Common name: Mrs. Willmott’s ghost

Family name: Apiaceae

Description: rosette of heart shaped basal leaves and spiny stem leaves, with cone shaped inflorescence surrounded by silvery-green, spiny bracts.

Flower: cone shaped umbels of tiny flowers centred among spiny, silver-grey bracts. Flowers can  be white or sapphire blue; pollinated by wasps.

Foliage: basal rosette is heart shaped; stem leaves are silvery-green and spiny.

Growing conditions: dry, well-drained soil that is not overly fertile, full sun.

Height and spread: 1.0 by 0.5m

Limitations: not shade tolerant and doesn’t like a lot of moisture.

Landscape uses: Allium sphaerocephalon and Eryngium giganteum look good together as the dark magenta of the Allium looks great agains the silvery green bracts of the Eryngium, and the flower heads mirror each other’s form. Also looks good combined with more frothy looking flowers such as Goniolimon tataricum, or baby’s breath, or punctuating soft grasses; possibly with echinacea purpurea as the cones will visually call to one another. The silver green foliage of  E. giganteum would contrast nicely with the silver and blue of Perovskia atriplicifolia.

Common name: foxglove

Family name: Plantaginaceae

Description: basal rosette of leaves with a large, statuesque flower spike growing from the top; flowers ranging from white-pink-light purple, and are bell shaped and tightly arranged.

Flower: bell shaped, bee pollinated, with a long flowering season of 2+ months; flowers have fine hairs inside and are speckled with dark dots and are held on a large, upright spike.

Foliage: basal rosette forms the first year, leaves are large, simple, ovate, with irregular margins.

Growing conditions: part sun/part shade; well-drained soil; low water usage.

Height and spread: 2-3m (max) by 0.3-0.6m

Limitations: Doesn’t flower until the second year after planting, so not suited for an area that needs to look good immediately (i.e. a condo showing space); not suited for a formal garden; all parts of the plant are poisonous, so not suitable for areas like a playground, or where children play often.

Landscape uses: excellent bee- attracting plant; has a cottage/english garden feel; self seeds, and is fairly low maintenance, making it good for landscapes where there is little budget for maintenance work, or irrigation.

Common name: mountain bluet

Family name: Asteraceae

Description: leafy Centaurea with purple/blue flowers that arise from a base that resembles a globe artichoke–overlapping bracts that are edged with fine black hairs. foliage is a pleasant medium green. The plant forms a leafy mound with flowers large enough to be considered showy.

Flower: The petals are tubular and slender where they arise from the centre of the flower, but flare out at the tips. The flowers have an overall spikey, interesting appearance.

Foliage: medium green; lanceolate, with fine hairs all over the surface; slightly glossy.

Growing conditions: full sun to part shade, however, more sun gives more flowers; moderate water usage; well drained soil

Height and spread: 0.7m x 1.0m max.

Limitations: does well in Vancouver, but in drier climates, it becomes weedy

Landscape uses: attract beneficial insects, bedding plant, perennial border. The blue purple flowers would contrast nicely against a rocky wall or in a rock garden. Might look good with plants with an architectural appearance.

Common name: English iris

Family name: Iridaceae

Description: Bulbous perennial reaching 60cm tall with showy purple/blue flowers and narrow lanceolate leaves.

Flower: each flower has 3 spreading, rounded fall petals and 3 upright “standard” petals; flowers are deep purply blue with a yellow stripe; flowers appear in mid summer and last 3-4 weeks.

Foliage: long, narrow leaves emerge first and expand until the flowering stems emerge, then the leaves die back.

Growing conditions: likes moist conditions; sun

Height and spread: flowering stems are approx. 40 cm tall with 2-3 flowers; leaves are up to 60cm long

Limitations: likes moist conditions, so cannot be planted in an unirrigated landscape in Vancouver.

Landscape uses: ornamental, showy flowers should be planted close to pathways so people can enjoy the blooms; near water i.e. a pond or water feature; suits an informal garden or woodland, meadow, or grassy landscape, as well as a more formal garden; growing Iris latifolia among grasses has the advantage of concealing the yellowing leaves as they die back while the flowers are still in bloom.

Common name: gunnera, giant rhubarb

Family name: Gunneraceae

Description: Huge, tropical-looking plant with massive basal leaves that can reach 3m across. Clump forming with leaves resemble that of a rhubarb, or almost an umbrella shape, with an extremely coarse texture and deep venation. Petioles are spiny, surrounding a thick flower spike.

Flower: inflorescence forms a spike; produces red drupes as fruit.

Foliage: Leaves are as described above, with a sandpapery texture, and dark green colour. They form an umbrella like habit that is quite striking.

