Close Ups

Magnolia blossoms welcome spring with their large, snowy-white fragrant flowers that appear even before the leaves on this deciduous shrub.

The bright yellow flowers of Forsythia add a burst of golden color to the early spring landscape.

Hanging baskets filled with trailing Fuchsia flowers are a floral magnets for attracting hummingbirds.

A major attractor to butterflies and bees, Asters are essential in the late season border, adding spots of bright color at summer's end.

This anemone, or Japanese Windflower, grows 24 to 32 inches tall with single, light violet-pink flowers. It's an extremely robust and vigorous plant. From late summer to fall, there is no flower quite like it in the border. 2" flowers on tall stems are freely and continuously produced. Deer resistant and attractive to butterflies. Good for cut flowers.

Asclepias, or Butterfly Weed, is one of the most striking of all wildflowers. The brilliant orange flowers appear in mid-summer. The flowers, which are heavily laden with nectar and pollen, are particularly attractive to hummingbirds, Monarch butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects.

Aster, Woods Blue, is a lavender blue daisy-like flower blooming from August through September. It makes an excellent container plant or front of the garden feature and looks great with ornamental grasses. Woods Blue is attractive to bees, butterflies and birds.

The showy golden-yellow, fragrant blooms of this azalea light up the display garden in early spring. That is not all, however. It is also exceptionally mildew resistant, and ready to offer a second season of beauty with brilliant fall foliage.

Bleeding hearts are traditional favorites in shade gardens. The graceful, sprays of rosy-pink heart-shaped flowers dangle from long, arching, stems above the foliage in mid to late spring.

Clematis is the most popular perennial climber available. Rouge Cardinal is just one of 20 varieties we offer. It has brilliant, velvety crimson blooms backed by leathery-textured foliage on a woody vine. It makes a fine ground cover or climber for arbors, fences or weaving through taller shrubs.

Crocosmia, Lucifer, adds a tropical flair to northern gardens. Beginning in midsummer and continuing through early fall, brilliant flame red flowers stand in rows on wiry, gracefully arched stems that are perfect for cutting.

The daylily is a popular perennial revered for its reliability, ease of growth and beauty. Daylilies produce an abundance of flowers which open over a long period of time. They are useful in the perennial flower border, as a garden centerpiece, or any corner of the garden which needs to be brightened up. Daylilies make beautiful cut flower bouquets as well.

Euphorbia Fireglow, has flame orange bracts and brick-colored flowers which stand torch-like on strong pomegranate red stems. The soft green foliage blushes crimson and yellow in the fall.

The Fernleaf Peony is a precious gem in the garden, displaying bright red, double blooms above delicate, fern-like foliage. Enjoy the colorful and fragrant beauty that peonies bring to the garden.

The large blooms of this perennial geranium are a spectacular violet-blue with a white throat and darker veining that continue to provide color all season long. The attractive foliage weaves itself through neighboring plants, and turns wonderful shades of bronze-red in the fall. Grow in borders, containers, rock or cottage gardens. 'Rozanne' is most effective en masse.

A strong accent plant reminiscent of heirloom gardens and cottage borders, Hollyhocks (alcea) are a charming addition to any garden space. Growing 4 to 8 feet high, hollyhocks are an old garden standard, particularly useful for background screening or where vertical accent is desired. They come in a wide variety of colors and styles, single, semi-double, and double. The older varieties of hollyhocks are short-lived perennials that are usually treated as biennials. The first year flowering is sparse, but the second year they show their glory flowering June to late August. Once established, their self-seeding characteristic keeps them blooming like new each year.

Iris ensata, Eden Purple Glory, has deep purple flowers with a short yellow stripe near the center. Japanese iris are a group of beardless iris (I. ensata, formerly I. kaempferi) which are the last to bloom, about a month after the tall bearded and Siberian iris. The largest flowers of all iris, with lovely forms, colors and patterns, they require full sun, a rich, acidic soil and ample water. Mulch will help hold water and reduce weeds.

Fata Morgana is an outstanding Asiatic Lily that produces semi-double, bright yellow, lightly spotted petals with five to seven blooms on tall stems.

One of the most elegant bloomers in the water garden, lotus produces large, exotic peony-like flowers in late summer. The blooms are a perfect accent to the gorgeous blue-green leaves. Mrs. Perry D. Slocum, pictured here, is a very fragrant variety with semi double blooms that open deep pink and change to yellow and then pale creamy yellow. Flowers are 9 to 12 inches across. It is a heavy bloomer, and it is not uncommon to see 3 different colored flowers on the same plant, all in different stages of bloom.

Buds that resemble raspberries open to reveal the wine red flowers of this selection. They appear atop the stocky, square stems from midsummer to fall. This variety out-blooms most other monardas. The attractive, dark green foliage exhibits excellent mildew resistance. The flowers' sweet nectar attracts scores of hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees to the garden. The aromatic foliage smells like mint when crushed and is often used to flavor teas.

These hybrid poppies bloom in May and June each year on vigorous plants about 3 feet tall... and they are truly spectacular. Royal Wedding adds a touch of gracefulness to the garden as it welcomes the beginning of summer.

Phlox have been garden favorites for years and it is easy to understand why this may be. Not only are plants easy to grow but they flower in a wide range of colors and produce a scent that is out of this world. If you have a space in the garden border, then Phlox is a must.

Clusters of deep rose flowers cover the dark gray-green foliage of Sedum 'Neon' in late summer, early fall.

Large, 4-inch clean white single flowers are held on strong, sturdy stems. A superb daisy that is upright, heat and cold tolerant, with long lasting flowers. The star-of-the-show in cut bouquets. Becky's pristine white flowers are the perfect compliment with blue-flowering Russian Sage, purple phlox, red monarda, or coneflowers.

The striking foliage of Tiger Eyes Sumac offers a long season of interest with its deeply-cut, almost lacy leaves. The new growth starts out a vivid chartreuse, but soon changes to a bright yellow. In autumn the plants turn a brilliant scarlet-orange layered over the yellow, for an impressive, luminous show. The fuzzy-looking, purplish-pink stems offer a pleasing contrast to the lemony foliage.

Like a candy cane in the garden, 'Shimanishiki' tree peony displays stunning double flowers that are streaked with red, white and light pink. Almost good enough to eat!

The large buttercup blooms of Trollius make for a nice front of the border plant and also a good cut flower. Plump, rounded, yellow buds open to bright lemon yellow, bowl-shaped blossoms. This is a spring blooming species that often reblooms in the fall. Though T. europaeus tends to be more tolerant of drier soils than most other types of Trollius, it will perform better in average to moist soil. Trollius is a wonderful addition to any sunny or partially shaded, moist area such as the edges of ponds or streams.

The showy bell-shaped flowers of early summer-blooming Weigela are sure to attract hummingbirds by the hundreds to your garden.