Coreopsis verticillata Zagreb

Reliable, compact and long blooming if kept moist.

Corydalis lutea

This loves lime so much it is also growing above grade in a lateral crack on the concrete stoop; this relative of the bleeding heart blooms non-stop from April to November.

Hemerocallis x My Ways

One of my favorite of Wild's diploid reds, tall and graceful. Rebloom is virtually nonexietn here but it carries the gene and has made a great parent - fertile both ways.

Hemerocallis x My Ways

A little closer.

Echinacea purpurea

The typical form.

Echinacea purpurea Magnus

Slightly more robust.

Echinops Ritro

More of a biennial than a perennial it dropped dead immediately after flowering.

Echinops ritro

...and a busy bee.

Hedera helix Baltica

Less hardy with a more triangular leaf than Thorndale, it is nonetheless a good groundcover and climbing form in our area.

Hemerocallis x Stella de Oro; Salvia x sylvestris Blauhugel (Blue Hill)

The fact that Bluahugel can be seen so far in the distance is a tribute to the unique carrying power, a different shade of blue for this species.

Hemerocallis x Fairy Tale Pink

Awesome flower, awful foliage. What you don't see is the clump disintegrating immediately after bloom!

Hemerocallis x Happy Returns

So-so flower, somewhat better foliage, excellent rebloom and good parent too.

Hemerocallis x Strawberry Candy

I have several in my collection from the new Candy series, this is so far the most popular. Promises to be a great rebloomer when established.

Heuchera micrantha Palace Purple

A workhorse in the garden, this Coralbells selection grows nearly anywhere with proper care.

Houttuynia cordata Chameleon

OK, DON'T plant this in a small garden, you - like me - will soon be sorry. Photogenic, though!

Perovskia atriplicifolia

Yes it's planted everywhere but there is a reason why! It GROWS everywhare (no shade, please!)

Sedum alboroseum Medio-Variegatum

More interesting out of bloom than in - shame on Park/Wayside for colorizing the flowers in their catalog photo!

Sedum telephium Autumn Joy (foliage)

More interesting IN of bloom than out, but nice in leaf nonetheless.

Sedum spurium Coccineum

This has never bloomed in 10 years in my garden. Nice along the sidewalk, though.

Stachys macrantha Superba

Big betony is unusual and regaining some of it's long-lost popularity. Bears little resemblance to it's relative, S. byzantina (Lambs' Ears) - see next photo!

Stachys byzantina

See what I mean? No resemblance to S. macrantha superba whatsoever!

Ajuga reptans Caitlin's Giant

Big and reliable, like many Ajuga it will die out in patches only to reemerge from underground stems and fill in as the season wears on.

Clematis viticella Etoile Violette

I have this one weaving through Rosa x Westerland, Kordes' excellent orange climbin rose, and both fry like an egg against the west side of the house. No pain for either, as they just keep on growing!

Eupatorium rugosum Chocolate

I almost like this one better before the white flowers show in Autumn.

Hemerocallis x Siloam June Bug

I am gradually adding the rebloomers among Pauline Henry's hundred or so Siloam's - they are not all good, they are not all rebloomers, but many - like June Bug - are among the best daylilies for home gardens and commercial landscapes.

Hosta x Krossa Regal

A H. nigrescens hybrid, this planting is growing unirrigated against an asphalt drive, and this Summer threw the tallest flower spikes ever for me so far, one was nearly 7 feet. Too bad the flowers are small and out of proportion to the stem!

Hosta x Regal Splendor

A variegated sport of Krossa Regal, this is the American Hosta Growers 2003 Hosta of the Year. Like KR, it is growing unirrigated, in lean soil, in full sun, next to an asphalt drive. One of the best, with 30" - 36" tall foliage and those nasty 5 - 6 foot-tall flower spikes (cut them off if you don't like the look!).

Hosta lancifolia

Old reliable, this September and October-blooming species also fares well in full sun with little irrigation. It is a reliable cut flower, with long lasting stems of pure lilac.

Hosta x Lemon Lime

A true reblooming Hosta, it unfortunately scorches easily so this year, I go tired of its bad behavior & lifted my entire patch - transferring only a few to a shadier spot - and gave away the rest.

Hosta fortunei Patriot

Slow, slow, slow as molasses, this 4 year old plant (I have 5 clumps) is nonethless one of the best white margined fortunei on the market and loves full sun. I will give it time, as large old clumps are magnificent. It is a sport of Francee, but with much wider margins of white.

