A low carpet-forming species of Yarrow, very different from the taller types grown as border perennials. Suitable for edging a sunny border, in the rock garden or alpine trough garden. It forms a low carpet of fuzzy olive-green leaves, producing small clusters of primrose-yellow flowers on taller stems in early summer. Sometimes used as a groundcover in small areas. Removing faded flowers will encourage more buds to form. Prune off flower stems after blooming is finished. Dislikes heavy clay soil. Divide every 2 to 3 years, in spring or early fall.  I've always loved this plant for it's soft yellow flower and fuzzy gray-green leaves that add contrasting texture all seaso long.

Full sun, average well drained soil.   Alpine or rock garden, attracts Butterflies,
deer resistant, drought tolerant, rabbit resistant, evergreen.  Height: 6-8" tall.  Spread: 8-12".

Monkshood.  Effectively brightens shaded areas at the back of borders or to use as a dramatic accent planting. Flowers make nice cutting subjects for fresh bouquets.  Prefers cool fertile soil with generous amounts of moisture. Protect from direct sun in hot climates. Will benefit from a spring mulch of organic matter. CAUTION: Toxic if eaten, please do not put this in your salad!

35" tall by 18" wide. Zone 4.  Prefers well-drained or loamy soil, but will tolerate moist to we soils with a neutral pH, especially fond of phosphorus. Full sun to part shade.  Cut flower, woodland garden.  Pest resistant. Size: G1

Dwarf Gold Sweet Flag.  One of the most striking and cutest of the acorus.  Tufts of tiny, golden, grasslike, evergold foliage make a slowy spreading patch to 2' wide.  Tiny flowers in early summer require the use of a magnifying glass to see them.   An eye catcher in my shady woodland border.  Origin: China, Japan

3" tall by 2' eventually.  Zone 5. Average to moist soil. Part sun to light shade.  Deer resitant, groundcover, fill between stepping stones, specimen in trough or container. Size: small pot.

Black Snakeroot.  I like the other common name, Fairy Candles. Wispy plumes of tiny, star-like white flowers over crisp, green, somewhat heart-shaped foliage. This native to the eastern U.S. brings height to moist, partly shady sites.  Flowers may be left on the plant throughout autumn for added intersest and seed pods make interesting additions to flower arrangements.  August - September bloom.

4-5' tall by 2'. Zone 3. Performs best in moist, organic-rich soil. Part to full shade. Back of border, open woodland settings, fragrant, low maintenance. Size: G1

Black Snakeroot. Selected from seedlings for dark, coppery purple foliage, this plant has a regal profile in the high shade woodland garden. Stately reddish purple stems soar above your head, displaying dense spires covered with round mahogany-hued buds and sweet, fragrant starbursts of pinkish-white racemes early to late fall. 

5-6' tall by 2-3' wide. Zone 4. Neutral to sweet soil, average to moist. Part shade. Sweetly fragrant, low maintenance, deer and rabbit resistant, fragrant, specimen, woodland massing.  Size:  G1

Formerly the common name for Cimicifuga was Snakeroot.  The common name for Actaea was Baneberry.  So, now I don't know.  In good time it will become clear I'm sure.  And, who's to say which of the purple leaved varieties is the darkest, unless one grows them side by side, which I have not done.  Let me know if you have.  The chocolate colored leaves on this one show off compact spikes of white flowers in late summer.  Seed pods are attractive long after bloom.  Limited supply.  Size: G1

4-5 ' tall by 2-3' wide.  See above listing for additional details.

This lovely native cultivar adds wonderful texture and color to the shade garden. From midsummer through early fall, fragrant bottlebrush flowers dance above the deep purple foliage.  They are a rich mauve-pink color when they open and lighten to white  as they age.  

This is a shorter variety than 'Hillside Black Beauty' and 'James Compton', measuring in at 2-3 feet tall.  Some direct sunlight is required to draw out the purple coloration in the foliage.   

Morthern Maindenhair Fern.  Don't you love the name.  Conjures up fairies all over the place.  Slowly branching rhizomes carry this slowly into colonies.  Graceful, curved fronds have wiry black stems which wave in the breeze.  Grow near hosta for a great textural contrast.  Small pot.

18" tall by 18" wide.  Spreads slowly. Zone 3. Moist, woodsy soil.  Part to full shade.  Nataive garden, ground cover, naturalizing, woodland garden, low maintenance.

I hate to put this under the common name Bugleweed as it is so much better behaved.  Chocolate Chip, don't you love that name, has small, narrow leaves that form a chocolate-purple and green carpet in full sun.  More green in less sun. From mid to late spring, short spikes of light blue folwers stand upright above the low, spreading foliage.  Stunning when planted in mass.  Petite enough to grow between stepping stones.  Limited supply. Small pot.

4" tall by 8-10" wide.  Honestly.  Full sun to full shade.  Average soil.  Useful for erosion control, woodland garden, rock garden, troughs, deer resistant.

