Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Eranthis hyemalis

Family: (Ranunculaceae)

Hardy bulb to 6″.  Winter Aconite.  Southern France to Bulgaria.  Brightly glowing, buttercup-like, yellow flowers carpeting the woodland are a sure herald of spring.  A most welcome sight after the long winter.  The low growing, dissected basal foliage dies down and disappears by summer.  Moist, well-drained soil.  Shade/partial shade. 3 & T2 & Δ

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Consolida regalis

Family: (Ranunculaceae)

(A) to 2′.  Forked Larkspur.  Mediterranean.  Panicles of delicate, long-spurred, violet-blue flowers are produced in profusion forming an airy cloud of blue.  Finely divided foliage is an added attraction.  An easy charmer.  Sun.  3, D & T1

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): Cardamine concatenata (syn. Dentaria laciniata)

Family: (Brassicaceae)

(P) to 12″.  Cutleaf Toothwort.  North America.  A delightful spring ephemeral that is one of the first to appear in the woodland garden.  The common name refers to the tooth-like projections on the rhizome which were thought to cure toothaches.  Each flowering stem emerges from the rhizome and has a whorl of three leaves deeply divided and sharply toothed and sit below the flower.  The flowers are in terminal clusters of fragrant, four-petalled, ½-inch, white flowers that can often be flushed pink.  Cutleaf Toothwort is sometimes called Pepper Root in reference to the horseradish flavour of the rhizomes which can be cut up and added to salads.  Sadly, our patches are not overly abundant so we daren’t try this delicacy.  Reputed to be difficult from seed but worth giving it the old college try.  Partial shade.  3 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Calendula officinalis

Family: (Asteraceae)

(A) to 18″.  The pot marigold of all pot marigolds.  The flowers smother the foliage throughout the growing season.  The blooms are single golden orange and add intense colour to the flower border.  It is one of our (many) favourites.  Self-sows.  Sun.  3, D & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Bouvardia ternifolia

Family: (Rubiaceae)

Tender shrub to 4′.  Firecracker Bush.  Mexico, southwest United States.   A colourful, shrub with small linear leaves usually in whorls of three.  Bugle-shaped, brilliant orange-red flowers are arranged in loose clusters at the ends of the numerous erect branches. Each flower is up to two inches long, tubular and flare at the rim into four rounded, point-tipped lobes. The Spanish name, Trompetilla, meaning little trumpet, refers to the flower’s shape.  Great for attracting and providing nectar for hummingbirds.  A long, long bloomer.  Tolerates dry soil and partial shade.  3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Iris domestica (syn. Belamcanda chinensis)

Family: (Iridaceae)

(P) to 2′.  Blackberry Lily.  East Asia.  Iris-like foliage sports loosely branched sprays of speckled, orange-red flowers.  Fruit capsules with dense clusters of attractive, glossy black seeds follow.  Well-drained soil.  Sun.  1 & 3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Antennaria dioica var. rosea

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 4″.  Pink Pussy-Toes.  Europe, North America.  A rock garden stalwart with tight clusters of beautiful rose-pink flowers from a basal rosette of fuzzy-grey, evergreen leaves with white tomentose below.  Midsummer.  Sun.  3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Alchemilla mollis

Family: (Rosaceae)

(P) to 2′.  Lady’s Mantle.  Asia Minor.  Beautiful, airy sprays of yellow-green flowers over attractive, scalloped leaves “of a very tender shade of greyish green and covered with fine silky hairs, which help their cup-like shape to hold raindrops which glitter like quicksilver.” (EAB*).  Mid to late summer bloom.  Sun/partial shade.  3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Tricyrtis formosana

Family: (Liliaceae)

(P) to 3.5′.  Toad Lily.  Taiwan.  Shining, deeply veined, dark leaves on stiff, erect stems that branch into loose clusters of orchid-like buds and flowers.  Flowers are white to light purple with intense reddish-purple spotting and yellowish throats.  Stamens and stigma protrude far above the six splayed petals.  August to September.  Beautiful.  Moist soil.  Sun/partial shade.  3 & 6