Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Tradescantia virginiana

Family: Commelinaceae

(P) to 3′.  Virginia Spiderwort, Spider Lily.  Eastern US.  This Spiderwort has three-petalled, blue-purple flowers with contrasting yellow stamens in terminal clusters above a pair of long, narrow, leaf-like bracts, each opening for only a day.  Clump-forming with multiple stems bearing narrow, pointed, olive green leaves.  A useful and robust perennial for native gardens, open woods and borders.  Blooms late sprint to mid-summer.  Sun to part shade.  Moist, well-drained soil.  3 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Sanicula canadensis

Family: Apiaceae

(B) to 2′.  Canadian Black Snakeroot.  Eastern US and Canada.  This common woodland wildflower produces umbels of tiny five petalled, greenish white flowers with a green calyx.  Each umbel consists of one to four umbellets.  Each umbellet has five male flowers and two or three perfect flowers.  The perfect flowers are very short stalked and have a prominent ovary covered in rows of hooked bristles.  The green bristly fruit splits into two seeds.  Leaves are alternate and palmately compound with three leaflets.  Useful for naturalizing in woodland areas and native gardens.  Blooms late spring to early summer.  Shade to part shade.  Moist to dry, loamy soil.  Best sown in situ.

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Plantago erecta

Family: Plantaginaceae

(A) to 1′.  Dotseed Plantain.  California.  This unassuming annual produces five-inch, needle-like leaves with long, soft hairs.  Small spikes of translucent white flowers follow in spring.  Host species for Checkerspot Butterflies.  Full sun.  Well-drained soil.  Adaptable to sand, clay and drought conditions.  3 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Cryptotaenia canadensis

Family:

(P) to 3′.  Honewort, Wild Chervil.  A native herb of woods, shaded floodplains, and wet thickets throughout eastern North America.  Smooth, tripartite, light green, unevenly lobed or asymmetrical leaflets with ovate, irregularly toothed segments.  Delicate umbels of minute, white flowers on stalks of differing lengths in late summer.  Leaves, stems and flowers can be eaten raw in salads or used as an ingredient in soup, whilst the seeds can be used as a spice similar to Caraway.  Moist soil in part shade/shade.  3 & 6 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Veratrum virginicum

Family: (Melanthiaceae)

(P) to 4′.  Virginia Bunchflower.  Eastern North America.  This garden-worthy native forms dense clumps of narrow, yellowish green, grass-like leaves up to 20 inches in length. Many panicles of creamy white flowers are comprised of six spreading tepals, six stamens with white filaments, three white styles and a light greenish yellow ovary.  At the base of each tepal are two conspicuous glands that are yellowish green and secrete nectar.  As the flowers age they change in colour from creamy white, through greenish to yellow. Flowers are replaced by ovoid-lanceolate seed capsules that are the most decorative in the genus.  This plant was a star performer on our Order Beds this year.  Happiest in moist, fertile soil.  Full to partial sun.  3 & T1 & Δ

This seed is either sold out or unavailable

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Helenium autumnale

Family: Asteraceae

(P) to 5′.  Sneezeweed.  Eastern North America.  A plant of swamps and wet meadows.  The branching sprays of warm, golden yellow daisies have prominent yellow centres and distinctive, reflexed, notched petals.  The lance-shaped leaves are decurrent, extending down the stiff, branched stems, giving them a noticeable “winged” appearance.  The dried leaves were once used as snuff, hence the name.  Blooms late August through September.  Prefers moist or wet soil.  Sun.  3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Gillenia stipulata

Family: Rosaceae

(P) to 4′.  American Ipecac.  A Southeastern United States native, producing loose sprays of starry white flowers atop wiry, red stems in midsummer.  Finely serrated, large, trifoliate leaves have distinctive prominent stipules.  Will tolerate a drier site than G. trifoliata.  A good fall leaf colour of rich red and bronze with persistent red calyces.  Well-drained soil.  Sun/partial shade.  3 & 6

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Triodanis perfoliata (syn. Specularia perfoliata)

Family: (Campanulaceae)

Native Annual to 18″.  Venus’ Looking Glass.  A charming wildflower that appears in waste places, disturbed sites, pastures, prairies, roadsides and railroads across a broad native range spanning from Canada to Central America.  Purple, five petalled, open bell-shaped blooms are ½-inch wide and arise stalkless from the leaf axils along the flowering spike.  Throats of the flowers are whitish and reveal a prominent white pistil.  The lower flowers never open and are cleistogamous, with self-pollination occurring in the closed flower.  Small, ¾-inch long leaves clasp and surround the heavily grooved stem (perfoliate), are broadly ovate, shiny green and alternately arranged.  Leaf margins are coarsely serrate to crenate.  Perfect for an open meadow with well-draining soil.  Sun.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Geum canadense

Family: (Rosaceae)

P to 2.5′.  White Avens.  North American native.  Basal rosettes are comprised of light green, compound leaves that are divided into 5 to 7 leaflets.  As the leaves ascend the stem, they become trifoliate and then simple towards the top.   They are coarse in texture, deeply lobed and serrated.  The ½-inch flowers have five bright white petals which alternate with five triangular, green sepals.  A central cluster of green carpels with elongated styles is surrounded by numerous creamy stamens.  After flowering the fruits form which are initially green, but eventually turn brown. These fruits are ¾-inch spherical clusters of achenes with persistent styles that are hooked at their tips, aiding dispersal. Geum is tolerant of juglone, the plant-produced chemical secreted from Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) and can grow happily beneath its canopy.  Another plus…due to their natural sweetness, the root of White Avens can be used to brew a cocoa-like beverage referred to as “Indian Chocolate”.  Summer blooming at woodland edge. 3 &T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Elephantopus carolinianus

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 3′. Elephant’s Foot.  US, West Indies.  Valued for its late summer to fall bloom and large, attractive lower leaves, which inspire the common name.  Bloom consists of many small, tubular, pale lavender disc florets which are arranged in compound inflorescences.  Although a member of the composite family, the flowers of Elephant’s Foot are not daisy-like in appearance because each flower head contains only disc flowers.  Similar in appearance and closely related to the ironweeds (Vernonia).  Forms a nice groundcover in dry to medium moisture soils.  Sun/partial shade.  3 & T1