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Pine Ridge Gardens
  2008 Catalog
 

  Perennials & a Few Annuals: 

Alphabetical Listings: | A | B-G | H-Z |

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Agastaches belong to the family Lamiaceae, which is the mint family. Some are highly scented & others have no appreciable scent. The ones from the eastern U.S. generally like a little shade & more moisture than the western species. All are beloved by hummingbirds, butterflies & bees.

 
 

The love of gardening is a seed that once sown never dies”.     Gertrude Jekyll…….
 

Agastache foeniculum 
$6.00 Quart
Native    Sun/part shade   Zones 3-8 
Anise hyssop. Use fresh or dried leaves for tea or seasoning. Edible spikes of blue-violet flowers are anise flavored & sweet. Very attractive to bees, birds & butterflies. Native Americans used this medicinally.  Foliage smells like fennel or liquorice. 

Agave parryi     Parry's agave
$6.00 small plant bands
 $12.00 quart    $20.00 3 quart
Native    Sun to part shade  Zones 5-10  Family: Amaryllidaceae
From the Southwest comes this lovely agave.  Thick spiny leaves adorn this hardy agave.  Ultimate clump size is about 36" with each leaf being maybe 5" across.  Please plant in well drained soil in a place where children don't play. Hummingbirds
 
 

Alliums are in the Liliaceae family. The genus Allium is the same genus that produces the onion you buy at the store or grow in your vegetable garden. Alliums come from all over the world & we have some fine natives in this country that provide lovely flowers that attract bees & butterflies to your garden. 

 

Allium cernuum  Nodding onion
$7.00 Quart
Arkansas Native
Sun to part shade  Zones 3-10. 
Nodding onion is native to a wide area of North America from British Columbia to New York & to Georgia west to Arizona. Usually has pinky purple flowers although white is known to occur. Butterflies.  12 to 18 inches total height.  Drought buster!
 

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Amsonia is a member of the Apocynaceae family. The common name given to this genus is Blue Star. When flowering, you know why as it has lots of blue star shaped flowers. When flowering is finished, Amsonia remains a lovely plant in the garden & in fall, turns a glorious yellow. 

Amsonia hubrichtii Arkansas blue star
Quart  $7.00 
Arkansas native
Full sun   Zones 4-10   Family: Apocynaceae
Absolutely stunning in it's fall dress!  In early spring stems with very fine leaves come out & then in mid spring these stems are topped with clusters of blue starlike flowers.  All summer long Blue star is green & upright, creasting a lovely mass of fine needled foliage in the garden.  But as lovely as it is, to my eyes, it really comes into its glory in fall when the leaves turn shades of yellow & gold.  Give it plenty of room! Very drought tolerant.

Amsonia illustris          Shining blue star
Arkansas native
 sold out
Full sun to part shade    Zones 5-8 at least 
Shining blue star is found from Missouri & Kansas to Texas, Oklahoma & Arkansas.  Natively it occurs on gravel bars & rocky open places along streams. It does well in gardens.  .
 

Amsonia 'Blue Ice'    Blue star 'Blue Ice'
$6.00 MPP
Native 
Sun to part shade     Zones 4-9     Family: Apocynaceae
'Blue Ice' is a selection of Blue star that is probably a hybrid between A. tabernaemontana & A. montana.  A very nice offspring has come out of this mating.  Dark lavender blue flowers on a compact form.  14"

Amsonia tabernaemontana v salicifolia    Blue Star
$sold out
Arkansas native   Shade or sun  Z: 3-9  Family: Apocynaceae
Willow leaf blue star is an excellent choice when you don't have as much sun as some of the other blue stars require.  Lovely blue star-shaped flowers appears in early spring atop stems with shining leaves which turn an attractive yellow in the fall.

Anemone virginiana      Thimbleweed
$sold out  Should be ready again spring 2008
Arkansas native
 Sun/part shade/dappled shade  Zones      Family: Ranunculaceae
Why Thimbleweed?  Certainly nothing weedy about this lovely anemone!  Thimble, perhaps for the look of the seedhead after flowering.  Deepest green leaves show off the lovely delicate white flowers.  A delightful refined lady for the garden - here, I've found it growing down by the creek in partial shade.  My thanks to Lois Wilson for this sweet addition to our catalog.

