Cool Plants

Forsythia Arnold Dwarf
Forsythia 'Arnold Dwarf', is an excellent dwarf groundcover type shrub. It flowers profusely in early spring before the leaves appear. The dark green summer foliage develops a bronze-green fall color. Arnold is a smaller size forsythia that provides both late winter color in the landscape and cut branches for indoor bloom when flowers are scarce. It tolerates most soils and prefers full sun for best bloom, but will tolerate partial shade. If allowed to arch to ground, the branches will root and spread. Forsythia makes excellent erosion control, especially on slopes. To keep in it's smallest form, trim to ground after bloom to encourage new growth and more flowers the next year. A moderately fast grower, this makes a desirable border shrub in the landscape. Plant in full sun in moist, well-drained soil. This can be grown in a container.

Trillium grandiflorum
Snow trillium grows best in open shade. The attractive white flowers bloom in the spring and last up to a month. The plant's habit of growth also makes it useful as a ground cover in the shade garden--it spreads on creeping underground stems, or rhizomes, sending up dense clumps of foliage. The name trillium refers to the plant's structure, which is made up of threes: three petals, three sepals, three leaves. The latter are pointed ovals with indented veins, riding high on the stem, just below the single flower. In the fall, each flower produces a berry-like fruit.

Erythronium Americanum Trout Lily
Trout lilies are low-growing plants that form colonies of plants of different ages. The youngsters are flowerless and have only one leaf, while older plants produce two leaves and a single flower. The trout lily’s fleshy green leaves with purple mottling make it easy to recognize. Its graceful yellow flower sits atop a solitary stem and droops towards the ground. Its petals, however, curl upwards, revealing the bright yellow of the inner petals. As a member of the lily family, the trout lily displays a common characteristic of having three petals and three petal-like sepals.Be sure to watch out for these common spring flowers before June has passed and their above-ground parts have withered away. After that, they will be focusing their energies on spreading underground and making new shoots for next year.

Arisaema
An intriguing relative of the calla, arisaema rears up from the shady garden floor like a viper, flaring its colorfully striped and mottled bract like a cobra's hood. While they resemble carnivorous plants, cobra lilies attract flies and bees for pollination - not for food. The flowers are actually quite small, all but hidden by the over-arching spathe, the modified leaf that is the showy part of the arisaema bloom. This colorful, compelling lure to pollinators follows foliage put up in spring, blooming from late spring into summer. As the blooms fade, they are replaced by green berries ripening to scarlet as fall approaches. These woodland plants thrive moist soil rich in organic matter in partial sun to shade. Native to eastern Asia, arisaema add drama and a haunting beauty to any woodland planting - a floral serpent to complement your garden's Eden.

Dicentra ‘Gold heart’
A selection of grandmother’s favorite bleeding heart, Dicentra spectabilis ‘Gold Heart‘ is an amazing cultivar. The foliage is acid yellow with the usual pink and white flowers hearts along arching stems in April and May. Bleeding hearts have long been used in the woodland garden and though common are still very worthwhile. If you are against pink and yellow combos you will not like this plant. If you are a provocateur then it is up your alley. Combine it with blue and white flowers and an evergreen fern for a stunning planter!

Magnolia 'Butterflies'

Epimedium

Epimediums
The epimediums are small woody perennials that have delicate lovely flowers but the real attraction is their beautiful foliage and their use as a ground cover. The common name is "barrenwort" and they are members of the Berberidacea family. They grow naturally in northern temperate zones from the eastern Mediterranean through Asia and consist of more than 30 species (so far). They are clump forming and spread by underground stems. The leaves are finely toothed, usually heart shaped, and 1-3 inches in size. The colors of the leaves range from bronze to light green in spring and may be tinged with red in the fall. Many may exhibit a lovely bronze color in winter; the leaves and flowers are attached to a wiry stem. The flowers appear in the spring in clusters and the colors range from yellow to orange to red and to white with tinges of purple. The flowers are cupped, some having long spurs.

These plants are hardy, tough, drought resistant and long lived. They will grow in par­tial to full shade and compete with tree and shrub roots. Most are just under a foot in height and increase in width slowly but steadily and without becoming invasive. They are good choices for rock gardens or along a shady path.

Cultural requirements are simple. They will grow in dry shade, but really perform best when placed in rich, highly organic, moist, well drained and slightly acid soil.

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