Most gardeners are familiar with the silvery species of Artemesia that can spread so fast they take over everything in sight. They really don't have much to write home about in the flower department either, and the taller ones seem to flop over and need support.

There is an exception--Artemesia lactiflora. This species has dark green foliage and grows to about 24-36", and it can stand on its own feet.

You don't need to be a latin scholar to know what lactiflora means, but if you don't have your thinking caps on, lacti means milky (as in lactose), and flora refers to flowers. You get it? White flowers. That's right, in mid-to-late summer, when there's not much else blooming, Artemesia lactiflora covers itself in fluffy sprays of milky-white flowers that last for weeks.

Artemesia lactiflora is a well-behaved clump former and not a spreader, so even though you can divide out many new plants each year to trade with your friends, it won't get away from you in the garden.

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Unknown to cultivation until the Compton, Darby and Rix expedition to China just a few years ago, Corydalis flexuosa is one of the most promising new perennials to come along in a great while.

A member of the Fumariaceae family, Corydalis is a close relative of the popular Dicentra, commonly known as bleeding heart. There are probably more than 300 species of Corydalis, but few are now in cultivation. I'm sure that when the gardening public sees how easy they are to grow, that many more will come into the trade.

So far, there are at least three cultivated forms of C. flexuosa. The majority of knowledgable horticulturists agree that 'China Blue' has the best color and is the longest blooming. And you can see for yourself, this would be a welcome addition to any garden.

From late spring to early summer 'China Blue' will bloom profusely with fragrant, sky blue flowers. It will go dormant in the heat of mid-to-late summer, but will reappear in the fall. Its a very vigorous plant, so give it plenty of room. Medium moisture is appreciated and if you have hot summers, give it some shade.

Image for this article:

• Corydalis flexuosa 'China Blue' (jpeg 14k)

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This charming little plant is native to the East Coast of the U.S. and is very easy to grow, in contrast to the more commonly known and grown delphinium hybrids, which need full sun, are not all that perennial and invariably require staking. D. tricorne is a short plant with deeply divided, dark green glossy foliage that will grow in deep shade or full sun. In its natural habitat it grows in moist woods under a full canopy of hardwoods. Here in the mountains of West Virginia, the hillsides where it resides are carpeted with spikes of dark purple larkspur flowers during the last half of April and through the month of May. D. tricorne is an ephemeral plant and doesn't hang around for very long after its fireworks-like show, but don't worry: it is definitely perennial. And it will also provide you with ample, easy-to-germinate seeds that you can share with all of your friends.

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Hypoxis hirsuta is a dainty little cormous plant of the Amaryllidaceae family. It is a native of the East Coast of the U.S. and grows in meadows and open woods from Maine to Florida and west to Kansas. The dainty grasslike foliage produces stems of bright yellow Amaryllis like flowers in from early spring to summer and will often rebloom later. This is a neat little plant to grow in a sunny well drained site in the front of the border or the rock garden. It will even be happy in open shade.

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One of the most graceful, long blooming, easy plants that I have ever grown, Linaria purpurea probably ranks among the top 10 underused plants in the United States. It has been a very popular plant in British gardens for quite a long time. The long, slender vertical stems can reach up to three feet high and the plant forms a nice clump of up to one foot in diameter. Linaria purpurea prefers a sunny location in the garden and has average water requirements. Foliage is a lovely, ferny, narrow greyish-green. This plant is long blooming and variable, white to pink and purple flowers occur during the summer.

Bearing the common name Toadflax, Linaria purpurea is one of about a hundred or so species in the genus Linaria in the Scrophulariaceae family. This particular species is native to Southern Europe. This plant can self-sow very easily, but I would not consider it invasive in the least. Color selections can be made from your seedlings and the British have named at least one cultivar that I know of, 'Canon J. Went', which has light pink flowers.

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S. marilandica is another native of the East Coast of the U.S. Although its range is more southerly, it is hardy to zone 5 and maybe even zone 4. It is one of the last plants to pop up through the ground in the spring, so be sure to mark the spot where you plant it. In mid-to-late summer your garden will be ablaze with really cool, upfacing, hot-red trumpet flowers with primrose-yellow centers. The structure of the flower--the stigma grows up through the anthers--ensures self-pollination, even if no insect pollinators are present. You'll get an ample seed set and you can even propagate Spigelia from cuttings as long as you take them before the flower buds form. Spigelia isn't very fussy about where you place it; I grow it in full sun and deep shade, but it seems to be happiest in moist shade.

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Sisiyrinchiums, commonly known as "blue-eyed grasses" are not at all members of the grass family. They are in fact of the Iris family. About 75 species are recorded. Although some are native to the U.S., not all hardy in the temperate zone.

There are many cultivars of Sisyrinchium in the U.K. where it is a very popular garden plant. On one of my plant hunting trips to the U.K., I visited Ray Brown of Plant World Botanic Gardens in Devon. He was very excited about S. 'Devon Skies' and asked me to try it out in the U.S.

I have grown this wonderful plant for a few years now and I think that it has great garden merit. It is a dwarf (6"), tight, clump-forming, non-invasive plant that covers itself with the neatest little sky blue Iris like flowers during the summer. This little charmer establishes itself quite readily in the front of a sunny border. It is easily divided for sharing with friends.

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