                         
Antennaria plantaginifolia    Plantain leafed Pussy Toes
$6.00 Medium perennial pot
Arkansas native   Part shade  Z: 3-8  Family: Asteraceae
At only 6-12" pussy toes belongs at the front of the border or along pathways in deciduous woods.  Pussy toes need sharp drainage & likes gravely rocky sites.  The silvery gray foliage remains years round & slowly spreads to make a mat.  Very drought tolerant.  Named 'Pussy toes' because of the resemblance of the flowers to the bottom of a cats' paw.

Apocynum cannabinum      dogbane 
 $7.00 Quart
Arkansas native     Sun to part shade Zones 3-10 Family: Apocynaceae.
Also known as Indian Hemp. Beloved for it’s nectar by butterflies, this species is sadly neglected by gardeners. The reason I decided to grow & offer it for sale was when I was out hiking & saw clouds of fritillaries feeding on them. Very hardy. Native to Arkansas & much of the U.S. & Canada. Dogbane can run around a bit & is better planted in an informal setting.     Please do not plant in a good garden setting - it will spread vigorously in that environment.   24-40" or so.
 
 

According to the laws of aerodynamics, the bumblebee cannot fly; but the bumblebee, not knowing this, does a remarkable job of flying anyway. 

I really like this quote as somehow, this is an approach I’ve taken often, particularly in growing plants.

Aquilegia canadensis        Eastern Columbine 
Arkansas native
$   7.00 Quart
Shade to moring sun    Zones 4-8
Family: Ranunculaceae. An all time favorite is this native columbine with its orange-red & yellow flowers. Usually happiest in dappled shade & well drained soils. I’ve seen this columbine growing out of boulders & all sorts of peculiar looking sites. Quite hardy. 
 

Aquilegia canadensis 'Little Lanterns'  Dwarf columbine
$6.00 Medium perrenial pot
Arkansas native  Sun/part shade  Z: 3-8 Family: Ranunculaceae
You won't hardy believe this miniature version of our lovely eastern columbine.  Perfect little orange & yellow flowers on plants about 12" tall.  Columbines are a lot tougher plants than most people give them credit for.  Many of mine are planted in full sun - in a dry rock wall.
 

Aralia racemosa    American spikenard 
Native
 $sold out
Morning sun to shade    Zones 3-10     Family: Araliaceae
An uncommon native in the trade, Spikenard produces lovely white flowers & is at home in the shade in a moist rich site. Native from New Brunswick to North Carolina & west to Arizona. 
 

Aruncus dioicus          Goatsbeard
sold out
Arkansas native  Morning sun to shade  Zones 3-7(8) Family: Rosaceae
With ferny-looking foliage, Goatsbeard is ideal for the shade garden - white fluffy cone-shaped flower heads appear in late May - June.  Not drought tolerant.

Asarum canadense   Wild ginger 
$6.00 medium perennial pot
Arkansas native     Shade   Zones 3-10       Family: Aristolochiaceae
Native to woodlands in the eastern part of the U.S. , Wild ginger is a neat deciduous groundcvoer with interesting brown flowers (little Brown Jugs). The deep green almost round leaves will form an attractive colony just a few inches tall.  Needs moist good soil.  The fresh or dried roots have been used sometimes for seasoning.
 

Asclepias belong to the family Asclepidaceae, also known as the milkweed family. The alkaloids found in most of the species are what make them distasteful to most creatures. These very alkaloids are what Monarch caterpillars absorb to help protect them from birds because the bird becomes very ill after eating a Monarch caterpillar or butterfly. 

The Monarch butterfly can only lay eggs on milkweeds. With the declining habitat & destruction of milkweeds, combined with the destruction of the winter roosting grounds in Mexico, it is a wonder there are any Monarchs left.   Now with the genetically altered corn that is being sold by the big chemical companies which kills Monarchs with its pollen, I can foresee the sad day when Monarch butterflies are just a memory. In the meantime, plant some Asclepias for them! 

All of the following milkweeds are native.

