Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Parthenium integrifolium

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 3′.  Wild Quinine.  Eastern United States. Tiny clustered, almost ball-like, white flowers in broad, branching, flat-topped corymbs.  The tapering leaves are coarsely toothed and decrease in size up the stems, with the upper leaves often absent or clasping the stem.  Both the leaves and stems are rough and covered in short bristly hairs.  Well-drained soil.  Sun.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Abutilon theophrasti

Family: (Malvaceae)

(A) to 3′.  Velvet Leaf, China Jute.  A Native of southern Asia whose specific epithet commemorates the ancient Greek botanist-philosopher, Theophrastus.  Velvet Leaf has been grown in China since around 2000 BCE for its strong, jute-like fibre.  The alternately arranged leaves are light green, cordate, pubescent and up to eight inches long and wide.  A solitary flower about ¾-inch across emerges from the axils of the upper leaves. Each flower consists of five petals that are yellow to orange-yellow, five light green, pubescent sepals, and numerous stamens with golden yellow anthers that surround the pistil in a loose cluster. The flowers are followed by interesting fruit that is initially light green, but quickly turns brown or black with maturity. This fruit (schizocarp) is a circular cup-shaped disc of 9 to 15 carpels, each with a beak on the margin of the disc.  Blooms July to August.  Well-drained soil.  Sun/partial shade.  3 & T3

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Silene dioica

Family: (Caryophyllaceae)

(P/B) to 3′.  Red Campion.  Europe.  A delightful wildflower of the English countryside found in woods, hedgerows, and along sea cliffs.  Numerous, tall sprays of notched, rosy-pink flowers with inflated hairy calyces appear throughout the summer from short, eight-inch clumps of softly hairy foliage.  Well-drained soil.  Sun.  3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Lobelia inflata

Family: (Campanulaceae)

(A) to 3′.  Indian Tobacco.  Another great native North American plant for the flower border!  Spikes of small fan-shaped light blue flowers with a bearded lower lip are followed by fat balloons filled with seeds.  Long blooming from summer to frost.  The alkaloid Lobeline, was used until recently to appease nicotine cravings.  Sun.  3 & 6A

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Epipactis helleborine

Family: (Orchidaceae)

(P) to 18″.  Broad Leaved Helleborine.  Eurasia.  Small, green, orchid-like flowers with a flush of purple are arranged spirally on tall stalks.  Distinctive, wide, pleated, elliptical leaves clasp the stem.  Naturalizes well.  Blooms June to July.  Moist soil.  Partial shade.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Oclemena acuminata (syn. Aster acuminatus)

Family: (Asteraceae)

Native perennial to 2′.  Whorled Wood Aster.  The sharply toothed leaves of this pretty woodland native alternate in a tight spiral on hairy stems, giving a whorled appearance, hence the common name.  Terminal clusters of one inch, daisy-like flowers comprised of white-tinted-purple ray florets that surround a central mass of yellow disc florets that turn reddish with age.  The ray florets are not straight like other asters, but rather twisty and free-form.  Seedheads are clusters of tan cypselae, each cypsela has a pappus of white, silken bristles, aiding its dispersal.  Colonizes beautifully in a woodland setting.  Blooms June to October.  Shade to part shade and humus-rich, woodland soil.  3 & 6 & ∆

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Rudbeckia subtomentosa

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 6′. Sweet Black-eyed Susan. Tallgrass Prairie. A host of two-inch, bright yellow-petalled, dark-eyed daisies. Bushy clumps of downy, sweet scented, grey-green leaves; the lower leaves being three cleft. Blooms in late summer. Moist to well-drained soil. Sun. 3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Euthamia graminifolia (syn. Solidago graminifolia)

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 3.5′. Lance-leaved Goldenrod. North America. Upright, slender branching stems with many thin, grass-like, pointed leaves topped by irregular, loose, flattish cymes of small, golden yellow flowers in late summer. Its tendency to form attractive, airy clumps and prolonged season of bloom makes it an attractive addition to the garden. Well-drained soil. Sun. 3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Agastache scrophulariifolia

Family: (Lamiaceae)

(P) to 5′. Purple Giant Hyssop. Native to eastern North America. Many terminal spikes of small, violet to rosy pink flowers on tall, branching stems. The coarsely toothed, lanceolate leaves are aromatic. Blooms July to September. Well-drained soil. Sun/partial shade. 4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Agrimonia gryposepala

Family: (Rosaceae)

(P) to 5′. Tall Agrimony. North America. Slender, erect racemes of bright yellow, five-petalled blooms open from the bottom upwards, atop upright, softly hairy plants bearing paired, coarsely toothed, chartreuse green leaves. This native of open woods and thickets makes a surprisingly attractive garden plant. A patch planted outside our greenhouses was a joy all summer. Well-drained soil. Partial shade/sun. 3 & T2