Lysimachia nummularia, Creeping Jenny lives up to its common name. Creeping along, not galloping, this ground cover will tolerate full sun when given enough moisture. Planting in part shade around ponds is an especially effective use for this plant. A striking combination to consider is the cultivar L. n, ‘Aurea’ combined with Ophiopogon ‘Ebony Knight’. The unique black, grass-like leaves of O. ‘Ebony Knight’ contrasts nicely with the golden leaves of the L. n. ‘Aurea’. Both the straight species and the cultivar have fragrant yellow flowers in May. A true ground hugger, 3-4” is about as tall as Creeping Jenny will grow. Equally effective in containers and window boxes, L. n. and L. n. ‘Aurea’ will look stunning dripping over walls and around stepping-stones. This plant will need to be well watered at all times, if allowed to dry out it will shrivel up.
Monarda cultivars ‘Coral Reef’, ‘Jacob Cline’ ‘, ‘Marshalls Delite’, and ‘Petite Delight’ all have heavenly minty foliage. Monardas will grow from the petite size of ‘Petite Delight’ 12-18 inches to the tall and stately ‘Coral Reef’ at 3-4 feet. The common name of Bee Balm refers to the effect this plant has on bees. Full sun will keep Monardas from falling over and good air circulation will aid in reducing mildew problems. These cultivars are mildew resistant (not mildew proof). Keeping the surrounding areas clean of leaf litter and other debris will help to avoid situations that attract mildew. The crown shaped flowers will appear June through August. Deadheading will prolong bloom time.
Nepeta fassenii ‘Dropmore’, ‘Six Hills Giant’, and ‘Walker’s Low’ all have fragrant fine-textured gray-green foliage. The airy masses of small lavender flowers are just a bonus. Blooming will start in June-July and will rebloom if they are deadheaded. Brushing against the aromatic foliage will release its lovely fragrance. Plant in full sun and well-drained soil. After it becomes established, Nepeta will be very drought tolerant.
Paeonia lactiflora ‘Felix Crousse’, ‘Festiva Maxima’, ‘Karl Rosenfield’, ‘Sarah Bernhardt’, and ‘Shirley Temple’ all have wonderful double flowers and lovely fragrance. Plant them in full sun for best flowering, (too much shade will diminish the flowering). The “eyes” (buds) should be planted only 1-2 inches below the surface of the soil. Planted too deep will prevent flowering. Removing some of the flower buds will result in fewer but larger flowering heads. A Peony ring is helpful in keeping the heavy flowers from falling over into mud puddles during rainstorms. Garden Peonies grow to 2-3 feet tall with an equal or wider spread. Paeonias are extremely long lived, surviving 20 to 30 years and longer. The flowers are very desirable as cut flowers and last a long time in arrangements. ‘Festiva Maxima’ was introduced in 1851 and remains one of the most popular Peonies. The bloom time is May and June.
Perovskia atriplicifolia, P. a. ‘Filigran’, and P. a. ‘Little Spire’ are considered a sub shrub because of their woody nature. The gray-white aromatic stems are covered with a cloud of blue-violet spikes from July to September. ‘Filigran’ has extremely delicate and deeply cut foliage and is compact with an upright growth habit. Its 3-½ foot size makes it the middle child in our family of Perovskias. The tallest is P. atriplicifolia that will grow to 4 feet tall. P. a. ‘Little Spire’, at only 2 ½ feet and 12” in spread is the baby of the family. All Perovskias will want to be planted in full sun and very well drained soil with average fertility. Too much shade or too rich soil may cause Perovskias to flop over.
Phlox paniculata cultivars come in a never-ending variety of colors and sizes. The flowers are delightfully fragrant and will bloom for a long period of time. The heights range from 24 inches to 4-5 feet tall. Clumps grow larger each year. This is one perennial that you do not want to allow to go to seed. The seedling will not be the same as the original plant and will crowd them out. Because Phlox p. is very prone to mildew, good air circulation is a must. Full sun to part shade is the best place to plant these perennials.
Polemonium reptans ‘Stairway to Heaven’ (Variegated Jacob’s Ladder) is a variegated form of our native Jacob’s Ladder that was selected by the New England Wild Flower Society. ‘Stairway to Heaven’ grows to 12 inches in part shade. The lavender blue flowers are fragrant and bloom mid to late spring.
Polygonatum falcatum ‘Variegatum’ (Variegated Solomon’s Seal), the variegated form of our native Polygonatum has white edged gracefully arching 3 foot leaves with fragrant tubular white flowers that dangle from under the leaves in May and June. Rich moist soil and full shade to part sun will result in ever growing clumps.
Sagina subulata, Irish Moss and Sagina s. ‘Aurea’ Scotch Moss form a dense mat to surround stepping-stones or in rock gardens. Growing to 1 inch the tiny fragrant white flowers arrive in May-June. Grow in part sun with ample moisture to part shade, preferring bright shade. Irish Moss is a soft green and Scotch Moss has lime green to yellow foliage. At the Chicago Botanical Gardens, the mosses are grown in at tic tack toe design. Both Scotch and Irish Moss are evergreen, adding a fine textural effect to the winter garden.
Salvia nemorosa cultivars have aromatic foliage. They come in a wide variety of colors, from white to blue to dark purple. Cutting back after flowering will entice them to rebloom one or two more times. All Salvias prefer full sun and well-drained soil. S. n. ‘Marcus’ is a very compact Salvia with lavender-purple spikes. S. n. ‘Snow Hill’ and ‘Blue Hill’ have only the flower color to tell them apart. S. n. ‘Caradonna’ has purple-black stems to complement the rich violet-purple flower spikes. ‘East Freisland’ starts to bloom in June and July and ‘May Night’, with deep indigo-purple spikes, will bloom at about the same time. Salvias grow from 15 inches to 24 inches.
