VARIETIES OF HAREBELL, BELL FLOWERS
| Leaves | Flowers | Blooming season | |
| carpatica | mats 4″ tall | blue saucers | June to Oct. |
| carpatica alba | mats 4″ tall | white | June to Oct. |
| carpatica ‘Wedgwood’ | cushions | violet-blue cups | June to Oct. |
| carpatica ‘White Wedgwood’ | cushions | white | June to Oct. |
| carpatica turbinata | low mass | large, flat, violet | June to Aug. |
| cochlearifolia | shell-shaped mass | blue bells | May and June |
| cochlearifolia alba | shell-shaped mass | white | May and June |
| cochlearifolia ‘Mironda’ | shell-shaped mass | silver-blue | June to Aug. |
| collina | fuzzy clumps | purple bells | June |
| elatines | dense 3″ mass | stars, white center | June and July |
| elatines alba plena | double white ‘Star of Bethlehem’ | for baskets and pots | |
| garganica | may be woolly | blue | June and July |
| portenschlagiana (muralis) | roundish, toothed crinkled tufts | violet bells | June and July |
| saxifraga | broadened | upturned violet bells | spring |
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides Plumbaginaceae Leadwort
Shrubby little perennial “bushes” about eight inches high and spreading into clumps twice as wide, with hairy-edged leaves which are green with bronze overtones. It turns to a brickish color in autumn. In August the plants cover themselves with blue phlox-like flowers and continue to bloom until heavy frost.
CARE. Most any soil with drainage. Will grow in sand. Full sun best but semishade is acceptable. Don’t plant in moist location. In winter give protection.
PROPAGATION. Seeds in the spring, division at time of new growth in spring, cuttings.
SPECIAL USES. Borders, edging, rock gardens, ground cover.
Coreopsis auriculata nana Compositae
Neat little plant with tufts of divided, or lobed, leaves; golden-orange daisy-like flowers on three-to six-inch stems, from June through August.
CARE. Light sandy soil. Shade in extremely hot climate. Cut faded flowers.
PROPAGATION. Sow seeds in fall for flowering next year; division of clumps.
SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, edging.
Corydalis Fumariaceae Fumitory
Ferny-leaved herbaceous perennials with spurred flowers like bleeding heart but more colorful and blooming in the spring. Some types are tuberous-rooted, or partly so, but are grown more like other perennials.
cava (bulbosa)—Tuberous type, about eight inches tall, with gaudy clusters of purple flowers in April.
cheilanthifolia—Perennial with thickened roots, finely dissected eight-inch leaves, sprays of yellow flowers from May to frost. Requires shade from hot sun. Striking for its foliage alone.
halleri (densifolia)—March bloomer, tuberous. Not many leaves but plenty of clusters of rosy, or purple, flowers; six to eight inches.
lutea—Eight-inch clump-makers with lacy blue-green leaves. Yellow flowers appear in June and repeat later. Likes to keep cool in the shade, or have its roots under a rock. Won’t grow in extreme heat.
nobilis—Tuberous type, upright to eight inches, with leaflets both wedge-shaped and deep-toothed. It may have as many as twenty spurred white flowers per cluster, tipped with yellow and spotted with purple.
rupestris—Ferny-leaved eight-inch perennial with short-spurred yellow flowers. Nontuberous.
CARE. Any garden soil with drainage. Partial or light shade, or sun. Plant tuberous types in fall.
PROPAGATION. Division, seeds.
SPECIAL USES. Borders, rock gardens, wall plantings, edging.
Dianthus Caryophyllaceae Pink
There are some very special treasures for every garden in this big family of spicy-scented plants with flowers that seem to have been fringed with pinking shears. There are impermanent perennials that flower the first year like annuals, biennials like sweet William that often self-sow, longer lived types that tuft or spread out to make low flowering mounds or mats, elusive alpines for the rock-garden connoisseur, pixies with tiny half-inch flowers, and great garden carnations. Every year new hybrids make the list longer.
Make your selection, of course, according to size, scent, growing habits, and the color scheme of your little garden. For the miniature rock garden, the rose-colored species D. alpinus stays under three inches; D. neglectus combines pink and buff, and there are many more. The Allwoodi hybrid varieties are sturdy, lasting, and flower freely for most of the summer. The cheddar pinks (D. casius varieties) are clumpy; the maiden pinks make mats; the cottage or grass pinks are tufted; sweet William (D. barbatas) is one of the clusterheads; the “annuals” (usually forms of D. chinensis) will flower early when seed is started indoors, repeat the performance if cut back after the first flowering, and may even live to bloom once more the second year.
