Final Perennials- long list

Tulipa species

Tulip - Zone 3-7. I just don't care. I don't like them.

Aquilegia X hybrida

Columbine - Ranunculus family. Aquilegia is latin for Eagle and the five petals are like talons supposedly. 1-3 feet tall. Plant 1-2 feet apart. Leaves are deeply lobed and turnately compound. Leaves rae light green and delicate looking. "Spurred" flower and grows 1.5 to 4 inches in diameter. Bloom May to June. All colors and bi colors. Lots of bug problems...borers, leaf minor (but leaf minor doesn't hurt plant). Leaf spot, crown rot, root rot, rust. Likes light shade (less than 6 hours of sun). Fertilize regularly. deadhead will extend blooms. Short lived plant in poor soil. Seeds readily. Rose Queen/Spring Song

Stachys byzantine

Lambs Ear - Zone 4. 6-12 inches tall. Spreading ground cover. Fuzzy leaves. 4-5" oblong inches. Grey green. Flower is a spike, tiny pink/purple. Will bloom July - Sept. Will flower, but not known for its flower. Likes well drained soil in full sun. Long lived and will spread aggressively. If you don't deadhead and get rid of the seeds, it will root itself in your grass. Good in rock gardens or ground cover. Requires periodic division - when the center dies out its time to divide. Propogates by seed or division.

Asclepias tuberosa

Butterfly weed. Seeds spread via wind. 18-36 inches tall and 12-18 inches wide. Oblong, lancelate leaf. Short stiff hairs on the leaf. Fun fact, caterpillars like to eat them. Milky sap. Flowers are umbel florets. cluster of 1/4 inch wide flowers. Only comes in orange/red. June to August. If you deadhead you will get more. Likes light sandy soil and can tolerate poor soil. Full sun. Good in xeroscape (doesn't need a lot of water. Disease leaf spot and rust. Stiff stem. can tolerate wind. attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. long-lived perennial - don't divide. Has a deep taproot. does not like to be moved. Spring - late to emerge. Cut it back in the fall. Whoops.

Thymus serpyllum

Creeping Thyme - to Zone 3. 3-6 inches tall, spreading habit. Leaves are pubescent (fuzzy) and mint scented. Prob could be eaten but not meant to be eaten. leaves are tiny - 1/4 inch and opposite. Flower is umbel form only in purple an in May. CAn walk on it. Adapts to most soils but likes it dry and poor (cottage again). Prefers full sun. Attracts bees with the flowers. Thrives in poor dry soils (could do good to fill in hill and along the driveway with rocks?). Thymus vulgaris is the food variety. Stone walls, ground cover around paving stones, around driveways.

Crocus species

Crocus - Zone 3 Corm. 2-6 inches tall. Grass like leaves with white stripe. Cuplike flower. Purple, yellow, white. Lots of species. Plant them en masse. Bloom Feb through April. Well drained soil/full sun. Prefer cooler zones and plant 2-4 inches deep and 4 inches apart. She says dig a whole a foot wide and 4 deep and cluster them. Will multiply. Can't mow till the foliage dies. Rodents can be a problem. They will eat the bulb. She said stick some chicken wire in the hole and they will grow through the mesh and rodents can't get them. Divide them every 4-5 years. If blooms decline, that's when it is time to divide.

Narcissus species

Daffodil - Bloom March/May (package will say early/middle/late). Well drained soil, full sun to light shade. prone to bulb rot. Toxic animals and deer leave them alone. Naturalizing, borders, beds, pots and forcing.

Dendranthema x morifolium

Fall Chrysanthemum - Zone 5. This is NOT the stuff you buy in the fall in stores. It will bloom in the fall...give a haircut mother's day and 4th of July in order for them to bloom after Labor Day. When you find them, they are just green mid summer. These will come back. 1-2' tall. Spread 2'. Mounded shape. Foliage is lobed and up to 3' long. Lancelate to ovate leaf. Various head shapes. Come in tons of colors and bi-colors. August to frost. Love full sun and well drained soil. She says mix an annual with them...like a whispy short, like Cosmos, Ageratum. May require pinching throughout the season to keep it compact (mother's day and 4th). Just cut it down by half and it will start growing more stems and leaves from the base.

