow, dense florets surrounded by white, petal-like, woolly bracts. They are held on short, erect stems above a small, tufted clump of linear basal leaves. Grows well for us outside in an alpine trough. Well-drained soil. Sun. 4 & T3
Category: Rarium | Sub-Category: Perennials for Sun
Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Angelica polymorpha
Family: (Apiaceae)
(P) to 6′. China. Exquisite, airy umbels of small, creamy white flowers and attractive lobed leaves. The flowering umbels look like a perfect firework display. A choice plant. Sun. 3 & 6
Category: Rarium | Sub-Category: Alpine and Rock Garden
Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Lychnis viscaria subsp. atropurpurea
Family: (Caryophyllaceae)
(P) to 18″. Balkan’s Catchfly. This striking Catchfly has reddish purple marked leaves, purplish stems, and 10-inch panicles of deep purple, five-petalled flowers. Eye-catching. Late spring. Sun. 4 & T2
Category: Rarium | Sub-Category: Woodland
Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Aralia continentalis
Family: (Araliaceae)
(P) to 4′. Manchurian Spikenard. Clump-forming, architectural perennial with arching stems of alternate, bipinnate leaves. In midsummer, many terminal racemes of green flowers are soon followed by globose, blue-black fruit. Partial shade. Likes moisture. 3 & 7 for 4 months, then T1