Cut Flowers

The 6-petaled starry flowers in shades of yellow, orange, and red are heavily speckled and flecked with red and are produced on sturdy stems atop the fans of medium to light green iris-like foliage in summer over a period of several weeks. The flowers of the Blackberry Lily, Belamcanda chinensis or more recently Iris domestica, are followed by seed pods that split open to reveal shiny black round seeds that are sometimes used in dried arrangements for fall. This is a hardy clump forming heirloom perennial with a tough constitution as well as being a colorful and low-maintenance addition to the garden and landscape. It will do best in an average to well-drained, average moist, fertile soil in a full to mostly sunny site. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12304

The 2-3" wide dark eyed daisies are composed of deep golden yellow rays that surround the dark brown to black cones are produced in late spring to summer (depending on your zone). The flowers attract bees and other small pollinators and the seed heads attract songbirds. The Black-Eyed Susan is an annual - atleast in our area, biennial, to short-lived perennial with dark green hairy foliage that adorns well-branched plants and each plant can produce 20-30 or more flowers. This is a widespread species found along roadsides, meadows and prairies, savannas, and in open Longleaf Pine forests mainly in soils with average or better drainage. The Black-Eyed Susan is a common addition to seedmixes and readily reseeds on exposed soils, although it is not an aggressive species. Item# 11725

One of the hottest new native grasses on the market! Blackhawks Big Bluestem starts off in spring as a deep green clump of upright to arching blades that may be tipped with red to purple. It is in late summer when the real show begins with the upright and arching foliage and flowering stems of August deepen to red to red-purple and further deepening and intensifying as the cooler fall weather arrives becoming nearly all black as its sturdy and showy flowering stems begin to mature. Blackhawks Big Bluestem is a slightly more compact plant reaching about 4-5' high when in flower. The species is native throughout much of the eastern 2/3's of the US and is a clumping to slowly spreading rhizomatous grass whose seeds are utilized by a number of seed eating birds. Provide a full to mostly sunny site with an average to well-drained, acidic soil for the deepest foliage colors and optimum vigor. Plants are in their best form when grown in a low fertility soil. Overly fertile soils can cause them to topple at maturity.Caterpillars: Arogos Skipper and Delaware Skipper. Images courtesy of Brent Horvath, Intrinsic Perennials, all rights reserved. Item# 12169

.

In late summer and fall these plants are covered with dark-eyed golden yellow 2-3" wide daisies that sit atop sturdy stems with the flowers providing pollen and nectar for smaller pollinators and other garden beneficials. Blackjack Gold Brown-Eyed Susan offers more flowers over a longer period on sturdy disease resistant plants with improved vigor on longer-lived plants. It received exceptionally high marks in trials at UGA in 2019. This is a heat and sun-loving, deer and rabbit resistant native well-suited to both the garden and landscape as well as in naturalistic settings. The Brown-Eyed Susan, Rudbeckia triloba, readily reseeds on exposed soils but is not aggressive or difficult to control. It prefers a full to mostly sunny position in well-drained, average moist to semi-dry soils. Ripened seedheads offer food for songbirds and small mammals. Item# 12319

Sturdy spikes of brilliant blue to lavender-blue, two-lipped flowers are borne for an exceptionally long period in late summer and into fall on this hardy, native, clump-forming perennial. Suitable for consistently moist to wet soils. The Blue Cardinal Flower is enjoyed by hummingbirds, butterflies, and an variety of other pollinators as well as making a beautiful cut flower. Images courtesy of North Creek Nurseries. Item# 10159.

Boasting bigger blue and more beautiful whorled clusters of nectar rich tubular flowers in tall wands that extend well above the gray-green foliage and last for weeks in summer. Blue Empire™ Bluebeard or Caryopteris was selected for its noticeably larger and longer lasting clusters of flowers as well as for its nicely compact habit further highlighting the tall candles of flower clusters. In zones 5-6 Bluebeard tends to act more like a clump forming die-back perennial and becomes more shrub-like where winters are milder, although, it benefits from hard late winter or early spring pruning since it flowers on new growth. Somewhat drought resistant once well-established and prefers a sunny site in a well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Images courtesy of North Creek Nurseries, all rights reserved. Item# 12248

Spikes of 1/2" long, tubular, two-lipped, deep azure blue flowers have a contrasting bright white bee-guide and throat are produced in late spring or early summer and continue into fall atop the tall wispy stems. The nectar rich flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Bog Sage, Salvia uliginosa, is a rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial producing a multitude of tall thin wiry stems that can reach 5-6' high in rich fertile moist soils but tends to remain shorter, 3-4' high or so, under average moist garden conditions, which it can tolerate quite well, despite its name, once fully established. it tends to be more restrained under drier conditions as well. Its long flowering season and ease of care have garnered Bog Sage the RHS Award of Garden Merit. It can tolerate full sun in the cooler portions of its range but may be at its best where it receives a little midday shade in areas with hot summer climates. Item# 12906

