Fall 2008 Plant List E--H

N. America, z. 3-9. A popular and very showy 2'-3' native with large, lavender-pink flowers whose petals often flare back interestingly from the prominent golden brown cones. Flowers for a long period in summer in full sun to half shade and average soil. An excellent border or meadow plant, and fine for cutting. Goldfinches love it. $5.00

Garden origin, z. 5-9. A very handsome evergreen Epimedium with sprays of bright yellow flowers in spring, followed by elegantly bronzed new leaves that turn deep green and leathery in summer. Rapid spreading for an Epimedium but not aggressive, it is a valuable specimen or groundcover in partial to full shade and moist, well drained soil. Drought tolerant once established. Very desirable. $6.00

N. America, z. 5-9. Strawberry Bush is a thin, suckering shrub with green stems and sparse, leathery leaves that passes almost unnoticed in its woodland haunts—until its seed capsules ripen in the fall. The capsules are large, spiky, and strawberry-pink, and split open upon maturity to reveal four vermilion berries dangling from fine threads. A bushful of them is an astonishing and beautiful sight. Strawberry Bush is a dubious choice for gardens because of its lax habit and susceptibility to scale insects, but is quite nice for naturalizing at woods' edge. It will grow readily in dense shade but sets fruit best with some sun; the green stems add winter interest. Available at the nursery; price will vary by size.

N. America, z. 3-8. A New England Wild Flower Society selection for compact size, 'Little Red' will supposedly top out at 4' instead of 7' at maturity, but since the plants are seed-grown they may vary somewhat. At any height, however, Sweet Joe-Pye's broad adaptability and big heads of hazy purple, butterfly-attracting flowers in late summer make it well worthwhile. Sun to part shade, average to wet soil. $6.00

N. America, z. 4-9. Beeches are among the grandest and most beautiful of Eastern American trees and a major food and shelter source for wildlife. Their smooth, silver-gray trunks, sinuous limbs, and wide-spreading, buttressing roots are a major feature of our woodlands, as are their dense crowns of brilliant green spring leaves that turn russett-gold in fall and frequently cling to the branches all winter, slowing fading to palest champagne. Best transplanted when young and relatively slow-growing, Beeches eventually become very large trees, but they are so beautiful and so valuable for wildlife that they should be planted wherever conditions are suitable. Available at the nursery; price will vary by size.

N. America, z. 3-8. A late-spring flowering native with a neat mound of deeply cut, dark green foliage and 1" open-faced flowers in varying shades of lavender-pink. A pretty, long-lived perennial for part to full shade and average to moist soil. $5.00

N. America, z. 5-9. The flowers of this little-known native are as comical as its name. Each consists of a nearly spherical purple-brown knob poised on top of a ring of scalloped yellow petals that remind me of cheerleaders' skirts. I'm not fond of the adjective "perky", but in this case it fits. The flowers are borne on branching, 1'-3' stems above a basal rosette in mid/late summer. Sun to part shade, average to wet soil. $5.00

N. America, z. 4-8. A woodland plant grown more for its 12" mounds of variably silver-mottled leaves than for its sprays of greenish-white flowers. The seed-grown variety 'Dale's Strain' was selected by Dale Hendricks of North Creek Nurseries in PA for superior foliage. A good accent, edging, or groundcover plant for partial shade and moist to dry soil, the silvery foliage contrasts well with other perennials. $5.00

N. America, z. 5-8. Softly furred light green leaves form mounds over 1′ tall and wide, erupting in late summer/fall with plumes of airy white flowers which look cool and elegant against an autumn backdrop. A strong, easy grower for use either as a specimen or groundcover, it prefers partial to full shade and withstands dry shade. One of the best of the Heucheras. 5.00

N. America, z. 7-9. A real showstopper! This southeastern perennial can reach 7' in a season when mature, and its stiff canes are clad in large, deeply cut, palmate leaves that look like something straight out of the jungle. But the late-summer flowers are the real show: 6"-wide crimson pinwheels with feathery stamens that protrude like an arrow from a bullseye. Striking as a mass planting or a single accent in rain gardens, at the edge of ponds, or any sunny spot with moist to wet soil. $6.00

N. America, z. 4-9. The common name of this large and handsome perennial derives from the leaves' resemblance to an antique weapon, but far more noticeable are the saucer-sized, rose-pink flowers with a deep-red eye that burst open exuberantly at summer's height. Like other mallows it sprouts late in spring but grows very rapidly as the days heat up, reaching 6' tall and 3' wide at maturity. Tolerant of average to very wet soil in sun to part shade, it's a fine choice for either inland or seashore plantings, and attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds. $6.00

Korea, z. 5-8. This beautiful oriental creates a 4' by 6' mound of boldly textured foliage, studded from top to bottom in June with flat, 4"-5" heads of flowers of a gorgeous medium blue in acid soil, turning lavender to pink in more alkaline soils. As with most Hydrangeas, the flowers fade and change color but remain attractive for a very long period. 'Blue Billow' prefers shade and its lacecap form, with large sterile flowers surrounding the smaller fertile flowers, is more refined than the snowball types and stunning in the woodland garden. Moist to wet soil. Available at the nursery; price will vary by size.

N. America, z. 6-9. A superb native shrub, big in every way. Growing 6' by 6' or better, its leaves can be 1' long and wide and are matched in scale by the gracefully swaying heads of creamy white flowers in early summer. By midsummer the flowers fade to dusky rose, then to a soft brown complementing the spectacular late fall coloring of the leaves. In winter the bare branches are enlivened by flaking, reddish-brown bark, and still tipped with the dry flower heads. The seeds therein are very small, but still seem to attract winter birds. What more can one ask? A great choice either for specimen use or mass plantings, Oakleaf Hydrangea will tolerate either full sun or full shade, but is best in partial shade with moist, well-drained soil. Available at the nursery; price will vary by size.

N. America, z. 5-8. Native to Maryland and much of the Southeast, Bushy St. John's Wort is an upright, suckering shrub 4'-6' in height. Its crown is twiggy and thickly clad in small, semi-oval leaves like green minnows; the stems have exoliating bark of a rich mahogany color. In mid-summer it produces clusters of small, golden powderpuff flowers followed by brown seed capsules, both attractive to wildlife. Very adaptable, it grows in dry to wet soils, but prefers full or nearly full sun. Available at the nursery in limited supply. $12.00