For the most miniature, look for these newcomers: double pink, three-inch ‘Pixie’; rose-red ‘Tiny Rubies’; four-inch ‘Wee Willie’ (sweet William’s son), not reliably perennial but behaves beautifully as an annual; deep-red ‘Little Joe.’ One seed house offers a perennial ‘Midget Double’ sweet William under four inches high and like a button-size carnation.
CARE. Warm sandy soil, not too rich. Lime, dryish, drainage. Full sun, cool temperature. Cut off faded flowers.
PROPAGATION. Division, layers, cuttings, seeds.
SPECIAL USES. Flower beds, rock gardens, edging.
Geranium Geraniaceae Cranesbill
This is not the popular potted plant (pelargonium) or the wild geranium of the Eastern woods (G. maculatum). These are lacy-leaved perennials with a delicate look but a tough constitution. Here are some of the smallest available types, flowering mostly in the spring but often repeating in spurts throughout the summer.
farreri—A little three-inch doll from China, the many-fingered leaves making a low nest under the astonishingly large, black-anthered, blush-pink-on-white flowers.
macrorrhizum—The species is largish and makes a buxom six-inch bush with light sprays of pink flowers. The foliage is aromatic and turns beautifully bronzy in fall.
pylzowianum—Eager spreader, two to three inches high, with finely divided leaves and rosy flowers in May and June.
CARE. Gravelly soil with drainage, dryish. Sun or light shade. Mostly hardy.
PROPAGATION. Seeds; root division in spring or fall.
SPECIAL USES. Border and dry-wall planting.
Gypsophila Caryophyllaceae Baby’s Breath
Here is something for every rock garden, the beginner’s or the connoisseur’s. Over a soft cushion of tiny leaves the foamy flowers are heart-tuggingly romantic and delicate. The plants are hardy, eagerly branching and spreading, and veiled in bloom for most of the summer.
cerastioides—Four-inch creeper with gray-velvet mouse-ear leaves, sprays of white flowers with pink veins. Soil should be alkaline, sandy or gritty, and perfectly drained.
muralis—An unusual “annual” about six inches high, with narrow leaves and warm rosy flowers. Looks and grows best when crowded.
repens—Midget trailer with slim, silvery blue-green leaves and white or pinkish flowers only a few inches above them. Available varieties include, white-flowering alba, compact double pink bodgeri, and single rose-pink rosea.
CARE. Not too rich soil, dryish, with drainage. Full sun or light shade. Usually hardy. Don’t thin too much.
PROPAGATION. Seeds (sow where you want the plant), division.
SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, wall plantings, pavements, ground cover.
Iberis Cruciferae Perennial Candytuft
Extremely decorative and useful evergreen with durable, fresh-looking foliage and clusters of sparkling white or pale-tinted flowers in spring. The plants spread, but not enough to be troublesome in small gardens.
saxatalis—Miniature even among miniatures, with two-inch clumps of hairy-edged leaves and flat clusters of white flowers in May. Needs gravelly, limy soil.
sempervirens—The better-known named varieties are offspring of this stalwart, nearly shrub-like perennial with blunt-tipped narrow leaves and flowers forming an umbrella-shaped cluster on six-to eight-inch stems. One plant can spread out to several feet across. Among the dwarfs are ‘Autumn Snow,’ seven inches high and often blooming again in September; ‘Little Gem,’ compact mounds four to six inches high; ‘Purity,’ the purest of white; and ‘Snowflake,’ a little later (June) and a little larger (eight inches).
Iris Iridaceae
Basically, iris are of two types—bulbous and rhizomatous—each with miniature species, varieties, and hybrids. Leaves may be broad and flat, or slim and grass-like. Stems may bear one or several flowers, the earliest in March and the latest in June. Natural colors include white, yellow, and all shades of lavender and purple; hybrids widen the range to many other tints.
