Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Cuphea salvadorensis

Family: Lythraceae

(TP) to 5′.  Salvadoran Cigar Flower.  Central America.  A large, shrubby perennial producing tubular, red-orange flowers with green tips that attract hummingbirds.  Overwinter indoors.  Ours reliably goes out every year planted in the Order Beds.  Blooms summer into fall.  Sun to part shade.  Moist, well-drained soil.  4 & T3

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Campanula pyramidalis Mix

Family: Campanulaceae

(P) to 6′.  Chimney Bellflower.  Native to Italy and the Adriatic coast.  In Graham Stuart Thomas’ words, “one of the most striking of herbaceous plants”.  Tall spires of starry, open flowers in blue or white appear through July and August.  Performs exceptionally well when grown in pots and makes a striking, long-lasting display for the cool greenhouse.  Sun/partial shade.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Saxifraga stolonifera

Family: Saxifragaceae

(TP) to 6″.  Strawberry Saxifrage.  This sweet Asian native has attractive white blossoms with distinctive pointed petals and bright yellow ovaries. The plant spreads via threadlike stolons, with plantlets taking root in the vicinity of the mother plant. When grown in a pot, the interesting grey-green, mottled foliage quickly crowds the surface and drapes beautifully down the sides.  Easy to grow in average light.  Allow the soil to dry between waterings.  3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Gomphocarpus physocarpus (syn. Asclepias physocarpus)

Family: Asclepiadaceae

(TP) to 4′.  Bladder Fruit.  Narrow, lanceolate leaves and attractive, hanging, pendant clusters of cream to green-white, starry flowers.  However, the main attraction follows with huge, inflated, spherical, spiny seedpods that are pale green blushed maroon in colour.  They are terrific fresh or dried in flower arrangements.  Sun.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Dietes iridioides (syn. Dietes vegeta)

Family: Iridaceae

(TP) to 2′.  South Africa.  The dark green, stiff basal leaves are arranged like a fan.  The flowers on long branching stalks in summer, are papery and Iris-like.  Petals are white, tinged with blue with bold yellow markings.  The crest of the style is marked with blue.  Easy pot plant.  Sun/partial shade.  3 & 6

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Arthropodium candidum

Family: Asparagaceae

Tender bulb to 12″.  New Zealand.  Sprays of white, starry, six-petalled flowers on short wiry stems dance over the linear, grass-like, mid-to-bright green leaves.  Summer blooming.  Excellent for the cool greenhouse.  Adorable.  Sun.  3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Rostrinucula sinensis

Family: Lamiaceae

Tender Shrub to 7′.  China.  Collected by the Sino British Expedition to Guizho Province.  This curious Buddleja relative has grown well for us in pots.  Lovely, soft-green, pointed foliage and large terminal, arching spikes formed of chalky-white, tomentose bracts and buds.  The flower spike opens gradually to reveal fragrant, purple-lavender flowers with many extruding white stamens.  Summer.  Well-drained soil.  Sun.  4 & 7 for 4 weeks, then T3

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Begonia carolineifolia

Family: Begoniaceae

Tender evergreen perennial to 12″.  Mexico.  This species of Begonia has quickly become an enviable conversation piece for us.  The palm-like leaves grow on top of large, thick rhizomes, and light pink blooms abound periodically throughout the year.  Bright, indirect light.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Limonium bellidifolium

Family: (Plumbaginaceae)

(TP) to 10″.  Alpine Sea Lavender.  Europe.  Matt green clumps of congested, spathulate, leathery leaves with recurved margins.  Sprays of small, pale violet, five-lobed, trumpet-shaped, “everlasting” flowers are held in bunches on wiry branched stems.  Summer blooming.  Sun.  3 & T2, cover and keep dark.

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Primula malacoides Mix

Family: (Primulaceae)

(TP) to 18″.  Fairy Primrose.  China.  Stonecroppers are in love with this charming, floriferous beauty as it lights up the End House from December through late spring with its showy tiers of blooms.  Rising from a rosette of soft green, ruffled leaves with shallowly dentate lobes come many slender stems carrying 20 to 30 blooms in tiers.  Deeply notched, five-petalled flowers have a prominent yellow eye.  Seed collected from our plants is a mix of bright pink, mauve and white flowers.  Prefers fertile soil and part sun.  4 & T1