Santolina incana nana is the silvery-gray foliage Lavender Cotton. This plant has low mounds of silvery-gray foliage with a pleasant camphor-like fragrance. It grows to about 8 inches and is semi-evergreen and will produce button-sized flowers in June through July. Full sun and very well drained soil with a hard clipping to about 4 inches in the spring will keep this plant bushy and neat.
Santolina virens is the green foliage Lavender Cotton. Yellow lemon-drop-sized flowers on wiry stems stand over a soft green mound of foliage in June and July, reaching to a height of 15 inches. Full sun and well-drained average soil will help this Santolina thrive in the heat of summer. Clip hard in spring to about 4 inches to keep its mound shape habit.
Thymus serpyllum ‘Coccineus’, Red Flowering Mother of Thyme will release the scent of the foliage if brushed against when walking over the stepping stones they are planted around, or borders of the flower beds. At 3 inches high with wiry stems, this groundcover is perfect for rock gardens, troughs, alpine gardens, and as a lawn substitute. Full sun and excellent drainage will produce rosy-purple flowers in mid-summer.
Tiarella cordifolia (Foam Flower) cultivars are a main stay of the woodland garden. ‘Running Tapestry’ is a fast-spreading ground cover while the others are clumpers. ‘Brandywine’ has puffy, tiny white flowers, ‘Oakleaf’ has deep pink flowers, ‘Elizabeth Oliver’ has light pink flowers. ‘Black Snowflake’ with its dark shading centered on the deeply cut leaves contrast nicely with the pink foam flowers. The flowers are fragrant and start blooming April and May. Tiarella grows from 8 to 12 inches tall.
Verbena ‘Blue Princess’ will bloom all summer long with fragrant light blue-purple flowers. From May to frost this 6-inch plant will carpet the ground. Full sun and well-drained soil will keep this zones 5-8 Verbena thriving. Verbenas will trail over containers, flowerboxes, banks, and walls.
Viola labradorica is a native of the Northern U.S. The fragrant flowers of the Labrador Violet are violet-purple on 6-inch stalks and bloom in April-May. The perfect woodland or wildflower garden ground cover, Viola labradorica is pleasing in part shade to full shade.
FERN
Dennstaedtia punctilobata, Hayscented Fern smells like fresh-cut hay when it is crushed or bruised. This lime green deciduous native fern has a fine lacy texture and makes a nice ground cover with its rhizomeous habit. Hayscented Ferns grow to 3 feet tall and prefer part sun to full shade. Perfect for low areas in wooded landscapes or areas that are difficult to maintain.
GRASSES
Acorus gramineus variegatus (Variegated Japanese Sweet Flag) has narrow upright cream and dark green striped foliage and is scented with a pleasant, pinelike fragrance. A. g. ‘Ogon’ (Golden Variegated Dwarf Sweet Flag) has foliage that is shiny gold and striped with green and sweetly fragrant. Many spikes of tiny, densely packed, yellow flowers appear in late spring to early summer. Preferring part shade and moist soils, Acorus is prefect for around ponds or any boggy area. At 8 to 10 inches tall for the variegatus, and 10-16 inches for the Golden, this plant can be used as border plant, ground cover, or in a water garden. Dry conditions will result in burnt tips and brown leaves.
SHRUBS
Buddleia davidii cultivars are rich with an expanded palette of colors. From the delicate pink of ‘Pink Delite’ to the deep purple-black flowers of ‘Black Knight’ the color range is extensive. Sizes range from the 3-4 foot size of ‘White Ball’ to 5-6 feet size of ‘Black Knight’, and ‘Pink Delite’. The fragrant flowers are produced from July to September; frequent dead heading will prolong the bloom time. If the Butterfly Bush is too large to manually dead head, try pruning a portion of all the branches. It will take longer to rebloom, but the size of the plant will become manageable again. Plant in full sun in average to moist, well-drained soil.
Caryopteris clandonensis ‘Dark Knight’, ‘First Choice’, and ‘Onoveris’ Grand Bleu tm or Blue Beard are shrubs with aromatic foliage. They grow to 2 to 3 feet in size and blooming August through September. The glossy green leaves of Grand Bleu are a departure from the silvery-green foliage of ‘Dark Knight’ and ‘First Choice’. Full sun will bring out the best flowering. The blue flower clusters resemble a blue mist, which is another common name.
Fothergilla major ‘Mt Airy’ is a deciduous, spring flowering shrub well known for its wonderful fall foliage color and delightfully white fragrant flowers. ‘Mt Airy’ will grow to 5 feet and, in full sun, will have the best autumn display.
Yucca filamentosa and its cultivars bring a very dramatic statement to the landscape. The candelabra shaped flower stalk is filled with fragrant bell-shaped white flowers to a height of 5-6 feet. Y. filamentosa is a desirable native for hot dry areas in full sun. ‘Adam’s Needle’s’ sword-like leaves make a bold accent to any garden. The variegated cultivars are arrangements of green and bright yellow. The flowers of the Yuccas bloom in July and August with the foliage ranging from 2-3 feet high to 3-4 feet high.
VINES
Clematis paniculata, otherwise known as Sweet Autumn Clematis is an old-fashioned vine that blooms on new wood in August through September. Its silvery seed heads that form after blooming are considered very attractive. Sweet Autumn Clematis grows best in full sun to part shade.
Polygonum aubertii, Silver Lace Vine is a rapid grower that quickly covers arbors, fences, and other structures. Expect 12 to 15 feet of growth in the first year. The masses of tiny fragrant white flowers are produced from July through September in full sun or part shade.
