Plant Reference I--O

Ilex opaca

American Holly

Ilex verticillata

Winterberry

Iris Hybrid 'Black Gamecock'

'Black Gamecock' Louisiana Iris

Available for Fall 2008. Click here to go to the Catalog.

N. America, z. 6-10. One of numerous recent hybrids among several southeastern native species (including I. fulva - Copper Iris) collectively known as Louisiana Irises. 'Black Gamecock' is a robust, spreading 2'-tall plant bearing striking 4" flowers of an electric blue-violet with gold crests in early summer. A real knockout! Grow in moist to wet, acidic soil in full sun to part shade.

Iris cristata

Dwarf Crested Iris

N. America, z. 4-9. An exquisite native Iris, only 4" to 8" tall, with typical Iris foliage that spreads slowly to form a solid mat and charming blue-violet flowers carried above the foliage in mid-spring. As tough as it's beautiful, it will tolerate sun or shade, moist or dry soil.

Iris cristata 'Alba'

'Alba' Dwarf Crested Iris

N. America, z. 4-9. A vigorous form of this beautiful native with pure white, gold-crested flowers in mid-spring. Spreads relatively quickly into a dense carpet only a few inches high.

Iris cristata 'Powder Blue Giant'

'Powder Blue Giant' Crested Iris

N. America, z. 4-9. This unusual and beautiful Crested Iris selection is indeed a soft blue-gray, with deep blue and white markings and gold crests. And it's big for the species: up to 10" tall with 3 1/2" flowers in spring. Sited in partial shade and humus-enriched soil it will spread fairly rapidly to form thick, ground-covering mats. Spectacular!

Iris fulva

Copper Iris

N. America, z. 5-10. The term "copper" doesn't convey the complex mix of wine red, deep violet, and gold in the unusual flowers of this southeastern Iris. The flowers appear in late spring, several to a stalk, and are borne well above the slender, 3'-4' leaves. This is a very interesting plant for moist to wet soil in sun or part shade, and excellent with ornamental grasses.

Iris pseudacorus

Yellow Flag

Europe, z. 5-10. A vigorous Iris with handsome 1'-4' spears of foliage and large, bright yellow flowers in early summer. Its robust clumps provide a boldly architectural accent for a sunny, damp spot or a shallow pool, but it's also quite happy in average garden soil in sun or a little shade. Not recommended for naturalizing since it spreads readily.

Iris tectorum

Roof Iris

Available for Fall 2008. Click here to go to the Catalog.

China, z. 4-10. A lovely, late-spring blooming Iris with wide fans of pale green leaves and large, rather flat, frilled flowers in shades of soft blue. A low-growing Iris, only 12”-16” tall, it will nonetheless form large clumps at the front of a border, and can also be naturalized in sun or part shade and average to moist soil. Tough as nails, but much prettier!

Iris tectorum 'Alba'

Roof Iris

China, z. 4-10. A pure white Roof Iris with a gold-marked crest, less commonly seen than the blue form but equally lovely and just as tough. Roof Iris is surprisingly drought tolerant.

Iris versicolor

Blue Flag

Available for Fall 2008. Click here to go to the Catalog.

N. America, z. 3-8. This fine native Iris rises to 4' with graceful, sword-like foliage and elegantly shaped and veined blue-violet flowers in early summer. Happy in shallow standing water or merely moist soil in sun to part shade, it will slowly spread into large clumps. A superb choice for rain gardens, stream/pond edges, or borders and a lovely cut flower, too.

Itea virginica

Virginia Sweetspire

Juncus effusus

Soft Rush

Available for Fall 2008. Click here to go to the Catalog.

Cosmopolitan, z. 4-9. Regionally common but often unnoticed in the wild, Soft Rush can be striking in cultivation. Its glossy, grasslike stems form a dense evergreen mound 2'-3' high. Upright at first, the stems may arch with the weight of showy brown flower heads to cover an area wider than their height. Suited to constantly damp soil or shallow water in sun or part shade, it makes a bold accent plant for pond, streamside, or any damp area.

