em to thrive and spread in your garden. It wont tolerate dry growing conditions during summers that are hot. You can divide in the spring or fall. Plants grow 12 to 18 inches tall and just as wide. The flowers begin during may and last for 4 to 6 weeks and those unusual lime green flowers can be cut for small flower arrangements. Lady's-mantle make a great perennial to use in borders, edging of gardens, groundcovers, rock gardens, wall planting, and as a woodland or cottage garden plant. If you have a moist area with a little bit of shade, then look to the Lady's-mantle to plant along walk ways or garden paths. Best of all this plant needs little to no care once established in your garden.
Tradescantia Mixed Colors-Spiderwort
I always like to try something new in my garden and so should you. Last year I planted Spiderwort a gorgeous long lasting perennial that has a flower that resembles the impatience plant. Spiderwort has foliage that resembles grass with upright or reclining stems and arching foliage. The stems are rather weak and when squeezed are watery like the impatience. The flower stems are toped with clusters of flower buds that produce only 3 petals but the center of the bloom is fluffy and contains 6 yellow polled sacks. The flower stem also contains 3 grasses like leaves giving the flower cluster the appearance of a large spider. The flower color is white, pink, or purple and the flower last for just one day but the number of buds on the stems keeps the plant in bloom for up to 3 months. The flowers arrive in early summer and last well into the fall. Spiderwort will grow 1 to 2 feet tall and spread 18 to 36 inches wide. Plant them in a full sun to partial shade location in the garden. They will do best in a soil rich in organic matter so condition with peat moss and compost. The soil must be well drained and never have standing water or it will rot and die. If the bees do there job the flower will produce pods that eject seeds around your plants starting new seedlings come spring. If you have a hot summer, the plant may collapse creating a mess but all you have to do is cut it back and it will develop all over and bloom until frost. This perennial needs NO fertilizer. Use the spiderwort in mass plantings, mixed borders, woodland gardens, rock gardens, and as a ground cover.
Sidalcea ' Elsie Heugh' (Miniature Hollyhock)
If you like pastel colored flowers that will give your garden the look of a British cottage garden than its time you plant the Miniature Hollyhocks. This is a lovely plant for your perennial border and the cup-shaped flowers will grace your garden. The strong stems hold flower buds from the bottom of the stem to the top of the plant. The blooms appear in early summer and last for over 3 months. The blooms come in pink or white and are about 3 inches across. The plant grows 2 -2 ½ feet tall and spread just as wide. The flowers last only on day but are self -cleaning and when one falls, it is quickly replaced with others, all summer long. The foliage looks like fingers on a hand or like the Japanese Maple leaf but each leaf has a different look. Because the plant has so many shoots containing flowers coming up from the ground it is often thought of as a flowering shrub. The plant produces a prolific amount of seeds that sprout around the plant. Seeds sprout quickly and will usually flower the first year. Set out plants in the spring or start seeds directly in the garden in a sunny location. A well-drained soil, slightly acid soil that has been conditioned with animal manure and compost will give you a great flower display all summer long. This perennial will brighten any meadow garden, mass planting, mixed borders, or large areas that needs color. The tall strong stems make a great cut flower for summer bouquets.
Eryngium alpinum - Sea Holly
Finding a good blue flower for the perennial garden is difficult but the Sea Holly is one you can count on. This beautiful perennial has the appearance of a thistle plant, with spiny leaves as well as the flowers. The flower will give your garden a completel