Title – Immunity to Change

Who- You

What- The one thing that prevented you from exploring your digital lifestyle before this class was offered.

No computer

When – Once this class ends when will you commit to continue your digital lifestyle journey.
I will Use my computer more

Where- Where would you prefer to continue your digital lifestyle (i.e. Home, Library , Center).
Home, Center, on the road

Why- Would you agree that one of the major reasons for continuing your digital lifestyle is to broaden communication. Yes

How- Will your How to broaden communication include reading, writing, blogging, and computing Yes(Library in Center) reading, writing, blogging, computing, need more

Black Hellebore

By blooming in the winter, black hellebore has cheered many hearts. Because of its season, it was named Christmas rose. And because of its astonnnnnising ability to defy the cruel elements of winter,it signified to men and

women that this herb must have great power. In the Middle Ages, people strewed the flowers on the floors oftheir homes to drive out evil influences. They blessed the animals with it and used it to ward off the power of witches. These same people belived, however, that wiches employed the herb in their spells and that sorcerers tossed the powered herb into the air around them to make themselves invisible.

Showy bracts and berries

Name: Bunchberry (Cornus candensis)
Zones: 2 to 7
Size:6 to8 inches tall, speading indefinitely
Conditions: Partial shade;moist, acidic soil;prefers cool summerBunchberry, a low-growing member of the dogwood family,is a magnificent, vigorusly spreading grorond cover with strik whorled leaves. Large white bracts appear in early summer, followed by clusters of brightred berries. Bunchberry thrives in cool summer climates. It does not like the hot South, and because it enjoys friable, acidic woodland soil, it will not grow in clay or alkaline soils.

Virginia Snakeroot

The Virginia snakeroot has some of the funniest-looking, or most interesting, flowers in the herb garden. It's easy to see how our ancestors its relatationship to other members of the birthwort family. It immediately acquired virtue by association.

Tropical Periwinkle

Tropical periwinkle gifted plant, but as herbs go, it is highly powerful and should not be used

as a home cure. Enjoy it as a ground cover, edging plant, or cut flower. It is particularly popular

where summers are intensely hot and humid.

Salad Burnet

In trendy restaurants these days, a salad is likely to contain anything, even if it's a novel leaf with the bite of battery acid. Yet salad burnet, which tastes considerably better acid. salad burnet, which tastes considerably better than battery acid, is known to only a few discriminating gardeners. Its flavor is often compared to cucumbers, and 400 years ago, it was as common in salad as cucumbers are today.It was a common addition to a glass of wine, much as a celery stick is used today to a tall drink. In the garden it is valued for its handsome purple flowers and its adaptability to variou soils. If you are designing an herb garden, consider burnet as an edging plant.

Marjoram

Substitute: Oregano, in a lesser amount.

Aromatic: Wild marjoram was once much used as a strewing heeb to freshen the air of homes.
The French still put springs of it into hope chests and linen closets. Soaking in warm tub of marjoram tea scents the body while relieving aches and pain or chest congestion. Marjoram leaves are aiso added to potpourris and sachets. Ornamental: There are variegated varieties of sweet, wild, and pot marjoram, O. Onites, is most often used for hanging bashets indoors in winter, although its particularly balsamic odor strikes some people as less appealing. When potted and brought inside, it has a lighter green color and cascades over the edges of a hanging container. The large, purple flower heads of the marjorams make good additions to winter bouquets. The furry, dainty leaves distinguish them in the herb or ornamental garden.

Cosmetic: According to herbalist Jeanne Rose, marjoram has mildly antiseptic propenties that benefit the skin. She recommends adding it to herb bath mixtures. (See the entry Bathing with Herbs for more information.)

Adds fragrance to the shade

Name: Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum)

USDA HARDINESS ZONES: 5 to 8
Size: 15 inches to, spreading indefinitely
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soil

While it may look delicate, sweet woodruff is a vigorous spreader. It makes a dense ground cover with fragrant, star-shaped white flowers in early summer. The deciduous, emeraid green leaves are also star shaped and stay neat well into autumn.

Grows wellin difficuit spots

Name: Black jetbead (Rhodotypos scandens')

Zones: 5 to 8

Size: Up to 6 feet tall and 9 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; fertile, moist, well- drained soil

Peak Time: Spring to early summer

Black jetbead will grow almost anywhere, thriving in shade or sun and in a wide variety of soils. I like its graceful. arching , twiggy stems. Flowers appear in spring and are followed by pea-size black fruit. It's a moderately rapid grower, but it's easy to maintain with pruning. If the plant gets too leggy or crowded, cut back the older branches to the ground after it flowers.

A chaste tree for cool gardens

Name: Chaste tree (Vitex agnus -castus* var. latifolia)

Zones: 6 to 9
Size: 10 to 20 feet tall and wide
Conditions: Full sun: well- drained soil

Chaste tree is a southern favorite beginning to gain attention across the country. Whether left to grow as a large multistemmed shrub(pictured) or cut back annually for a more compact look, this selection is a winner. Fine, lacy leaves are glossy and green. Bright blue flower panicies begin to form in early summer and continue through the heat of the season and into fall. This is a reasonably cold-hardy, deer-resistant woody plant, and while V.agnus-castus is typially considered a Zone 7 plant, the variety latifolia can be grown in Zone 6 and even in southern areas of Zone 5.

Anything but boring

Name: Summer Wine nineback (Physocarpus opulifolius 'Seward')

USDA HARINESS ZONES: 3 to 7

Conditions: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil

Many gardeners know nineback as a nondescript, green-leaved shrub with "oh-by-the-way" white flowers. There is, fortunately, a long list of burgundy-or gold -foliaged selections that make great focal points. The best overall performer is 'Seward', sold under the trademark Summer Wine. This selection has outstanding burgundy leaves and soft pink blossoms in early summer. Summer Wine also offers acompact growth habit, which is an improvement on the purple octopus growth of other cultivars, like Diabolo.

Growing Herbs

The best time to gather herbs is in the morning of a dry, sunny day after the dew has dried from the plants. If you are harvesting leaves, the peak time for flavor and fragrance is just before the plants flower in the spring. Harvests can continue as need and plant growth permit, until early fall. Trim off any flower heads from basil and mint for continued top-quality leaf production. Annuals can be harvested until a fall frost kills them, but perennials should be allowed to grow unimpeded for 40 to 60 days before the first frost so they can harden off before winter. If, as in the case of lavender, you are harvesting flowers, cut flower stalk before the blooms are fully open since they will continue to open as they dry. Similarly, for seed harvests of coriander, anise, fennel, dill, and the like, cut the stalks before the seeds begin to shatter from the heads. For a harvest of leaves ,always cut stems; don't just strip off individual leaves and desert the naked stems in the garden. You can cut as much as three-quarters of the current season's growth in a given harvest. Naturally, harvest only disease-free growth. If you harvest is small, you can rack-dry it in a well-ventilated room out of direct sunlight. Use a screen, bamboo tray, or cheesecloth-covered cookie sheet (paper towels do fine as a covering, too).Lay the stems down in a single layer so the leaves don't overlap.Turn or stir the herbs once or a day until dry and crumbly.

A mukdenia with red leaves

Name:'Crimson Fans' mukdenia (Mukdenii rossii 'Crimson Fans', syn. Aceriphyllm  Crimson Fans')

Zones: 4 to 9
Size:14 inches tall and 16 inches wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well- drained soil

Staying Power: Lasts all season; goes dormant in fall

Mukdenia's starry flowers steal the show in early spring. The foliage of 'Crimson Fans' reddens as temeratures rise, and it holds this hue all season.

