Common name:Blue Oat Grass
Botanical name:Helictotrichon sempervirens

Blue oat grass is a striking ornamental grass with blue foliage and a clumping habit. It grows 12 to 18 inches tall and wide. Its showy flowers are 1 to 2 feet above the foliage. Is evergreen in mild winters. This plant looks good alone as well as in mass plantings. The blue oat grass likes dry hill sides and is drought tolerant.

Common name:Snow-In-Summer
Botanical name:Cerastium tomentosum

Masses of snow white flowers cover this plant from late spring to early summer. Fine textured foliage is silvery grey. After flowering, shear back plant to encourage new foliage and for a tidy appearance. Over-head watering may cause the plant to "melt-out" in the center; over-watering, in general, causes the plant to die out over time. An attractive filler among other plants and rocks, and nice ground cover for areas that receive little foot traffic. Plant at edges of walks to soften paths. I saw a lovely planting where cerastium was used to represent water in a "dry creek" design-Brilliant. Grows 4 to 5 inches tall and 15 to 18 inches wide.

Common name:Black Locust
Botanical name:Robinia pseudoacacia

Black locust is a very fast-growing, deciduous tree, typically 40 to 50 feet tall (though sometimes reaching 70 feet) and nearly as wide. It has pinnately compounded leaves that are a dark, dull blue-green, with leaves dropping in the fall before much color change. Flowers are pendulous, white, and fragrant, and bloom late May to early June. Flowers are followed by flat pods that ripen in fall and persist into winter. Bark is dark grey with deep ridges. Wicked thorns, hard wood, and suckering habit makes the Black Locust a challenging maintenance project and best suited for large, naturalized areas.