Genus:

Portulaca

Species

grandiflora

Common Name:

Moss Rose

Family:

Portulaceae

Order:

Caryophyllales

Native:

Brazil, Argentina and uruguay

Location:

Prefers sunny, fairly dry, well-drained, ordinary garden soil

Habit:

Annual

Height:

0.5 to 1 foot

Width:

0.5 to 1 foot

Season:

Summer to Fall

Color:

Pink, purple, white, red, orange or yellow

Propagation:

Seed and stem cutting

Zone:

Note:

This plant is suitable for edging, rock gardens, ground cover, containers, or stone walls. An excellent choice for dry soil areas of gardens. Monitor plant for aphids and crown rot.

Genus:

Rudbeckia

Species

hirta

Common Name:

Black-Eyed Susan

Family:

Asteraceae

Order:

Asterales

Native:

Eastern and central United States

Location:

Prefers sunny, moderately dry, well-drained, organic-rich soil

Habit:

Herbaceous Perennial

Height:

2 to 4 feet

Width:

1 to 2 feet

Season:

Summer

Color:

Brown (disc flowers) and 0range-yellow( ray flowers)

Propagation:

Seed and division

Zone:

3_7

Note:

This short-lived perennial plant is suitable for meadow, perennial borders and cottage gardens. Black-Eyed Susan can tolerate drought, heat and a variety of soil conditions. Pinch spent flowers in order to enhance and prolong flowering. Black-Eyed Susan can self-seed, and often becomes invasive. Monitor for slugs, snails and powdery mildew.

Genus:

Tagetes

Species

patula

Common Name:

French Marigold

Family:

Asteraceae

Order:

Asterales

Native:

Mexico and Guatemala

Location:

Prefers sunny, moderately dry, well-drained, ordinary garden soil

Habit:

Annual

Height:

0.5 to 1 foot

Width:

0.5 to 1 foot

Season:

Spring, Summer to Fall

Color:

Orange, red, yellow or bicolor

Propagation:

Seed

Zone:

Note:

This plant is suitable for beds, containers, and edging. Pinching the young shoots will promote bushiness. Removal of the spent flowers will encourage more flowering, and enhance plant appearance. Monitor plant for slugs, spider mites, thrips, leaf spots, rots, botrytis and powdery mildew.

Genus:

Petunia

Species

X hybrida

Common Name:

Petunia

Family:

Solanaceae

Order:

Solanales

Native:

Parents p. axillaris, P. inflata and P. violacea

Location:

Prefers sunny, moderately dry, well-draine, ordinary garden soil

Habit:

Annual or herbaceous perennial

Height:

0.5 to 1

Width:

1 to 3 feet

Season:

Spring, summer to Fall

Color:

White, purple, yellow, pink, blue or red

Propagation:

Seed or stem cutting

Zone:

10_11

Note:

This tender perennial is primarily grown as an annual. This plant is suitable for borders, beds, edging, ground cover, hanging baskets, and containers. Removal of spent flowers enhances additional blooming. Petunia does poorly in the Summer heat. If flowering decreases, cut back the plant to encourage a later flowering period. Monitor plant for gray mold, root rot, late blight, tobacco mosaic virus, aphids, slugs, snails, and flea beetles.

Genus:

Zinnia

Species

elegans

Common Name:

Common Zinnia

Family:

Asteraceae

Order:

Asterales

Native:

Mexico

Location:

Prefers sunny, moderately dry, well-drained, organic-rich soil

Habit:

Annual

Height:

1 to 4 feet

Width:

1 to 1.5 feet

Season:

Summer to Fall

Color:

Red, orange, yellow, pink, rose, lavender, green or white

Propagation:

Seed

Zone:

Note:

This plant is suitable as a cut flower, in beds, borders, containers and cottage gardens. Pinching the young shoots will promote bushiness. Removal of the spent flowers will encourage more flowering and enhance plant appearance. Zinnia is susceptible to Japanese beetles, blight, botrytis, leaf spots, powdery mildew and root rot. Good air circulation is required to prevent zinnia from fungal diseases.

Genus:

Antirrhinum

Species

majus

Common Name:

Common Snapdragon

Family:

Veronicaceae + Plantaginaceae

Order:

Lamiales

Native:

Mediterranean

Location:

Prefers sunny to part shady, moderately dry, well-drained, organic-rich soil

Habit:

Herbaceous Perennial

Height:

0.5 to 6 feet

Width:

0.5 to 1 foot

Season:

Late Spring, summer to Fall

Color:

White, purple, yellow, pink, orange or red

Propagation:

Seed

Zone:

7_10

Note:

This short-lived perennial is primarily grown as an annual, and is suitable for edging, borders, beds, containers, and cutting gardens. Taller varieties may need staking. Remove spent flowers in order to prolong bloom period. Monitor plant for rust, leaf spots, mold, downy mildew, root rot, wilt, mites and aphids.