Hosta x Sum and Substance

The monster, my 3 clumps were each 6 feet across before I dug, divided and relocated them last month. Though it takes full sun, it is better with some afternoon shade.

Hosta tardiana Halcyon

You can all but walk on this tough customer without damaging it, one of the best mid-sized blues of all. These share the same bed in crappy soil along asphalt in full sun as do my Regals.

Hosta tokudama Pearl Lake

Tokudamas are just a hair less sun tolerant than tardianas, and this one exhibits a slight hairline margin of cream which seems to be more pronounced after flowering.

Hosta tokudama

The species, plain and simple. An all time great for sun and dry soil.

Hosta undulata Erromena

Couldn't be less fancy, but my favorite of the undulatas - I prefer it over the variegated forms for it's early bloom and cleaner look. Give it some afternoon shade.

Lamium maculatum Shell Pink

Yeah, I already shot this for last year's gallery, but it blooms for 7 solid months, so it's always in the way of the camera!

Liatris spicata

The native Liatris are tough and reliable - my planting is actually a clone I selected and propagated myself from dozens of specimens I planted years ago. So, I get a consistent, clean bloom cycle with uniform timing and flower form.

Nepeta x Faasenii Six Hills Giant

I grow two Faasen's Catmint, this monster and the straight species (species hybrid, actually) which is half this size in all parts. These are servicable plants which will rebloom without shearing, but look their best with a peruiodic haiorcut. Another member of the "asphalt gang!"

Sempervivum montanum

Who says every plant has to be hard to grow? This will grow in a sidewalk crack, or, well, on a bare sidewalk if you let it! Plant it without embarrassment, end enjoy!

Veronica repens Aztec Gold

New in my garden this year from Terra Nova Nurseries (thanks Dan!), and I love it more each day - and it hasn't even bloomed yet! Next Spring I'll look forward to the sharp contrast of violet-blue flower spikes!

Begonia x. Maribel Pink Shades

From S&G Flowers/Syngenta, and part of an emerging new line of vegetative annuals from this breeder.

Solenostemon (Coleus) The Line

One of many increasingly popular, sun and heat tolerant, vegetatively-propagated Coleus. Some are old, some are new, and all are worth a try!

Solenostemon (Coleus) Dipt In Wine

(...and lit from within!)

Solenostemon (Coleus) Superfine Rainbow Mixed Colors

A sampling of Coleus I raised from a grocery store seed packet...

Solenostemon (Coleus) Superfine Rainbow Mixed Colors

A sampling of Coleus I raised from a grocery store seed packet...

Solenostemon (Coleus) Superfine Rainbow Mixed Colors

A sampling of Coleus I raised from a grocery store seed packet...

Solenostemon (Coleus) Superfine Rainbow Mixed Colors

A sampling of Coleus I raised from a grocery store seed packet...

Solenostemon (Coleus) Superfine Rainbow Mixed Colors

A sampling of Coleus I raised from a grocery store seed packet...

Solenostemon (Coleus) Superfine Rainbow Mixed Colors

A sampling of Coleus I raised from a grocery store seed packet...

Solenostemon (Coleus) Superfine Rainbow Mixed Colors

A sampling of Coleus I raised from a grocery store seed packet...

Solenostemon (Coleus) Superfine Rainbow Mixed Colors

A sampling of Coleus I raised from a grocery store seed packet...

Solenostemon (Coleus) Superfine Rainbow Mixed Colors

A sampling of Coleus I raised from a grocery store seed packet...

Solenostemon (Coleus) Superfine Rainbow Mixed Colors

A sampling of Coleus I raised from a grocery store seed packet...

Pelargonium (Geranium) Ringo 2000 Deep Salmon

These are the same Geraniums shown in this year's seed starting gallery!

Pelargonium (Geranium) Ringo 2000 Deep Salmon

A little closer. Ringosd bloom all Summer in the most adverse conditions, including weeks of almost daily rain which most Geraniums hate, followed by a persistent drought which has continued into October! (It's Chicago, what else should we expect?)

Tropaeolum majus (Nasturtium) Dwarf Jewel Mixed Colors

Pushed the seeds directly into the ground in late April, about 6" apart in alternating rows, and just stood back. Remember, Nasturtiums make more foliage than flowers in excessively rich soil - grow them lean and mean!

