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gardengal48

Underused perennials

Most gardeners get excited about new plant introductions and we've seen recent examples of some very promising new plants on the horizon. But what about the many, 'been around for generations', hardy perennials that seem to be out of favor/lacking popularity, not widely known or just not grown very much anymore?

What perennials do you grow that fit this category? Maybe we can generate some interest and wider exposure for some of these less well-known or underused great garden additions.

These are a few that I've grown for years but hardly ever see in local nurseries or gardens:

Gillenia trifoliata - Bowman's Root. Native to woodland verges of the eastern US, this tough perennial (zone 4) features clouds of starry white flowers and handsome foliage that takes on fall color. Excellent for cut flowers. Not fussy about soils and ideal for part shade but easily takes full sun in my climate.

Uvularia grandiflora - Merry Bells. A wonderful woodland plant that has taken a backseat to the more widely grown Solomon's Seal. Bright yellow pendant flower appear in spring from a slowly increasing colony.

Dracocephalum rupestre - Dragonhead. Dead-easy groundcover type plant with screaming blue summer flowers over several months. Drought tolerant once established, grows in full sun but doesn't mind midday/afternoon shade, especially in hot climates.

Mukdenia rossii - Crimson Fans. An Asian heuchera relative that is seldom encountered. Fan-like maple shaped foliage is a glossy green during summer but takes on red tones with colder weather. Sprays of dainty white flowers appear in early spring. Part shade or woodland gardens.

Comments (92)

  • aliska12000
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    woodyoak, I ordered 3 packets of Geum triflorum (Prairie Smoke) today. It may be invasive as the lady who introduced me to it over on winter sowing says it self seeds. I don't care. Maybe it will invade out some horrible invasive stuff I've fought for years, can have the whole yard for all I care at this point!

    Here are the rest of what I ordered, some of which may be underused perennials. Some most of you know and/or have.

    Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-Pulpit); Stylophorum diphyllum (Celandine Poppy) - looks like it might be invasive - Gentiana andrewsii (Bottle Gentian); Mertensia virginica (Virginia Bluebells); Asclepias purpurascens (Purple Milkweed); Asclepsias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed). They were out of a couple really nice ones I would have ordered, crossed some off my list because may move and want to take my seedlings/certain plants.

    I'm not real hopeful I can get the bluebells to do anything, may be tricky to grow from seed, never seen them around here, but have always been enchanted with them. There are other similar blues like them. One gorgeous scene in Ryan's Daughter had a wooded area filled with some blue plant indigenous to Western Ireland.

    Some may be misspelled because I just scribbled them down. Most of these look like wildflowers, pretty weeds, or prairie flowers. The celandine isn't much of a poppy but a pretty, silky yellow, and one of my elusive line of ancestors (Sullendine or Solendine) may have taken their surname from that, not sure. I swear that name is spelled a hundred different ways, hard to research! The male line has died out in America insofar as I can tell, old New England family, fell on bad times with TB and such.

  • Marie Tulin
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Gardengal,
    I need to do my homework because now I'm uncertain about the plant. But it is not the vining sweetpea. It is - at least in zone 5 New England- a perennial about 14 x 18 ", in its second year. I think it looks more like a sub-shrub. Tidy, def. non vining, no sign of re seeding; pinkish, lavender flower, close growing pea-like foliage. Blooms once, early spring. I'll get back to you all, I hope with a picture.
    Marie

  • Marie Tulin
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    gardengal It is Lathyrus vernus; or spring vetchling.
    http://www.heronswood.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/_/Lathyrus-Vernus--New-for-2009/productID/c7b3ac21-1d0f-4697-badc-b08cd15fb38c/categoryID/40fe77bd-9037-462f-be43-64cbc827920d/

    copy and paste this link and you'll find it at the old heronswood discount parts.

  • jordan_and_slippy
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ever since trying it out in my own garden, I've really been pushing Rubus pentalobus at work as a fantastic ground cover that's a quick spreader but without the pushy-invasive-ness that other quick growers have. I put it in a mixed bed of Ajuga, black-and-blue Sage, and a couple other perennials, and it filled everything in while at the same time going around things already growing. And takes the frost with ease. And has gorgeous fall color without losing it's leaves. AND flowers and has berries and attracts wildlife!

  • WendyB 5A/MA
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have Lathyrus vernus too. It does reseed a little but not too badly. The voles ate most of 2 years ago, so I was thankful for the new seedlings! I hope they are ready to bloom this year. I love the foliage. Any fabaceae foliage is always great IMO.

    not a perennial, but speaking of groundcovers... this is a great underused groundcover... paxistma canby is a broadleaf evergreen groundcover. It has adorable tiny dark green foliage and grows about 6-8" tall and spreads slowly. No significant flowers, but a real charmer.

  • woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The Rubus looks interesting - but not hardy here :-(

    idabean - good reminder - I've been meaning to get one of those vetchlings since a friend posted a picture of one a few years ago. I keep forgetting to look for one! I think the 'Spring Melody' one would suit my garden best. I like adding 'out of the ordinary' plants to the garden - but only if they otherwise suit the garden. I see that Heritage perennials has it - I always check there first since many local garden centers carry their plants. If what I'm looking for is not in stock, I know they can easily order it in for me.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Spring Melody

  • cloud_shine
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Some perennials are underused because they get very large and many people just don't have the room. A few in this category that I like are Acanthus mollis, Aruncus dioicus, Filipendula rubra, and Eremurus.

  • rolacoy
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am new to gardening and want to plant mostly perennials. I don't know any of them by name, trying to learn. I found pictures of perennials on Nature Hills Nursery, but they are expensive. Can I root cuttings from friends gardens, I have a greenhouse. You can see my posting at: "Very new to gardening, lots of questions" in the perennial forum.

  • ontnative
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Many perennials can be grown from seed, but the easiest way is from division of the "mother" plant. It's just about a no-fail method. You have to do a bit of research though, as tap-rooted plants do NOT divide, and trying to do so may kill the original plant. If you have gardening friends in the area, they probably have self-sown baby plants looking for new homes. I know I do. I usually donate zillions to our local horticultural plant sale in the spring. Rooting cuttings is a litle more difficult and slower.
    By the way, I really like lathyrus vernus, the original purple one as well as the pink one.

  • celtic_07
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm from a zone or two below most of you and much of what you talk about can't be grown here unless they are winter protected.
    Aliska12000- I grow several varieties of sanguisorba. The pink one Woodyoak has in his pic is I think S.obtusa( Japanese burnet). It bears fluffy rich pink flowers. If it is a deeper colour- more maroon burgandy then I think it is S.officinalis(greater burnet). I also grow the white one S.tenuifolia. I cut all of them down for the winter as it makes for easier cleanup and spring start up.
    Woodyoak-great pics and very uplifting when it's snowing out here. I also love the knautia and find when it does self-seed it's more like a "see-thru" plant and I leave them be.
    I have several acres and grow a large number of the plants mentioned also only in a more/less controlled setting.
    Others not used as much are Flipendula-rubra,purpurea, alba and elegantissima. Some of these travel underground and some remain in clumps. Cephalaria another good "see-thru" plant at 6-7ft tall. I love the soft yellow of the flowers.Any one grow Petasites varigated- nice large leaves. I have not had them become invasive here
    I enjoy this site and the info just wish there were more plants from my zone- oh but to dream- or keep creating microclimates, I can grow z4a-b and a few z5 with lots of work.
    Take care Lois

  • aliska12000
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    celtic-07, glad I checked back here. That gives me more to go on, jotted it all down. I found one medium pink, and it's hard to go by photos, but having that nomenclature and patience may pay off. I'd want to hold out for the deepest pink if I can find any; otherwise, anything but the lightest pink would do. Thank you and nice you can grow 3 varieties of it. The alba would be nice, too, as it would bloom earlier than my cimicifuga.

    Knowing what to search on was a great help and now see a lot of photos (not vendors) that are not stubby like the one I found at the Canadian nursery.

  • cody_mi
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    i'd like to add macleaya cordata, plume poppy. georgeous and huge, although pretty invasive. (i killed mine without even trying)
    thalictrum aquilegefolium, meadow rue.
    chelone obliqua, turtle head
    rheum palmatum, ornamental rhubarb

    the one i really wanted to mention, i'm drawing a complete blank on. i can picture it, but can't think of the name.

  • katob Z6ish, NE Pa
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    How about trilliums and merrybells (Uvularia grandiflora) both are natives and seem to be underused around here.
    I forgot about the Cephalaria -thanks, I do need to try that one!.... and I nee to grow Thalictrum rochebrunianum again.

  • katob Z6ish, NE Pa
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    .....how bout underused biennials? They seem to get a bad rap and someone always holds that "dies after flowering" over their heads!

  • cody_mi
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    just remembered the other one i wanted to mention, Lewisia cotyledon

  • brody
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    There are a lot of choice east coast natives that you never see out west, in nurseries or otherwise, that I would grow if they were available. Galax urceolata and Shortia galicifolia (amongst other Shortias)come immediately to mind. I'm not sure why they're not available-- maybe difficult to propagate or too subtle for mass consumption.

    In my own garden I really enjoy Ranunculus aconitifolius 'Floro Pleno' and Ranunculus constantinopolitanus 'Plenus'. They get a bad rap because they're buttercups but neither is invasive and both are gorgeous. Ironically, the one type of buttercup accepted by most gardeners, cultivars of Ranunculus ficaria, are invasive, sometimes ferociously so.

    Morina longifolia is another plant that I love but never see anywhere but my own garden.