Genus:

Calendula

Species

officinalis

Common Name:

Pot Marigold

Family:

Asteraceae

Order:

Asterales

Native:

Southern Europe

Location:

Prefers sunny to part shady, moist, ordinary garden soil

Habit:

Herbaceous Perennial

Height:

1 to 3 feet

Width:

1 to 2 feet

Season:

Late Spring to Fall

Color:

Orange or yellow

Propagation:

Seed

Zone:

Hardy to zone 7

Note:

Pot marigold is suitable for borders, beds, cut flower gardens or containers. Dried flower heads may be used for food coloring. Pinching the vegetative buds promotes bushiness in this plant. Remove or pinch spent flowers to encourage additional flowering. Monitor plant for stem rot, powdery mildew and leaf spots.

Genus:

Campanula

Species

carpatica

Common Name:

Tussock Bellflower

Family:

Campanulaceae + Lobeliaceae

Order:

Asterales

Native:

Carpathian Mountains

Location:

Prefers sunny to part shady, moderately dry,well-drained organic-rich soil

Habit:

Herbaceous Perennial

Height:

0.5 to 1 foot

Width:

0.5 to 1 foot

Season:

Spring to Summer

Color:

White, Purple or blue

Propagation:

Seed or division

Zone:

3_8

Note:

This low clump-forming plant is suitable for rock gardens, edging and at the front of borders. Since this plant benefits from a cool root temperature, mulching is recommended. Flowering will significantly reduce, where the night temperature consistently exceeds 70-75 F. Monitor plant for snails and slugs.

Genus:

Gypsophila

Species

elegans

Common Name:

Baby's-Breath

Family:

Caryophyllaceae

Order:

Caryophyllales

Native:

Southeastern Europe to Iran

Location:

Prefers sunny, moderately dry,well-drained, moderately fertile alkaline soil

Habit:

Annual

Height:

0.5 to 2 feet

Width:

0.5 to 1 foot

Season:

Spring

Color:

white with purple veins

Propagation:

Seed

Zone:

Note:

This plant is suitable for containers, borders and cut flower, wild flower or meadow gardens

Genus:

Ageratum

Species

houstonianum

Common Name:

Floss Flower

Family:

Asteraceae

Order:

Asterales

Native:

Mexico and Central America

Location:

Prefers sunny, moist, well-drained, organic-rich soil

Habit:

Annual

Height:

0.5 to 3 feet

Width:

0.5 to 1.5 feet

Season:

Late Spring to Summer

Color:

Blue, pink, lavender or white

Propagation:

Seed

Zone:

Note:

This annual with it's fluff forming flowers (Disk flowers) is suitable for borders, widow boxes, edging and carpeting flower beds. Taller cultivars may be used as cut flowers. Spent flowers should be pinched regularly. This plant is susceptible to powdery mildew, aphids, whiteflies and rot root.

Genus:

Anemone

Species

hupehensis

Common Name:

Japanese Anemone

Family:

Ranunculaceae

Order:

Ranunculales

Native:

China and Japan

Location:

Prefers part shady, moist, well-drained , loamy, organic rich soil

Habit:

Herbaceous Perennial

Height:

1.5 to 3 feet

Width:

1 to 2 feet

Season:

Late Summer to Fall

Color:

Pink, red or purple

Propagation:

Seed or division

Zone:

4_8

Note:

This plant is suitable for borders, and woodland gardens. Plant may need staking.

Genus:

Aquilegia

Species

caerulea

Common Name:

Rocky Mountain Columbine

Family:

Ranunculaceae

Order:

Ranunculales

Native:

Rocky Mountains

Location:

Prefers part shady, moist, well-drained , sandy-loamy, organic rich soil

Habit:

Herbaceous Perennial

Height:

1 to 2 feet

Width:

1 to 2 feet

Season:

Spring to early summer

Color:

Blue, white or pink-white

Propagation:

Seed or division

Zone:

3_10

Note:

This plant is suitable for cottage gardens, and borders. Rocky Mountain Columbine is the state flower of Colorado. Aquilegia is the Latin term for eagle. The five flower spurs of this plant resemble eagle talons. Mountain Columbine dormancy begins in mid-Summer. Monitor plant for powdery mildew and leaf miners.

Genus:

Centaurea

Species

montana

Common Name:

Mountain Bluet

Family:

Asteraceae

Order:

Asterales

Native:

Central Europe

Location:

Prefers sunny, moderately dry, well-drained, regular garden soil

Habit:

Herbaceous Perennial

Height:

1 to 2 feet

Width:

1 to 1.5 feet

Season:

Late Spring to Summer

Color:

Blue

Propagation:

Seed or division

Zone:

3_8

Note:

This stoloniferous clump-forming plant is suitable for border fronts, naturalized areas, or cottage gardens. Cut back stalk of spent flowers to the ground. Plant is susceptible to aster yellow, rust, and stem rot.