Gaura lindheimeri ‘The Giant’

FILIPENDULA ( Meadowsweet, False Spirea) Showy, plumelike flowers, excellent for cutting. Magnificent display when grown in groups, most species prefer damp soils. Propagate by division in early spring. 

purpurea (palmata) ‘Elegans’     A shorter growing Filipendula suitable for mid border planting, also effective when massed for a bold display. Small individual flowers are clustered in large, 6” wide, flat panicles held well above the foliage where they can be adequately appreciated. Though flowers are whitish in color, they have prominent red stamen which create the appearance of soft, rose-colored flowers. Large, rich green, palmate leaves impart a bold texture as well as a backdrop for the pink flowers. Overall height is around 4’. Looks best in full sun with consistent moisture. If allowed to dry out, the leaf edges will turn brown. Blooms in late June, early July. Zone 4.

FILIPENDULA rubra 'Venusta' (Queen of the Prairie) 6-8' stems bear large feathery pink panicles in July-Aug. Spectacular when massed. Needs full sun and consistent moisture to look its best. Zone 3.

ulmaria 'Aurea' Vivid golden foliage in bright, eye-catching clumps with flower stalks to 3’ high topped with loose panicles of fragrant, white flowers. Blooms in midsummer. Cut back hard after flowering to rejuvenate plants, or remove flowering stalks before bloom to maintain foliage vigor. Prefers moist soil in part shade. We grow our clump in 50% shade where it holds its color well, eventually fading to an attractive chartreuse. Zones 3-8.

Filipendula ulmaria ‘Variegata’    Creamy white flowers bloom in summer on 3-4’ stems over deeply serrated, strikingly variegated green/yellow leaves. Grow in full sun in average, well-drained soil. Zone 4.

GAILLARDIA (Blanket Flower) Bright and cheery, long-blooming, drought tolerant and easy in well drained soil. Deadhead to prolong flowering. Can be shortlived, but still oh-so-rewarding to grow. Zone 3. 

GAILLARDIA 'Burgundy' ('Burgunder') One of my all-time favorite perennials. Love the rich burgundy flowers, ( much darker than in photo at left ), that begin opening the minute the roots are covered with soil and don’t stop until zapped by killing frost. Needs hot full sun and must be well drained..

‘Fancy Wheeler’ New      Dwarf and compact with large, bright red flowers trimmed in gold. 10” high. Zone 3.

GAILLARDIA ‘Fanfare’  A new look for gaillardia with up-facing scarlet flowers with trumpet-shaped petals bright yellow at the tips. Tips curve outward. 12-15ins. tall

‘Gallo Dark Bicolor’    A new vegetatively propagated variety,(not seed grown), with a compact, uniform habit, 12” high. The large flowers are red at the base turning yellow at the tips. Will bloom all summer if given hot full sun and very well drained soil. Once established, plants require very little water. Too much water will kill them. These are brightly colored, rugged little beauties, idea for creating impact at the front of sunny borders. Regular snipping-off of spent flowers will result in better looking plants, and extend the already incredibly long bloom period.

‘Gallo Peach ’ New    Vigorous, compact and long blooming with large, bright yellow flowers brushed with orange and gold. 12” high. Certainly there is no shortage of yellow, daisy-like flowers from which to choose but what sends ‘Gallo Peach’ to the top of the list is its remarkable ability to keep blooming all summer long even in the hottest, driest locations,- a trait that’s shared by all Gaillardia. Zone 6.

‘Jazzy Wheeler’ New     Large, tangerine flowerss with yellow margins and yellow centers bloom all summer on dwarf, compact plants. 10” high. Zone 3.

‘Tokajer’ New     Deep orange-marmalade, daisy-like flowers with dark reddish-brown centers. Its rich, saturated, earth-tone coloring reminds me of some of the newer Echinacea. 2-3’ tall. So useful for bringing vibrant, summer-long color to hot, dry locations that would be inhospitable to most other plants. Will of course do well in more favorable locations so long as they drain like a thirsty man’s pint. Zone 3.

GALIUM odoratum (Sweet Woodruff)  Excellent groundcover for moist, dappled shade. Bright green leaves, fragrant white spring flowers, 6". Used to flavor May wine. Zone 3. 