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    brody, I just recently purchased Ranunculus aconitifolius 'Flore Pleno'! And you're correct....it is not an easy plant to find locally. Another one I really like is Anemonella thalictroides, which I moved from my old garden (a 'real' Heronswood plant I didn't want to leave behind). I grew various selections of Ranunculus ficaria in my old garden and yes, they seeded and spread freely. But they offered such a bright, early color and then disappeared completely until the following spring, I didn't mind :-)

  • aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    A favorite of mine Phuopsis stylosa, a great little ground cover. At times gives off a musky scent but very pretty.

    Also Persicaria campanulata, had this at one time, would like it again but can't find it, love the foliage on this one.

    Annette

    Here is a link that might be useful: Phuopsis stylosa

  • brody
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Lisa, I think you'll like that plant. It also disappears after flowering, which to me is a good thing because then you can overplant with annuals if you're so inclined. I have Ranunculus ficaria too and you're right, it's not much of a problem because it dies off so quickly but when it can be frustrating when it gets into the crowns of other perennials. I've always wanted to grow Anemonella, especially the named forms, but definitely not easy to find. Maybe mail order?

  • gazania_gw
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am just coming onto this thread after a long absence. Some great suggestions here, many of which I have never heard of. I did see mentioned Dictamnus. I agree, a top notch plant, and well worth the wait in getting it established. I also agree that Nepeta subsessillis is a fine addition. My hummingbirds and bees love the bloom and if the seed heads are left to mature, you will soon find them hosting hungry goldfinches.

    Oenothera missouriensis is another one that I don't see grown often at least not around here. Not at all invasive like other Oenotheras and blooms all summer with big poppy like yellow blooms near ground level. I love it's sprawling growth habit

    Penstemon hirsutus 'Pygmaeus' is another neat little plant for the front of the border. I lost all of mine after 4 years due to an exceptionally wet spring, I think. It does need good drainage. Haven't been able to find any to replace it.

    A Persicaria that I have and love is P. affinis 'Border Jewel'. A ground cover that spreads, but not aggressively. Begins blooming in late May/early June with pink spikes that turn dark rusty red as they mature and they last till winter kill. The plant does look a bit ugly in spring till you get as much of the dead foilage raked out as possible and new growth gets going, but I wouldn't be without it.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Persicaria affinis

  • hunt4carl
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sigh of relief to hear that others have had their Spigelia marilandica appear
    sporadically. . .mine failed to appear one year and I was sure I had trashed it,
    only to have it reappear again the following season. Gardengal, are you unable to grow this plant in your warmer zone, or did you just mean that it is not common to your region?

    Two underused plants that are favorites: Stylophorum diphyllum ('Celadine Poppy'), which I am constantly giving away to folks because they see it in my garden for the first time - and it produces plenty of babies, though I don't find it invasive. The other plant I fell in love with on-line is Kirengashoma palmata. . .and I was lucky enough to have one of our GW contributors share one with me from their Connecticut garden.

    Carl

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Carl, Spigelia marilandica will grow here just fine.......one seldom encounters it is all :-) But a local wholesale grower is now offering it so maybe it will become more widely used. And I love Kirengeshoma too. Can you tell my garden is mostly shade??

  • tlacuache
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It appears that the South is underrepresented on this thread (as it all too often is in the Perennials Forum in general), but I'd like to cast a vote for a perennial plant that's a consistently terrific performer across the hot, humid Southeastern United States, but too infrequently seen in nurseries. It's Malvaviscus drummondii (or M. arboreus), usually known by the common name "Turk's cap" or "Turk's cap mallow." It's native to the lower Gulf Coast area, and an old-fashioned garden favorite throughout Zones 7, 8, and 9. In our area, it's wonderfully hardy and versatile, thriving in full, hot sun or partial shade, and in wet or dry soil. It doesn't do much early in the season, which is part of why it's not often found at garden centers, since during their peak sales months of March, April, and May malvaviscus isn't very eye-catching. But it really takes off when the temperatures heat up, creating a nice, bushy, chest-high mound of stems clothed in attractive, heart-shaped bright green leaves. Then, right around the summer solstice, its flowers start opening in the leaf axils all up and down the stems. The flowers are bright redtrue red, like a fire engine or a stop signand are of the form typical of other members of the mallow or hibiscus family, with five brightly colored petals and a prominent adroecium/gynoecium protruding from the center. Each individual flower is about an inch long, not enormous, but they're borne in sufficient quantities to make a spectacular but subtle show, and they're produced pretty much continuously until frost. The flowers are very popular with hummingbirds and a wide range of pollinating insects, but malvaviscus is rarely bothered by any kind of pests. I've occasionally seen whiteflies on them, and this past summer for the first time deer did nibble on a couple of my plants, but for the most part they're remarkably free from problems. So, if you're in a suitable climate, I highly recommend hunting down some malvaviscus for your yard. And if you live in the frozen zones to the north, well, you'll just have to be jealous. ;)

  • hunt4carl
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    All right, I'm jealous ! :o)

    But, I've contacted a fellow gardener on the NC coast, and she's going to snag me one and I'll bring it back north after my Aprill visit and see if takes to
    "annual" pot culture. . .

