Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Phlomis tuberosa 'Amazone'

Family: (Lamiaceae)

(P) to 5′. Central and southern Europe. Numerous stems with many dense whorls of rosy purple blooms, each with a long upper lip. Whorls can have from 14 to 40 flowers each. Attractive clumps of large, arrow-shaped, slightly hairy, textured leaves. Late spring to early summer. Robust and floriferous. Moist, well-drained soil. Sun. 4 & T1 & Δ

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Patrinia scabiosifolia

Family: (Caprifoliaceae)

(P) to 4′. Gold Lace. A great “see-through” plant with open, airy cymes of sweetly scented, dainty, star-shaped chrome-yellow flowers in summer. Attractive glossy dark green leaves that turn yellow in autumn. Long bloomer. Sun/partial shade. 3 & T2 & Δ

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Paeonia ostii

Family: (Paeoniaceae)

(P) to 5′. Osti’s Tree Peony. China. Named for Dr. Gian Lupo Osti, President of the International Dendrological Society. This woody peony is very floriferous with six-inch wide, sweetly fragrant, pure-white flowers with ruffled edges. In the centre of the flower is a cluster of pistils with prominent red stigmas surrounded by a mass of stamens with yellow anthers and pink filaments. When the petals drop, the big, fleshy receptacle is exposed with a green, drooping calyx and fat fruits/carpels with the still-prominent red stigmas, all together resembling a court jester’s hat. The attractive, medium green foliage is deeply divided into oval to lance-shaped leaflets on red petioles and is good-looking throughout the season. A real show-stopper in our Order Beds. Sun/partial shade. 3 & 6A

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Myrrhis odorata

Family: (Apiaceae)

(P) to 5′. Sweet Cicely. Europe. Grown for its anise-scented, fern-like foliage. Flowers bloom midsummer and are small, white, flat, compound umbels. Well-suited to naturalizing in woodlands and flower borders where it is an admirable foil for withering bulb foliage. Important for any herb garden for both culinary and medicinal uses. Chew the leaves and young stems for their anise flavour or chop and add the leaf stalks to acid fruits to reduce the amount of sugar required in cooking. Moist soil. Sun/partial shade. 3 & 6

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Mentha longifolia Buddleia Mint Group

Family: (Lamiaceae)

(P) to 2′. Buddleja Mint. Eurasia. Narrow, soft grey leaves and long, lilac-purple flower spikes. This lovely herbaceous plant resembles a miniature Butterfly Bush. An essential part of our Flower Garden beds for both colour and texture. Long blooming. Well-drained soil. Sun. 3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Lunaria rediviva

Family: (Brassicaceae)

(P) to 3′.  Perennial Honesty.  Europe.  Sweetly scented, four-petalled, pale lilac flowers.  Elliptical, slightly tapering seedpods mature to silvery, translucent cases used in dried floral arrangements.  Tough and durable with large, handsome, pale green, cordate leaves.  Partial shade.  3 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Ligularia stenocephala

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 4′. Native to Japan and northern China. With these variable plants, expect rounded or triangular jagged leaves, light or dark foliage and stems, and spikes of yellow florets. You can’t go wrong. Summer. Moist soil. Sun/partial shade. 4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Ligularia dentata

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 4′.  China, Japan.  Orange, branched, daisy-type flowers.  Dark reddish or plain green foliage with toothed leaf margins, some more deeply toothed than others.  A welcomed sight en masse in the latter half of summer.  Likes moisture.  Sun/partial shade.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Leonurus sibiricus

Family: (Lamiaceae)

(B) to 6′. Chinese Motherwort. Native to Northeast China and Korea. A huge, imposing presence, each of the branching stems is heavy with small, pale pink, tubular blooms in dense, axillary whorls. Pinnately divided, dark green leaves are deeply veined. An ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine. Summer bloom. Small black nutlets follow. Bizarre and beautiful. Sun. 4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Lathyrus niger

Family: (Fabaceae)

(P) to 3′. Black Pea. Racemes of purple-lilac, lipped flowers. Compound foliage, slightly yellow-green in colour with small, rounded leaflets. A delicately textured plant which nestles in amongst many other plants in our Garden. Sun.  2B & 3, D & T2