Growing conditions: Full sun to part shade; humus rich soil; high moisture content i.e. at the edge of a pond.

Height and spread: 2-3m by 3-4m

Limitations: Such a large plant is only suited to large sites, such as parks, institutional settings, and large private gardens. Also requires a wet site, such as near a water feature. Not hardy, so in Vancouver, cannot grow above 100m elevation, and requires winter maintenance as follows: cut the leaves back before they wither and place them upturned over the crown of the plant to protect it in winter.

Landscape uses: Accent plant, Aquatic – ponds, Screening, Specimen plant, Waterside planting, Wetland – bogs

Common name: Skikkim spurge

Family name: Euphorbiaceae

Description: 1m high stems with long, lanceolate medium green leaves with prominent white vein down the centre of each leaf, and chartreuse inflorescence. Grows in clumps, and has an overall spikey appearance.

Flower: Chartruse bracts contrast nicely with the medium green foliage

Foliage: medium green, long, lanceolate leaves with prominent central vein; alternately arranged.

Height and spread: 1m tall stems

Limitations: sap is milky and can be an irritant to the skin and especially the mucous membranes. Not ideal for areas where children play.

Growing conditions: deep, rich, moisture retentive soil; open conditions.

In the landscape: great contrast of the chartreuse inflorescences with the deeper blue green of the foliage. In early spring the leaves emerge red, which adds seasonally changing interest to this plant.

Common name: bear’s breeches

Family name: Acanthaceae

Description: clump forming perennial with upright spikes of white to light pink flowers and dark purple bracts. The leaves are spiny and deeply lobed and slightly glossy.

Flower: white flowers that can be tinged pink, held on tall upright spikes each sporting a dark reddish purple bract; flowers open from bottom to top, blooming mid to late summer; bracts remain after the flowers are finished, giving the plant an attractive appearance in and out of flower.

Foliage: large, deeply lobed leaves with a slightly glossy appearance; tips of each lobe look spiny, but texture of the leaves is actually quite soft

Growing conditions: part to full sun; can be drought tolerant once established, but prefers some moisture;

Height and spread: 90-120 cm by 75-90 cm.

Limitations: very distinct and eye catching so needs to be used in a thoughtful way, not as filler.

Landscape uses: This plant has an overall very architectural and striking appearance; can be used to give vertical interest in the landscape; can hold its own next to large structures.

Foliage

Common name: broad-petaled cranesbill

Family name: Geraniaceae

Description: fast growing, spreading, mounded deciduous perennial; medium green foliage with magenta flowers; a large geranium, fills space but has an airy quality.

Flower: showy, magenta/pink flowers accented by darker purple nerves in the petals; 5 petaled cyme; blooms May-August.

Foliage: palmately lobed, heavily veined, flexible, serrate margins, oppositely arranged; voluminous texture, but not dense.

Growing conditions: full sun to part shade; zone 5 (hardy in Lower Mainland); medium to moist soil

Height and spread: 1.3m x 1.0m

Limitations: no serious pests or limitations

In the landscape: very attractive, clean looking foliage; suitable for a more informal, woodland landscape; a long blooming period-throughout the summer.

Common name: martagon lily

Family name: Liliaceae

Description: L. martagon forms clumps of erect stems bearing whorls of lanceolate leaves and nodding, pale orange flowers with recurved petals in early summer.

Flower: Dusky, pale orange, recurved petals with brown spots that resemble freckles numerous towards the centre of the flower. Long stamens hold orange-brown pollen well away from the flower. Nodding flowers give the plant a delicate quality that implies gentle movement.

Foliage: Medium green, slender, lanceolate leaves.

Growing conditions: Full sun to part shade; moist but well-drained, humus rich soil.

Height and spread: 1-1.5m by 0.5-1m

Limitations: Lilies need deep, rich soil to thrive, which is not often found in public landscapes, for instance.

Landscape uses: This lily looks at home in a woodland landscape or a wildflower meadow.

Common name: broadleaf bellflower

Family: Campanulaceae

Description: herbaceous perennial with white bell-shaped flowers and medium green broad leaves that are alternately arranged.

Flower: Showy; five fused corolla lobes with prominent calyx; colours range from blue, purple, white; white flowers have purple tinge at the base; flower buds appear tinged with purple and open white; blooms June to July

Foliage: broad, hairy leaves with toothed, irregular margins, coarse texture; lanceolate; alternately arranged; become smaller approaching the terminus of the stem.

Growing conditions: requires regular moisture, sun to part shade.

Height and spread: 1m x 0.5m

Pests: no serious pests or problems

Use: excellent mid boarder plant; grouped in masses for best effect. This plant has showy flowers, but a more coarse texture, making it ideal for a more informal or woodland garden.