http://site.plantes-web.fr/bddplantes/img/grande/27965.jpg

Sedum ‘Bertram Anderson’ – Bertram Anderson stonecrop – Crassulaceae

Class Notes: Semi evergreen – will keep some of its stems. Pink flowers.

Site/Notes: Full sun. Dry to average well drained soil. 6 tall by 6-12inches wide. Low maintenance plant. Massing, border, edging, mixed etc. ***Tolerant of salt spray and urban condition/pollution and may even thrive*** Summer to Fall blooming. Burgundy blooms. Semi evergreen.

Aesthetics/Notes: The using sedums in the urban landscape is a good idea. The hardscaping, heat island effect are very suitable for thriving conditions. This could potentially be used on a green roof too,

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Sedum_telephium_240808e.jpg/220px-Sedum_telephium_240808e.jpg

Hylotelephium telephium ‘Matrona’ – Autumn stonecrop – Crassulaceae

Class notes: Needs full sun, has a dark purple look. Hard to match. Even darker purple in nature. Needs sun to be dark purple.

Site/Notes: Zone 3-9. Full sun. Dry to average well drained soil. Tolerant of drought, dry, rocky soil. Blooms August to October. Pinky showy flowers. Attracts humming birds. Eastern Europe to Japan native. Up to 2ft tall and wide. Has become naturalized in some areas.

Aesthetic/Notes: The dark purple is an interesting feature to any dry/rocky garden. I think it would pair well with Sedum Autumn joy, black mondo grass or Sedum ‘Bertram Anderson’. Good for gardens that are hot, drought-prone and have zero trees/shade.

https://www.botanikfoto.com/en/details/image-photo-stonecrop-sedum-spider-flower-tarenaya-cleome-404089.php

http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/image_files/sizedPicture%20001182.jpg

Origanum ‘Barbara Tingey’ – round-leaved oregano – Lamiaceae

Class notes: Months of long blooming; bracts offer endless colour, as the blooms poke out at the end. Completely herbaceous. Bumble bees love this plant.

Site/notes: Full sun, average water (don’t over water). 6 inches high, 6-12 wide. Late summer, early fall bloom time. Pink/mauve flowers. Zone 7-10.

Aesthetics/Notes: Beautiful flower bracts, they’re quite showy. I think this would add interest to an alpine/rock garden. Good for being viewed up close and far away.

https://gardencoachpictures.wordpress.com/tag/cascading/

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/2c/1a/91/2c1a910458bf4c867db62ef7ccc84ba4.jpg

Class summary: Around 75 cm tall, drought tolerant. Not cold hardy (around -10). Bees and hummingbirds like. Evergreen shrub. Likes an open, rocky site.

Site/Notes:  Sun to partial shade but needs shade in hot climates. Sandy to loamy, well drained soil. Zone 7 plant. 3ft by 3ft, slow growing evergreen shrub. Hedge or ground cover. Requires little maintenance. Can be drought tolerant once established. Early summer flowering and then sporadically through out the year. Mounded form. Pink clustered flowers.

Aesthetics/Notes: These are often seen in street medians. They are sculptural, evergreen yet have striking pink flowers. This could potentially be used as a hedge or a structural component to a garden while adding some seasonal colour.

http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/36/48/1364810_f0e1cbd4.jpg

http://www.thismia.com/A/Asclepias_tuberosa1.jpg

Asclepias tuberosa – butterfly milk weed – Apocynaceae Family

Class notes: Everything about milkweed is poisonous. However, monarch butterflies are able to withstand the poison. They lay their eggs/larvae on the leaves. Caterpillars eat the leaves and detoxify it to a degree which makes them poisonous to predators. Bullet proof plant in terms of disease and pest except for the chewed up leaves by the butterflies. However, out here there isn’t a lot of Monarch butterflies, so this isn’t a problem. Not weedy here as well.  Additionally, they have tuberous roots.

Site/Notes: Full sun, low to average watering and dry, sandy, slightly acid, fertile soil. Hardy, zone 3-9. Drought tolerant. Orange flowers, feathery seed heads. Prairie garden, rain garden. 24 inches by 24 inches. Found in dry fields and slopes.

Aesthetics: The pop of orange would look especially pleasing from a distance. I could see this on highway hills, creating a simmering effect with other wildflowers.

http://www.vtwonen.nl/tuinieren/border-pakketten/prairietuin-border/

Eucalyptus gunnii – cider gum – Myrtaceae

Class notes: Australian tree/shrub. Distinct flowers and petals/sepals. Opposite without petiols when young. However, turn to alternate when an adult/tree. Has to be grown when young otherwise, it is very fragile and usually dies when it is transplanted. Thus, it is not found in nurseries often because it is not productive time/money wise for them to sell it. Blue wax on leaf. Grows 2 metres a year/fast.