White that's exciting

Name: 'Canyon Snow' Pacific Coast

hybrid iris (Iris 'Canyon Snow')
USDA HARDINESS ZONES: 7 to 9
Size: 12 to 18 inches tall and wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; well- drained soil
Staying Power: Evergreen


Prized for its pure white flowers elegantly marked with gold, 'Canyon Snow' iris will bloom as soon as

the days lengthen in late spring.

The roses of winter

Name: Sasanqua camellia (Camellia sasanqua cvs)

Zones: 7 to 9
Size: 4 to 8 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, fertile, wel-drained, loose soil

Sasanqua camellia is tresured for its handsome foliage, sturdyconsititution, and sumptuous flowers. It brings many weeks of color from midfall to midwinter, depending on the cutivar. Its delicate flowers often fragrant - come in shades of white to lilac-rose to deep red. Most cultiivars,like 'Hana jiman' (pictured), grow as shubs, while a few are treelike.Unlike other species, sasanqua camellia needs only moderate water to thrive.

Sparkling blooms in January

Name: Alerian iris (Iris unguicularis)

Zones: 7 to 9
Size: 12 to 18 inches tall and wide
Conditions: Full sun to light shade; well-drained soil

The evergreen floiage of Algerian iris gives this species more landscape potential than other irises. Its winter blooms, which open from December to February, make it more valuable still. Although Algerian iris stays green, it goes dormant in summer. Do not give it supplemental summer water: Water stimulates soft growth, which will make the plant vulnerable to frost later on.

7 or more becomes a mass

With seven plants, you achieve enough mass to start making a strong visual statement. Once you get as high as seven, you have some leeway either to plant in masses or to plant the same plant in groups of 3+3+1.Avoid 3 +4 because it feel number higher than seven can be separated into two sets of odd numbers - for example, 12 divided into sets of 5 and 7. Odd numbers higher than seven can be separated into groups of add numbers. For example, 3+3+3=9 works, but avoid breaking up an odd number of plants into an odd-numbered group and an even-numbered group, such as 5+ 4. At a certain threshold -roughly around a dozen, depending on the typw of plant-the eye can't tell whether you have a mass of 12 or 13 plants. At that point, you don't need to worry anymore about counting.

6 is two sets of three

Six work best when it is broken into two groups of three. You can either duplicatethe arrangement of three (in a staggered row or in a triangle) or position them to fill a corner. Dividing plants onto groups of two and four doesn't work because it is unbalanced, nor does a line of six because the plants will compete for attention.

5 is pleasing to the eye

Five is a number that is used often in design. A classic example of five is to set up two parallel rows with thre in one row and two in the other. This works best in rectangular beds but can work in irregularly shaped beds, too. That is not the only way to use five plants. Ihave found that that positioning two plants on one side of a path and three on  the other does not work (especially with mounding plants), but having four balanced by a fifth feels right.

4 work best when divided

Four can be divided in varous ways. Avoid planting two and two,even on the sides of an entry, because it rarely works.It feels off-kilter, always calling for more to make it three and three. A good way to use four plants is by putting one in each quadrant of a circle or square. Another device that work well is dividing 4 into 3 + 1, positioning three on one side of a path and one on the other. This is especially effective with evergreen brcause of their strong weight.

3 is good company

Although three can be tricky in human relationships, this number fits expertly in a landscape. The trick is in the arrangement. Three plants in a row is dull becuse you know what to expect. If you have enough space

group them, instead, in an offset triangle. This looks particularly good with mounding or vertical plants. Be sure to leave some space between the plants, especially if they are three different kinds. You can ever use a garden ornament, like a birdbath, to count as the third item in a set of three.

2 signals formality

Like the guards at Buckingham Palace, the number two conveys formality. Two plants divide youreye, so this number works best when plants are used like sentries to mark both sides of an entrance or passage-way. Trees and shubs are easy to use in pairs, but perennials are more challenging. Some large perennials and ornamental grasses work well in pairs, as do some annuals and tender perennials.

1 is not the loneliest number

Onrary to its popular musical identity, one is not the loeliest number; rather, it is symbolof a plant that doesn't require the safety of number.

Unless you have garden composed of one of everthing (a recipe for disaster, except under the most skilled eyes and hands), one plant will read as either a point of focus or a unifier. If you're going to use a single plant as a focal point, be sure its qualities are strong enough to have it stand on its own.

Plant by number

Picture yourself at the garden center salivating in front of that hot new perennial or the hard- to find shrub yoy've coveted for years.You know you're going to give in and buy it, so the real qustion is how many do you need ? Though most design courses recommrnd planting in threes and fives, there are ways to successfully incorporate other numbers, as well. The following guidelines for selecting the ideal number of plants reflect the conventional wisdom I've learned by studing landscape design as well as insights I've gained designing gardens for the past decade.

Once you've become familiar with the concepts underlying these guideline, you'll likely find that the process of deciding how many plants to buy becomes second nature. As you play with the number, just remember that if the design of your garden is not adding up the way you've imagined, you can alway get out a shovel and shift a few plants around until the whole picture is geater than the sum of its parts.
BY JULIE SIEGEL

Why not go big and tall?

Name:Dixie wood fern (Dryopteris x australis)

Zones: 5 to 9
Size: 3 to 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide
Shade tolerance: Partial to full shade

This big, bold fern's dark, glossy leaves shoot straight up. Dixie wood fern is a natural backdrop for shade beds.In warm climates, the foliage is semievergreen, but I recommend removing ragged leaves in early spring as new fiddleheads emerge. This plant will grow well in full sun with moist soil, but it also easily handles dry-shade sites.

A blue that will take your breath away

Name: 'Pere David' corydalis

(Corydalis flexuosa 'Pere David')
Zones:6 to 8
Size: 1 foot tall and wide

Conditions: Partial shade; moist well-drained soil

Staying Power: Long-lasting in cool areas; goes dormant under hot, dry conditions

This delicate-looking corydalis is surprisngly hardy and will bloom from early spring into summer and again in fall. Pere David', however, resents overheating and going dry, which will throw it into temporary dormancy. It has fibrous roots that will gently creep to embrace whatever lucky neighbors it has.

It's like a burst of sunshine

Name: Rigid spurge (Euphorbia rigida)

Zones: 7 to 11
Size: 1 to 2 feet tall and wide
Conditions:Full sun; well-drained soil

Staying Power:Evergreen

Rigid spurge is a unique plant that grows into a neatly rounded, knee-high specimen. Its somewhat quiet flowers are nestled among much larger chartreuse bracts, for a long-lasting, electrifying display.

This aster steals the spring (not fall) show

Name: 'Wayne Roderick' baech aster

(Erigeron 'Wayne Roderick')
Zones: 5 to 8
Size: 1 foot tall and 18 inches wide
Conditions: Full sun ; well-drained soil
Staying Power: Mostly evergreen

Any spot in full sun with sharply drained soil is enough to trigger a profuse floral outburst from 'Wayne Roderick' beach aster. It grows into a dense mat and blooms for most of the growing season.
To promote reblooming, pinch off spent flowers or shear the whole plant. This beach aster seems to be as good at deterring as it is attracting butterflies.

size:

Bountiful blooms a pea

Name:'Flaccidus' spring vetch (Lathyrus vernus 'Flaccius')

Zones: 4 to 9

Size: 1 foot tall and wide

Conditions:Partial shade; moist, well-drained soil
Staying Power: Lasts all spring ; goes

dormant in mid- to late summer under dry conditions

Contrary to its better- known vining is a peren-nial pea that forms a bushy mound of strappy foliage and pale mgenta-pink flowersthat fade to violet-blue.