Baptisia australis

False Indigo - Legume family. Looks kind of like sweet pea. But shrubby not viny. Zone 3-8. 3-4 x 3-4. Flowers terminal racime. Bloom May-June. Blue, purple, some yellow and other in newer varieties. Quick grower. Upright rounded habit. Likes well drained soil on sandy side. Full sun to part-shade. Not invasive - produces a lot of seed but pod is a host to a bug that eats the seed so it doesn't spread because of the bug. Taproot so won't transplant well but she says she has...she says divide in early fall so root establishes. Toxic via ingestion. Nice on borders of woods, along streams. Host to butterfly larvae.

Echinops ritro

Globe Thistle - Zone 4. 3-4 feet tall. Upright plant. Foliage lobed with spines. Undersides of leaves are white. Flower is a head ball shaped, 2-3 inches in diameter. Only blue. July/September. Dry soil, full sun. Again, cottage. May require staking. Long lived, seed to flower in one season. Foliage tends to disappear at the base. Tolerate it hot and dry. Southern Europe. Echin means hedgehog and ops means appearance. Looks like a hedgehog!

Delphinium X elatum

Larkspur. Zone 6. Beautiful, not reliable. Very tall varieties, need staking. Palmate leaf. 1-3 feet apart. Buy with a guarantee...save your receipt. Or just not plant? Terminal raceme. Spurred flower. Blue is common. White, purple, pink. Hates wet feet. Alkaline soil. Rich and loose. Full sun. June/July. Slugs like it, spider mites, aphids, borers, etc. All sorts of problems. Hard to grow. Well water, feed regularly. Flowers and seed poisonous. If you can get past first year you might get 5 years out of it. Magic Fountain most common variety.

Oenothera fruticosa

Sundrops, Evening Primrose - Zone 5. 12-18 inches tall. Foot apart. Alternate leaves that are ovate. Flower is 1-2 inches diameter, cuplike and fragrant. Common is yellow but does come in pink. June/August bloom. Blooms in the evening. Well drained in full sun. Leaf spot/rust. But her notes say day bloomer but also a night species. Can work well in rock gardens. Ground cover. Easy to dig up and keep in check. Late to appear on the spring, so mark it. Lemony yellow.

Coreopsis verticillata

Threadleaf coreopsis. Zone 3. Dense mound, 12 inches wide. 2-3 feet tall. Foilage small and needle-like. Disc/Ray fower. 1-2 inch across. Commonly in yellow. June/September. Tolerates moist and dry soils. Full sun. Deadhead. Can put near the woods if get sun on edges. Not a terribly fast grower. Reseeds but not invasive. Grows by runners. Divide in spring or fall. If collecting seeds want dark brown dead heads.

Coreopsis lanceolata

Tickseed coreopsis or coreopsis grandiflora. Zone 3. Height 2-3 feet tall. 12 inches wide. Leaves are opposite and straplike* - 2-6 inches long. A little fuzzy. June - September. Deadhead. Only in yellow. Likes full drained soil in full sun. cucumber beetle, aphids. Daisy like. Powdery mildew. Long lived perennial. Reseeds if you don't deadhead but not invasive. Divide in spring every three years.

Achillea filipendulina

Yarrow - Zone 4. 6 inches to 4 feet tall. Spread 1-2 feet. Erect habit. Spread by runners. Roots close to the surface. Fernlike foilage w/ spicy odor. Cluster of flowers/umbel. Native color = yellow but some varieties of red, pink, etc. June to September. If deadhead, more blooms encouraged. Full sun. Likes well drained soil but does fine in poor soil. Powdery mildew and rust and stem rot. Divide in early spring or fall. Nice cut flower. Can get invasive.