Site/Notes: Evergreen shrub/tree. Fast growing. Attractive bark. They can grow up to 1metre or more in the first year. Hardy to -18. Easy to care for. Can grow huge – up to 121 ft when mature. But generally 80ft tall and 30ft spread. Shaded spots will restrict the growth. Loamy or Chalky well drained, moist soil but will not tolerate wet sites.  Sweet foliage is eagerly eaten by livestock. July to August flowering.

Aesthetic: The ochre colour contrasted by the blue foliage is striking. This is an underused plant that could add a ghostly illumination to the landscape. The fact that it gets so huge would be a challenge. (10 years = 10 metres)

http://www.ag.auburn.edu/landscape/images/Pontederia_cordata_(flower).jpg

Class notes: Roots are submerged – ‘submergent’. Good for large space (this sphere). Haze of blue from a far is breath taking – as seen in Central Park New York.

Site/Notes: Native to Eastern North American to Caribbean. Zone 3-10. Full sun. 4 ft tall, 2ft wide. Water/Soil. Ideally grown outside of container where it can spread and colonize. However, if spreading is a concern, leave in container. Rain gardens and ponds. Blue/purple flowers that bloom in June to October.

Aesthetic/Notes: The circular hardscaping contrasted with the purple haze, made this design at Coal Harbour very compelling. I like the idea of using this in a massing situation. It has an ephemeral appearance, however, with a long blooming period.

Anemone  hupehensis – Japanese anemone – Ranunculaceae

Class summary: Three petals at the back and front. Yellow stamen. Cultivars – early, mid and late flowering. Most flower in September. They come in rose, pink and lavender colours. Large colony forming, can be aggressive or garden ‘thugs’. Windflowers.

Site/Notes: Zone 4-8. Originates from Japan. Full sun to partial shade (flops in too much shade – too much sun/heat, the foliage will burn). Average, medium moist, well drained soil. Up to 2.5 metres, 1.5 metres wide. August to September bloom time. Cottage/woodland gardens. Mixed borders. Massing.

Aesthetic/Notes: The soft pink flowers, along with the form of the bud and petals are subtle and delicate. A lot of flowering plants can be quite vivid and over stimulating but anemone has just enough stimulation of colour to contrast the foliage and bring interest to the viewer. The fact that it is colonizing, provides an advantage in mass planting.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mijkra/with/4686808790/

http://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/helianthus-annuus-russian-giant/3675.html

Class Notes:  Recent researched has professed that this has good health benefits for bees (kind of like eating broccoli for humans). It’s not they’re favourite but it’s very good for them. Sunflowers attract birds because of the seeds. Seen native in prairie areas. It has deep tap roots.

Site/Notes: 1-8ft tall. Fuzzy stems. 5 inch, showy flowers. Fertile, moist, well drained soil that is heavily mulched. Full sun. Annual plant. Zones 2-11. Tolerates poor soil conditions that are on the dry side. July to August bloom period. Attracts birds and butterflies. From US, Canada and Mexico. Good specimen or good in a massing, Alternate leaves.

Aesthetics/Notes: There is something fascinating about the strange height proportions and human perception. It is a little overplayed in pop culture but I think it has some redeeming qualities as a specimen plant in mixed gardens – especially in areas that have high traffic or perhaps children nearby.

https://powellgardens.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/2011-09-102bsunflower252c2bmeadow.jpg

http://www.jardiplante.fr/epages/302463.sf/sec5f3eb932d2/?ObjectPath=/Shops/302463/Products/%22filipendula%20palmata%20nana%20ou%20filipendule%20naine%20pot%209cm%22

Filipendula palmata – Siberian meadowsweet – Rosaceae

Class summary: Alternate segments. Looks like an Astilbe. Likes wet soil. Queen of the Prairie is the common name, but this can be given multiple names – confusing when buying at nurseries. White to pink. Short to tall. All different varieties. Diversity in positioning (like in nature) helps with an informal garden and weeds are more acceptable or out competed.

Site/Notes: Likes partial to full shade. Rich, average to wet soil. Semi tolerant of standing water and pollution. Good in massing or border. 3 ft by 32 inches. Zone 3-9 hardiness. Clumping formation with tall unbranched stems. Colonizing and rhizome forming but grows a little every year and stays close by clump. June to July flowering.

Aesthetic/Notes: I think this is a great find. I prefer the pink varieties because its like an Astilbe but more prolific due to it’s flowering structure. This would be great colour for a woodland/shade garden. The light green shield fern paired beside it in the UBC botanical garden, really accented the bright pink.

http://www.zahradnictvikrulichovi.cz/imgs/products/_nbsp_/1183052_Filipendula_palmata_Nana_main_large.jpg