Aloe

More and more household these days have a pot of aloe on the kitchen windowsill. This queen little plant from Africa is becoming, deserveddly, the number one home remedy for burns and poison ivy. MEDICINAL: The skin-saving properties of aloe have both folk loric and scientific backing. Reports of its healing effects on burns, sores, and poison ivy abound. Such enthusiasm for this herb inspired numerous clinical studies into its efficacy,and scientists have found that aloe has anesthetic, antibacterial, and tissue restorative properties. Aloe gel does indeed heal burns from flame, sun and radiation. The gel soothes itching and burning. Depending upon the severity of the burn, the tissue regenerates with no scar, normal pigmentation of the skin returns. In folk medicine, aloe has been use quite often to treat skin cancer. James Duke, Ph.D., head of a U.S. Department of Agriculture search for plants with cancer fighting potential, reports, "I have received more letters about this as a folk remedy for skin cancer than any other species." For its skin healing properties aloe has been added to various creams and lotions. It is an ingrdient in ointments used to relieve sunburn and burn from X-ray treatment of cancer. Aloe is also added to a benzoin tin that is used as an antiseptic and a protective coating on abraded, blistered skin and cold sores.

A bright-blooming native

Name: Gold-star (Chysogonum virginianum)

Zones: 5 to 8

Size: 4 to 8 inches tall and 2 feet wide

Conditions: Partial to full shade; moist, neutral to slightly acidic, well-drained soil Goldstar is an elegant, long-lived, native ground cover that spreads into a rich green carpet of leaves. Spring brings many brighrt yellow dasylike flowers, which reappear in late summer. A slow but deliberate spreader, it is well worth the wait.

Evergreen and drough tolerant

Name: shuttleworth's wild ginger (Asarum shuttleworthii)

Zones: 6 to 9
Size: 4 inches tall and 1 foot wide
Conditions: Partial to full shade; moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil

The evergreen leaves of Shuttleworth's wild ginger create a close-knit cover that hides its insignificant"little brown jug" flowers in spring. Although it can be expensive, it is easily propagated by division.

Worth showing off

Name: Dwarf Solomon's seal (Polygonatum humile)

Zones: 5 to 8
Size:6 to inches tall and 20 inches wide
Conditions: Partial to full shade; moist, well-drained soil
Dwarf Solomon's seal produces a forest of decididuous stems clothed in soft green leaves. In srping, small bell-shaped flowers emerge in the leaf axils, flowed by small, bluish black frut.This plant grows loosely at first, but when mature, its rhizomes spread fast and wide, providing quick coverage.

Soft summer color

Name: Yellow foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8
Size: 3 feet tall and 18 inches wide
Conditions: Partial shade; moist, well-drained soil
Peak Time: Early to midsummer

Yello foxglove is tolerant of dry shade but flourishes with moisture. Usually described as a perennial, it is more accurate to call it a short-lived perennial, if the flowering stalk is cut down after the blooms have faded, it may rebloom in fall. When a few flower stalks are left, the plant self-sows. Deer will avoid it

This is no bully

Name: 'Hermann's Pride' lamium (Lamium galeobdolon Hermann's Pride')

Zones: 4 to 8
Size: 2 feet tall, spreading indefinitely
Conditions: Partial to full shade; moist, well- drained soil
Peak Time: Late spring to early summer

Unlike the rampantly creeping variegated yellow lamium (L.galeobdolon 'Variegatum'), 'Hermann's Pride' lamium is a slow- growing, clump-forming treasure, which grows like a small bush, beautiful in foliage and flower. Its ever-fresh leaves are jagged edged and etched with silver. 

This isn't the same old impatiens

Name: Fusion Glow impatiens (Impatiens Fusion Glow)

Zones: Annual
Size: 1 foot tall and 15 inches wide
Conditions:Partial shade; moist soil
Peak Time: Midsummer through fall

Impatiens have always seemed boring to me but the Fusion series is so different that it belongsin another
category altogether. Fusion Glow is my favorite of the bunch.

Looks great among rocks

Name: Dwarf Chinese astibe

( Astibe chinensis 'Pumila')

Zones: 4 to 8

Size: 10 inches tall and wide

Conditions: Partial shade; moist soil

Peak Time: Late summer

Dwarf Chinese astibe is more tolerant of dry conditions than other astilbes but does best with steady moisture. It look great and thrives among rocks and stepping-stones, where the plant shows off its intr-

cately cut foliage. Although it grows by rhizomes, it is not unpleasatly aggressive. This is a tough little plant you can count on.

A native treasure

Name: False Soloman's seal (Smilacina racemosa)
Zones: 4 to 9
Size: 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide
Conditions: Partial to full shade; sligghtly
acidic, fertile, moist, well-drained soil
Peak Time: Mid- to late spring
An undervalued native plant, false Solomon's seal is unrivaled for difficult shade. Its fluffy, 6-to 12-inch- long plummes hang down from the tops of its arching stems. By fall, they are transformed into clusters of translucent red berries sought by flower arrangers.

Its blooms soar to the sky

Name: 'The Rocket' ligularia (Ligularia stenocephaia 'The Rocket')

Zones: 4 to 8
Size:Up to feet tall and 3 feet wide
Conditions: Partial shade; feetile, mois soil
Peak Time: Late summer through fall

The aptly named 'The Rocket' ligularia is virually indestructible if given moist ground and protection from the sun. In spring , toothed green foliage unfurls to form an attractive mound. Flowering begins in midsummer. Little golden daisies, opening from bottom to top, shoot upward like rockets to the sky.

My only complaint is that the plant spreads slowly.

Covers ground without being a menace

Name: Cutleaf stephanandra (Stephanandra incisa and cvs.)

Zones: 3 to 8
Size: 3 feet tall and up to 10 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well -drained soil
Cutleaf stephanandra does a wonderful job of covering sloping eyesores. Its maplelike foliage creates a sweep of green throughout summer before turning reddish in fall. Its tiny flowers (inset) appear in late spring. Cutleaf stephanandra benefits from a dose of compost at planting time.Pruning should be tackled in spring prior to new- shoot development.

Smother weeds and eliminates erosion

Name:'Hancock' chenanault coralberry (Symphoricarpos x chenaultii 'Hancock)

USDA HARDINESS Zones: 4 to 7
Size: 2 feet tall and up to 10 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; fertile,, well-drained soil

'Hancock' chenault coralberry is an undemanding workhorse. It does an excellent job of covering ground and smothering weeds while eliminating erosion. In late summer, small pink flowers appear and are followed by rosy red fruit. The plant is easy to grow and can prosper in a rang of soils. It can be kept under conntrol

with pruners if it spreads too far, and rooted stems can easily be chopped off and dug up for your slope-plagued friends.