Monarda didyma

Bee Balm - Zone 5. Lanaecea family. Square stem but not in mint family. 30-36 inches (old varieties)*( New varieties 10-12). 12-24 inches apart. Opposite leaves. Leaves 3-6 inches long. Singles and doubles (doubles more popular). Heads are 2-3 inches across. Red, pink, purple, white. June-August. Prefer good moisture retention soil. Organic matter and mulch. Full sun to part shade. Bees. Can get powdery mildew no matter what you do. Aromatic leaves and flowers. But need good circulation but water regularly. Not drought tolerant. Attracts hummingbirds, bees, butterflies. Could be considered invasive - runners. Snip off the runners of keeping in check...can move the runner and get more. Looks great in masse. Might be good by water with all that leaf mulch?

Rudbekia hirta

Black Eyed Susan - Zone 4. 2-3 feet tall. 12-24 inches apart. foilage is lancelate. 2-5 inches in length. 3-6 inches in diameter flower. Yellow ray with black disc. Bloom August/September. Tolerates MOST soils. Full sun to light shade. Aphids and softfly. Downy mildew, powdery mildew, rust. Loves hot dry conditions. Where I planted at the cottage is probably perfect. Divide every 3 years. Will spread by seed and they will spread by roots.

Belamcanda chinensis

Blackberry Lily - Zone 5 (hard to find in greenhouse). In same family as Iris. 2-4 feet tall. Plant 6 inches apart. Erect habit. Sword like leaves - 1 inch wide. Flower is lily like - 2 inches across. Spotted leaves - orange with red. Ripe seed is black and splits and inside is black and look like blackberries. Bloom late July-September. Blooms one day only. Sandy loam, full sun. Insect is iris borer. Moderately moist - but NOT wet. Long lived. Cut em' back and mulch/dry leave cover. 3-4 years to bloom from seed.

Gaillardia X grandiflora

Blanket Flower - she says hard to grow. Zone 4. 1-2 feet tall. 10-15 inches apart. Mounded habit. Leaves are lance shaped. Flowers 3-4 inches across, ray/disc of yellow and red. Bloom June-September. Like well drained soil and full sun. Will NOT tolerate clay soil. Susceptible to leaf hoppers and powdery mildew (need air circulation). seed cluster is ball shaped - DEADHEAD and they will bloom till frost. Doesn't like wet winter conditions. So don't be putting soggy leaves around them. Known to be short lived (at least 5 years).

Dicentra spectabilis

Bleeding Hearts - To Zone 4. 2-3 feet tall. Spreads and looks like a little shrub - 18-36 inches wide. Leaves blue green and finely cut. Flowers have arching form with the hanging flowers (racemes) up to 9 inches in length. Bloom May/June. Pink and White. Moist soil, prefers part shade but can do OK in full sun. Long bloomer, tolerant of wide range of PH (alkaline to acidic). Slow spreader. Short lived perennial - i.e. worn out after 5 years. Around July need to cut it back to the ground. So needs supporting plants around it. All parts are poisonous (if eaten in large quantities.)

Ajuga Reptans

Bugleweed 4-9 inches (dense ground cover. Quick spreader so can go about 10 inches apart. leaf is 2-4 inches and leathery look. Blue flower only - flowers April/May. It has runners and could be considered invasive - Well drained soil. Can handle sun but prefers shade - more growth and flower if shade. Different types of leaves to be pretty the rest of the year (might be good for cottage by the tree by the road). Protect from wind. Will grow into the grass. Part of mint family. Can walk on and not harm it.

Iberis sempervirens

Candy tuft - In mustard family. to zone 3. Spread up to 4 inches. Leaves are evergreen. Shape is linear and oblong and fine. Flower form is an umbel. Blooms in May and only in white flower. Likes well drained sandy soil, full sun. Can sheer the flowers when all done. Can get winter damage. Divide in spring and fall to thin. Nice carpet.