    Carl

  • amester
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Anyone know where I can get a Dictamnus "Alba"? I see the "Purpurea" on occasion but I'd love to get a white one. Or should I give up on getting it in plant form and just start from seed? I've coveted one for years but have all but given up being able to find a growing one.

  • david_5311
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I love Gilenia trifoliata and rarely see it in gardens around here though it is fairly easy to find in the good local nurseries. One thing that surprised me is that this plant grows happily in full sun with moisture and is more compact like that. Very long blooming and give a wonderful airy contrast to so many more "solid" textured plants.

    An absolutely wonderful autumn bloomer which is almost never seen here abouts is Rabdosia longituba. Graceful wands of the most blue of blue flowers in October, it is one of the best late fall perennials and I have no idea why everyone would not plant it. Makes a wonderful arching large shrubby perennial in a year or two. Plant it in part shade with a mix of yellow and green and burgundy foliage -- it is sublime.

    And I will mention my favorite of the new Agastache introductions of the past several years A. 'Purple Haze'. It is fully z5 hardy (usually listed z6 but has grown fine here through 5 winters -- I have dozens of plants all over the garden). It is like a pinker/purpler more delicate version of Blue Fortune and Black Adder, more delicate in texture, much less rangy and longer blooming than either of these, blooms for a solid 3 months at the end of the season. It takes care if its spent flowers cleanly, needs no deadheading, a total winner Agastache for gardeners z 5 and warmer.

  • tlacuache
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great mentions, david_5311! I'm a big fan of all three, and I can vouch for their excellent performance and garden-worthiness in my zone 7/8 yard in the South as well. I thought your descriptions of them were terrific, and right on the money. Gillenia (or Porteranthus, as I learned it) was of course one of the original plants nominated to start this thread. It's a wonderful woodland plant that looks great and grows beautifully, although deer and rabbits do seem to like it a bit too much sometimes. There's a pink-flowered form of it, too, but I like the white one better. And I've read about a variegated form that someone supposedly had, but I haven't seen it. That could be awesome. Rabdosia is an unheralded star and I, too, have wondered why it's not more widely available. Plant Delights here in NC is now selling a white-flowered cultivar of rabdosia that's particularly nice; I think it "pops" a little more in the autumn landscape than the blue one, but they're both great. I actually have one place in the yard where I have the blue and the white interplanted together. Very nice. And I think you're right about 'Purple Haze' agastache. It's more subtle and subdued than some of the other new cultivars, like the Fortune series, so maybe it's not as eye-catching in a garden center or nursery setting and so doesn't sell as well. But I think it's a better and more versatile garden plant, that flowers for a very long time, blends splendidly with lots of other plants, and is absolutely tough as nails. And, like most members of the mint family, both it and the rabdosia are seldom bothered by critters of any kind. Outstanding.

  • david_5311
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    OK so a few more....

    The fancy leaved cultivars are great (and have prices to match...) but what is wrong with the species Brunerra macrophylla? This is a great garden plant, true blue flowers, tough as nails, credible foliage, seeds in a friendly way so you can make nice drifts all over your garden. Way under appreciated.

    I will look for a white Rabdosia, but I can't imagine that it would be better than the blue form. And true blue it is too, maybe just the slightest purple pink hint, but much bluer than most "blue" garden flowers.

    How about a native, Hepatica rotundifolia? Both E NA species occur in my area, H. acutiloba and H. rotundifolia. Both make great woodland garden plants, but here the bigger star is H. rotundifolia. It lives in sandy woods, and it is not rare to find saturated rich blue purple forms that would rival the most beautiful asiatic hepaticas. On a very early sunny spring day, there is no garden plant which could possibly be more cheerful and uplifting than this wonderful native.

    Not a native but a fabulous woodlander, Disporum flavens. Tall robust and showy, makes a wonderful garden stand after a few years, the yellow Korean fairy bells is a star of the spring garden, would look great with a large drift of B. macrophylla, and looks credible throughout the season with long lasting foliage and stature impervious to pests.

    And maybe one more native praise.....I love ferns, and though there are endless fancy leaf forms, NEVER snub the beauty of the common Lady fern, Athyrium felix-femina. Tough as nails, growing with moisture and wihout, the most graceful of fern foliage, the classic garden fern to contrast with atilbes and hostas and epimediums.......even without any garden design sense, you can create the most magical of woodland gardens by incorporating a drift of 7-15 lady ferns with, well...anything.

  • hunt4carl
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Glad to hear positive feedback about the Rabdosia longituba since it's on my
    short list of "unknowns" that I'm getting when I visit Plant Delights Nursery this
    Spring. . .saw a picture of it somewhere and was just captivated by that cloud
    of soft blue, and especially appreciate that it's a late bloomer.

    One of my favorite late-bloomers is a plant introduced to me last summer
    by Variegated Foliage Nursery, an eclectic little operation in central Connecticut, called Leucosceptrum japonicum - long, slender, arching stems with pale yellow, bell-shaped flowers - sort of like a giant version of a dog-tooth violet (Erythronium). . .does that picture work? A long-bloomer, to boot !

