Plant Library

White-flowered form of gayfeather with strong vertical torch-like spikes. The white colour provides clean bright accents in borders and combines effectively with grasses. Flowers open from top downward along upright stems. Butterfly magnet like all liatris.

Combines well with echinacea, achillea, nepeta, calamintha, and monarda as well as ornamental grasses. The vertical white spikes create strong architectural interest. Native form suitable for prairie gardens and naturalistic plantings. Thrives in full sun with well-drained soil.

A compact selection of gayfeather with dense purple flower spikes opening from top downward. The shorter stature makes it suitable for front to middle border positions. Butterfly magnet with strong vertical form. The upright spikes provide excellent contrast with mounding perennials.

Thrives in full sun with average well-drained soil. More compact than the species, reducing staking needs. The vertical lines combine effectively with ornamental grasses and other prairie plants. Native cultivar suitable for naturalistic plantings and pollinator gardens.

Large clumps with bold palmate leaves give rise to tall sturdy showy spikes smothered in golden-yellow flowers. The substantial size requires ample space. Prefers rich moisture-retentive soil for best performance.

Attractive with large ferns including osmunda and polystichum, as well as filipendulas, hemerocallis, rodgersias, and sanguisorbas. Selected at the renowned Weihenstephaner Gärten in Freising, Germany. The bold foliage and tall flower spikes create dramatic presence in large moist borders.

Evergreen rosettes of glossy leathery spatulate to elliptical leaves lie flat on ground. Stems grow from center branching into airy masses of branchlets packed with tiny purple flowers from white bracts. The cloud-like flower effect persists for weeks.

Well-draining soil essential. Looks excellent woven between stipa grasses, oregano, calamint, and sages. Native to eastern Europe. The evergreen foliage provides year-round interest. The airy flower clouds create misty effect in borders. Excellent for drying. Also known as Limonium platyphyllum.

A charming plant for gravel gardens and dry sandy locations. Grows into stiffly upright columns clothed in narrow blue-green foliage topped with narrow spikes of soft purple blossoms flowering for extended periods. Self-seeds prolifically under favourable conditions.

Requires full sun. Cutting back hard two-thirds down in midsummer often leads to renewed vigor and second blooming later in season. Pink-flowered 'Canon J. Went' and white 'Alba' occasionally available. The extended flowering and self-seeding create naturalistic drifts in appropriate sites.

A very easy lobelia usually lower than indicated height, self-seeding through borders to create informal colonies. Sturdy blue flower spikes bloom from midsummer until early fall. Less demanding about site characteristics than cardinal flower.

Thrives in sun or part shade with average moisture. The self-seeding habit establishes naturalistic drifts. Native to eastern North America. The blue candles provide excellent vertical interest. More adaptable and easier than many lobelias. White-flowered form available but must be selected when blooming.

A selection of honesty with incredibly intense lavender-blue colour. Displays perennial qualities by sending short rhizomes from main crown. Self-seeds similarly to typical honesty. The papery seed pods that follow flowering are translucent and silvery.

Came through Derry Watkins of Special Plants in UK. The rhizomatous habit is unusual for what is typically an annual or biennial. The intense blue colour distinguishes it from typical purple honesty. The seed pods provide winter interest and are valued for dried arrangements.

A robust perennial lupine with palmate foliage and tall spikes of pea-like flowers. The species typically bears blue to purple flowers in dense terminal racemes. Forms substantial clumps with attractive divided leaves. Native to western North America.

Prefers cool summers and moisture-retentive soil. Can be short-lived in hot climates. The palmate foliage is attractive even when not flowering. Self-seeds where happy. Hybrid Russell lupines derive from this species. The native form has more naturalistic character than heavily bred cultivars.