Canna X generalis

Canna - Zone 9 - not a perennial. However, if plant near the base of your house, they come back (warmth of the basement). Likes wet soil. 1 ft to 12 feet. Average 4-6. Foliage is a "dumbcane" - green, purple. Orchid form of lower and gladiola type flowers. 4 inches in diameter. Come in red, yellow, orange, pink, white. July to October bloom. Rich, good moisture soil and full sun. Japanese beetle and yellow whooly bear caterpillar. Bud rot and rust. OK in a container but big container. Cut back and dig up in the fall and store in basement. They multiply at then end of the year...so more bulbs.

Heuchera sanguinea

Coralbells - hundreds of varieties. Zone 4 15-24 inch tall. 9-15 inches apart. MOunded habit, erect flowers. Leaves are heartshaped, palmate geranium-like. Semi-evergreen. Flower is on panicle. Foilage low to the ground, flower towers above. Tiny bell-shaped flower. Red, pink, white. Leaves of all varieties. May-July. Great for shady areas. Well drained moist soil with good organic matter. Be careful on the moist part she says. She agrees that may be why mine all died. Root weevil/stem rot. Pull the mulch away from the crown. Deadhead will keep blooming - attractive to hummingbirds. Good for borders, edging. Can propagate by seed or divide but she doesn't agree with the divide part.

Dianthus plumarius

Cottage Pink/Grass Pink - perennial form of the Dianthus Chinensis. Grows up to 12 inches tall. Rounded habit spreads 6-12 inches. Evergreen foliage. Grasslike and linear. 2 inch diameter flower. Fringed commonly or with single and double flowers. Rose, pink, or white for this variety. Flower in spring - May/June. Alkaline soil. Self seeds but not invasive - hates hot summers. Good in edgings and borders - green carpet.

Phlox sublata

Creeping Phlox - Zone 4. Mounded spread - looks great over rocks. Semi-evergreen. Small linear leaves. Not quite grass like. Looks picky but not Flowers are single flower, 1/2 inch, 5 petals, blooms in May, Many shades of pinks, purples, and whites. Likes slightly alkaline soil and full sun. Early blooming plant for our area - blooms are above foliage and creates a nice mat of color. EAsy to grow and can walk on it. Hang over edge of a wall.

Hemerocallis species

Daylily - over 3,000 varieties out there. Zone 3-4. 2-5 feet. 18-36 inches apart. Foilage 1-2 feet in length, grass like on a lot of varieties. Lily like flowers 3-4 inches across. Literally blooms only one day. At end of day looks all wilted and then dies off to sea pod. EVERY color - maybe not blue.. Singles, doubles. May to October. Easy to grow. no serious insects or disease. Like full sun can take part shade. Well drained soil. Don't need fertilizer, just a little compost on top. Some flowers are fragrant. Some are edible. Remove spent flower all the way down the stalk..i.e. take the full stalk out. Heat and drought resistant. Can take salt next to a driveway. Deer love them ...Heavy tuberous root system. Divide every 4-6 years. Spring or fall best.

Astilbe X arendsii

False spirea - or just Astilbe. Zone 4-5. 2-3 feet wide. 15-24 inches wide. Mounding habit. Foiliage is green to bronze like depending on the variety. Flowers are a fluffy plume. about 6 inches in length. inks, whites, red, lavendar. 100s of varieties. Mostly June and July. Likes fertile organic soil kept moist. Prefers the shade. I think I have some of these in the front? Japanese beetles and spider mites...powdery mildew and wilt. Needs lots of fertilizer. Good near ponds or water edges. Can put several together in that some June/July then some July August -. She does a spray paint thing ...the flower stays on after done...can paint them for the rest of the season. Will self seed. Divide every 3-4 years. Root is mass of thick brick-like texture so dividing needs sharp shovel. She plants next to her rain barrel so it is always wet and happy when spills over.