Shrubs for slopes

Tricky inclines are no match for these fast-growing, low-maintenance plants

Without A Dougbt, gardening on an exposed slope can be anightmare. It's almost impossible to establish any plantings.Heavy rains carry away any topsoil not held down by roots. In times of drought, the soil is bone-dry and inhopitable todesirable plantstrying to make headway, while weeds growbigger and better. As a landscape designer in the hills of Virginia,I am all too familiar with the conundrum of planting on slopes,so I have built up an arsenal of low-growing shrubs that can takeabeating yet quickly gain ground. These shrubs must have a vigorous,soil-holding root system and a tight mesh of shoots that diffuses heavy rains. Iavoid plants with excessive pest or disease problems and those that stray too far from their original planting site.Thorn-free shrubs always make maintenance easier. Plants that leaf out early and hold their leaves until late fall rise to the top of the heap. Here is a list of seven great plants I use to tackle challenging slopes.

Colorful and low maintenance

Name: 'Super Olympia Mix'begonia (Begona 'Super Olympia Mix')

Zone: 11
Size: 6 to 18 inches tall and wide
Conditions: Partial to full shade; moist, fertile, well-draied soil
Peak Time: Early summer through fall

Begonias of any sort have never been high on my wish list. But in a desperate search to bring color to my damp shade, Ipicked up some 'Super Olympia Mix' begonias at a local nursery. I fell in love with this fibrous-rooted plant for its profuse, cheerful bloom and easygoing way. Its small, rounded, glossy foliage

sets off prolific miniature, roselike blooms. No deadheading is required.

It looks delicate but makes an impact

Name:'Zinfandel' oxalis (Oxais vulcanicola 'Zinfandel')

Zones: 9 to 11

Size:6 to 10 inches tall and 1 foot wide

Conditions:Partial shade; moist,well-drained soil
Peak Time: Spring through summer

This old-fashioned shamrock houseplant is now high fashion. 'Zinfandel' oxalis has elegant foliage; abundant, delicate flowers; and good vigor.Its tiny, 3/4-inch-wide, bronze-colored leaf clusters and bright yellow flowers are massed on trailing stems, which spill over the sides of shaded window boxes and containers. Though this plant is frost tender,it is easy to overwinter indoors.

Dainty flowers and a penchant for traveling

Name: Mother of thousands (saxifraga stolonifera)

Zones: 7 to 9
SIZE: Up to1 foot tall and 18 inches wide

Conditions: Partail to full shade; moist, well-drained soil

The same quality that earned mother of thousands its name makes it a superb ground cover: its prodigious ability to produce offspring. Carpets of round, silver-veined leaves send out thin red stolons to steadily capture new ground. The result is a tight, ground- level cover that brightens the shade with 2-foot-tall plumes of small white flowers in late spring.

A dose of spring color for drab hillsides

Name: Gold Tide "dwarf forsythia (Forsythia 'Coutasol')

Zones: 5 to 8
Size: 18 inches tall and up to 5 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun to light shade; moist, well-drained soil

Like other cultivars of this genus, Gold Tige dwarf forsythia is as tough as nails.

The biggest difference from the rest ,however,lies in its form. Its stems reach to only 18 inches tall before arching down to the ground and running to yield a wide spread. its profuse yellow flowers appear in early spring. For the best performance, set up a soaker hose on a timer until the plant is established. If it should get too entangled with its neighbors, cut the stem back hard just after flowering.

It shimmers in the shade

Name: Aucuba (Aucuba japonica and cvs.)

Zones: 6 to 10
Size: Up to 10 feet tall and wide
Conditions: Full sun to full shade;
moist,well-drained soil
Peak Time: All year






It took a white for me to appreciate aucuba because, when I was en high school, we had two gold dust aucubas (a. japonica 'Variegata') that always looked as if they werw on their last legs outside our front door. I later discovered that this shrub thrives in the shade or in full sun, but it needs well-drained soil(our wilted shrubs were planted in solid clayno wonder they looked so bad.)

FOUR SEASONS OF INTEREST

Name: Bottlebrush buckeye ( Aesculus parviflora)

Zones: 5 to 9
Size: Up to 10 feet tall and15 feet wide
Conditions : Full sun to full shade;
moist, fertile, well-drained soil
Peak Time: Midsummer

The native bottlebrush buckeye is an aristocrat among deciduous shubs.

I find this plant charming all year long. In spring, the dark green leaves appear like small unbrellas. In early summer, the striking, 8- to 12-inch-tall white flower spikes stand above the foliage. With the arrival of autumn. the leaves turn bright yellow. I like its winter silhoette, too, when fruit hang from the branches like ornaments.

Variegation that brightens dark areas

Name: Variegation five-leaf aralia (Eleutherococcus

sieboldianus 'Variegatua')

Zones: 4 to 8

Size: Up to 8 feet tall and wide

CONDITION: Partial shade; well-drained soil
PEAK TIME: All summer
The distinctive foliage of the deciduous variegated five-leaf aralia is composed of large

leaves divided into five to seven leaflets. The creamy border on the bright green foliage lights up even the darkest corners of the woodland. Its natural habit doesn't need altering,so avoid pruning it unless the shrub gets too large. If that occurs, prune it in early spring, when new growth appears, so that you can easily determine what shape the plant will take.

Sweet scent from dusky flowers

Name: Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus and cvs.)

Zones: 5 to 9
Size: Up to 9 feet tall and 12 feet wide
Conditions: Partial shade moist, fertile, well-drained soil
Peak Time: Spring through summer

This native deciduous shub flowers heavily in spring and then on and off through summer. Sweetshrub's pungent blooms have a fruity aroma that reminds me of strawberries. This serviceable shrub is highly resistant
to pests and diseases and grows in many different types of soil.

Huge flowers and bold texture

Name: Oakleaf hydrang(Hydrangea quercifolia and cvs.)

Zones: 5 to 9

Size: up to 8 feet tall and wide

Conditions: Partial shade; moist, fertile, well-drained soil
PEAK TIME: Early summer to fall
Oakleaf hydrangea offers bold, oaklike leaves and large clusters of flower that start out white but change to shaddes of purple-pink and then brown, appearing on long panicles that can drop from their own weight.  Make any pruning cuts as soon as the plant finishes blooming to aviod cutting off the following year's flower

buds. As the shrub matures, it develops flaky, cinnamon-colored bark that adds to its winter appeal. The leaves turn shades of red, orange, and purple in fall.

Stays close to the ground

Name: Japanese plum yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonii 'Pprostrata')

USDA Hardiness Zones: 6 to 9
Size: Up to 4 feet tall and wide
CONDITION: Partial shade; moist, fertile well- drained soil
PEAK TIME: All year long

The feathery texture and shiny needles of Japanese plum yew have made this shrub one of my longtime favorites. This conifer offers a lot of bang for the buck with its rich, dark green foliage, which always looks good. Its spreading, mounded habit makes it an elegant foundation plant that doesn't require constant pruning, and it's extremely low on a deer's list of preferred foods.

Thrives in soggy sites

Name; 'Sixteen Candles' summersweet

(Clethra alnifolia 'Sixteen Candles')

Zones: 3 to 9
Size: 3 to 5 feet tall and wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well- drained soil

'Sixteen Candles' summersweet is a recent cultivar of a popular native shrub. This compact selection is better suited for slopes than the taller species, which can be tousled by wind and can quickly grow beyond eye level. In summer, 'Sixteen Candles' is topped with aromatic' erct, butterfly-enticing blooms for four to six weeks. In fall, the leaves turn an attractive yellow. Wandering roots and stems can easily be chopped off and transplanted.

