Common name:Apple Serviceberry
Botanical name:Amelanchier x grandiflora

A hybrid between A. arborea and A. laevis, the new leaves of this species have the pubescent foliage of the former and the purplish cast of the later. Summer foliage is a soft green, turning orange to scarlet in the fall. This hybrid has larger and showier flowers then either parent. Numerous cultivars have been selected from this species, including 'Princess Diana,' 'Prince William,' and 'Cole's Select.' Generally 18 to 25 feet tall and about half as wide. Grown as both a single or multi-stemmed small tree or shrub. Lovely as a specimen or in masses.

Common name:Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass
Botanical name:Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'

Karl Foerster feather reed grass is a garden favorite, and for good reason. Its green, fine-textured foliage is gently arching and grows to about 2 feet tall and wide. Oat-like plumes stand very erect over the foliage, growing as tall as 5 to 6 feet. Plumes open whiteish green, later turning a dusky rose, and then tawny colored by winter. Blooms early summer with the plumes lasting into autumn. Holds its presence well into winter. Excellent in mixed perennial or shrub borders, or massed.

Common name:Lambs' Ear
Botanical name:Stachys byzantina

Lambs' ear is a most fabulous perennial and groundcover, grown primarily for its soft, velvety leaves. It grows about a foot or so tall and spreads 2 to 3 feet. Leaves are grey-green and hairy, with the hairs giving the leaves a silvery cast. Though not really evergreen, the leaves turn a lovely buff come fall and persist well into the winter months, until buried under snow. Erect flowering stems arise May and June, with pink to lavender flowers at the terminal end. Some remove the flower stems before they bloom, but they are simple and charming. Use as a edging plant for a perennial, shrub, or foundation border, or as a ground cover. There are some named cultivars; 'Helene Von Stein' and 'Big Wave' claim to be flowerless, though in my experience they all eventually come to flower. Leaves are wonderful on wreaths (but you'll need a glue gun). There are lambs ear planted at the Washington Square Demonstration Garden.