Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Lychnis coronaria

Family: (Caryophyllaceae)

(P) to 3′.  Rose Campion.  Asia, Europe.  A cottage garden classic.  Tall grey stems with vivid, five-petalled, rose-magenta blooms are borne over clumps of ovate, densely woolly, silver-grey, flannelly leaves.  Blooms June and July.  Sun/partial shade.  Prefers moist soil but will tolerate poor soils with some dryness.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Bellevalia dubia

Family: (Asparagaceae)

Tender bulb to 16″.  Portugal.  An unusual bulb that we grow in our Pit House, formerly in the genus Muscari.  A Grape Hyacinth look-alike.  In bud, loose racemes of bright, violet-blue flowers with green tips turn to a maroon-brown with yellow-tinted lobes as they open.  Blooms in early spring.  Summer dormant.  Sun.  3 & ∆, then T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Eupatorium hyssopifolium

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 3′.  Hyssop-leaf Thoroughwort.  A plant of sandy soils and coastal areas from New England to Florida.  Large, flat-topped inflorescences of white flowers up to one foot across.  Fine textured foliage of narrow, whorled, grey-green leaves.  Easy and a good late summer bloomer.  Well-drained soil.  Sun.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Eryngium yuccifolium

Family: (Apiaceae)

(P) to 4′.  The Rattlesnake-Master of North America.  Greenish, prickly, thistle-like flowers on a towering branched stalk.  Broad, blade-like, blue-grey serrated leaves form large striking rosettes.  Well-drained soil.  Sun.  3 & 6 & Δ

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Echium vulgare

Family: (Boraginaceae)

(B) to 3-½’.  Viper’s Bugloss.  Europe.  Rosettes of slender, bristly foliage from which arise many stout flowering spikes with funnel-shaped flowers along their length.  The buds start off pink, then the five-petalled flowers turn the most exquisite shades of intense blue to violet with five protruding red stamens.  As the flowers fade, they become tinged with crimson. Viper’s Bugloss is one of the best plants to attract bees to your garden by producing nectar throughout the day unlike most plants which only produce nectar for a short period of time.  Sun.  3 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Clematis serratifolia

Family: (Ranunculaceae)

Hardy vine to 9′.  Korean Clematis.  A graceful Clematis with ovate to lanceolate, serrated leaves that sets forth a succession of soft yellow, nodding bells with violet stamens.  The flowers have a delicate lemon scent and bloom from August to October.  An added delight is the fluffy, white, snowball seed heads that cover the plant until winter. A stunning beauty for the late summer garden.  Sun/partial shade.  3 & 7 for 8 weeks, then T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Aethionema schistosum

Family: (Brassicaceae)

(P) to 6″.  Turkish Stone Cress.  Turkey and Lebanon.  Erect, woody stems with narrow, blue-green foliage produce rounded heads of rosy lilac, four-petalled flowers in early summer.  Interesting multi-coloured, flat seed capsules follow and persist.  A welcome self-sower.  Sun.  3 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Dianthus knappii

Family: (Caryophyllaceae)

(B/P) to 16″.  A unique, yellow flowered Dianthus native to scrubby hillsides and dry, grassy meadows in the Western Balkans.  Dense, terminal clusters of soft lemon yellow flowers on slender, nodding stems.  Loose, grassy clumps of narrow, pale green foliage.  A short-lived perennial that often dies after blooming, best treated as biennial.  Blooms in midsummer.  Well-drained soil.  Sun/partial shade.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Digitalis purpurea

Family: (Plantaginaceae)

(B) to 2-3′.  The Foxglove, a charming British native.  Rosy violet bells open wide to show off speckled interiors.  An old-fashioned ‘must’ for the cottage garden.  Great in the woodland or flower garden too.  Self-sows.  Moist soil.  Partial shade.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Papaver atlanticum

Family: (Papaveraceae)

(P) to 2′.  Moroccan Poppy.  Soft orange, two-inch, single, tissue paper blooms with yellow anthers are followed by club-shaped pods.  Pale green, silken, jagged basal leaves.  Self-sows beautifully.  Sun.  4, D & T2