Perennial. The quintessential butterfly magnet, milkweed will also attract bees and hummingbirds. Plants will get established in their first year and flower in their second, cheering gardeners and pollinators with their sweetly scented blooms. They are very tolerant of poor soil, drought and heat. Plants also tolerate moisture, and are a great option for clay soils.

Location: Butterfly garden, Sunny border

Bloom Period: July to September

Height: 3- 3.5’

Plant Spacing: 30-36”

Perennial. A popular ground cover and a vibrant alternative to grass lawns. A lovely filler between stepping stones. Small, purple flowers emit a pleasant lemony aroma when brushed. They are also very attractive to pollinators. Plants are low maintenance and drought tolerant once established. They thrive in loose, sandy or rocky soil.

Location: Ground cover, Pathways, Container

Bloom Period: July

Height: 3-6”, spreading 6-18”

Plant Spacing: 12”

Perennial. A splendid addition to a sunny border or old-fashioned cottage garden. These tall perennials are prized by gardeners for their huge, dark purple flowers that bloom for weeks from early to midsummer. A splendid addition to cottage gardens, its dramatic height draws attention from quite a distance. Requires staking for wind protection.

Delphiniums are a star in the early summer border. They attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds and make an excellent companion for lilies, daylilies, irises and roses. Plants will grow best in rich, well-draining soil that maintains even moisture. Provide regular fertilization and cut stalks back after blooming.

Location: Rear of border, Cottage garden, Cut flower garden

Bloom Period: June/July

Height: 4-7’

Plant Spacing: 18-24”

Perennial. These cheerful, easy-to-care-for plants are perfect for the beginner gardener. Low-growing, they spread into an evergreen mound with bright reddish-fuschia blooms. As a ready self-seeder, this variety can quickly form a low-maintenance ground cover. After an initial flush of flowers in late spring, plants will continue to bloom on and off throughout the summer. Drought tolerant once established, they are ideal for poor soils in hot, dry areas. Salt tolerance also makes them a great choice for coastal gardens.

Location: Front of border, Rock garden, Ground cover

Bloom Period: June/July

Height: 8”, spreading to 18”

Plant Spacing: 14”

Annual. A heavily scented dianthus that has been beloved by gardeners since the 1920s. Stunning, spidery blooms boast an array of soft pastel pinks, purples and whites. Plants are compact, and versatile in the garden. Fill a room with fragrance by snipping a few stems to bring inside. Stop passersby in their tracks by planting a border at the edge of the garden. These plants are small but mighty, and once you take in their intoxicating perfume, you’ll never want to be without them again! For best results, plant in rich, well-draining soil.

Location: Mixed container, Cottage garden, Cut flower garden

Bloom Period: June to September

Height: 12-18”

Plant Spacing: 6-8”

Annual. Stunning, spidery blooms boast an array of reds, pinks and whites. Plants are compact, and versatile in the garden. Fill a room with their sweet fragrance by snipping a few stems to bring inside. Stop passersby in their tracks by planting a border at the edge of the garden. These plants are small but mighty, and once you take in their intoxicating perfume, you’ll never want to be without them again! For best results, plant in rich, well-draining soil.

Location: Border, Cottage garden, Cut flower garden

Bloom Period: June to September

Height: 16”

Plant Spacing: 6-8”

Perennial. Large, rosy-pink flowers will add cheerful colour to any landscape or border. Plants are low maintenance and easy to grow. They tolerate heat, drought and poor soil. They are excellent cut flowers and highly attractive to pollinators. They also attract beneficial insects, making them a great companion for the vegetable garden.

Location: Border, Butterfly garden, Vegetable garden

Bloom Period: July to October

Height: 36-48”

Plant Spacing: 18-24”

Perennial. A unique twist on a garden classic! This variety boasts two tiers of flowers, one above and one below its cone. These two-tiered blooms will appear in the plant’s second year.

Plants are low maintenance and easy to grow. They tolerate heat, drought and poor soil. They are excellent cut flowers and highly attractive to pollinators. They also attract beneficial insects, making them a great companion for the vegetable garden.