Adapts to tough conditions

Name:'Sunburst' ST. John's wort

(Hypericum frondosum 'Sunburst')
Zones: 5 to 8

Size: 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade;moist, well-drained soil

'Sunburst' St.John's wort can make a slope secure and colorfull. Bright yellow flowers open during the first half of summer, followed by attractive, rust-colored fruit capsules. This native is a strong grower, but it doesn't turn up in areas beyond your planting site. BecauseSt. John's wort flowers on new growth, pruning should be tackled in spring prior to new-shoot development.

Remarkable cold and heat tolerance

Name: 'Gro-low' sumac (Rhus aromatica 'Gro-low')

Zones: 2 to 8
Size: 2 feet tall and up to 8 feet wide
Conditions:Full sun; moist, well-drained soil
Some gardeners consider sumacs (Rhus spp. and cvs., Zones 2-10 to be roadside weeds. But these remarkable cold - and heat- tolerant natives are making a come-back among many plant lovers. One of my favorites is the low-growing cultivar 'Gro-low'. This rugged shrub looks nothing like your everyday sumac and was made for covering slopes. It spots small yellow flowers in midspring and gorgeous orange-red

,laves in fall. 'Gro-low' needs plenty of room to spread out; if it gets out of hand, cut it back in spring.

Looks great in any setting

Name:Blackhaw viburnum

(Viburum prunifolium)
Zones: 3 to 9
Size: 12 to 15 feet tall and 8 to 12 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soil

All viburnums are understory plants able to compete for light and space, so they know how to get along in any garden. There is a native viburnum in most regions across the Uuited States. My local favorite is the blackhaw viburnum. It is a large shub with clusters of creamy white flowers followed by pink -rose

berries, which birds love to eat. It berries turn blue-black in fall.

A shocking color combo

Name:' Blue and Gold' spiderwort (Tradescantia x andersoniana 'Blue and Gold')

Zones: 5 to 9

Size 2 feet tall and wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; fertile, moist soil
Wet or dry and in sun or shade, 'Blueee and Gold' spiderwort has colorful foliage that

brightens any spot in the landscape. Purple flowers appear in early summer, and the

plant continues to bloom if deadheaded. The often floppy nature of spiderwort can be

corrected by severely cutting it back after the firt round of blooms fade; the returning

foliage will appear tidier.

A dramatic contrast of foliage and flowers

Name: 'Husker Red' penstemon

(Penstemon digitaalis 'Husker Red')
Zones: 3 to 8
Size: 3 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun: tolerates moist and dry soils

The burgundy foliage of 'Husker Red' penstemon emerges in early spring, followed by a cloud of pinkish white blooms in late spring. The burgundy seed heads can be left for show, bird food, and selfseeding.

The foliage is semievergreen here, adding a bonus display of burgundy winter color.

A fern with a little something extra

Name: Cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea)

Zones: 4 to 8

Size: 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide

Conditions:Partial to full shade; moist, acidic soil
This tall northeastern- native fern forms large clumps of graceful, arching fronds.

An attractive contrast appears in midseason when the shorter, cinnamon-colored fertile fronds spike up amid the green foliage. These rusty spikes are covered in fuzz, which hummingbirds redily use to line their nests in summer, and persist on the plant through winter. Fiddleheads from the cinnamon fern are edible but must be cooked.

Tomato red blooms in spring

Name: 'Texas Scarlet' flowering quince (Chaenomeles
x superba 'TexasScarlet')
Zones: 5to 9
Size: 4to 5 feet tall and wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soil
One look at this plant in bloom and most gardeners are instantly sold. Although
the flowers of 'Texas Scarlet' flowering quince last only a week or two in early spring , the sight of the tomato red blossoms is unforgettable. During the rest of the season ,'Texas Scarlet' remains a wave of glossy green leaves.

Butterflies will abound

Name: Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Zones: 3 to 9
Size: 4 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun to patial shade; prefers moist soil but will tolerate hot, baking conditions

Swamp milkweed, anative of the Great Plains,is a good choice for tough urban conditions. This plant is best used as a backdrop because of its gangly nature, but the midsummer, soft pink flowers are sure to attract people and butter flies alike. Aphids are attracted to this plant, as well, but controlling them with insecticides will also harm butterflies.

Golden blooms on tall stem

Name: Giant black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia maxima)

Zones: 4 to 8

Size: ^ feet tall and 2 feet wide conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist soil

Native to wet areas in several southestern states, gaint black-eyed Susan deserves more use in ornamental gardens. The coarse-textured leaves are 6 to 8 inches long and form a mounding mass of incredible blue-gray foliage. In summer, stems up to 6 feet tall grow out of the base of the plant to disply large daisy flowers. This is a plant that's sure to stop you in your tracks.

A native with cheerful blooms

Name: Little Henry Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica 'Sprich')

Zones: 6 to 9
Size: 2 to 3 feet tall and wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist soil

Virginia sweetspie is a deciduous shrub native to the southeastern

United States. Little Henry is a compact selection of 'Henry's Garnet',  a popular cultivar known for its attractive flower clusters and rich burgundy fall color. This small shrub shines spring when numerous

upright and drooping racemes of color. Virginia sweetspire speads slowly by underground stems, eventually forming acolony or thiccket.

Tropical flowers for colder climates

Name: Swamp rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos and cvs.)

Zones: 5 to 9
Size: Up to 6 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun; prefers fertile, moist soil but will adapt to a variety of conditions

The colorful foliage and large flowers of swamp rose mallow provide a spectacular late- summer show. It works best in combination with other tall perennials and ornamental grasses. The plant ('Lord Baltimore', pictured) is slow to emerge in spring, requiring a gardener's patience. It's best to leave the dead stalks in place over winter to remind you of their location in the garden once spring arrives.

Big, bold, unusual leaves

Name:Umbrella plant (Darmera peltate )

Zones: 5 to 9

Size: 3 to 4 feet tall and wide

Conditions: Full fun to dappled shade; moist

to wet soil
Native to the edges of waterways in the Siskiyou Mountains, umbrella plant is ideal for injecting boldness to any planting.While its large leaves are its main attribute, the pink flowers unfold first, in tight heads perched atop 2-foot-tall, leafless stems in early spring. When grown to various shades of vibrant red and orange before disappearing for the winter.

A constellation of blue flowers

Name: Camas lily (Camassia spp. and cvs.)

Zones: 3 to 11

Size: 1 to 3 feet tall and wide; clumping

Conditions: Full sun; most soil (tloler heavy clay);
can go dry in summer

In their famous expedition, Lewis and Clark reported that the sheer abundance of camas lily made meadow look like water. The rarity of camas lily in gardens is probaby due to its slowness in reaching blooming maturity, yet its bulbs are starting to appear more frequently. After forming a tuft of unruly, grassy leaves, camas lily sends out stems coiffed with a congested constellation of star-shped flowers in rare shades of sky blue to lilac and purple to white.

A classic hummingbird plant

Name: Bee balm ( Monarda didyma and cvs.)

USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 9

Size: 2 to 3 feet and wide

Conditions:Full sun to partial shade; moist to wet soil

Bee balm grow vigorously, ever in wet areas where not much els will thrive. It puts on a show with tubular flowers in tufts that remind me of a punk rocker's hairdo. Hummingbirds are especially attracted to its bright blooms. Powdery

mildew is a common disease, but resistant varieties are available. One of my favorite cultivars is 'Jacob Cline' (pictured).

Extravagant bloms in a rainbow of colors

Name: Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale cvs.)