There are many miniature species, some with several varieties, and also hybrids, of their own. By far the largest group is the ‘Dwarf Bearded Iris,’ so classified by the American Iris Society according to the height of the flower stalk, and further divided into two series: miniature dwarfs (four to ten inches) and standard dwarfs, Lilliputs (ten to fifteen inches). These are rhizomatous, of course, like the tall bearded giants of the garden, and bloom midway between the earlier species and the big ones.
bakeriana—Bulbous, about six inches high, with round leaves and early, fragrant, blue-purple flowers.
cristata—Crested iris with rhizomes and spreading by stolons to make wide mats. About six inches high with one or two white-crested, lilac, fragrant flowers in mid-May. There is an all-white variety. It likes light shade or dappled shade and cool moisture for its roots.
flavissima—Rhizomatous, spreading by stolons to make open clumps under six inches high. It has narrow leaves and several bearded, brown-marked yellow flowers per stem when it blooms in April and May. It needs gritty or sandy soil, only slightly acid.
histroides—Bulbous, about four inches high, with pale-blue flowers which appear early before the leaves. Various colors available.
innominata—Rhizomatous West Coast dwarf with long grassy leaves and flowers varying between yellow and orange, and between lavender and purple. Blooms in May and June. Takes light shade and neutral, or even slightly acid, soil.
orchioides—Bulbous, with sword-shaped leaves to nine inches long; has several purple-blotched yellow flowers per stem.
reticulata—Bulb covered with netted membrane. Reedy stems about eight inches long disappearing in June. Crested flowers on six-inch stems with a fragrance like fresh violets. Gold-marked on deep purple. Blooms very early in March, even in snow.
tenuifolia—Rhizomatous, about six inches high, blue-purple flowers in June.
vartani—Bulbous, flowering in late winter in mild areas, stemless slate-blue or violet flowers.
voina—Native rhizomatous species which spreads by stolons; four to six inches tall. Has tufts of narrow leaves and beardless flowers which are lilac, or velvet marked yellow, on three-inch stems; blooms in May. Provide light shade and acid soil.
CARE. For bulbous type: sandy or gritty soil with humus; drainage; sun, except the hottest. For dwarf bearded type: loamy alkaline soil, and drainage. Moist. More sun for best flowering.
PROPAGATION. Bulbous: divide bulbs in summer and replant in summer. Rhizomatous: divide in summer.
SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, forcing, flower beds.
Lavandula officinalis Labiate Lavender
Here is one that deserves a place in every garden, and for many reasons: Its aromatic foliage and flowers, its nostalgic charm, and the pleasant sight of it against evergreen with its gray-felt leaves and dark-lavender flowers. It usually stops growing just under the height of one foot and can be clipped lower if you wish. The leaves are lacy, slim, and dainty, especially with their pure-white fur when young.
Among the varieties available are the Munstead strain, dwarf, plump, and bearing pink flowers; ‘Hidcate Blue,’ very hardy; compacta (nana compacta), earlier flowering and only a few inches high; and atropurpurea, with dark purple flowers.
CARE. Poor soil so plants will not grow too vigorously and winter-kill. Drainage, sun, winter protection. Dryish. Lime for maximum fragrance. Prune almost any time; mulch.
PROPAGATION. Seeds, division, cuttings in late fall or early spring on this year’s growth with heel of older wood.
SPECIAL USES. Edging, rock gardens, ground cover.
Myosotis Boraginaceae Forget-Me-Not
Sentiment, compelling as it is, is not the only reason for having this delightful little plant in one’s rock garden. Small though it is, it has its own quiet charm in its delicate foliage and transparent cloud of tiny blue flowers. The intensity of color of those blooms catches your eye and draws you to it. You look at it and understand the reason for its name. Here are a few members of the family:
scorpioides (palustris)—Light, low, and sprawling; light-blue flowers touched with gold at the center during the spring. (They last much longer if you have the dwarf variety semperflorens.) The fact that these perennials are often listed as “half-hardy annuals” indicates their need for winter protection, but they will self-seed. (Water-lily specialists offer an aquatic variety that grows in bogs.)
sylvatica (alpestris)—Self-sowing biennial (also offered as an annual) that has blue flowers with touches of pink, sometimes entirely pink. May flowers.
CARE. Ordinary soil, cool, moist, part shade.
PROPAGATION. Seeds (flowers the second year), division of clumps in late summer.
SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, edge of pools.
