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

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

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

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Pulsatilla ambigua

Family: (Ranunculaceae)

(P) to 12″. Siberia. Finely cut feathery foliage. Conspicuous, silvery, downy buds that open out into large, six-tepalled, velvety, iridescent blue-violet flowers. Central boss of bright yellow stamens surrounded by a ring of staminodes contrast beautifully with the petals. Attractive and persistent feathery seedheads to follow. Sun. 3 & T2 & Δ

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Saxifraga cebennensis

Family: (Saxifragaceae)

(TP) to 7″.  Rare species found only in Cevennes region of southern France, where it adorns the steep limestone gorges with large, domed, dark green, “mossy” cushions.  Tight rosettes of curiously notched leaves smell distinctly of toast and jam.  Completely covered in May with rounded, pure white flowers on one-inch stems.  Easy to grow, but not fully hardy, needs the shelter of an alpine house against winter damp.  Sun.  5 & 7 for 4 weeks, then T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Saxifraga exarata subsp. moschata

Family: (Saxifragaceae)

(P) foliage to 6″, flowers to 12″. Mossy Saxifrage.  Mountains of Central and South Europe, Caucasus.  Undulating hummocks of mossy, dense, three-cleft leaves. Wiry stems with sprays of creamy white flowers.  An incredible sight on our Rock Ledge in May . Moist soil.  Sun.  5 & 7 for 4 weeks then T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Draba rigida

Family: (Brassicaceae)

(P) to 4″. Armenia. Cushion-forming, rock garden plant with tiny, green foliage rosettes. Tiny, four-petalled, yellow flowers appear at the end of delicate, two to three-inch flower stalks. Performs well in a glass house, but also lives happily outside in our Zone 5 Tufa Bed. A cheerful April/May bloomer. Sun. 3 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Scabiosa lucida

Family: (Caprifoliaceae)

(P) to 15″. A petite Pincushion Flower. Central Europe. In late spring, light blue, dense heads are surrounded by bristly, involucral bracts. Deep green, pinnatifid foliage forms a basal rosette. Perfect for the rock garden. Self-sows. Well-drained soil. Sun. 3 & T2 & Δ

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Erinus alpinus var. albus

Family: (Plantaginaceae)

(P) to 4″. White Fairy Foxglove.  C & S Europe.  An adorable alpine. Evergreen mats are covered in spring with crisp, white, notched, hooded flowers in terminal racemes. A low maintenance rock garden classic. Sun 4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Scutellaria indica var. parvifolia

Family: (Lamiaceae)

(P) to 6″. Japanese Skullcap. A pretty little groundcover with upright stems covered in minutely hairy, textured, grey-green leaves. Dense racemes of pale purple-blue, hooded flowers in late spring to summer. A charmer. Well-drained soil. Sun. 3 & T2