  • hunt4carl
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Since I posted the response above at 14 minutes after midnight, perhaps you
    can understand why my description of Leucosceptrum japonicum was totally
    absurd - it is NOT at all like a giant version of dog-tooth violet ! Rather, the
    soft yellow flowers appear in spikes (more like Salvia) on erect stems - in my
    muddled mind I was confusing it with another of my favorites from the Pacific
    Rim, namely Kirengeshoma palmata. My apologies if anyone was unduly
    scandalized by my sleep-deprived gaffe. . .

    Carl

  • tlacuache
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yeah, I have to say, when I saw the description of your leucoscpetrum, I did sort of wonder what the hell you were talking about. I guess I attributed it to something wacky in the water up there in Jersey (either for you, or for the leucosceptrum, or both). Kirengeshoma is a more plausible fit. I haven't seen the variegated kirengeshoma, but I'm sure it's stunning. As a group, kirengeshoma are about as happy in the muggy South as david_5311's brunnera. Both can theoretically be grown here, but realistically, unless they have an exceptionally evenly moist, cool, shady spot, they really suffer in our summers. At least kirengeshoma is vigorous enough that it can be grown as a summer-dormant perennial, returning every spring but disappearing by the Fourth of July. But neither it nor the brunnera can ever really attain the majesty here that they do in a slightly cooler climate, and those two plants are among the (very few) reasons that I occasionally wish I gardened further north.

    I hope you enjoy your visit to the Tar Heel State and specifically to Plant Delights in the spring. After having lived and gardened in four other distinctly different regions (Chicago, Philly, Houston, and Tampa), I settled in NC, and have decided that all the way around, it's the best place for horticulture that I've yet been (at least east of the Rockies). We have a nice balance of temperate and sub-tropical conditions here, and the resulting plant palette available to us is simply staggering. And Plant Delights has as nice a cross-section of it as anywhere, both for sale and in their display gardens. People frequently bіtch about their prices, but considering all that they do and the uniqueness of so much of what they sell, I think they generally give good value for what they charge. Like anywhere else, it pays to be a picky and savvy shopper at PDN, but as long as you're not foolish, I think you'll seldom feel ripped-off. I'd bet you'll have a blast there in the spring.

    Don't tell Tony I told you this, though, but you really only need to buy two rabdosias when you're there: one blue one and one white one. Like many Lamiaceae, they root very readily from summer cuttings, and from those two parent plants you can easily multiply enough of them to fill your yard (and maybe your neighbors' yards) in just a few years.

    david_5311, I didn't mean to disparage the good old blue rabdosia; it's an outstanding and gorgeous plant, and the shade of blue is very striking and absolutely lovely. I've just become even more enamored with the white one, and I do think that it stands out even more so in the jumbled woodland garden in the fall. I think the white flowers really highlight the lacy, feathery architecture particularly well, giving it a textural presence somewhat like that of the gillenia/porteranthus, which is so welcome as a contrast to all of the dark, coarse, heavy textures of so many shade plants. But I love and grow both the blue and the white forms, and I think they're definitely both "underused perennials."

    Hepaticas are, of course, justifiably beloved spring woodland ephemerals, and while I think of them as being in a different category from the substantial, structural perennials that have been the focus of this thread, they're certainly delightful and probably underused.

    Lady fern is nice, and I value it as a tough, hardy, versatile (and often inexpensive) fern that's consistently pretty and almost definitively fern-y. And of course its astounding range of cultivars run the gamut from spectacular to bizarre, and between them have something to offer any shade garden. Saying that it has "the most graceful of fern foliage" seems like a bit of a reach, though, in my opinion. I think we have a lot more fern options to choose from here in the South than y'all do.

    Thank you for mentioning Disporum flavens, though, as I had nearly forgotten about it. What a terrific plant! And so underused! And criminally unavailable, at least around here! In fact, I would plant a lot more of them in my yard and my clients' yards if I knew where to get more of them. So, so, so elegant and subtly beautiful! It just epitomizes the look of a spring woodland garden at its best. And it's a deceptively tough, rugged little plant, too. It prospers in partial sun or pretty heavy shade, thrives equally well in the North and the South, and is just about indestructible once established. Just fantastic. And I think that it's in a category that might be an interesting topic for a new discussion thread: plants whose emerging leaves and flower buds are as attractive or more attractive than their mature leaves and open flowers. I think D. flavens is especially stunning when it's midway through its emergence from the ground in the spring, with its tender, glistening foliage curled around the clusters of plump little flower buds. How can it get any better?

    And in other news, how about that hockey game!

  • whaas_5a
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I wish someone would go trhough all these posts and tabulate the votes/suggestions...hmmm, maybe tomorrow.

  • aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This is a great thread, not only have I not seen some of the plants mentioned, some I've never even heard of. Music to a plantaholic's ears heh heh heh.