Location: Border, Butterfly garden, Vegetable garden

Bloom Period: July to October

Height: 36-48”

Plant Spacing: 18-24”

Perennial. Heavily quilled, 1” flowers bloom early in a mix of reds, pinks, and whites. Their growth habit is uniform and compact, making them an ideal choice to edge a bed of spring bulbs, join pansies in a container, or cheer up a dull perennial border. Plants will often enjoy a second bloom in late summer. Self-seeding, they will gradually naturalize into a flower bed, but are easily removed when their wanderlust causes them to stray too far. Plant in rich, moist soil.

Location: Edging, Spring container, Ground cover

Bloom Period: May/June and August/September

Height: 5”

Plant Spacing: 6-12”

Biennial. Enormous, speckled lavender flowers that have a high probability of blooming in their first year. Plants are vigorous and well-branched. Note: While plants will still self-seed, as an F1 hybrid, ‘Camelot Lavender’ seeds will not grow true to their parents.

Foxgloves are easy to grow, vertical accents to spruce up low light areas. Tubular flowers form on magnificent spires, and are an absolute hummingbird magnet. Cutting the main flower spike will produce side shoots that bloom into fall. As a biennial, Foxglove usually do not flower in their first year. In their second year they will bloom beautifully, self-seed generously, and then die. Because of this life cycle, successive plantings over two seasons will ensure you have Foxglove blooming in your garden for many years to come. They perform best in rich, well-draining soil that is acidic, making them an excellent choice to place near coniferous trees.

Location: Rear border, Shaded bed, Woodland garden

Bloom Period: June to July

Height: 3.5-4’, spreading 24-30”

Plant Spacing: 18-24”

Biennial. Tall pink spires speckled with maroon. Plants are vigorous and well-branched. Reliable first-year flowering, and will bloom heavily in their second year. Note: While plants will still self-seed, as an F1 hybrid, ‘Camelot Rose’ seeds will not grow true to their parents.

Foxgloves are easy to grow, vertical accents to spruce up low light areas. Tubular flowers form on magnificent spires, and are an absolute hummingbird magnet. Cutting the main flower spike will produce side shoots that bloom into fall. As a biennial, Foxglove usually do not flower in their first year. In their second year they will bloom beautifully, self-seed generously, and then die. Because of this life cycle, successive plantings over two seasons will ensure you have Foxglove blooming in your garden for many years to come. They perform best in rich, well-draining soil that is acidic, making them an excellent choice to place near coniferous trees.

Location: Rear border, Shaded bed, Woodland garden

Bloom Period: June to July

Height: 3-4’, spreading 18-24”

Plant Spacing: 24”

Biennial. Gorgeous, creamy-peach trumpet blooms will completely encircle stems in their first season. Removing flower spikes will then ensure another heavy bloom in the following year. They are well-suited for containers, growing even in small patio pots. They are also very attractive in mixed borders or mass plantings along a pathway or fence. Note: While plants will still self-seed, as an F1 hybrid, ‘Dalmatian Peach’ seeds will not grow true to their parents.

Foxgloves are easy to grow, vertical accents to spruce up low light areas. Tubular flowers form on magnificent spires, and are an absolute hummingbird magnet. Cutting the main flower spike will produce side shoots that bloom into fall. As a biennial, Foxglove usually do not flower in their first year. In their second year they will bloom beautifully, self-seed generously, and then die. Because of this life cycle, successive plantings over two seasons will ensure you have Foxglove blooming in your garden for many years to come. They perform best in rich, well-draining soil that is acidic, making them an excellent choice to place near coniferous trees.

Location: Rear border, Shaded bed, Woodland garden

Bloom Period: June

Height: 2-3’

Plant Spacing: 12-18”

Perennial. Unusual, dramatic, and an absolute pollinator magnet! Large, 3” blooms attract bees, butterflies, and birds. Long, straight silver stems provide a splendid contrast to any perennial bed, but the glowing blue orbs create a particularly ethereal effect over white and green hues. They are long-living perennials, living 10 years or more, and are not invasive. They make beautiful, unique additions to fresh cut or dried arrangements. Globe Thistles are an extremely low maintenance addition to the garden. They thrive in poor, sandy, dry soil. Average water will bring the most flowers.

Location: Sunny border, Perennial bed, Cut flower garden

Bloom Period: July/August

Height: 3-4’

Plant Spacing: 18-24”

Perennial. Grown as much for its lovely fragrance as it is for its beauty in the garden, lavender offers a host of health benefits. It is also a pollinator magnet, attracting dozens of bees as soon as it begins to bloom in June and July. Plants will remain small in their first year, then will fill out significantly before blooming in their second year. Plants prefer dry, well-drained soil that is not too fertile.