Juniperus virginiana

Eastern Red Cedar

N. America, z. 3-9. Often scorned as a "weed tree" for its ability to sprout readily in old fields and hedgerows, yet Red Cedar possesses great character and beauty. It is also an excellent wildlife resource; the frosty blue berries on female trees are eaten by many birds, including the lovely cedar waxwing, and its dense boughs provide safe nesting sites and shelter in winter. It is also a host plant for the olive hairstreak butterfly. While selected clones are available from some nurseries, the seedlings I offer will be variable in form and are good for naturalizing in full sun and any soil that's not wet.

Kalmia latifolia

Mountain Laurel

N. America, z. 5-9. Mountain Laurel is one of our most beautiful native shrubs, with glossy, evergreen foliage, a distinctive, mounding growth habit, and spring clusters of pink-budded flowers that open white. It is, however, specific in its requirements: acid, organic, freely draining soil and some protection from blazing sun and winter wind. It will grow and bloom in woodland shade, but will bloom more heavily at woods' edge or on the north side of a house. Slow growing and very long-lived, it is a prime choice for any spot where conditions suit it.

Kosteletzkya virginica

Seashore Mallow

N. America, z. 6-10. The only difficulty with seashore mallow is spelling its scientific name; apart from that it's a charmer. A relative of hibiscus and rose mallow, it is a tall—to 5' —airy plant which in late summer produces many 2" flowers of soft, deep pink with prominent, bright yellow stamens. Occurring naturally along beaches and marsh edges, it is quite at home in average garden soil in sun or part shade.

Liatris spicata

Gayfeather, Blazingstar

Lilium canadense

Canada Lily

Available for Fall 2008. Click here to go to the Catalog.

N. America, z. 3-8. This exquisite and rarely available native grows to 3' or more, with a single slender stem surrounded by whorls of dark green leaves. The stem provides a standard for a spectacular summer display of yellow to red-orange, pendant bells with flared petals—looks like something that should be carried aloft in an exotic ceremony. Canada Lily requires consistantly moist, acid soil, sun to part shade, and may need protection from deer and voles. Order early for spring shipment, since by late spring it is too tall and slender to ship without breakage. It can also be shipped in fall. (Plants shipped in Fall are dormant.)

Lilium formosanum

Formosa Lily

Taiwan, z. 5-9. An easy-to-please, 4-5'summer blooming lily bearing many large and very sweetly scented trumpet flowers, white on the inside and purple-stained on the outside. It prefers rich, well-drained soil and full sun to light shade.

Lilium superbum

 

 

 

Lindera benzoin

Spicebush

Available for Fall 2008. Click here to go to the Catalog.

N. America, z. 5-9. A fine woodland shrub, 5'-12', with an open, spreading habit. One of our earliest spring bloomers, it bears many clusters of tiny, greenish-yellow flowers, lighting up the gray-brown of the woodlands. In fall it bears oval scarlet berries which birds feed on and its foliage turns an exceptionally clear yellow even in deep shade. A host plant for the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly, its name comes from its strongly aromatic twigs, leaves, and berries, which give off a tangy, lemony scent when crushed. Likes moist soil in partial to full shade—best fruiting with some sun.

Lobelia cardinalis

Cardinal Flower

Available for Fall 2008. Click here to go to the Catalog.

N. America, z. 4-8. Slender 2'-4' spires of intensely scarlet flowers in late summer one of the brightest reds in nature, and beautifully set off by the deep green leaves. Cardinal Flower requires moist to wet soil with high organic content, but will bloom in full sun to full shade. It is a short-lived perennial but will reseed in favorable conditions. A great favorite of hummingbirds.

Lobelia siphilitica

Great Lobelia

Available for Fall 2008. Click here to go to the Catalog.

N. America, z. 4-8. Similar in form to Cardinal Flower but a stouter, larger-leaved plant, with spikes of clear blue flowers in late summer. Sun to partial shade in moist/wet soil. Popular with bees and butterflies and an excellent, long-lasting cut flower.

Lonicera sempervirens

Trumpet Honeysuckle

Available for Fall 2008. Click here to go to the Catalog.

N. America, z. 4-9. A woody vine growing up to 15' with support, Trumpet Honeysuckle produces clusters of orange to red flowers whose narrow trumpets seems specifically designed for hummingbirds, who love them. It tolerates part shade but blooms better and longer in full sun, and is an excellent choice for growing up a trellis or over an arch. It has no scent, but is otherwise a much showier and much better behaved vine than the pestiferous Japanese Honeysuckle (L. japonica).

