Common name:Meadow Salvia
Botanical name:Salvia nemorosa

Meadow salvia is a perennial with thick, crinkled, deep green leaves with undersides that are slightly pubescent. Basal foliage is dense and semi-evergreen. Stems are erect and stiff, and possess the mint-squareness. Violet-blue flowers form in racemes along the flower spike from May through July; cutting back spent flowers may prolong blooms into the fall. Spreads through crown growth and seeding. Great cut flower. Grows 2 feet tall and wide.

Common name:Feather Reed Grass
Botanical name:Calamagrostis acutiflora

Feather reed grass is perennial grass that grows 4 to 6 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide. It is ideal in spaces where some vertical interest would be valued. It is very upright, though the grass blades are gently arching. Flower plumes appear mid June and emerge a light green but quickly turn to pinkish purple. The flower is very airy and feathery, hence the name. Flower is looser than 'Karl Foerster.' Plumes are very persistent into the winter months. Slightly less erect than it's popular kin, 'Karl Foerster.'

Common name:Woolly Thyme
Botanical name:Thymus lanuginosus

Woolly Thyme is a perennial groundcover growing in a low mat, typically under 2 inches, but spreading 16 inches or more. Foliage is fuzzy and gray-green during the summer months, and tinged with a lovely burgundy hue in the fall and winter. An evergreen thyme, it makes a wonderful groundcover, even an alternative to turf, in low traffic areas. And as it tolerates some foot traffic, its wonderful between pavers and along pathways. It has a pink summer bloom, though it rarely flowers; the lovely fall color fills the void.

Common name:Goldsturm Rudbeckia
Botanical name:Rudbeckia fulgida sullivantii 'Goldsturm

'Goldsturm' may be the most popular rudbeckia and its no wonder, with its long season of bloom and vivid color. Exceptional large flowers (3 to 5 inches across) bloom on sturdy stems from mid-summer into early fall. The petals are a deep yellow, and they surround a prominent dark brown center. An excellent cut flower, leave some behind for the birds, that greatly appreciate the seed well into the winter months. Foliage is lance-like to oval and deep green. Grows about 24 to 36 inches tall and wide. Use in a perennial border, cottage garden, meadow or naturalized area.

Common name:Boston Ivy
Botanical name:Parthenocissus tricuspidata

This semi-evergreen vine has dark green leaves that are usually lobed and divided into 3 leaflets. Clings with both tendrils and adhesive-like tips that cements itself to all manner of surfaces. Leaves turn orange or red in autumn. Flowers are inconspicuous. During fall, small blue black berries appear to the delight of birds. This vine can grow 50'-60' long but it really depends on what it is growing on. This vine is aggressive.

Common name:Catmint
Botanical name:Nepeta racemosa

Nepeta is a fierce little perennial, growing in poor sooils and sunny, hot conditions with never a whimper. Though different nepeta vary is size and flower color, as a general rule, all are mounded and densely leaved, with heavily crinkled, aromatic, grey-green, slightly fuzzy foliage. Flowers are like all flowers in the mint family, though on nepeta the stems tend to be shorter and the flowers closer to the foliage. Usually blue to violet, blooming late spring and sometimes again in the fall. A great addition to a sunny garden or parkstrip. Many cultivars available.