Tropaeolum majus (Nasturtium) Dwarf Jewel Mixed Colors

More fine colors...

Tropaeolum majus (Nasturtium) Dwarf Jewel Mixed Colors

More fine colors...

Tropaeolum majus (Nasturtium)Dwarf Jewel Mixed Colors

More fine colors...

Tropaeolum majus (Nasturtium) Dwarf Jewel Mixed Colors

More fine colors...

Tropaeolum majus (Nasturtium) Dwarf Jewel Cherry Rose

This was the only Jewel I bought as a separate color - at it's peak the patch was about 6 feet long and 3 feet deep, from 2 small packets of seed! This is probably the finest Nasturtium from seed.

Tropaeolum majus (Nasturtium) Tip-Top Mahogany

Another nice separate, these are shorter than Jewels, with fewer long runners, with flowers always single rather than semi-double.

Viola x Wittrockiana (Pansy) Flamenco Mixed Colors

Disappointing, washed out colors, itty-bitty flowers and they took forever to bloom...yes, these are the Pansies shown in this year's Seed Starting Gallery. They are now in compost heaven!

Petunia x hybrida Rose Frost

These hung on nicely until about September 1, when the sprawling plants finally began to fall apart. It was good while it lasted, but next year I'll try something else...

Schizanthus pinnatus Angel Wings Mixed Colors

A favorite from my childhood in Alaska, these were started indoors and bloomed in a range of brigh colors and patterns. Surprisingly heat tolerant.

Setcreasa pallida Purpurea

"Purple heart" is another plant from my grade school gardening days, I grew it as a perennial both in Florida and Alabama, though I need to overwinter it indoors here. It is currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity as a bedding and component plant.

Strobilanthes dyerianus

I first saw this at Longwood it 1995 - now it is familiar to most serious gardeners and weekend warriors alike!

Zinnia violacea Envy

Perfection, on a plant first introduced to me by my Grandmother in 1971 (though it had been around for some time already)...bred by Bodger Seeds.

Calagrostis arundinacea Karl Foerster

A landscape worhorse, not too short, not too tall.

Calagrostis arundinacea Overdam

Like Karl Foerster but twith variegated leaves. Another member of the "asphalt gang!"

Elymus arenarius Glaucus

Plant it and beware - I confess I finally got it under control by mowing the sections I wanted to eliminate, letting it resprout, and spraying the new growth with Roundup - REPEATEDLY!!! The original three 1-quart pots had spread to over 100 square feet!

Helictotrichon sempervirens Saphirisprudel

Tidy. Touchy. But not as fussy as the smaller Festuca ovina glauca Elijah Blue - which it resembles save for it's turbocharged habit.

Miscanthus sinensis Gracillimus

Another old reliable - one clump is all I really need. Blooms late here in the North, gets cut down by frost before the flowers open. Plant the improved cultivar Graziella for earlier bloom.

Miscanthus sinensis Variegatus

Yikes!!! Three divisions and five years later, it's time to rethink this planting.

Miscanthus sinensis Zebrinus

This 9 foot monster is in full bloom in September and October - here showing just the foliage.

Panicum virgatum Heavy Metal

Give this selection fo our native switchgrass full sun (I had to relocate this planting), and it will reward you with intense steel blue all season. Upright and formal to about 4 or 5 feet.

Sorghastrum nutans Sioux Blue

This blue form of our native Indian grass is one of the best!

Ocimum basilicum (Sweet Basil)

Pesto!

Coriandrum sativum (Cilantro) Long Standing

Salsa!

Mentha piperita (Peppermint) Curly

Leg of Lamb!!!

Mentha piperita (Peppermint) Chocolate

Ditto!

Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary)

Roasted Red Potatoes!

Lavandula angustifolia (English Lavender) Hidcote Blue

Scratch and Sniff!

Salvia officinalis (Sage) Tricolor

Just for looks - tastes like crap!

Petroselinium crispum (Parsley) Moss Curled

I eat it as a cooked vegetable probably more often than I use it as a garnish or salad ingredient. Combine with Lamb's quarters, French tarragon and lots of brown mustard seed, dress with olive oil and salt, and saute or microwave for the best greens ever!

Artemisia dracunculus (Tarragon) True French

See Parsley!

Thymus x Doone Valley (A Hybrid Lemon Thyme)

Lemony - goes with anything.

Thymus citriodorus Variegata (Variegated Up[right Lemon Thyme)

Ditto!