Nepeta hederacea (glechoma) Labiatae Ground Ivy
This is a ground cover, one that can get out of hand unless checked, but it has its uses in shady spots where other covers do not flourish. About the best-liked variety is variegata, which has round leaves neatly scalloped on the edge and embroidered with white. In the spring it has spires of blue flowers.
CARE. Ordinary or sandy soil. Drainage, either sun or shade. Cut off faded flowers.
PROPAGATION. Seeds, division.
SPECIAL USES. Ground cover, containers, baskets, house and greenhouse plantings, rock gardens.
Oenothera Onagraceae Evening Primrose, Sundrop
The sundrops bloom by day; the evening primroses stay open at night and play host to the moths of the garden. There is a miniature of each type for the small garden. Each has the common characteristic of large yellow poppy-like flowers which are short-lived but are quickly replaced by others for most of the summer.
missouriensis—Evening primrose from the West, six inches high. The leaves are long and oval, covered with ash-gray hairs. The nocturnal flowers, poppy-like, can measure six inches across and are yellow.
perennis (pumila)—sundrop—This is the daytime bloomer, often with one-inch blooms on a plant only three inches tall. The silk-hairy leaves make a lush-looking mound.
CARE. Medium sandy soil, dry, with drainage (heavy dampness is fatal). Lime and manure. Sun. Remove seed pods to promote more flowers. Plant has long taproot which must not be broken when transplanting.
PROPAGATION. Seeds, division (in early fall or spring), cuttings (in late summer).
SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens and wall plantings.
Phlox Polemoniaceae
There are so many varieties of this furiously spring-flowering plant, and all with many admirers, that the trick is to find the ones which appeal to you personally. You will be guided by the colors you want and the amount of space available. Many of them, after the blooming season, make lush, plushy, green foliage mats.
amoena (procumbens)—Neat, not rampant, cushions of two-inch oval leaves with flat clusters of fragrant pinkish, or purplish, flowers on six-inch stems in May and June.
bifida—sand phlox—A native of the Midwest with low, tufted, and slightly hairy foliage and starry blue flowers (early, in April and May).
divaricata (canadensis)—wild sweet William—This slow creeper is a little tall—about twelve inches—but may fit your planting scheme. It has two-inch oval leaves and clusters of lavender-blue flowers at daffodil time.
douglasi—alpine phlox—Three-inch Western native with half-inch knife-like evergreen leaves and half-inch white or pastel flowers (in June).
rigida—sandhill phlox—Western alpine, similar to douglasi except for thinner, more sharply pointed leaves and white flowers blending to blue and purple. The more acid the soil, the deeper the colors.
stolonifera—creeping phlox—Partly or fully evergreen creeper with four-inch stems, oval, hairy leaves, and full clusters of light or dark lavender flowers in May and June.
subulata—ground moss, or mountain pink—In April and May the six-inch mats of evergreen leaves are almost invisible under the profuse cover of one-inch, fragrant flowers. They may be purple, purplish-pink, or white, and some varieties are red or blue.
CARE. Fertile soil, acid or alkaline according to the variety. Moist. Most are hardy, again according to the variety.
PROPAGATION. Seeds (do not always come true), cuttings in July and August, division of roots.
SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, edging, ground cover.
Primula Primulaceae Primrose Official “Sections,” by common cultural requirements.
Auricula Section. P. auricula and other European alpines and their hybrids; usually evergreen; flower in early spring. Stony, drained, rich loamy soil lightened by leaf mold and sand; will stand more sun than most, but not hot midday sun; likes its roots under stones; mulch with stone chips.
Candelabra Section from Asia. Flowers in tiers, one whorl above another, open-faced; most tall with big leaves. Needs moist soil, part shade. Flowers in late spring and early summer. Disappear over winter.
Capitatae Section from the Himalayas. Biennial here, perennial where snow covers all winter and on the West Coast. Flowers late (July). Flat rosettes of delicately toothed leaves, twelve-inch silver stems; flat silvery heads of slightly drooping flowers. Disappears over winter.
Cortusoides Section from Asia. Woodsy-rich humusy soil. Decorative leaves usually soft hairy. Flowers in spring. Disappears over winter.
Denticulata Section. Small group from the Himalayas. Easy perennial. Be careful about dampness in winter. Among the earliest to flower in spring.
