Cherry and chocolate are a perfect combo in the garden as well as in dessert! At almost 4 feet tall, towering cherry-red plumes brighten up the shade garden atop chocolate-red stems that begins to flower in mid-summer, when other astilbe are beginning to wane. The deeply divided foliage is dark green with chocolate-brown and red […]

Astilbes are long-living perennials that are most comfortable when grown in rich soil and light shade to filtered sun. Though they are easy to grow, astilbes have one critical requirement–lots of water. Plants must have consistently moist soil; dryness leads to a quick demise, especially in the sun. Increase watering as the foliage emerges and […]

A very low-maintenance plant, Storm Cloud Bluestar has olive green leaves with silver veins. Star-shaped, periwinkle blue flowers appear atop of the wide, mounding, shrub-like habit. Watch in spring as incredibly dark stems emerge from the ground. Optimal Growing Conditions Hardiness Zone Zones 4-9 Water Needs Average Sun Needs Part Sun to Full Sun Appearance […]

Wow! There are over 1,500 varieties of sun-loving coleus available today! I was curious to find out how the vegetative coleus was discovered (previously coleus was available only from seed and preferred shade) so I talked to the “Father of Coleus,” Allan M. Armitage, retired professor of horticulture at the University of Georgia. Dr. Armitage […]

The ultimate guide to choosing and caring for perennials! View the catalog below or click HERE to download the full catalog. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat you can download here.  

The perennial columbine blooms from mid-spring to early summer. Here’s how to plant and grow columbine flowers in your garden! Columbines, also known as Granny’s Bonnet, are known for their bell-shaped, spurred flowers, which range in color from light pastels to bright reds, yellows, oranges, purples, and bi-colors. There are over 70 species! The leaves have a […]

A great native alternative to boxwood! This cool new dwarf, broadleaf evergreen looks more like a boxwood than an inkberry. A dense, ball-shaped plant, Gem Box ilex has small, dainty, dark green leaves with attractive red tips during the spring flush. It maintains good branching right to the ground so it never looks bare-legged like […]

Rhododendrons and azaleas, both from the genus Rhododendron, have long been mainstays of late spring because of their spectacular clusters of showy blooms—plus, large green leaves that often stay green through winter. The flowers are tubular-, funnel-, or bell-shaped—and often fragrant. The leaves of the smaller azalea are usually pointed and narrow; the leaves of the rhododendron are generally large and leathery. With thousands […]