Zones: 3 to 9

Size: 1 to 3 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun to light shade; rich, well-drained soil

Oriental poppy ('Patty's Plum', pictured) blooms in a wide range of colors- all untouched by deer. The foliage is attrctive before the flowers form but fades by midsummer. The foliage is easily resolved by growing the plant near

late- blooming perennials or in meadows.

Tough and prolific

Name: 'Kobold' blazing star

(Liatris spicate 'Kobold')
Zones: 4 to 9
Size: 16 to 20 inches tall and
18 inches wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade;
moist, well,-drained soil

The blooms of 'Kobold ,blazing star are attrective to bees, butter-flies,and birds-

but not deer. The plant is prolific self- sower and may border on being a nuisance,

but the seedlings can easily be pullred up. It flowers july to September in my garden.

Long-lasting, butter yellow blooms

Name: Sticky Jerusalem sage (Phlomis russeliana)

Zones: 3 to 9
Size: 3feet tall and wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; fertile,

well -drained soil

Sticky Jerusalem sage is a strong perennial with large heart-shaped levaves that

deer pass by even when there is litte else to eat. Because it grows tightly together 

and does not die back in winter, it's also great for suppressing weeds. The early-

summer blossoms last for several weeks, and the light brown seed heads are an

interesting fall and winter accent.

Soft and pettable foliage

Name :  Silvermound (Aremisia schmidtiana)

Zones: 5 to 8
Size: 1 foot tall and 18 inches wide
Conditions: FUll sun; well-drained soil 

It is hard to walk by silvermound without bending down to pet its soft, aromatic,

silvery gray foliage. And it's that pungent herb scent that repels the deer. Silvermound

works well planted in a drought-tolerant landscape. Combine it with bright-colored

flowers that also love the sun

Stunning all season long

Name: Blue oat grass(Helictotrichon sempervirens)

Zones: 4 to 9

Size: 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide

Conditions: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil; tolerates drought

Blue oat grass, with its long blades extending in all directions, has architectural

presence. But because it lacks lush, hostalike leaves, deer tend to avoid it. At first,

I was not enamored with its plumes. I thought the beige stems and flowers detracted

from the foliage, which stays blue all winter. As the plants have matured, however,

I've changed my mind because the grass produces sturdy bloom stalks that have

agraceful movement in the wind.

Bee balm without the mildew

Name: Eastern bee balm (Monarda bradburiana)

Zones: 5 to 8

Size: 16 to 18 inches tall and 18 to 20 inches wide

Conditions: Full sun ; wel- drained soil

Gardeners love bee balms. But despite their popularity, bee balms often suffer

under the stress of powdery mildew at the height of humid summers. If you're

looking for a disease-and deer-resistant and altogether gorgeous perennial, try

eastern bee balm. Showy rings of magenta-dotted pink flowers dazzle the garden

in early summer, well before any of its cousins.It also has some of the showiest

foliage of the genus, burnished in burgundy- bronze tones throughout and 

intensifying with cool autumn nights.

Intoxicating fragrance and flowers

Name:' Munstead' lavender

(Lavandula angutifolia 'Munstead')
Zones: 4 to 8
Size: 18 inches tall and 2 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun; well-drained soil

Although sources list it as hardy only to Zone 5, 'Munstead' lavender returns reliably in my Zone 4 garden,even at an elevation of 4,800 feet. Deer stay away from it because of its strong fragrance-which is why I love it. 'Munstead' is evergreen but gets a litte leggy here after winter. I recommend cutting it back

to 3 to 5 inches above the ground each spring for full, compact growth.

Short and sturdy means less flopping

Name: Gallery series lupine (Lupinus Gallery series)
Zones: 4 to 8
Size 16 to 20 inches tall and 12 to 16 inches wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; prefers moist,
fertile soils but will tolerate dry, poor soils

This compact series of lupine is great for our region because it's shorter than other
varieties, so the gusty winds aren't able to blow it over as easily. Red, blue, yellow,
pink, and white flowers are availablr. Its rainbow blooms are spectacular in late
spring on into our cool summer. Deer avoid lupine because the entire plnt is poisonous
if ingested, especially the seeds and pods.

No rain? No problem

Name: Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)

Zones: 6 to 9
Size: 3 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide
CONDITION: Full sun; well-drained soil;
tolerates drought

I love Russian sage for its tall spikes of lavender- blue flowers, which provide a colorful

backdrop for shoter perennials in late summer. I also love its silvery gray foliage, which
is too pungent for a deer 's delicate nose. Best of all, it requires no watering during long,
dry summer once it is established.

The season's first flowers

The Farther You Live from the equator, the less likely it becomes that you think of the
winter months as a time for flowering plants. In fact, many flowers can serve as an antidote
to the chilly gloom of winter, offering us color when we need it most. The plants described
here are among the best choices for winter flowers. They bloom reliably(sometime between
mid-November and late March), are easy to grow, and are durable enough to brighten the garden for many winters to come. All have good foliage-evergreen, in many cases- and hold
interest with striking leaves, sepals, and stems during other seasons, giving these winter
bloomers great garden value above and beyond their unique flowering period.

A hardy blanket flower

Name: 'Arizona Sun' blanket flower
(Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun')
USDA HardinessZones: 3 to 8
Size: 8 to 10 inches tall and 1 foot wide
CONDITION: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil but will tolerate poor soils
and drought. Because deer don't devour blanket flower, I've experimented with several of the new hybrids; unfortunately, they haven't all overwintered well. One of the hardiest cultivars
of the bunch is'Arizona Sun'. It stats blooming in July and will continue until frost if consistenly
deadheaded.

Herbal Botany

Flower Structure: A plant's flowers, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant they may be, are typically the key to its identity. Flowers, unlike leaves for example, are fairly uniform features. They usually remain the same regardless of changing light, water, or other environmental conditions. If a species has five-pet-aled flowers in one garden, it will have the same sort of five-petaled flower in another garden thosands of miles away. A bit of knowledge about flower structure, then, is crucial for identifying unknown plants.

It's also necessary if you plan on doing any plant breeding or seed saving. Petals are the showiest, most colorful parts of most flowers. Thecolor and markings on the petals attract
pollinating insects and birds. All the petals together make up the corolla. Sepals are the leaflike structures that enclose the flower before it open. Sepals may be separate ''leaves,''
or several lobes fused together. Usually they are green, but in some plants such as the dogwood, they almost resemble petals. Allthe sepals together make up the calyx.

It can cover large areas in full shade

Name: Florida leucothoe
( Agarista populiolia)
Zones: 6 to 9
Size: Up to 12 feet tall and 10 feet wide
CONDITIONS: Partial to full shade;
moist, well-drained soil
PREK TIME: Later spring

A native plant, Florida leucothoe is a multistemmed evergreen with a graceful , arching habit. Its brigth green foliage presents tinges of red when it first red when it first appears. In early summer, dese clusters of fragrant white flowers line the stems. This shrub can grow quite large but is easy to maintain at lower heights with pruning.

Why not go big and tall?

Name: Dixie wood fern(Dryopteris x australis)
Zones: 5 to 9
Size: 3 to 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide
Shade Tolerance: Partial to full shade


This big, bold fern's dark, glossy leaves shoot straight up. Dixie wood
fern is natural backdrop for shade beds. In warm climates, the foliage
is semievergreen, but I recommend removing ragged leaves in early
spring as new fiddleheads emerge. This plant will grow well in full sun
with moist soils, but italso easily handles dry-shade sites.