The narrow deep green to bluish-green foliage is adorned with broad creamy white vareiegation down the center of each recurving leaf. In typical Airplane Plant fashion, Bonnie produces a multitude of miniature plantlets along creamy white arching stems eventually developing into a dense mass of foliage that is perfectly suited for small to medium-sized hanging baskets and containers. It will do best where it receives bright indirect sunlight in an average moist, fertile soil. We have long been in love with this cultivar not only for the name it shares with our mother but also for its neat dense and unusual habit. Easy and carefree and perfectly suited for shaded porches, patios, atriums, and gardens or enjoy it indoors with bright to medium indirect sunlight. In warm tropical climates Airplane Plants may be utilized as shady groundcovers. Item# 12461

A continuous display of brown-eyed golden-rayed daisy-like flowers are produced from early to midsummer into fall on well-branched plants with deep bronzy green hairy foliage. The Brown-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia triloba, is very similar in all regards to the wild forms of the Black-Eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta, and it begins flowering about the time that the latter species is finished for the year. This biennial to short-lived perennial is a heat tolerant, sun-loving, deer and rabbit resistant native well-suited to both the garden and landscape as well as in naturalistic settings like prairies, meadows, and roadside plantings. It readily reseeds on exposed soils but is not aggressive or difficult to control. It prefers a full to mostly sunny position in well-drained, average moist to semi-dry soils. The flowers of the Brown-Eyed Susan offer pollen and nectar to bees, smaller butterflies, and other garden beneficials. The seeds offer food for songbirds and small mammals. Item# 11980

New in 2022 and a breakthrough color! Dense spikes of dark wine purple pea-like flowers that are accented by a contrasting primrose yellow keel are held above the mound of deep green foliage. Flowers are produced in late spring to early summer and attract mainly bees. Burgundy Blast Baptisia or False Indigo, a hybrid cultivar of US native species (a.k.a. nativar), with good vigor and deep green foliage growing to about 3' x 3'. These are easy and low-maintenance, deer resistant, long-lived, taprooted perennials that produce more and more flowering spikes with each passing year with some plants producing over a 100 spikes on mature plants. Considered a must for the cutflower garden as the spikes have an excellent vase life. Provide Baptisias with a full to mostly sunny site in a soil with average or better drainage and moderate fertility. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12893

Ray petals in shades of bright yellow leaning into orange hues surround the dark cones tipped in golden yellow composing the 3-4" wide flowers that are perched atop 18" high stems and are produced over an extended period in summer. Butterfly™ Golden Skipper Coneflower is a hybrid Coneflower selected for its exceptionally long flowering season that lasts from mid to late spring into fall, briliant color, large flowers, excellent branching habit meaning more flowers, good resistance to leaf spot diseases, as well as its perennial reliability as a garden plant. Coneflowers are clump forming perennials whose often fragrant flowers are adored by butterflies, bees, and other pollinators that can be enjoyed as part of the sunny garden garden and landscape as well as container specimens. Leave seedheads for fall and winter songbirds to enjoy. Removal of spent flowers may help to prolong the flowering season. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Photos courtesy of AB-Cultivars, all rights reserved. Item# 13050

Pale sky blue falls and standards with darker blue veining and narrow yellow signals and are centered by complimentary white style arms. Bywater Louisiana Iris, named for the body of water, is midseason flowering, April, and is a smaller growing cultivar reaching 24-28" high. Louisiana Irises are easy and adaptable, rhizomatous perennials with fans of deep green sword-like foliage and seem as at home in standing water as they do in average moist garden soils. Remember that these plants do most of their growing in fall and winter and so this is when they should be fed and fall is also a great time to divide plants if desired. Provide a full to mostly sunny site for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 13342

Large, 2" wide, coral to peachy pink, Camellia-like blossoms adorn this Quince in late winter and early spring. Cameo Flowering Quince, a selection of Chaenomeles x speciosa, is a tough and easy deciduous shrub with good drought tolerance and excellent resistance to leaf spot diseases that can defoliate some cultivars early in the growing season. Cut stems of Flowering Quince, with well developed flower buds that are showing color, can be cut and brought indoors as cut flowers. Prune after flowering as Quince flower on old wood or last season's growth. Provide the Cameo Flowering Quince with a full to mostly sunny site in a fertile, average to well-drained soil. Dr. Michael Dirr in Dirr's Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs mentions its disease resistance and states that it is "One of my favorite quinces and a long prized specimen in the Dirr garden." Item# 12773