Dicentra exima

Fern Leaf Bleeding Hearts - to Zone 3. 1-2 feet tall and spreads to 15 inches. Foilage has finely divided texture...kind of fernlike - duh. arching stems with heart shaped flowers. April-July blooming w/ deadheading. Pink and white. Well drained moist rich soil - good woodland plant. Likes shade to part sun. Intolerant of wet soil in winter or dry soil in sun. Bunnies leave it alone. Native wildflower of eastern united states. Prefers cool weather for better blooms. Another good cottage flower in the triangle. Self seeds. Good drainage essential. Shadeborder or woodland garden. Not poisonous like the spectabilis variety.

Allium species

Flowering Onions - Zone 5 - Hardy - Well drained soil and full sun. 6 inches to 5 feet. Hard to find 5 feet. Foliage is basal. Flower is erect and usually forms umbels, up to 9 inches in diameter. Purple ball is most common but also yellow, white, rose. Bloom June and July. Leaves die back and turn yellow right before blooms so want them to turn yellow and brown and the best thing to do is hide them rather than cut off. She spray paints the dried. Bulb rot, you want the bulbs to be firm and not papery and crushable. You want to plant all the bulbs so they look like a hershey kiss with the point at the top. Might do this in the back garden in the herbs. Best in groups. Plant 5 to 6 inches deep for larger ones or read package. If planted some hard and fleshy bulbs right now in April they might flower. Good for "naturalizing" so throw them in a wooded area..I guess cottage too. Smaller ones, separate ever 2-3 years.

Digitalis purpurea

Foxglove - Bi-enniel to zone 4. So you want it to go to seed and cycles through.2-5 feet - 18-24 inches apart. Erect habit. Foliage is basal (from the bottom). * Flower is one sided Raceme - bell shaped tubular. Each flower can be up to 3 inches in length. June-July. Lots of colors. Spotted throat*. Well drained soil, partial shade. East side best. Insects - lots. Diseases - lots. Don't deadhead. Prob. need to stake. Edge of wild area or tree line. Reseeds readily.

Phlox paniculata

Garden Phlox - zone 4-8. 2-4 feet tall. Spread 2-3 feet. Foliage is opposite and pointed. Deep green leaves. If you start to have yellow leaves you have an iron issue. Flowers are a domed terminal cluster. Each florette has a long corolla tube and five flat petal like lobes. July/September. Pinks, purples, whites. Powdery mildew. One variety, white, Phlox DAvid is the one that doesn't seem to get so much powdery mildew. Well drained soil. Prefers rich, moist, fertile soil. Full sun/part shade. Tolerant of deer, clay soils, and black walnut. can be fragrant, attracts butterflies and avoid overhead watering.

Liatris spicata

Gayfeather, Blazing Star. 2-4 feet tall, 2 foot spread. Foliage is basal tuft with grass like leaves. Flowers are fuzzy spike. 1.5-4 inches long. Open from top down. lavendar, white. Blooms July/September. Likes full sun, moist fertile soil. It can take poor soil too. It is a bulb. Plant in groups, clumps expand slowly, attracts birds and butterflies. will self seed so deadhead if you don't want more.

Hosta plantaginea

Hosta, Plantain lily. There are a gazillion types of Hostas. 6 inches to 5 feet. Average 2 feet. Heart shaped ovate leaves - 6 inches to 3 feet depending on the variety. Grown for foliage but has a trumpet shaped flower. White/lavander. August/Sept. Insects - slugs like them. well drained soil but they like compost/organic matter. Prefer shade with just a little sun. Divide every 3 years.

Hyacinthus orientalis

Hyacinth - Zone 5. 8-12 inches tall. Basal strap like leaves. 15-20 florettes per flowerhead. 1 inch long and bellshaped. White, yellow, pink, blue lavendar, orange. Bloom in April. Well drained soil full sun but flower lasts longer in partial shade. Bulb mites and white grubs and aphids. Plant 6 inches deep and 4 inches apart. Beds, borders, pots. They are toxic to animals. Very fragrant but decline after first year...replace annually. Larger the bulb, larger the flower.

Lavandula angustifolia.

