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): 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

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): Ramonda myconi 'Rosea'

Family: (Gesneriaceae)

(P) to 6″. Shade lover from the Pyrenees. The classic R. myconi boasts flowers in shades of lilac while this form is pure pink. Deep green, broad, rough, very crinkled leaves form a flat rosette that persists year round. Likes to grow on north-facing vertical cliffs or in a cool crevice. 4 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Petrophytum caespitosum

Family: (Rosaceae)

(P) to 4″. Rocky Mountains. Rosettes of blue-green, spathulate, densely downy leaves. Racemes of white, five-petalled flowers with up to 20 stamens give a fluffy appearance. Mat-forming, growing to 10 inches across in about 10 years. Sun. 3 & T2

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): Hypericum buckleyi

Family: (Hypericaceae)

Dwarf shrub to 6″. Blue Ridge St. John’s Wort from the mountains of North Carolina and Georgia. Small, golden yellow flowers with five reflexed petals and a central tuft of prominent stamens adorn the branch tips of this low, spreading alpine shrublet. Small bluish green, elliptical leaves have paler undersides and turn a nice reddish colour in the autumn. Summer blooming. Moist, well-drained soil. 4 & 7 for 4 weeks then T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Draba hispanica

Family: (Brassicaceae)

(P) to 3″. Spain. Mounding cushion plant with tufted, dark green, needle-like leaves. Silver-grey in colour. Yellow, four-petalled flowers appear on small, three-inch flower stalks in early spring. Sun. 3 & T1

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