Farinosae Section. Huge group from many lands. Moisture, drainage, part shade. Stand more sun if moist. Small bud, usually white at surface, shows in winter.
Nivalis Section from Asia. Biennial here. Long narrow leaves. Flowers in tiers closer than candelabra and more drooping. Cool, rich, moist soil, part shade. Flowers in early spring; disappears in winter.
Sikkimensis Section from Asia. Belled primulas, with hanging heads of bell-shaped flowers. Biennial here; perennial in both colder and warmer climates. Most tall with heads of fragrant flowers held well above large toothed leaves. Flowers in late spring; disappears in winter.
Vernales Section includes all the easiest-to-grow and best-known primulas. Requires part shade, rich soil, moisture; should never be completely dry. Evergreen. Includes: P. vulgaris (acaulis), single flower per stem; P. polyantha with many varieties, and stalked umbrella of flowers above the leaves; P. juliae hybrids. Among P. polyantha there are some dwarf hybrids (not miniature).
CARE. Some shade for hottest part of the day. Woodsy soil rich in humus, neutral or slightly acid. Mulch with manure if possible, around and between plants; don’t cover crown. Keep moist. Provide winter protection of salt hay, evergreen boughs, or excelsior, which results in gradual thawing of the ground around the plants in spring, and also prevents premature blooming during unseasonably warm winter days. Fertilize in spring, and in summer for next year’s flowers. No nitrogen in summer fertilizer. Watch plants for signs of slugs and red spider. Divide when plants get too crowded, preferably after flowering. Hearty seeders.
PROPAGATION. Seeds when ripe (others must be frozen first and thawed), division after flowering.
SPECIAL USES. Carpet under shrubs and under early-flowering trees. Naturalize by streams and beside pools. Wall planting, rock gardens, borders, wild gardens.
Saxifraga Saxifragaceae Rockfoil
There are so many species and hybrids of this popular plant it is difficult to know all of them. Generally, they are characterized by flattish clusters of leaves around the crown, and airy sprays of flowers on top of taller stems. But from this point the variations take many forms and sizes. The leaves may be the size of a nickel or five times that size; flowers may be minute, or large and open-faced; there may be creeping stems or runners, or not.
For most gardeners it is not necessary to know how botanists classify these plants. If you plan to delve deeply into rock gardening there are a number of excellent books on rock plants, some of which are listed in the appendix.
Following are a few of the better-known, and easier grown, saxifraga, including several that have a place in flower borders and other garden spots.
aizoon—Arctic native with rosettes of evergreen, stiff, gray-blue leaves edged with a thin “crust” of limy deposit, and purple-spotted white flowers on tall stems (in May or June). There are a number of varieties, including yellow-flowering lutea, pink rosea, and tiny baldensis with leaf clusters only a quarter-inch across. (Drainage, moist, with northwest exposure. Shade from noon sun; provide limy soil with leaf mold.
cuscutaeformis—Thick, hairy, roundish leaves tinged with copper and marked with a network of white veins; spreads by reddish runners that produce new plants at their tips.
decipiens rosacea—Mossy mats of finely cut leaves and large cupped white flowers on six-inch stems (in May and June). Drainage; gritty sandy soil with leaf mold and humus. Moist, shade from sun. Also pink-and red-flowering varieties.
sarmentosa—strawberry begonia—Favorite pot and basket plant, hardy in nearly every garden. Spreads by strawberry-like runners with plantlets at the ends. Makes mats of round, white-veined leaves and tall airy sprays of white or purplish flowers in June. Requires shade, and moist acid soil.
umbrosa—London pride—Makes a carpet of three-inch-high rosettes of leathery leaves; spires of pink flowers in early summer. Needs moist, rich soil and shade or semishade. The small-scale variety primuloides is daintier.
virginiensis—Slender, oval three-inch leaves in flat clusters, green tinged, but bronze in the fall; small white flowers on ten-inch stems in May. Native of our Northeast. Nice in wild gardens.
CARE. Soil varies with the species (lime for the encrusted ones, which also tolerate more sun). Semishade, moist, but perfect drainage. A hot dry climate is bad for the alpines. Mossy varieties need heavier shade, richer soil, and are best moist.
PROPAGATION. Divisions of sets, cuttings, seeds (most varieties).
