Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Saponaria caespitosa

Family: (Caryophyllaceae)

 (P) to 6”.  Pyrenees.  Densely tufted, dark green foliage forms a mat, bursting forth with a blanket of pink, five-petalled flowers in late summer.  Great for the rock garden.  Tough.  Sun.  4 & T2

This seed is either sold out or unavailable

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Draba oligosperma

Family: (Brassicaceae)

(P) to 4”.  Rocky Mountains.  Tufted clumps of linear, grey-green, hairy foliage bearing racemes of yellow, four-petalled flowers.  Blooms late spring and early summer.  Easy.  Sun.  3 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Antennaria neglecta var. gaspensis

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 6″.  Newfoundland to Quebec.  Mat forming tufts of grey-green, woolly foliage.  Short, erect stems with loose corymbs of white “Pussy-Toes.”  Prefers a sunny spot in well-drained soil.  3 & 7

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Phyteuma cordatum (syn. Phyteuma balbisii)

Family: (Campanulaceae)

(P) to 4″.  An Italian native.  Palest blue, globular flowers with a five-part corolla made up of petals that appear to open in the middle and unite again at the tip.  They suspend on wiry stems above broadly ovate, heart-shaped leaves.  Summer bloomer.  Interesting and fun.  Well-drained soil. Sun.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Saponaria officinalis 'Nana'

Family: (Caryophyllaceae)

(P) to 15″.  A darling, dwarf Soapwort or Bouncing Bet.  European native.  This stoutly branched perennial has pale green, ovate leaves with parallel veins.  The large, pink, five-petalled flowers in small terminal clusters appear in July and last until September.  The genus name is from the Latin saponis meaning ‘soap’ and aria, meaning ‘pertaining to’, together referring to the juice of the leaves and root that can make a soap. Why not try your hand at soap-making?  Sun.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Hypericum hirsutum

Family: (Hypericaceae)

(P) to 3′.  Hairy St. John’s Wort.  Found in parts of Europe, the Middle East and Asia, this downy plant has erect stems and opposite pairs of un-toothed, elongated oval leaves with translucent glandular dots.  The loose cylindrical to narrowly pyramidal inflorescence has many pale yellow flowers of five pointed sepals with interesting black glands along the margins.  The five petals are narrowly elliptic with translucent glands and sometimes veined red.  The many long, showy stamens are in bundles and fused at the base, surrounding the green pistil of three fused carpels.  The fruit is a many-seeded, three-part capsule that appears at the same time as flowers.  Grows happily on our Rock Ledge in full sun and well-drained soil.  3 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Antennaria dioica

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 4″. Pussy-Toes. Europe, North America. This adorable little carpeting perennial is at home in the sunny rock garden. It forms a flat mat of small, grey-green, tomentose, spathulate leaves. Short stems with dense corymbs of buds that resemble the toes of a cat which open to papery white flowers with a pinkish tinge. Plants are dioecious – male and female flowers are produced on separate plants. The female flowerhead is larger and has narrow, pointed, erect and often pink-tipped bracts.   Male flowers typically appear on shorter flower stalks with white-tipped bracts. A billowing cloud of fluffy seedheads follows. Blooms in late spring. A tough and useful plant. Well-drained soil and sun. 3 & T2

This seed is either sold out or unavailable

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

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

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