This was a favorite last year in our garden.  Glad to find it to offer, but it won't be available until after June 6, 2011.  Introduced by Rick Darke who discovered it at the Henry Foundation in PHiladelphia.  Delicate, light-blue flowers are borne in terminal clusters and held well above the foliage, blooming mid spring atop sturdy, erect stems.  Flowers are larger, more prominent fully opened and last longer thatn the species.  Fine textured, shiny green ferny foliage makes plant appear to be a dwarf Amsonia hubrictii.  Cool fall temps coax leaves into a golden-yellow to bronze, one of its best traits.  Height: 18-24" tall.  Spread: 18-24".  Zones 4-9.  Small container.

'Denver Gold' offers huge yellow flowers with exceptionally long spurs that bloom heavily in spring. Often, Aquilegia 'Denver Gold' will rebloom summer through fall if flowers stems are cut back. As with many other columbines, 'Denver Gold' is graceful, with blue-green foliage and is a wonderful addition to formal or cottage gardens with its flowers at the center of attention. Columbine offers a wealth of flowers in sun or shade and sometimes will self sow without being annoying. ‘Denver Gold’ performs best in dappled sun to partial shade.  24-36" tall. Inches  •Fragrant  •Great Foliage  •Naturalizing  •Border or Bed  •Rock Garden  •Cut Flower

Columbine. Auilegia 'Clementine Red' is part of a spectacular new generation of Columbine with flowers resembling a small double flowering clematis. Flowers are fuchsia-red, fully double, upward facing and spurless. I chose this one to add to my pink garden. Small pot.

18" tall by 12-18" wide. Zone 3.Average to moist soil. Full sun to part shade. Cut flower, attracts butterflies and hummers, boder, container, specimen, massing.  Blooms late spring, early summer.

A much loved alpine thrift. Virtually stemless, globular pink flower heads appear on 3-5” dark green, grassy mounds in early summer. Armeria is perfect in a rock garden or trough, in the front border or tucked into stonewalls. Its delightful, clump-forming, tufts of grass-like foliage offer up a multitude of globe-shaped flower balls in spring. Salt tolerant, it can be planted along coastlines.

Hardiness Zones: 3-8     Full sun.  Deer Resistant.Plant in well drained soil. 

The perfect sized goat's beard, a cross between A. aesthusifolius and A. dioicus. Selected by Armitage for its tolerance of heat and humidity. Delicate creamy site flower panicles, fern-like leaves and red stems. Dwarf, compact habit. Early summer bloom. Limited supply. Size: G1

18-24" tall by 18-24" wide. Full sun to full shade. Zone 3. Neutral soil. Woodland, shade, border, contaner, deer resistant.

Italian Aster.  I'm so glad I finally found a source for this wonderful, aster yellows-free plant. Long-lived, long flowering and trouble free.  Masses of striking deep violet-blue flowers with bright yellow eyes from late summer until frost. Size: G1

24" tall by 18" wide.  Use 4 plants per square yard. Full sun. Zone 5. Border, container. Cannot ship to CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, TX, UT, and WA.

Aromatic Aster.  A short, bushy selction with finely textured, mint-scented foliage.  Late summer, a myriad of daisy-like flowers with yellow center and purple ray flowers grace the autumn garden.  North American native.  Small pot.  Cannot ship to  CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, TX, UT, and WA .

18-24" tall by 20-24" wide.  Zone 5.  Full sun. Fertile soil, neutral to alkaline (may need lime in Maine).  Border, attracts butterflies.

False Spirea. New at Sunnyside this year to add to our extensive collection of astilbes, this plant forms a robust clump of lacy, deep blue-green waxy foliage with red highlights.  Red stems carry panicles of deep salmon red buds which open to soft apricot pink flowers in midsummer.  Considered an improvement over 'Peach Blossom'.  Small pot.

24-36" tall by 24" wide. Full sun to full shade. Keep moist in full sun. Zone 4. Fertile soil. Container, shade garden, cutting, deer and rabbit resistant.

This has been on my list of plants to reintroduce to the nursery.  It's a bit harder to find and an older variety, but one of my favorites.  Glossy bronze foliage is topped by airy white plumes.  Reddish stems set off the flowers nicely.  An extra early bloomer. Size: G1

20" tall by 18" wide. Zone 3. Full sun to full shade.  Keep moist in full sun. Container, shade garden, cutting, deer and rabbit resistant.

Fern-Crested Japanese Painted    This lovely crested form of Japanese Painted Fern is very similar to ‘Pictum’ in color, but the pinnae (leaflets) are distinctly crested all the way up the frond and at the tip.  The plant has a low, mounding habit and spreads slowly by rhizomes.  Intro Year: 2003 by Applecourt Nursery in the UK.  Height:12 Inches  Spread:24 Inches  Zone:4,5,6,7,8.  Part to full shade. Uses:  Container/Patio, Woodland/Shade, Asian, Rain Garden.  Athyrium grows best in moist soil with a neutral to moderately acidic pH. Partial to full shade is best; some sunlight is necessary to draw out the coloring. To protect the crowns and tender shoots in the spring, it is best to leave the old fronds on the plant over the winter. They can be removed in the spring when the new fronds reach 6 inches tall.