Harvest: Blooms in early summer.

Plant Height: 2’, spreading 2-3’

Plant Spacing: 12-18”

Perennial. The perfect addition to your perennial herb/food bed. This multi-purpose herb used to be a staple in medieval gardens for both cooking and medicinal purposes. It is now most commonly used in southern European cuisine. All parts of the plant are edible - roots, seeds and leaves. Like a strongly-flavoured celery, the leaves add a wonderful meaty flavour to vegetable soups and stews. They also aid digestion and are good for stomach upset. In the garden, plants benefit nearby vegetables as they attract a host of pollinators. Plants prefer rich, moist, well-draining soil. They don’t require direct sun, just good light. They are very long-lived perennials, but allow them to get established in their first year before beginning heavy cultivation in their second. While they will eventually grow to be quite large, they have a bushy growth habit, and won’t run rampant through the garden.

Harvest: Leaves in early summer, before flowering. Freeze for easy storage.

Plant Height: up to 7’, spreading to 3’

Plant Spacing: 24”

Perennial. Incorporating native flowers into ornamental beds is a rising trend in garden design. With their natural hardiness and spectacular flowers, it’s easy to get excited when lupins spring into bloom. Their tall, showy spires attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. They are wonderful in a border, a coastal garden, or mass planted in a meadow. This is one plant that will flourish in sandy, nutrient-poor soils. Do not plant in areas that have been amended with compost.

Location: Rear border, Wildflower meadow, Cottage garden

Bloom Period: July

Height: 2-4’

Plant Spacing: 18-24”

Perennial. An award winning variety of a native North American wildflower, ‘Crystal Peak’ boasts pure white flowers on long spikes that attract an abundance of pollinators to the garden. It is a Fleuroselect Gold Medal award winner (Europe’s top prize). Flowers are self-cleaning, and do not fade or brown as they age. Their curious name comes from the fact that when plants are in full bloom, you can push the snapdragon-like blossoms to hold any position you like - a helpful trait in flower arrangements. Plants thrive in average soils and moderately moist conditions, making them an ideal choice for clay soils and waterside plantings. They will easily naturalize into the garden, but are polite spreaders, having been bred to retain their compact habit much more so than their native counterparts.

Location: Sloping waterside, Wildflower meadow, Coastal garden

Bloom Period: July to September

Height: 16”

Plant Spacing: 18-24”

Perennial. Silvery blue foliage adds a fine texture to the landscape. Easy to grow and low maintenance, they are ideal for a dry, hot area in the garden. Pair with sedum, daylilies, black eyed Susan, or basket of gold. Established plants tolerate heat, drought and poor soil. Divide every 3-5 years to keep plants healthy.

Location: Front of border, Rock garden

Height: 10-12”

Plant Spacing: 8-10”

Perennial. An aromatic herb that is popular for its use on pizza and in pasta sauce. It works well with most Mediterranean cuisine - from fish to chicken, risotto and vegetables. Use a few leaves to brighten up a meal or deepen the flavour of roasts, sautes and stews. In the garden, it makes a great companion for any herb or vegetable. Most notably it repels cabbage worms for Brassicas. Be mindful where oregano is placed in-ground, as it will eventually spread into an invasive ground cover. Fortunately, they perform well in small or medium sized containers, which can then be overwintered on a sunny windowsill indoors. Plants prefer loamy, sandy soil that is well-draining. They do not require fertilization and should only be watered when soil is dry to the touch.

Harvest: All season. Pick individual leaves after branches reach 4-5”.

Plant Height: 12-18”

Plant Spacing: 6-10”

Perennial. A striking, blue beauty that happens to be a pollinator magnet! Bees and butterflies will swarm the huge, 4” flowers over a long blooming season. Ruffled petals will open around a pale central disc. As the bloom matures, this disc becomes studded with dark stamens to give the characteristic “pincushion” appearance. Plants tolerate a variety of soil types, but will thrive in rich, well-draining soil. Drought tolerant once established, they will benefit from regular watering and fertilization in their first year.

