Dicentra eximia ‘Aurora’ - Bleeding Heart

Aurora, goddess of the dawn, is wonderfully complimented by her namesake, this delicate and delightful bleeding heart.  Any kid who has never dissected one of these curiously intricate flowers has missed one of youth’s special moments.  Small white flowers bloom over a long period in spring and throughout the summer.  With dainty blue-green, fern-like foliage that grows about 12-15 inches tall, this new bleeding heart cultivar is a welcome addition to the light shade or full sun garden. Sun Exposure: Full to Partial Sun Cold Hardiness: Zones 4-8 Spacing: 12" Growth Rate: Moderate Water Needs: Moist well drained soil.

Echinacea purpurea ‘Kim's Knee High’ (PPAF) - Purple Coneflower

From Kim Hawks of Niche Gardens in Chapel Hill, NC, comes this exciting new cultivar.  Echinacea ‘Kim’s Knee High’ is a shorter version of the well known native purple coneflower.  In late June to early July it produces flowers that top out at the level of Kim’s knees, about 20 inches.  The flowers are clear pink with reflexed flower petals and have the characteristic prominent cone of iridescent glowing orange with red tips.  Plants are sturdy with good plant vigor.  Six to eight weeks later (mid-late August) it blooms again.  The flowers on the second set of blooms are slightly taller, topping out at 24-26 inches.  A real winner of a plant that’s great for smaller, more restricted garden spaces. Sun Exposure: Full to Partial Sun Cold Hardiness: Zone 3-9 Spacing: 12" Growth Rate: Moderate to Fast Water Needs: Moist well drained, loamy soil

Euphorbia ‘Excalibur’ (PPAF) - Spurge

This fabulously exciting new deciduous selection comes to us from Fromefield Nursery in England.  Growing to 36 inches in height and spreading to 20 inches across, it’s habit is clump-forming yet non-invasive.  ‘Excalibur’ displays stunning young foliage throughout the spring followed by long-lasting yellow bracts during the summer.  Striking in and of itself, ‘Excalibur’ will blend superbly with almost any of the other perennials in your border. Sun Exposure: Full Sun Cold Hardiness: Zone 5-8 Spacing: 18-24" Growth Rate: Moderate Water Needs: Prefers well drained soil

Euphorbia cornigera ‘Golden Towers’ - Golden Spurge

A clone selected by Ernst Pagels, world-renowned hybridizer from East Friesland, Germany, this herbaceous species is native to the high Himalayas.  Its bright lemon-yellow flower bracts are infused with green, born on 20 inch stems in early to mid summer over deep green, glossy foliage.  The cool brightness of the color is such that in one’s perception it seems to offset the oppressive heat of the season.  In your garden it will hold its own beautifully while always blending well with its neighbors. Sun Exposure: Full Sun Cold Hardiness: Zones 5-8 Spacing: 20-24" Growth Rate: Moderate Water Needs: Prefers well drained soil

Geranium x lindavicum ‘Apple Blossom’ - Cranesbill

Geranium x lindavicum is an interspecific cross between two native mountain species of  southeastern Europe.  Both these species typically grow on chalky cliffs in full sun.  As such the hybrid is very drought tolerant and long-blooming.  ‘Apple Blossom’ is a selected hybrid, bearing the clean pink color which its name suggests.  These flowers are born profusely a few inches above its 6 inch mounds of delicate, gray-green foliage.  The overall effect is one of consummate pastel subtlety, wholly inappropriate for the “scorched eyeball” style of garden coloration. Sun Exposure: Full to Partial Sun Cold Hardiness: Zones 5-8 Spacing: 12" Growth Rate: Moderate Water Needs: Evenly moist, well drained soil