Lonicera sempervirens 'John Clayton'

'John Clayton' Trumpet Honeysuckle

N. America, z. 4-9. Trumpet Honeysuckle is normally coral red, but the blooms of 'John Clayton' are a rich apricot. Otherwise it's the same fine woody vine, growing to 15' with support and delighting hummingbirds—and gardeners. Sun to part shade and average soil.

Lychnis coronaria

Rose Campion

Africa, Eurasia, z. 3-9. An old-fashioned garden plant with wooly silver-green rosettes and very vivid magenta flowers for a long period in mid-summer. Striking yet not too difficult to combine with other colors of the season, and a prime choice for poor, sandy soil in full sun. A short-lived perennial, but it self-seeds readily.

Lychnis x arkwrightii 'Vesuvius'

Arkwright's Lychnis 'Vesuvius'

Garden hybrid, z. 5-9. A very nice hybrid of an old standby, maltese cross (L. chalcedonica), Vesuvius has dark, bronzy foliage 12"-18" high, topped by brilliant 2" flowers of an unusual burnt orange shade in early summer. Great accent plant. Likes sun to partial shade, average soil.

Lychnis yunnanensis

Yunnan Catchfly

Lycopus virginicus

Virginia Bugleweed

N. America, z. 4-9. z. 4-9. The wide-spread but little-known Va. Bugleweed is a 1'- 30" tall plant with toothed, matte-green leaves washed with purple—the more acid the soil the more purple the leaves, I suspect. Its flowers are insignificant but the foliage makes it a desirable groundcover or filler plant in moist/wet soil in sun or shade, and a good choice near water and in rain gardens. It can spread by seed or runners but is not aggressive.

Lysimachia ciliata

Fringed Loosestrife

Lysimachia ciliata 'Purpurea'

Purple-leaved Loosestrife

N. America, z. 3-10. The spring growth of this 2'-4' form of Fringed Loosestrife is very lush and deepest purple—striking! The color tends to green off over summer, but enough remains to enhance the yellow flowers nicely. A robust grower for average to moist soil in sun or shade. Good seashore plant.

Lysimachia punctata

Yellow Loosestrife

Europe, z. 4-9. A larger and very showy loosestrife with deep yellow flowers in whorls around 4' stems. Often used for naturalizing in a damp, sunny site, where it will make a great splash of color, it tolerates much drier soils with some shade. A tough and dependable plant, but can be invasive.

Lysimachia quadrifolia

 

 

 

Maianthemum (Smilacina) racemosum

False Solomon's Seal

N. America, z. 3-9. A very desirable woodland native better known to British gardeners, which shouldn't be the case. Smilacina's creeping rootstock puts up graceful 1'-3' stems clothed in neatly alternating spear-shaped leaves. In spring the stems are tipped with a plume of creamy white flowers, followed by showy clusters of berries speckled with purple all summer before turning translucent red in late fall. A slow spreader once established, it likes part shade and moist, humusy soil; tolerates dry shade.

Matelea decipiens

 

 

 

Matteucia pensylvanica

 

 

 

Meehania cordata

Meehan's Mint

N. America, z. 4-8. A charming though little known mid-Atlantic native, Meehan's Mint is a deciduous, creeping groundcover with small leaves, heart-shaped and softly hairy , and quantities of surprisingly large, lavender , snapdragon-like flowers in mid-spring. It likes moist, humusy soil in part to full shade and deserves to be better known.

Mertensia virginica

Virginia Bluebells

N. America, z. 3-8. One of our most beautiful woodland natives, Mertensia's plum-purple shoots push up in earliest spring, expanding into glaucous leaves of a peculiar smoothness—like a baby's skin. The 1" flowers hang bell-like from nodding stalks and are pink in bud, becoming a very pure sky blue as they open. A marvelous if short-lived display: by early summer the plants go dormant and disappear until the following spring. Mertensia prefers a moist, humus-rich soil in partial to full shade.

Mitchella repens

Partridgeberry

Available for Fall 2008. Click here to go to the Catalog.

N. America, z. 3-8. An exquisite little creeper with rounded glossy leaves, pairs of tiny white flowers in late spring, and bright red berries in the fall. The creeping stems cling closely to the ground and one plant will slowly carpet a 1'-wide area. A beautifully textured plant, excellent with ferns, and a good rock garden or trough plant. Likes a well-drained soil in partial/full shade; tolerates dry shade.