Location: Mid-border, Cut flower garden, Rock garden

Bloom Period: July/August

Height: 28”

Plant Spacing: 12-18”

Perennial. Low maintenance and long-blooming, this uncommon perennial is an ideal choice for poor, dry soils. A profusion of 1” magenta flowers float above fuzzy, silver-gray foliage, attracting bees, butterflies, and curious onlookers. In the garden, combine with annuals and perennials in pink, purple or blue shades, or contrast with bright yellow flowers. The best effect is seen when grouped in a mass planting. A border or landscape will naturally fill in when plants are allowed to self-seed; Don’t mulch around the base and leave the ground undisturbed in fall to see volunteers pop up in the spring. As a perennial, expect sparse first year blooms, and an explosion of colour in the second. Plants are drought tolerant, and prefer fairly dry, well-draining soil. However, they will also tolerate clay soil, alkalinity, and moist conditions.

Location: Sunny border, Landscape planting, Rock garden, Cottage garden

Bloom Period: June to July

Height: 2.5’

Plant Spacing: 12-15'“

Perennial. An aromatic herb best known for the earthy flavour it lends to savoury dishes. It is an excellent option for salt-free cooking. In the garden, it is a highly ornamental plant, with broad, silvery foliage and gorgeous purple-blue blooms. Plants will begin to flower in their third year, attracting an abundance of bees and butterflies. Their intense aroma repels cabbage moth, making them an excellent companion for Brassicas. Plants prefer loamy, sandy, well-drained soil. They are not heavy feeders and can tolerate some drought. Note: Harvest sparingly in the first year so plants can get established.

Harvest: All season. Pick individual leaves or short sprigs (always leaving 1/3 intact). Best flavour before flowering begins.

Plant Height: 2’, spreading to 2’

Plant Spacing: 18-24”

Perennial. A pollinator magnet, once ‘Salvatore Blue’ springs into bloom, you’ll be amazed at the number of bees and butterflies hovering around these spectacular, violet-blue blossoms. They are also highly attractive to hummingbirds, and make excellent cut flowers. Compact, low-branching plants are long-blooming, easy to grow, and both heat and drought tolerant. Plant in rich, moist, well-draining soil.

Location: Landscape planting, Sunny border, Cottage garden

Bloom Period: June to August

Height: 12-16”

Plant Spacing: 12-16"

Perennial. A hardy aromatic herb commonly used in savoury dishes like roasted meat, vegetables and fish. Sprigs can be used fresh or dried. In the garden, thyme is a wonderful companion for most vegetables and herbs. It is especially beneficial for Brassicas, as it repels cabbage worms. Plants grow best in sandy, rather poor soil. Once established, they are highly drought tolerant, and will even thrive in rocky gravel. Plants will remain small in their first season, and can be easily grow in small or medium sized containers. Overwinter in the ground and watch for an explosion of growth in spring.

Harvest: All season. Snip stems as needed.

Plant Height: 6-12”

Plant Spacing: 12”

Perennial. Magnificent flower heads in lively shades of red, rose, or lavender. Yarrow grows tall and wide, with fine, feathery foliage and long stems that are excellent for cutting. They are a good choice near the vegetable garden, as they attract beneficial insects, pollinators and butterflies, and repel harmful pests. As an added bonus, they are one of the best companions for roses, serving similar pest control duties, without drawing undue resources from the soil. Plants are very easy to grow, tolerating heat, drought, salt and poor soil conditions. They will easily naturalize into the garden, provided soil is well-draining and they receive adequate light.

Location: Sunny border, Wildflower meadow, Coastal garden, Rose garden

Bloom Period: June to September

Height: 24”

Plant Spacing: 12-24”

Perennial. Bright, golden yellow blooms. An excellent filler for fresh or dried bouquets.

Yarrow grows tall and wide, with fine, feathery foliage and long stems that are excellent for cutting. They are a good choice near the vegetable garden, as they attract beneficial insects, pollinators and butterflies, and repel harmful pests. As an added bonus, they are one of the best companions for roses, serving similar pest control duties, without drawing undue resources from the soil. Plants are very easy to grow, tolerating heat, drought, salt and poor soil conditions. They will easily naturalize into the garden, provided soil is well-draining and they receive adequate light.

Location: Sunny border, Wildflower meadow, Rose garden

Bloom Period: July to August

Height: 3-4’

Plant Spacing: 24”