    Annette

  • brody
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yep, I agree aftermidnight. I'm wondering if Rabdosia longituba would make the grade in the Pacific Northwest or if it would need more summer heat to flower early enough to be worthwhile. Will have to look into that. Agastache 'Purple Haze' sounds like a winner too.

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Heres the list so far in pretty much in the order of the thread. Several of them had notes in the original mention or in later posts about invasiveness. I did not check spellings, just cut and pasted.

    Gillenia trifoliata - Bowman's Root.
    Uvularia grandiflora - Merry Bells.
    Dracocephalum rupestre - Dragonhead.
    Mukdenia (AKA Aceriphyllum) rossii - Crimson Fans.
    Allium (other than the 'Globemaster' types)
    Baptisia australis (although hopefully that will change this year)
    Knautia macedonica
    Nepeta subsessilis
    Rudbeckia maxima
    Aucuba japonica, I think
    Persicaria polymorpha
    Veronica spicata 'Purpleicious'
    Persicaria 'Crimson Beauty'
    Persicaria 'Firetail'
    Sanguisorba'Lemon Splash'
    Mertensia virginica (Virginia Bluebells)
    Dodecatheon meadia (Shooting Star) -
    Anenome sylvestris (Snowdrop Anenome)
    Dictamnus albus (Gas Plant) -
    Centranthus ruber (Jupiter's Beard/Red Valerian)
    Asarum canadense (Wild Ginger)
    Iris cristata (Crested Iris)
    Polemonium reptens (Jacob's Ladder)
    Galium odoratum (Sweet woodruff)
    Asplenium scolopendrium- Hearts Tongue Fern
    Hyssopus officinalis
    Scrophularia auriculata 'Variegata'- Water Figwort.
    Salvia 'Wild Thing', 'Ultra Violet', Black Cherry'
    Solidago Fireworks- Goldenrod
    Strobilanthes
    Althea cannabina
    Zaluzianskya ovata (night phlox)
    Aconitum napellus
    Gaura lindheimia
    Dierama pulcherimma
    Lespedeza
    Adenophora triphylla
    Thalictrum delavayii
    Selinum
    Incarvillea arguta
    Rehmannia alata
    Sanguisorba menzii
    Cimicifuga 'White Pearl'
    Veronicastrum virginicum - Culver's Root
    Angelica gigas
    Limonium latifolium
    Silene "Prairie Fire"
    Knautia macedonica
    Lathyrus vernus - spring vetchling
    Zizia aptera - Golden Heart Alexander
    Spigelia marilandica, Indian Pink or pinkroot
    Geum triflorum (Prairie Smoke)
    Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-Pulpit)
    Stylophorum diphyllum (Celandine Poppy)
    Gentiana andrewsii (Bottle Gentian)
    Asclepias purpurascens (Purple Milkweed)
    Asclepsias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)
    Rubus pentalobus
    Paxistma canby
    Acanthus mollis
    Aruncus dioicus
    Filipendula rubra
    Eremurus
    Sanguisorba obtusa( Japanese burnet)
    Sanguisorba officinalis(greater burnet)
    Sanguisorba tenuifolia
    Filipendula purpurea
    Filipendula alba
    Filipendula elegantissima
    Cephalaria
    Petasites varigated
    Macleaya cordata, plume poppy
    Thalictrum aquilegefolium, meadow rue.
    Chelone obliqua, turtle head
    Rheum palmatum, ornamental rhubarb
    Uvularia grandiflora - merrybells
    Thalictrum rochebrunianum
    Trillium
    Lewisia cotyledon
    Galax urceolata
    Shortia galicifolia
    Ranunculus aconitifolius 'Floro Pleno'
    Ranunculus constantinopolitanus 'Plenus'
    Morina longifolia
    Anemonella thalictroides
    Ranunculus ficaria
    Phuopsis stylosa
    Persicaria campanulata
    Oenothera missouriensis
    Penstemon hirsutus 'Pygmaeus'
    Persicaria affinis 'Border Jewel'
    Kirengashoma palmata
    Malvaviscus drummondii (or M. arboreus) - Turk's cap mallow
    Gilenia trifoliata (AKA Porteranthus)
    Rabdosia longituba
    Agastache 'Purple Haze'
    Brunerra macrophylla
    Hepatica rotundifolia & acutiloba
    Disporum flavens - Korean fairybells
    Athyrium felix-femina - Lady fern
    Leucosceptrum japonicum

  • gottagarden
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    nhbabs, thanks for compiling the list, makes it easier for me to check off all the new plants that I must somehow squeeze into my already full gardens. Some sound like real winners that I simply MUST GET.

    Best thread I've seen on here for a while.

  • perennialfan273
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You also may want to look at Aethionema schistosum, also know as fragrant Persian stonecress. It's not invasive, but it does self sow freely, so make sure you deadhead it if you don't want suckers popping up everywhere.

  • linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Geum triflorum (Prairie Smoke): some one mentioned this and wondered if it was invasive. I have it: for me it has never seeded and never spread. Neat habit. Low mound. Its a really short plant. It blooms very very early and other stuff quickly grows around it and I forget its there. Then next spring suddenly I see it again. I should move it to the foreground.

    Thanks everyone for a great list. I need plants for shade and they are really on this thread.

  • Thyme2dig NH Zone 5
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nhbabs, Thanks for taking the time to copy over the list into one post. I've been following this thread with great interest and jotting down notes when I hear about something I haven't tried yet. Your list makes it so much easier! Thanks again!

  • jordan_and_slippy
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh! Another cool groundcover that I forget about all year until I start going over what wintered over and it stands out in the garden, pretty and evergreen;

    Gaultheria procumbens. aka Wintergreen. Very basic at a glance; slightly-woody low evergreen growth. Not much to it. Occasionally has pinkish berries. But when you crush the leaves, they smell exactly like strong wintergreen gum! Supposedly the berries are also edible, but I wouldn't know and don't have plans to try that out, but birds love 'em.

  • chowdhry
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hello Everyone,
    New to this perennial forum and I like this thread. I have re-arranged the nhbabs's list alphabetically (no spells checked). It would be nice if someone could add the common names and hardiness zones to individuals plants.


    Acanthus mollis
    Aconitum napellus
    Adenophora triphylla
    Aethionema schistosum fragrant Persian stonecress)
    Agastache 'Purple Haze'
    Allium (other than the 'Globemaster' types)
    Althea cannabina
    Anemonella thalictroides
    Anenome sylvestris (Snowdrop Anenome)
    Angelica gigas
    Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-Pulpit)
    Aruncus dioicus
    Asarum canadense (Wild Ginger)
    Asclepias purpurascens (Purple Milkweed)
    Asclepsias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)
    Asplenium scolopendrium- Hearts Tongue Fern
    Athyrium felix-femina - Lady fern
    Aucuba japonica, I think
    Baptisia australis (although hopefully that will change this year)
    Brunerra macrophylla
    Centranthus ruber (Jupiter's Beard/Red Valerian)
    Cephalaria
    Chelone obliqua, turtle head
    Cimicifuga 'White Pearl'
    Dictamnus albus (Gas Plant) -
    Dierama pulcherimma
    Disporum flavens - Korean fairybells
    Dodecatheon meadia (Shooting Star) -
    Dracocephalum rupestre - Dragonhead.
    Eremurus
    Filipendula alba
    Filipendula elegantissima
    Filipendula purpurea
    Filipendula rubra
    Galax urceolata
    Galium odoratum (Sweet woodruff)
    Gaultheria procumbens. aka Wintergreen
    Gaura lindheimia
    Gentiana andrewsii (Bottle Gentian)
    Geum triflorum (Prairie Smoke)
    Gilenia trifoliata (AKA Porteranthus)
    Gillenia trifoliata - Bowman's Root.
    Hepatica rotundifolia & acutiloba
    Hyssopus officinalis
    Incarvillea arguta
    Iris cristata (Crested Iris)
    Kirengashoma palmata
    Knautia macedonica
    Lathyrus vernus - spring vetchling
    Lespedeza
    Leucosceptrum japonicum
    Lewisia cotyledon
    Limonium latifolium
    Macleaya cordata, plume poppy
    Malvaviscus drummondii (or M. arboreus) - Turk's cap mallow
    Mertensia virginica (Virginia Bluebells)
    Morina longifolia
    Mukdenia (AKA Aceriphyllum) rossii - Crimson Fans.
    Nepeta subsessilis
    Oenothera missouriensis
    Paxistma canby
    Penstemon hirsutus 'Pygmaeus'
    Persicaria affinis 'Border Jewel'
    Persicaria campanulata
    Persicaria 'Crimson Beauty'
    Persicaria 'Firetail'
    Persicaria polymorpha
    Petasites varigated
    Phuopsis stylosa
    Polemonium reptens (Jacob's Ladder)
    Rabdosia longituba
    Ranunculus aconitifolius 'Floro Pleno'
    Ranunculus constantinopolitanus 'Plenus'
    Ranunculus ficaria
    Rehmannia alata
    Rheum palmatum, ornamental rhubarb
    Rubus pentalobus
    Rudbeckia maxima
    Salvia 'Wild Thing', 'Ultra Violet', Black Cherry'
    Sanguisorba menzii
    Sanguisorba obtusa( Japanese burnet)
    Sanguisorba officinalis(greater burnet)
    Sanguisorba tenuifolia
    Sanguisorba'Lemon Splash'
    Scrophularia auriculata 'Variegata'- Water Figwort.
    Selinum
    Shortia galicifolia
    Silene "Prairie Fire"
    Solidago Fireworks- Goldenrod
    Spigelia marilandica, Indian Pink or pinkroot
    Strobilanthes
    Stylophorum diphyllum (Celandine Poppy)
    Thalictrum aquilegefolium, meadow rue.
    Thalictrum delavayii
    Thalictrum rochebrunianum
    Trillium
    Uvularia grandiflora - Merry Bells.
    Uvularia grandiflora - merrybells
    Veronica spicata 'Purpleicious'
    Veronicastrum virginicum - Culver's Root
    Zaluzianskya ovata (night phlox)
    Zizia aptera - Golden Heart Alexander