GAURA lindheimeri ‘Snow Fountain’ New     Long, arching wands are ladened with pink buds that open pink and then turn pure white as flowers mature. These are blooming machines that refuse to quit until forced to do so by killing frosts. Very effective as fillers in the sunny border and especially striking when massed to create a season-long display of graceful, understated beauty. 30” tall. Provide, well-drained soil in full sun and then consider your work done, for the only thing left to do is to sit back and enjoy the untiring floral display. Allowing for differences of color and size, all of the foregoing applies to all of the following varieties of Gaura. Zone 5.

lindheimeri ‘So White’ New    A tidy grower, 15-18” tall, with a profusion of pure white flowers without even the tiniest hint of pink, all summer. Also, the foliage of this cultivar is remarkably free of the spotting often seen on Gaura foliage. 

lindheimeri ‘Summer Breeze’ New     A taller Gaura, 3-4’ high, similar to ‘Snow Fountain’ but taller, with pink buds that open pure white.

lindheimeri ‘The Giant’ New     The tallest cultivar, reaching 5’ in height, and boasting very large, white flowers, up to 2” long.

Gentiana andrewsii See Woodland Plants.

GENTIANA asclepiadea Willow Gentian  Native to the Mts. of Central Europe, and eastward to W. Aisa. 20-30in. high, erect stems arise from sturdy, much-branched rootstocks. In July-Sept., deep blue, trumpet-shaped flowers appear in the leaf axils, singly or in groups of 2 or 3 along the length of the stems. Thrives in semishady, moist but well drained sites where it combines beautifully with ferns. One of the most garden-worthy gentians, valued for its excellent upright habit and large, beautiful flowers over a long period. Zone 5.

crinita (Fringed Gentian)See woodland plants.

cruciata ‘Blue Cross’ New     The Cross Gentian forms a low rosette in which nestle short stems carrying dark blue flowers August- September. Stems may be purple tinged. Only 10” high. Unlike many Gentians, cruciata prefers alkaline over acid soils and is somewhat drought tolerant. Native to Europe where it is found at higher, cooler elevations in dry meadows and at the edge of woods. Considered one of the easier Gentians for garden use. Zone 3.

septemfida Native to Asia with 10-15in. stems that lie more or less flat on the ground, turning upward at the tips. In mid-summer, beautiful, true blue trumpets in clusters begin blooming and continue for an extended period. A smaller gentian suitable for the front of the border or rock garden in sun to part shade with moist but well-drained soil. Zone 5.

x ‘True Blue’ Large,(2in.), upward-facing, true blue bell-shaped flowers. Blooms appear all along the stems from mid summer into early fall, 24 to 30ins. tall. Grow in moist but well drained, acidic soil, in sun to part shade. Zone 4.

GERANIUM (Cranesbill) Easy, long flowering, essentially free of pests and diseases, asking only for ordinary, but well drained soil. Most form low, slowly spreading mounds, readily increased by division of clumps in spring or fall. They respond well to being cut back after flowering, and will rapidly regrow fresh, new foliage. They derive their common name, Cranesbill, from the beak-like fruits. 

macrorrhizum ‘Ingwersen’s Variety’Light pink flowers over 10in. mounds of lightly scented leaves. Its spreading habit together with its drought and shade tolerance qualify this selection for groundcover use in those difficult to cover dry, shady places. Zone 5.

GERANIUM 'Orion' A cross between G. himalayense 'Gravetye' and G. 'Brookside' with large, 2½" intensely blue flowers for many weeks in spring over non-flopping clumps of deeply cut, dark green foliage that can reach 3' tall x 3' wide. Heat and humidity tolerant , long flowering, and shows excellent red fall foliage.

‘Pink Penny’ New      'Pink Penny' joins G. 'Jolly Bee' and 'Rozanne as one of the longest blooming geraniums available to gardeners, sharing a similar habit and blooming period with the latter two, but differing in having pink flowers instead of blue. 12-15ins. tall with a considerably wider spread.

pratense ‘Dark Reiter’ Dark reddish-plum foliage streaked with green and dark lilac flowers begining in June and continuing for many weeks. 10ins. tall. Not to be confused with ‘Midnight Reiter’ or ‘Victor Reiter Jr.’

pratense ‘Hockus Pocus’ New      A newer dark leafed geranium with a compact, upright form and richly colored leaves that start out very dark purplish-black in spring. By summer the leaf centers become somewhat green which contrasts nicely with the purple outer surfaces to create a subtle yet effective tow-toned feature. Flowers are large and plentiful,  soothing light purple with white centers, up to 2” wide, eye-popping against the dark foliage.  Bloom begins in late May and continue through summer. 14-18” tall, lower growing than the species. Easy to grow in average or better soil, in sun or light shade. The longest bloom span and best leaf color is realized in full sun with even moisture. Zone 5.

pratense ‘Splish-Splash’     White flowers irregularly brushed with true-blue, on largish, green-leafed plants 20-24” tall. Blooms for most of the summer, performing best in sun with decent, evenly moist soil. Zone 5.   