SPECIAL USES. Baskets, pots, dry-wall planting, containers, borders.
Silene Caryophyllaceae Campion, Catchfly
The perennials of this genus include some of our most colorful native plants (the flaming fire pink S. virginica, for example), all related to the garden pinks but each one having its own characteristics.
acaulis—cushion pink, moss campion—Dainty two-inch mossy tufts of needle-like leaves slowly increasing to clumps and having half-inch purple-red flowers all summer. (Provide gritty, limed soil.)
caroliniana (pennsylvanica)—wild pink—Sticky-fuzzy plant with slim four-inch evergreen leaves and pink flowers on six-inch stems (April-June). Native to Northeastern woods. Good in rocky spots. Has deep taproot so handle with care. Dig deep when dormant.
maritima—Sea campion—Slim, gray-blue leaves on trailing stems, making a mat four inches high with clusters of white flowers in June.
saxifraga—Tufts of knife-shaped leaves under summer flowers which are white inside, tinted green or red outside, on six-inch stems.
schafta—moss campion—Spreading mounds of silky-hairy leaves covered in August with rose or purple flowers on six-inch stems.
CARE. Good soil, gritty for some varieties with lime for some. Top-dress yearly with mixture of soil and cow manure. Drainage.
PROPAGATION. Seeds, division, cuttings (of young growth).
SPECIAL USES. Rock planting, borders, walls, wild gardens.
Thymus Labiatae Thyme
These are actually tiny shrubs with tangling, woody stems and masses of little leaves that are evergreen in all but the coldest and most exposed locations. Some creep flatly; some make three-inch mounds. You can choose from varying fragrances, leaf textures and colors, and colors of early summer flowers. In fact, there is a much wider variety available than most gardeners realize.
herba-barona—caraway thyme—Ground-hugging creeper with fresh green caraway-scented leaves, and tight clusters of rose-purple flowers. It does not seed and is propagated by division of roots. Hardy.
lanicaulis—Four-inch carpet with half-inch leaves slim as needles at the base and broadening higher on the short stems. Stems feature a woolly coat of hairs as long as they are thick. Tight clover-like flowers are rosy pink.
nitidus—French thyme—Six-to eight-inch shrub with shiny, oval, gray-green leaves, and lavender flowers. Older clumps resent being disturbed, so start young plants from cuttings.
serpyllum—mother-of-thyme, creeping thyme—Perennially popular stem-rooting creeper, less than four inches high with half-inch oval green leaves and purple flowers loved by bees. There are many varieties: white-flowered albus, silver-marked argenteus, gold variegated aureus, larger, red-flowering coccineus, bright-pink roseus, robust, romping, red-flowering splendens. Almost in a class by themselves—and often listed as separate species—are lanuguinosus, woolly thyme (completely covered with silvery fuzz), and the variety vulgaris (citriodorus), lemon thyme with citrus-scented leaves.
vulgaris—common thyme—Kitchen herb, spreads by underground stems. The erect stalks are covered with fine white hair and set with half-inch oval leaves; there are deep-lilac flowers in May and June. It spreads so fast it has been accused of being a weed.
CARE. Ordinary soil, or rich and sandy loam (gritty for some plants). Drainage. Fairly sunny. Protect lightly where winters are severe.
PROPAGATION. Division, layers in spring, cuttings in early summer, seeds (not all varieties have seed, and seeds do not always come true).
SPECIAL USES. Pavements (plants not damaged), border planting, herb gardens, ground cover, edging, dry-wall planting, cover for bulbs.
Veronica Scrophulariaceae Speedwell
Most of the smaller veronicas are matmakers; some are clumpy, and a few are even woody or shrub-like. Also there is a fairly wide variation in the foliage. But the flowers are always arranged in spires; a few are white, purple, or pinkish, but mainly there is a wide choice of true blues from baby blue to royal blue. Here are a few varieties:
allioni—Carpet of little leathery leaves, violet flowers in July.
armena—Ferny, furry tufts of finely cut leaves on trailing stems, five-inch spikes of vivid blue flowers (from May to July). Provide drainage, filtered sun, or half shade.
filiformis—An idiosyncratic creeper that delights some gardeners and drives others crazy. It has been described as “pernicious” and a weed. Actually it’s rather pretty, with small rounded leaves and galaxies of starry-blue flowers in late spring. Grows in either sun or light shade.