Expect this to be a head turning conversation piece! Medium to large, soft pink to near white, perfect or rose form flowers are elegantly flecked and streaked with contrasting red to deep pink and are produced in mid to late season, January to April. Campari Camellia, a large type Japonica Camellia, is a vigorous, large growing evergreen shrub with a naturally upright habit becoming rounded with age. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Images courtesy of Cam Too Camellia Nursery, all rights reserved. Item# 13211

The large rounded clusters of tubular buds are yellow tinged orange and open to display the large bright canary yellow fragrant flowers in early spring on bare stems just before the foliage emerges. Canary Isles Deciduous Azalea is an upright to rounded, medium-sized, deciduous shrub well suited to partial shade but can take full sun under average or better conditions. The Aromi Deciduous Azaleas were developed by Dr. Eugene Aromi of Mobile, Alabama, and are known for both their amazing spring display of fragrant flowers as well as their ability to withstand the heat and humidity of the Southeastern US. Sometimes still fondly referred to as Wild Honeysuckle Bushes, these nativars will do best in an average moist, well-drained, fertile, acidic soil from partial shade to full sun conditions. Topdress with an organic mulch like pinestraw, a.k.a. pine needles, or pine bark. Item# 13288

Medium to large, deep red, semi-double to loose peony form flowers with a boss of contrasting gold tipped stamens are produced in mid to late season, January to April, attracting bees and other pollinators. Candy Apple Camellia, a large flowered Japonica Camellia developed by Nuccio's Nurseries, has a moderate rate of growth and develops into a large, upright to rounded, evergreen shrub. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Images courtesy of Cam Too Camellia Nursery, all rights reserved. Item# 13212

Large rounded clusters of lightly fragrant 1" wide deep coral pink flowers that lighten to near white toward the base of the petals and with a fuchsia eye sit atop sturdy stems and are produced beginning in late spring and continuing through summer potentially into fall. Coral Crème Drop™ Garden Phlox is another exceptionally disease resistant Phlox paniculata hybrid from the Candy Store series with rich deep dark green often bronze-tinged foliage on well-branched plants that are a little more compact than most Garden Phlox cultivars reaching only about 24" high. This is a slowly spreading clump-forming perennial that will eventually develop into a dense mass of stems and foliage that is topped for weeks by the bright and showy nectar rich flowers that attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and hummingbird moths. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in well-drained fertile soils for optimum vigor and flowering. Images courtesy of Plants Nouveau, all rights reserved. Item# 12206

Large rounded to conical clusters of fragrant 1" wide purple flowers with a red-purple eye and with each petal brushed with 2 light strokes of bright contrasting white are produced beginning in summer and can continue into fall. The flowers of Phlox are butterfly pollinated but they may also attract larger bees and hummingbirds. Candy Store™ Grape Lollipop Garden Phlox is a clump forming selection of the native perennial Phlox paniculata with extra dark green disease resistant foliage that adorns the dark colored sturdy stems. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in well-drained, fertile soils for optimum vigor and flowering. Image courtesy of AG3, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12040

Clusters of light pink, nicely fragrant, somewhat funnel-shaped to tubular flowers are held against a foil of coppery pink, long-lasting bracts and bright golden yellow foliage beginning in late spring to early summer and continuing into fall. Canyon Creek Glossy Abelia, an open pollinated seedling of Abelia chinense that was selected through Dr. Michael Dirr's breeding program at UGA, is a vigorous growing cultivar with some of the best yellow foliage of any shrub on the market today. The glossy, medium to fine-textured foliage starts out a contrasting coppery red and matures to bright sunny to golden yellow and finally to green in summer providing interest throughout the year and will have the best color where it receives at least a half a day or more of direct sunlight in a moderately fertile to rich soil. Utilize this tough and easy, evergreen to semi-evergreen medium to large shrub in the garden or landscape as a specimen plant or formal to informal hedge. The fragrance of the flowers in a bouquet can be enough to fill a room. Highly recommended. Item# 3073

The large 5" wide bright sunny yellow flowers have a darker gold stripe on the outer petals or falls and with some green accents in the center of the flowers. Captain Jeff Bowen is a vigorous and hardy, midseason flowering Louisiana Iris that is part of the Fallen Heroes series hybridized by Lee-Ann Connelly, now Shearhouse, and marketed by Ag3 Inc. A portion of the price of each plant is donated to the Fallen First Responders charity that aids the children of both Firefighters and Law Enforcement. Multiplies readily in average garden soils, moist to wet soils, or they can be set in water gardens where the container is just below the water's surface. Provide a full to mostly sunny site for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 12833