Turn on the spotlight

Name: 'Tasmanian Angel' variegated
bear's breeches (Acanthus mollis
'Tasmanian Angel')
Zone: 7 to 10
Size: 3 feet tall and wide
Shade Tolerance: Partial to full shade

The bold foliage of 'Tasmanian Angel variegated bear's breeches is guaranteed
to grab attention. The strikingly tall clumps of foliage produce even taller spikes
of white and pink flowers in late summer. Cut it back to the ground after the foliage
col-lapses with the first hard frost.

Slugs, deer, and rabbits hate it, but you'll love it

Name: Hairy bergenia (Bergenia ciliata)
Zone: 5 to 8
Size: 1 foot tall and 1 to 2 feet wide
Shde Tolerance: Dappled to partial shade

THis is the most drought-tolerant bergenia I've found. Its leaves do not resemble
those of other bergenias; they look like the leaves of a giant African violet. Mature
plant will send up stems of white or pink flowers from spring to early summer, but
the real reason to grow hairy bergenia is its foliage.

The camel of the plant world

Name: Fish-scale sedum
(Sedum tetractinum)
Zones: 4 to 8
Size: 3 inches tall and
18 inches wide
Shade Tolerance: Full sun to partial shade

Ground-cover sedums do well in dry-shde areas, especilly in places that have
high summer heat. Shsllow, dry soils are no problem for fish-scale sedum
because it stores extra water in its foliage. This plant spreads by runners
to form a mat of overlapping foliage. Flowers appear in summer, and the
evergreen foliage turns red-dish bronze in fall. Don't plant it in waterlogged
soils as it will rot easily.

Nothing dims its bronze glow

Name:'Sweet Tea" heucherella
(x Heucherella "Sweet Tea')
Zones: 4 to 9
Size: 12 to 18 inches tall and 28 inches wide
Shade Tolerance: Oartial to full shade

Anyone who gardens in the shade is familiar with heucherella. 'Sweet Tea'
was bred using Heuchera villosa, a native of the eastern United States,as
one of its parents, which mean it has added resistance to heat, drought,
and humidity. 'Sweet Tea' has large, orange-bronze leaves with dark
burgundy veins and short spikes of small white flowers that appear in
early spring. Its brighly colored foliage, however, is the main reason
to have this plant. Give it every couple of years.

A fast grower that is made for the shade

Name: Chinese wild ginger (Asarum splendens)
Zone: 5 to 9
Size: 6 to 8 inches tall and 1 foot wide
Shade Tolerance: Dappled to full shade


The leaves of Chiese wild ginger feel as if they were made out of dark green Naugahyde
and splashed with metalic paint. It is evergreen to 10F but will guickly reappear in spring
if it freezes. Plants spread quickly by underground rhizomes, forming a thick mat of foliage,
that crowds out weeds.

Tradition never goes out of style

Name: Spuria iris (Iris cvs.)
Zone: 6 to 9
Size: 3 to 5 feet tall and 2 feet wide
Shade Tolerance: Full sun to partial shade


Spuria iris, forgotten survivor of many traditional gardens, is tough enough to grow
in full sun or partial shade. In early spring, its graceful grasslike foliage is crowed with
jewel-toned flowers. The foliage goes dormant in summer heat if the soil becomes too
dry and then reemerges during the cooler tempertures of fall.

Covers ground quickly

Name: 'Pink Octopus'
spreading bellflower(Campanula 'Pink Octopus')
Zone: 5 to 9
Size: 10 inches wide
Shade Tolerance: Partial shade


'PinkOctopus' spreading bellflower quickly forms wide mats of tall, light green foliage.
All spring, the octopus-shaped flowers float in a mass over the foloage, sporadically
in summer. It is maintenance-free, other than keeping it from encroaching on less
vigorous plants.

Fiery flowers that last

Name: Sneezeweed (Helenium spp. and cvs.)
Zones: 4 to 8
Size: 2 to 5 feet tall and 2 feet wide
Condition: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil
Peak Time: Midsummer to midfall

While its foliage might be a bit nondescript in spring and summer, sneezeweed make
up for it later when its yellow, orange, and red blooms are the definition of fall. Countless
Cultivars are available, but one of the most popular is Moertheim Beauty'(pictured), with
its coppery blooms that last for up to 10 weeks. If you give sneezeweed rich soil, it tends
to flop and need staking, so put it in spot that isn't too fertile.

A spectacular fall-fireworks display

NAME:'Firework' goldenrod(Soildago rugosa 'Firework')
Zone:5 to 9
Size:2 to 4 feet tall and wide
Condition: Full sun ; well-drained soil
Peak Time: Late summer to midfall

In late summer, this shrublike perennial erupts into arupts into arching sprays of
tiny yellow flowers. A cultivar of a southeastern United State native, 'Fireworks'
goldenrod is low maintenance and unattractive to deer.
But butterflies like it, and it make a great cut flower.

A unique ground cover for any exposure

NAME: Kuma bamboo grass (Sasa veitchii)
Zone: 6 to 9
Size:Up to 3 feet tall, spreading indefinitely
Condition: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soid
Peak Time: Late summer through winter

For most of the growing season, kuma bamboo grass has plain green leaves.
But as the days turn cooler, the leaf edges begin to dry and turn creamy white.
At its peak, this plant look extravagantly variegated. The"variegated" leaves
should be cut back in spring to make way for new, all green leaves.

An annual that keeps coming back

Name: Purple perilla (Perilla fruterscens* cvs.)
ZONE: Annual
Size: 3 feet tall and 1 foot wide
Zeak Time:

Conditions:Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soil

Peak Time: Summer through fall
Call me crazy for recommending purple perilla (if you grow it, you know what I mean),

but it's simply a great plant. Direct-sow seeds in your garden in spring and you'll soon

have hunder of tiny, deep purple seedlings.These quickly turn into bushy, dramatically

dark plants, which can fill the gaps in your beds from summer through the first frost.

Perilla, unfortunately, self-sows prolifically. But it plays so well with others that you'll

be temmpted to leave more plants than you pull-and pulling them is easy. Perilla also

makes a wonderful filler for late-summer and fall bouquets.

Great foliage and a cloud of flowers

NAME: Greater burnet (Sanguisorba officinalia and cvs.)
ZONE: 3 to 8
Size: Up to 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; fertile, consistently moist, well-drained soil
Peak Time: Midsummer to midfall


Greater bunet provides an airy scrim for late-season borders, with its dense, dark
flower spikes on wiry stems that sway in the breeze above their intriguingly textured
leaves. Often grown as an herb, greater burnet's blue-green leaves look like they've
been cut with pinking shears; the leaves add a subtle cucumber flavor to salads. The
cultivar 'Tanna' (pictured)is a dwarf version reaching only 18 to 24 inches tall.

A parade of gold throughout the season

NAME:Patrinia (Patrinia scabiosifolia)
Zones: 5 to 8
Size: Up to 7 feet tall and 2 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun to parial shade; fertile, moist soil
Peak Time: Late summer through fall


Patrinia can be planted throughout a border to give the planting an airy accent.
It shoots up tall corymbs of bright yellow flowers in summer, which fade as fall
arrives, offering golden hues. The stems make geat cut flowers. Patrinia is,
unfortunately, an alternate host of daylily rust; if you love daylilies, you may
not want to introduce patrinia to your garden.