Lavender - Zone 4-5 - if going harvest, you have to do it right after the bud. 1-3 feet tall. Plant 12 inches apart. Can get woody. Can't divide. Mound gets bigger. Silver gray, needle-like foliage evergreen. Spike florette. Fragrant. In bud looks white. There is a white and pink variety, but all shades of lavender. Sandy, alkaline soil (well drained). (So good for cottage). Full sun. Does not need a lot of water. Bees, bees, bees. Harvest as the buds start to open. But spent flowers still purple so can leave them. If cut back will get new. Peak around 4th of July. Needs mulching especially if sandy soil. Good in rock gardens because it can take the heat. If harvest wrap with rubber band and hang upside down. Will propogate by seed or cuttings. For cuttings before flowering...take 3 inch snip off the top, take bottom leaves off, dip in root tone, dip in a soil less mix. Need to look at planting these at cottage.

Lilium species

Lily - Zone 3-10. Grow 2-8 feet. Upright, short leaves along the main stem. Trumpet shaped flowers, white, orange, scarlet, bicolors...some fragrant, some not. Good drainage with mulch and foliage coverage so the soil stays cool. Full sun to partial shade. Note, if too much nitrogen, the bulb will rot.

Convallaria majalis

Lily of the Valley - 6-12 tall, ground cover. Flowers in spring. leaves - 2-3 leaves with parallel veins. 4-8 inches long. Stem rot, leaf rot and anthrachnos (fungal) White flowers - some pale versions of pink out there. May flowers. Likes moist and organic - hard to kill though. Likes shady but can tolerate full sun. Goes dormant in August (yucky and brown...can hit with lawnmower). Flowers smell like vanilla. Stem pops right out.. INvasive. Can dig up and get some but divide in the spring after flowering. Fruit is poisonous.

Paeonia hybrids

Peony - can't have a peony without ants. Ants eat the coating so the flowers will open. Smell so good. Zone 4. 3 feet tall. 18 inches apart. Bushy mounded habit. Foliage is simple but coarse. New growth emerges kind of reddish. Singles or doubles. Singles lose petals faster. 3-6 inches across. May and June. All colors. Well drained fertile soil. Prefers full sun but likes light shade. Blight, botrytis (mold). REquire staking. Can do a cage or do the fancy ring so they grow up through the criss crosses. CRiss cross works the best. Long lived plant. However, when dividing, finicky. Don't plant too deep or too high. stay right at ground level. Look for little eyes/pointy nubs. want that at ground level (precurser to the stem). These roots are tuber like. Seed pod flowers look cool. AT end of season, cut back. Mixes well with Iris's. Baptesia. Divide in August or September. Can take several years to bloom after division.

Papaver orientale

Poppy or Oriental Poppy - Zone 4. 2-4 feet tall. Plant 18 inches apart. Hairy foliage. Pinnately divided. Singular flowers. June. 4-6 petals, 4-6 inches across. Wide variety of colors most common is orange. Well drained soil. Moderate fertility so fertilize once in a while. Full sun to part-shade. Aphids, northern root weevil, nemetodes, curly topped weevil, bacterial blight, downy mildew. Prefer cool climates and some winter protection. Don't like to be transplanted. goes nice with iris and baptesia. Foliage will go yellow, brown when gets hot - plan surrounding plants so hides the old leaves. Long-lived plant. Foliage will reappear in the fall. Bloom in spring, die to nothing come back in fall. Propogate by seed. When pod turns brown and cracks open.

Echinacea purpurea

Purple Cone Flower - this is the old fashioned Purple Cone Flower - lots of newer varieties. But this is a Michigan wildflower plant. Zone 4. 3-5 feet tall, upright. Leaves lancelate and coursely toothed but barely. Feels rough to touch. PUrple ray and orange head. The petals will look droopy in the old fashioned one (not the modern varieties out there). Bloom July - Sept. There is a white variety. Likes well drained to sandy soil, can take most soils very adaptable. Likes full sun to part shade. Attracts Japanese Beetles - that is not so good. Will get leaf spot. Tolerates wind and dry soil (GOOD FOR COTTAGE). But when we buy it and put it at home, a little feeding makes it happy. It is an aggressive reseeder, but not invasive. Birds like to eat the seeds through winter. Divide every 3-4 years.