fruticans (saxatilis)—Woody stems tightly clothed in dark evergreen leaves making a shrubby plant under six inches. In June and July sapphire flowers open their eyes with pinkish lids.
fruticulosa—Shrubby and semi-evergreen, about four inches high with half-inch leaves and pinkish-blue flowers in June.
gentianoides—This species has clusters of gleaming leaves close to the ground. And in June the flowers are very large, a luscious Wedgwood blue. But there are alarming reports that it has topped twenty inches in height. To play safe, try the miniature version nana, which has the same characteristics but is much less than half that high.
repens—This is a precious pet, a massy creeper with tiny teardrop leaves. It sparkles in May or June with baby-blue flowers. It is all of two inches tall at maturity.
spicata nana—The midget reproduction of the better-known species, slowly swelling to low, leafy clumps and topped with three-inch spikes of blue-purple flowers in July. A white-flowering form has smaller leaves but taller flower stems.
CARE. Any good soil. Moist but with drainage. Sun or light shade depending on the variety (see notations in plant descriptions). Cut back faded flowers. Trailers start best if plants were grown in pots. Divide occasionally.
PROPAGATION. Seeds in spring, division in fall or spring, cuttings early in the summer.
SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, ground cover, dry-wall planting, pavements, steps, stepping stones.
Viola Violaceae Viola, Violet
Thanks to the viola, gardens of all sorts are richer and more pleasant places in which to work, visit, or spend a pleasant afternoon. Here are some of the viola’s gifts to gardening:
cornuta—Tufted pansies.
odorata—sweet violets—Fragrant violets, once strictly a specialty of florist shops but now widely grown in home gardens.
rosina—Pink flowers with intense fragrance.
semperflorens—Mats of fresh green leaves with purple flowers that last much of the summer.
tricolor—Commonly known as Johnny-jump-up, an all-summer-long bloomer with small purple and gold flowers.
tricolor hortensis—Pansies which grow in many colors and color combinations.
CARE. Rich garden soil, partial shade, moisture, light winter protection.
PROPAGATION. Seeds (sown in flats and exposed to freezing weather over winter for spring germination), division, layering of runners of those varieties that produce them.
SPECIAL USES. Cut flowers, beds, edging, rock gardens.
CHAPTER 16
MINIATURE ANNUALS
Even if every inch of our gardens were permanently planted, I’d probably still start some annuals every spring. In those depressing, letdown weeks of January after the holidays nothing brightens my life like leafing through the new seed catalogues. In the dark days of March when late-winter blusters snarl at spring and threaten to hold it off forever, my perky indoor seedlings tell me that it is just around a bend in the road. My traditional birthday treat, in early June, is a day all my own when I get my favorite flower beds ready for the summer. I absolutely refuse to fry an egg, wash a dish, or lift a dustcloth. Before dark on that wonderful day I see that every seedling is planted in moist warm soil.
Actually, I can’t imagine our grounds being so completely planted that there isn’t a place for at least a few annuals—no bare spots in the perennial border, no shrub or tree around which to set flowering clumps, no window boxes or planters in need of decoration. And if ever there is a spring when I don’t ask my husband to spade up “just one more spot” for a few more annuals, I’ll eat my garden gloves finger by finger.
Because they cost so little, and because they last only one season, you can plant annuals with careless abandon. You can experiment with bizarre color schemes. If they don’t work out, try something different next year. If you are saving a special spot for a special shrub or bush, and you feel it is too expensive for the moment, or you can’t find a specimen that is exactly what you want, let annuals fill in until you have that particular plant. If you are creating a new garden and are not quite sure of the design, test it with annuals before you make it permanent.
As with the miniature perennials, the annuals included here have been selected not only because they are small, but also because they are in suitably modest scale for use in miniature gardens of many sorts. Descriptions of the varieties should be helpful in selecting the truly miniature annuals at local nurseries and garden centers. Seeds are available from various mail-order suppliers listed in the Appendix.
Like all other garden plants, miniature annuals should be selected according to such cultural conditions as the amount of moisture and sunlight and the type of soil. If these requirements are not clearly stated on the seed packets or in the seed catalogue from which you ordered, check for details in a good reference book rather than risk disappointing failure.