Unforgettable texture and three-season appeal

NAME: Threadleaf bluestar(Amsonia hubrichtil)
Zone: 5 to 8
Size: Up to 4 feet tall and 5 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun to light shde; moist, well-drained soil
Peak Time:Early to late fall
In spring, threadleaf bluestar is topped by cluster of starry, baby blue flowers.
Its green foliage is lush for the rest of the season, offering a fine-textured cloud
to act as a foil for bolder plants nearby. In fall, the plant turns into a stunning
mass of brilliant yellow. Give this plant a few years to reach its full potential
because a large clump makes the biggest impact.

A vigorous grower for damp areas

NAME: Mountain fleeceflower (Persicaria amplexicaulis and cvs.)
USDA Hardiness zones: 3 to 8
Size: 4 feet tall and wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist soil
Peak Time: Midsummer to midfall
Mountain fleeceflower is a vigorous grower that form a substantial clump.
It starts blooming in midsummer and keeps going into fall, and it's available
in shades of white, pink, and red. 'Firetail'(pictured) is popular for its rosy red
flowers. This plant appreciates ample moisture and is useful in a damp woodland
or along streams.

It laughs at heat, sun, and pests

NAME: Indigofera (Indigofera amblyantha
Zone: 6 to 9
Size: 6 feet tall and 8 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil


This tall, arching, lacy- textured shrub loves heat and sun shuns most garden pests.
Spikes of pink flowers start in May and continue to bloom sporadically through much
of the summer. Although indigofera has a light, ethereal look, it is tough as nails and
benefits from being pruned to the ground each year.

A reliable star

NAME: Blue-shrub
(Caryopteris x Clandonensis cvs.)
Zone: 6 to 9
Size: 3 feet tall and 5 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; well- drained soil


Blue-mist shrub is a low- growing, fine- textured mound that offers dependable foliage
and blue flowers through the mid- and late-summer months. An annual late-winter
haircut makes for a denser shrub the following season. 'Longwwood Blue'(pictured)
has been the standard for many years and an excellent addition to any garden.

It can take anything you throw at it

NAME: False spire (Sordaria sorbifolia*)
Zone: 2 to 9
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade;moist,well- drained soil


If you have a large space to fill, false spirea is for you. This plant forma large masses
of arching branches. Billowy white spirea of flowers appear in mid- to late summer.
It is unbelievably durable and will take just about any soil. Occasionally cutting it back to the ground will help keep the plant under control.

Trouble- free even in dry shade

NAME: Chinese buttonbush (Adina rubella)
Zone: 6 to 9
Size: 6 to 8 feet tall and wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-draind soil


This little-known jewel's early to midsummer Sputnik-like flowers last for weeks.
Chinese buttonbush tolerates dry shade, and there doesn't seem to be a sing insect
or disease that bothers it.

Fill a garden with sweet perfume

Name: Swamp azalea (Rhododendron viscosum)
Zone: 3 to 9

Size:8 feet tall and wide

Conditions: Full sun; moist, acidic soil


Swamp azalea is asuperb native plant that grows in areas from Texas to Maine. Flowers
range in color from white to pale yellow to pink, and a single azalea is not a preferred
salad-bar item for deer.

Tall, dark, and handsome

Name:Smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria and cvs.)
ZONE: 5 to 9
Size: Up to 15 feet tall and wide
Conditions: Full sun to patial shade; moist, well-drained soil

While this plant is often grown for its rather unusual smoky, plumelike panicles, its foliage
is also spectacular. Smoke bush can be grown as alage shub, but it's best when cut back
severely each year. A good choice for its deep burgundy color and overall vigor is the popuar 'Royal Purple'(Deer tend to avoid this shrub).

A big bold presence

NAME: 'Roger' bottlebrush buckeye (aesculus 'Roger')
Zone: 5 to 9
Size: Up to 10 feet tall and 15 feet wide

CONDITIONS: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well- drained soil


Bottle brush buckeye has early-summer spikes of creamy white flowers atop graceful
layers of green leaves that turn gold in autumn. 'Rogers' flowers a couple of weeks later
than the species and is noted of its spectacular flower spikes, which can be 30 inches or
more in length. This enthusiastic grower spreads by root suckers.

Cheerful pompons perk up the garden

Name: 'Elise Fellmann' snowdrop windflower (Anemone sylvestris 'Elise Fellmann')
Zones: 3 to 9
Size: 12 to16 inches tall and wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soil
Staying Power:Lasts all season; goes dormant in fall


A well- established clump of 'Elise Fellmann' snowdrop windflower can bloom for
well over a month and repeat the snow in early fall.

Pretty, pink, and tough as nail

Name: Gibraltar candytuft (lberris gibraltarica)
Zone: 5 to 9
Size:6 to 12 inches tall and 18 inches wide
Conditions: Full sun; welldrained, lean soil

Staying Power: Stays evergreen in warm zones; gones dormant in cooler zones
In midspring, Gibraltar candytuft disappears under an abundance of pale pink
blossoms, creating a lasting mound of color. This subshrub thrives in poor,dry
soil with minimal fertilization.

An easy way to fill in shady gaps

Name: Japanese yellow sage (Salvia Koyamae)

USDA HARINESS ZONE: 6 to 10

SHDE TOLERANCE: Partial shade

Japanese yellow sage doesn't look as if it belongs in shade, but its foliage and light- colored flowers perform wonderfully as a ground cover in dry shade. Creamy yellow flowers appear

off and on from summer to fall, but the hairy, hand-size leaves are great, too. Spreading stems root as they touch the ground, forming large clumps.

Perennials for dry shade

Sooner or Later in the evolution of most landscapes, you will face the situation of a dryshade area. It's a combination brutal enough to make any gardener cringe, and it occurs most often in the shade of deciduous or evergreen trees, where roots compete for moisture and nutrients, the soil is shallow and poor, and sunlight is limited. Though these areas can be a challenge to garden in, many plants can adapt to them under the right conditions. Plants in dry shadeneed to build a strong root sys quickly. in areas with mild,wet winters, plant in fall to allow plants to becomespring planting is best. Water new plants regularly until they become well established. After that, depending on where you garden and your annual rainfall these plants won't require consistent mmoisture to survive.

Brightening damp shade

Believe it or not, you can have flowers when gardening in wet, low-light conditions. In the summer of 2001, we bought an old one-room schoolhouse on neglected acres in the foothill of the Adirondacks. The property was a weedy tangle of buckthorns, swamp cedars, wild grapevines, and Virginia creeper. Waving his arm toward a dard a dark , gloomy jungle of nonflowering ditch lilies and moss that hugged the building, my husband, Jigs-architect of grand visions-dedclared that we should make this area our entryway. Except for moss and ferns, what could grow in such a forbidding place? As I explored the range of flowering possibilities, I learned that every damp-shade area is different, so strategies for developing them vary,as do the plants that will grow there. The perennials and annuals I rely on bring abundant flowers to our garden from spring through fall.

By Jo Ann Gardner

Ground covers for shade

Nine plants that quic fill in where others fear to tread. It is ofter the case that we gardeners find ourselves with a shady corner in our yard where

nothing grows. What we long for is one plant that will take to that spot and cover it so that we don't have to think about it again. If that plant happens to be attractive and keep out weeds, as well, so much the better. For many years, the quintessential American shade ground cover was ivy (Hedera helix and cvs.). It was one of the only trouble-free plants in nurseries to get the job done. Now, however, a wide selection of plants is available

that can cover large areas of ground without the benefit of a lot of sun. You probably won't even consider ivy if you firt check out these nine outstanding plants for your shady spot.

BY W. George Schmid