N     Asclepias asperula     Antelope Horn            $sold out
I find all milkweeds attractive & this one certainly I want in my garden.  Greenish yellow flowers sometimes flushed with purple.  The butterflies love the flowers & monarch butterflies lay their eggs on them.  Zones 4 to 9 at least.

 Asclepias curassavica   Bloodflower
$6.00 quart
Central America    Sun/part shade
This tropical milkweed performs nicely as an annual, which it must be here in Zone 7. I usually start the seeds in early March which then provides blooms by July and then bloodflower blooms til frost. These are probably perennial in zones 8-11.  Butterflies

Asclepias incarnata Swamp milkweed 
Arkansas native
$7.00  Quart
Sun to part shade   Zones 3-9   Family: Asclepidaceae
Seed collected in Washington County, Arkansas from a very vigorous plant that was found growing wild in a fencerow.  Not swampy land at all.  The progeny of that milkweed bloomed for a long time last summer with delicate pink blossoms that were covered with butterflies. 
 

Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet'    Swamp milkweed
Arkansas native
sold out
Sun to part shade   Zones 3-9   Family: Asclepidaceae
'Ice Ballet' is a white flowered form of the above milkweed.  Same vigorous habit & butterfly attractant.
 

Asclepias purpurescens        Purple milkweed
Arkansas native
$sold out
Sun    Z: 3-8    Family: Asclepidaceae
Rose pink to purple flowers make this milkweed really stand out in the garden. Dry to medium soil is the key - overwatering will assure its demise.
Monarch larval food plant & butterly nectar plant.
 

Asclepias sullivantii    Sullivant's milkweed
$sold out
Arkansas native ?? Several reliable sources say it is
Sun/part shade  Zone 3-7  Family: Asclepiadaceae
Maybe not for the formal garden, but worthy of growing for its fragrant pink flowers & for being Monarch larval food &  for being a nectar plant for many species of butterflies.  Sullivant's milkweed is usually 2-4' sometimes taller with the characteristic of common milkweed - running around underground - popping up here & there.
 

 Asclepias syriaca     Common milkweed 
Arkansas native
$10.00 plant band  (2 1/2 x 2 1/2 x5)
Sun to part shade     Zones 4-9   Family: Asclepidaceae 
Common milkweed has very large leaves & the stalks can easily reach 5 feet once established.  One thing to remember about common milkweed is that is wanders around from where you plant it.  Next year, it probably won't come up exactly the same place it was this year - so be prepared.  Very fragrant pink flowers - the heads are globeshaped & up to 3" across.  All butterflies love the nectar from common milkweed & monarchs use it as a larval food plant.

Asclepias tuberosa    Orange milkweed 
Arkansas native
Sold out
Sun to Part shade    Zones 4-9  Family: Asclepidaceae
Well drained to fairly dry soil. Nectar is beloved by many butterflies. 
Full sun to light shade - half day is ok but best blooms in full sun. Interplanted with native grasses really sets off the bloom color. Larval food plant for Monarch & Queen butterflies.
 

Asclepias variegata     White woods milkweed
 $out
Arkansas native  Shade/pt Sun  Zones 4-10  Family: Asclepidaceae 
These look like white milkweed but upon close inspection, you can see the red/purple ring around each flower that makes up the flowerhead.  These seem to be happiest in dry woods.  It is monarch larval food.  These are small plants but I recommend that you plant them - don't try to winter them over in their pots.

 Asclepias verticillata Horsetail milkweed 
 $out
Arkansas native   Zones 6-9 Family: Asclepiadaceae
Also known as whorled milkweed.  Delicate white flowers abound on this low growing milkweed with very thin leaves.  Without the flowers present, many people think this is Amsonia hubrictii.  It was in full bloom on the Tall Grass Prairie when we visited it in June of '99, 

Asclepias viridis     Green milkweed
$10.00 - few
Arkansas native   sun/part shade  Z: 4-8  Family: Asclepiadaceae
I am so pleased to offer green milkweed.  It is seldom found at any nurseries, mail order or otherwise.  A very tough milkweed which is happy on dry roadsides being mowed by the highway dept. green milkweed grows again & tries to flowers & set seed before a frost.  I have grown these from seed I collected along Interstate 40 neart Russellville.  Green milkweed or green antelope horns milkweed is native from Nebraska to Ohio, south to Florida & west to Texas.  Again, please plant these, don't try to hold them for increased growth.  Monarch food!
 