Monarda bradburiana

Bradbury's Bee Balm

Monarda didyma

Bee Balm, Oswego Tea

N. America, z. 4-10. A vigorous and very striking mid-summer bloomer, 2'-4' in height, with gorgeously scented leaves and raggedy flowers of bright crimson magenta. Hummingbirds come and sit on them and simply refuse to leave. Likes moist soil and full sun to partial shade. Good for border use and for naturalizing, spreads by runners.

Monarda didyma 'Jacob Cline'

'Jacob Cline' Bee Balm

N. America, z. 3-9. A strong-growing, true red—no hint of magenta—form of this popular native and hummingbird favorite, 'Jacob Cline' will reach 4' and spread rapidly in moist soil, sun to shade. I find its reputed mildew tolerance to be over-rated, but it's a good plant.

Monarda fistulosa

Wild Bergamot

N. America, z. 3-10. Very similar to Beebalm (M. didyma), but a little shorter—to 3' —and with more pink-purple in the flower color. The major difference is that it's a plant of fields and wood edges and a better choice for dryish soil in full sun than M. didyma. Equally aromatic and popular with hummers.

Morella (Myrica) cerifera

Wax-myrtle, Southern Bayberry

Available for Fall 2008. Click here to go to the Catalog.

N. America, z. 7-9. A large—10'-15'—finely textured shrub with glossy, olive-green leaves that are evergreen down to about 0°. The leaves are aromatic, as are the small, frosted blue berries which birds favor. An excellent landscape plant which can be pruned as a hedge or limbed up to make a small tree if desired, it adapts to wet or dry soils, prefers sun but tolerates part shade, and is very salt tolerant. It is also very resistant to deer browsing. Plant several for best fruiting.

Oenothera missouriensis

Missouri Primrose

Oenothera speciosa

Showy Primrose

N. America, z. 5-10. Not a primrose and it doesn't look like one, but it's certainly showy. This southeastern native produces 2" open-faced flowers of soft pink fading to white at the center, veined with deeper pink, over a long period in summer. It tends to sprawl and can be an aggressive spreader, although I don't find it so in my clay soil, but a clump in bloom is truly spectacular. Prefers full sun and dry, sandy soil, but tolerates most anything.

Onoclea sensibilis

Sensitive Fern

N. America, z. 2-9. A rather tropical-looking fern with boldly cut, light green fronds to 2' in height. The spore capsules are borne on separate stalks and look like clusters of little brown beads; they look interesting all winter in the garden and are very good for dried arrangements. Sensitive fern is a spreader and a good deciduous groundcover for moist to very damp soil in partial to full shade; also good under bare-legged shrubs.

Opuntia humifusa

Pricklypear Cactus

N. America, z. 5-10. An east coast native cactus with flat pads and large yellow flowers in mid-summer, followed by reddish, edible fruits. Height usually less than l', but an established clump may be several feet across. Valuable as a groundcover in sandy, dry soil—including beach sand—in sun or partial shade. Try it combined with Yucca filamentosa in a hot corner. Care must be taken in handling because of fine spines.

Osmorhiza longistylis

Aniseroot

N. America, z. 4-8. This East Coast member of the carrot family also has a large root, which smells and tastes pleasantly of anise and supposedly can be used for flavoring. An 18"2' spring-blooming woodland plant, its clusters of tiny white flowers are of less interest than its ferny, deep bronze-green foliage, which arises in earliest spring or even midwinter. Cut back after flowering if you don't want it to seed about and to encourage new foliage. It may go dormant in midsummer if it dries out. Partial/full shade, moist soil.

Oxalis violacea

Violet Wood-sorrel

N. America, z. 5-9. Violet Wood-sorrel's cheerful flowers, more pink than violet, pop up lavishly through its 1' mounds of bright green "shamrock" leaves. Blooming in late spring/early summer, it's a good edging, rock garden, or pot plant. It's also one of the very few natives I know that's quite happy indoors, and will bloom all winter in a sunny window. Its small bulbs occasionally go dormant but resprout quickly, and if not confined to a pot may spread. Sun to part shade, average soil.