  • david_5311
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ok, I looked at the list above, and one plant I have tried (and failed)that is of interest is Asclepias purpurascens. Not sure where it came up in the posts above, but I got half a flat from a wholesale nursery and they all failed to grow, planted in multple different locations/conditions. I was going to order seed for our new prairie from Prairie Moon Nursery and the sales person I talked to there said only that it is "tricky". So what is they key to growing this plant? I love milkweeds in general and the butterflies they attract, and this one sure looks beautiful for a naturalistic setting.

  • chowdhry
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    oops, it got missed...
    Aliska12000 mentioned it on Feb 12th's reply. It's some where in the middle of this post....
    Common Milkweed (Asclepias Syriaca) came into my garden by itself. It grew at very sunny, well drained spot with poor soil where I used to have my Rudbeckia. I never watered it and soil is acidic. In general, could this be applied to other milkweeds? (Although swamp milkweed (A. Incarnata) and other cultivars could be an exception?)

  • perennialfan273
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I just thought of another one. When I saw sanguisorba, it reminded me of another plant that I'd love to add to my garden. Sanguinaria canadensis "multiplex" or "flore pleno". They're both beautiful cultivars. They do well in a woodland type environment, and even though they bloom for such a short period of time, it's worth it when they do.

    Also, I think patrinia is worth growing. It looks a lot like queen anne's lace, only with yellow flowers.

    Finally, echium russicum is a nice little perennial. It looks a lot like veronica, only with red flowers instead of the usual purple.

  • hunt4carl
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ask me again in the Fall, David, and I might be able to help! Oddly enough,
    Asclepias purpurescens was an interesting sounding item that leaped off the
    page of my Rare Find Nursery catalog. . .since it's a local nursery, I had the
    distinct advantage of being able to ask them about it. . .and they repeated
    what their listing stated: "Very tolerant of a wide variety of soils and light levels,
    it is easy to grow." So I ordered one - now comes the test ! Incidentally, if
    you like milkweeds (I certainly do!), they have another variety, Asclepias
    exaltata, which takes some shade and the inflorescenses resemble an overhead fireworks display. . .feeble description: check the link below. . .

    Carl

    Here is a link that might be useful: Rare Find Nursery

  • ozzysboy
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The Sanguisorba obtusa is so cute--my mum calls it "Dr. Seuss Flower". Very hardy here in VA. I'd add the Platycodons, forget-me-nots and hollyhocks to the under used category (at least in metro D.C.). Campanula glomerata doesn't seem to be found much here, nor C. takesimana. And for whatever reason, Acanthus and the Aconites don't seem to be popular here. Craziness! They rock.

  • david_5311
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Interesting about the comment about Asclepias purpurascens Carl, I talked to the people at Prairie Moon Nursery in MN about this plant, a native prairie plant, and they suggested that it was "tricky" and needed to be coddled in a nursery bed...I will look forward to your experience. I think the Sanguisorbas in general are underappreciated, the only one I have really grown is S. menziesii and it is lovely in habit and bloom (no, not a rose or a delphinium, but the dancing bottlebrushes lend a great textural note to the border, and after blooming you cut it back for a nice foliage display and sparse rebloom). I have loved the photos I have seen of all of them, but I rarely see any in local nurseries -- and we have good ones hereabouts too.

  • chowdhry
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Talking about woodland perennials, I had yellow meadow-rue, Thalictrum flavum glaucum. It was a beautiful perennial. Foliage was stunning, Just like ferns with powdery blue leaves. It had tiny yellow sprays of flower and the scent was amazing. I had it under doppled shade and sadly it survived for couple of winters only.
    Another powdery grey or should I say green is Silene uniflora 'compacta' (S. maritima 'compacta') with very unusual flowers and I love it. It never stops blooming and blooms early to late summer all the way...
    How about some more alpine garden plants like Euphorbia polychroma (spurge). It has very unusual lime green flowers.

  • tlacuache
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey, carl18, did you ever get your Malvaviscus (Turk's cap) from North Carolina (or anywhere else)? If so, how's it doing up there in Jersey? I imagine it will love the summers, but as you suggested, overwintering it could be the issue. Just wondering.

  • conniesc
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Cody_MI, I have been searching gardenweb for posting on Macleaya cordata, plume poppy
    I love large intersting plants and noticed that you are in the same zone as me. I have a giant reed plant(s) as well and I can control it pretty well each year by cutting the roots. Any advice, do you think other than picking the seedlings, do you feel this is a plant that can be controlled with proper attention. Thanks for any advice from people with some experience.

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