 

Asters belong to the family Asteraceae.  You will begin to be hearing them with different botanical names - PROBABLY NOT BY THIS NURSERY, But I did wish to inform you that the botanists have been at it again & some of the new names are almost unpronounceable.  (Such a Eurybia and Symphyotrichum)  Anyway, most asters are fall bloomers, although some bloom in spring & summer. They bring much nectar for butterflies, provide seeds for winter birds. Some thrive in dry poor soil while others like their feet wet. There is an aster for almost every circumstance - full sun or light shade.

Aster anomalus  Woodland aster
Arkansas native 
$7.00 Quart
Part Shade     Zones 5-9      Family: Asteraceae
Dappled shade seems to be appreciated by this lovely aster.  I see it in wooded areas with some sunlight drifting through.  Blue flowers & medium green un-asterlike leaves.  Native through the Midwestern states from Arkansas to Oklahoma to Illinois.

                     
Aster cordifolius    Heart Leafed aster
$6.00 Quart
Arkansas native  Shade  Zone 3-8  Family: Asteraceae
Clouds of blue flowers in early fall in shade!  A great naturalizer under trees, at the edge of woods.  Found in woods & dry meadows & reaches 2 - 3 feet with similar spread.
 

Aster drummondii      Drummond's aster
Quart  $6.00 
Arkansas native     Sun to part shade  Zones 4-9  Family: Asteraceae
Arrowhead shaped leaves identify this aster which is native to many eastern states as well as midwestern states.  Flower color can range from pink to blue to white.  Whatever color the flowers, they help fill a niche in the flower season for butterflies.

                                
Aster dumosus     Rice button Aster/Bushy Aster
$6.00 Quart
Arkansas Native  Sun/part shade Z: 4-9  Family: Asteraceae
White to lavender blooms abound on this bushy aster in late summer & fall.  Another nectar source for those hungry butterflies.

Aster 'Fanny's aster'         Fanny's aster
Sold out
Native   Sun to part shade  Zones 5-9  Family: Asteraceae
Some people say that 'Fanny's aster' is a form of Aster oblongifolius ... and if that is correct, it is a wonderful aster.  Myself, I hesitate to agree because of some of the differences I see between Fanny's aster & the species.  But, it really makes no difference as Fanny's aster is still a wonderful aster, no matter the species.  It is vigorous - no doubt about it - reaches 3' or more & is rhizomatous - forming colonies with large purple flowers in September & October.  Another butterfly delight!
 

Aster grandiflorus Large flowered aster/Georgia aster    X
$8.00 Quart
Sun     Zones 6-9      Family: Asteraceae
I really like this aster! Large showy fairly deep purple flowers. Thin ray petals with yellowish disk flowers make this stand out. Full sun to dappled shade. Native from Virginia to Florida. Very drought tolerant.  Cut back in about July if you'd like a shorter plant. Butterflies!!!

 Aster macrophyllus     Big leaf aster 
$6.00  quart 
Arkansas Native  Morning sun/afternoon shade  zones 4-8  Family: Asteraceae.
A bit of shade is desirable for big leaf aster.  Large leaves & pale quarter sized blooms make this eastern native stand out.  Morning sun, dappled shade in a woodland garden is just right. Makes a great groundcover. 

                    NEW FOR 2008
Aster oblongifolius         Fragrant aster
$6.00 Quart
Arkansas native   Sun  Z: 5-8  Family: Asteraceae
Since these are seed grown plants you will see some variation in height & flower color.  A wonderful native that is drought tolerant & attracts butterflies & other flying critters.

  Aster oblongifolius 'October Skies'    Fragrant aster
$6.00 quart - 
Arkansas native  Sun /pt shade  Zones 5-8    Family: Asteraceae
Native to most of the eastern half of the United State, aromatic aster seems to have a preference for limestone glades & open slopes.   Very erect growing.  October Skies was selected for it's short stature & very blue flowers. zones 5-9 at least. Maybe zone 4. Butterflies!!!
 