Perovskia atriplicifolia

Russian Sage - Zone 5. Gets woody like lavendar and you can't just divide it in half. Stem hits the ground, it will take root. 3-4' tall. 4' wide. Leaves are strongly dissected, very serrate. 1.5' long leaves. White to grey. Very aromatic. Two-lipped flowers (but they are tiny so you won't probably see it). Looks like lavendar kind of. Blooms July/September and attracts bees, bees, and more bees. Likes well drained soil and full sun and can handle droubt conditions - (ANOTHER COTTAGE PLANT). She cuts it back to about 6 inches in the fall to keep it in check. they look kind of scraggly in the store.

Eryngium amethystinum

Sea Holly - Zone 3. 1.5-2' Tall. Upright, erect, airy plant. Foliage is spiny, rigid, divided and grey with purple cast. Does not spread much...12 inches-ish. Flowers are spiny with a blackberry looking center. Blooms summer-fall - Blue color only. Dry sandy soil in full sun. (ANOTHER GOOD COTTAGE FLOWER). Stems have blue hairs. Plant as a single specimen or groups of three. It's pokey, but pretty - deer and rabbits stay away.

Limonium latifolium

Sea Lavender, Statice - Zone 4 - 1.5 to 2 feet tall. 18 inches apart. Foliage is basal and lat and leathery. Flower is multi-stemmed and papery texture. Blue/violet color - only that color. July/August. Full sun, well drained soil. Tolerant of drought and heat and salt. May need staking because stems are thin. Prefers to be left undisturbed (don't transplant). Long-lived plant. Nice dried flower. If grown in clay soils will have weak stems.

Armeria maritima

Sea Pink - spread 8-10 inches - 3-4 tall and with flowers 6-10. Blooms May to June. Foliage is grass like and in fall turns red. Pink, purple, white ball like flower. Dry, low fertility soil. Doesn't like compost and stuff. Lives longer with neglect. Likes full sun. TOTALLY COTTAGE PLANT! Grows in clumps. Divide spring/fall and every 3-4 years. Tolerate high salt content. Can be semi evergreen in our areas. Slow grower.

Sedum spectabile

Sedum, Live Forever - Zone 4. 18-24 tall, rounded habit and 15 inch wide. Foliage is opposite and fleshy, 3 inches long. Flowers are cymes and 3 inch diameter. Bloom august to frost. Full sun plant can tolerate dry. Color white, red, pink. Winter interest - cymes dry at top and birds like to eat. Easy to grow, don't require maintenance. Another good cottage plant. Attract butterflies and bees. Might be nice to cluster a few varieties on the septic tank area?

Leucanthemum X superbum

Shasta Daisy. Zone 3-5. The original daisy. Very narrow lance toothed leaves. All leaves concentrate at the base. Stems are thin. 12-24 inches wide...they will fill in. Single flower...some doubles. Disk/ray head. 2-3 inches across. White with yellow. Other colors but those won't be the daisy. bloom June to Frost. Deadhead. Take stem down as far as you can. She cuts the whole thing to the grown - but in 2-3 weeks have low carpet of greenery. October good time to do that. Likes fertile, moist, well drained soil. Full sun to partial shade. Protected area where not blown around a lot.

Artemisia schmidtiana

Silver Mound - Zone 4. 12-18" tall. Mounded shape and will spread 1-2'. Foliage is silver gray and feathery. Insignificant flower. Likes well drained soil in full sun. No insects, occassional rust. Long lived, works well with blues, yellows, and reds. Avoid overhead watering - the light, feathery nature gets crushed. So water the soil not the leaves. This is for all plants. don't over head water stuff. Also, if soil is too rich, the plant will die out from the center. Can give a hair cut..squish it all up in one hand and trim it up. It will fluff right back up.