'Rozanne' Large, saucer-shaped violet-blue flowers with a white center. Blooms constantly from May to Oct., well-suited for containers. 20"t x 30"w.

sanguineum ‘Album’      I would never want to open for business in the spring without this lovely cultivar in our lineup. It remains one of my all-time favorites with its 1“ pure white flowers liberally sprinkled just over the top of handsome, low-mounding, deep green foliage. Blooms late spring well into summer. For those gardeners searching for white flowers, this is a variety worth checking out. Grow in sun, in average or better soil. zone 3.

sanguineum ‘New Hampshire Purple’     One of the best purple cultivars, valued for its richly colored flowers, its long bloom period and its excellent deep green, dense mounding foliage. Deep, plum-purple flowers overspread the tight mounds of dark green foliage from spring until mid summer and, in fall, foliage turns an delightful shade of red. Grow in sun or light shade keeping in mind that plants will do their best in sun with reasonably moist soil.  Zone 3.

sanguineum var. striatum  A beautiful, time-tested geranium with soft pink flowers delicately veined with dark pink, and attractive dark green, thickly matted foliage. Low growing, with an overall height of 8-10ins. Formerly known as G. lancastriense. Zone 3.

sanguineum ‘Tiny Monster’    A “monster” of a bloomer, with masses of large, 1¼ - 1½”, rosy-purple flowers blooming late spring through most of the season, over attractive, cutleaf foliage. Like all Geranium sanguineum types, this selection is long blooming and widely adaptable to varying conditions of light and soil. Works well as a ground cover when massed, and also makes an excellent choice for a front-of-the-border perennial. 16-18” high. Zone 3.

x ‘Starman’ A unique geranium with bright, purplish pink flowers that have dark fuchsia venation and markings coming from the center outwards, forming a star pattern and setting this selection from the majority of hardy geraniums that ususlly offer solid colored blooms. Grows 12ins. tall and wide, and blooms June-Sept. Zone 5.

Geum rivale ‘Flames of Passion’ New      Upward-facing, dark purplish red flowers bloom over rosettes of green-chartreuse foliage April-May on 16-18” stems. Reblooms again in mid-summer. Prefers sun and well-drained soil. Zone 5.

Gillenia stipulata(American Ipecac)Virtually indistinguishable from G. trifoliata though with a slightly more lacey, delicate look. Zone 4. See description of Gillenia trifoliata.

Gillenia trifoliata (Bowman’s Root)Large numbers of one-inch star-shaped white flowers on wiry red branches. Flowers freely late May through June. This under-used plant not only adds shape and texture, but it also thrives in dry, shady sites. Eastern U.S. native. Zones 4-8. 2-3 ft. Part shade, garden soil.

Gillenia trifoliata ‘Pink Profusion’  With this new introduction, Bowman's Root is now available in a pink form. Both the pink and the white forms are everything one could ask for in a hardy perennial; sturdy, upright, lacquered burgundy stems, handsome, dark green, red-tinted leaves and loads of delicate flowers that gently stir on every summer breeze, and, a preference for part to heavier shade. Zone 4.

Gypsophila (Baby's Breath) Clouds of tiny white or pink flowers, indispensable for flower arrangements. The larger species make excellent fillers for holes left in the garden when plants go dormant, as oriental poppies do. Gypsophilia prefer soils with a high pH and require perfect drainage.

paniculata ‘Perfecta’Large, double white flowers on wispy panicles are more robust than 'Bristol Fairy. Invaluable as a long-lasting cut flower and also as a filler plant in gardens and containers. Ideal for masking dying bulb foliage. Grow in full sun, in rich but perfectly drained soil with a pH around neutral or somewhat higher, ( it never hurts to add a handful of lime at planting time ).  3’ tall. Blooms in summer.  Zone 3.