Aster oblongifolius 'Raydon's Favorite'  Fragrant aster
$6.00 quart  $10.00 trade gallon
Arkansas native   Sun/part shade    Z: 4-9  Family: Asteraceae
Introduced by Holbrook Farms, this lovely aster is a 'Drought buster'! 'Raydon's Favorite' is covered in masses of blue-lavender flowers in late summer and fall which are in turn covered by masses of butterflies!

Aster paladous  Southern Prairie Aster
$7.00 Quart
Arkansas native
Sun to part shade    Zones 5-9     Family: Asteraceae
If you are looking for a shorter aster, this is it!  12-18" tall but usually closer to 12 inches.  Large deep blue/violet ray flowers (about silver dollar size) with yellow disc flowers.  Found throughout the south from  Florida to Texas & northward to Kansas & east to Kentucky.  Bloom times is September thru October here in Arkansas.

Aster patens  Purple daisy 
Arkansas native
 $sold out
Light shade, half day   Zone 4 to 9   Family: Asteraceae
Dry rocky soil is where this pretty purple aster is found.  Sun or light shade will do quite well.  Range is from Minnesota to Maine & south to Texas.  Very drought tolerant.     Butterflies!!!

Aster ptarmicoides     Showy Aster X
Arkansas native
$7.00 quart
Sun to part shade    Zones 3-8 
With its white flowers showy aster makes a handsome plant for the rock garden. Butterflies!!!  Usually found in sandy soils or on limestone rocky barrens.

Aster puniceus           Red stalked aster/ Bog aster
  $sold out
Arkansas native    Sun to part shade  Zones 6-10 at least Family: Asteraceae
Attractive blue to violet flowers bloom from September to October on vigorous plants with red stems.  Native to most of the SE United States, red stalked aster is found in bogs, wet meadows & marshes.  Some books say it can reach 4-6'.   Butterflies!!

                 NEW FOR 2008
Aster shortii            Short's aster
$6.00 Quart
Arkansas native   Sun/part shade Z: 4-9  Family: Asteraceae
Short's aster is one of special concern in Arkansas.  Found in prairies and savannahs, Short's aster grows 2-3 feet tall with heavy panicles of lavender - purple flowers.  American Indians & early settlers used the flowers for a medicinal tea.

Aster turbinellus              Violet Prairie aster     X
  $7.00 Quart
Arkansas native    Sun to part shade   Zones 5-8  Family: Asteraceae
Violet prairie aster is especially lovely with its panicles of lavender daisy flowers on well branched purple stemmed to about 4'  Usually found in rocky open wooded areas.  Butterflies!!

 Aster urophyllus           out

Also known as Aster sagittifolius f. hirtellus. White to lilac ray flower & found on rocky sites which are dry as well as on moist areas. Native range is from the midwestern states to the east coast. Butterflies!!!

              
Astragalus canadensis     Canadian milk vetch
$6.00 Quart
Arkansas native  Sun/pt shade Z: 3-9  Family: Fabaceae
Creamy yellow pea-shaped flowers arise pagoda-like above the dark green foliage.  2-3 feet in height, Canadian milk vetch is an important seed source for birds in the fall.  Used as a medicinal by American native people.  Drought tolerant.

                       
Astragalus crassicarpus      Ground plum milk vetch
$6.00 Medium perennial pot
Arkansas native  Sun/pt shade  Z: 4-9  Family: Fabaceae
Lovely purple flowers above pea shaped foliage.  Good drainage is a key to growing Ground plum milk vetch and it is usually found in limey soils.  Also used as a host plant for Sulphur butterflies.

  Athyrium 'Lady in Red'    Lady fern
$sold out
Native  Shade  Zones 4-9  Family: Dryopteridaceae
Discovered by a New England Wildflower Society member, this lovely lady sports light green lacy leaves & brilliant red-purple stems.  18"-30".  'Lady in Red' is happiest in organic soils with average moisture although she becomes somewhat drought tolerant when established.
 
 


2/23/08