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One Plant, Three Seasons: Sanguisorba tenuifolia

Purple Japanese burnet (Sanguisorba tenuifolia var. purpurea) against the bright yellow foliage of golden elderberry (Sambucus nigra 'Aurea') [Nancy J. Ondra/hayefield.com/nancyjondra.com]
Purple Japanese burnet (Sanguisorba tenuifolia var. purpurea) against the bright yellow foliage of golden elderberry (Sambucus nigra ‘Aurea’)
Happy first full day of spring, all! Unless you’re in the other hemisphere, of course, in which case, it’s the start of autumn. We could actually split the difference and say happy winter, since it’s still decidedly wintery here, no matter what the calendar says. I wish I could have done a Bloom Day post back on the 15th, but it would have been awfully short. So instead, I decided to write about one of my favorite perennials. Continue reading One Plant, Three Seasons: Sanguisorba tenuifolia

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One Plant, Three Seasons: Patrinia scabiosifolia

Patrinia scabiosifolia at Hayefield.com

Is it possible for any gardener to have just one favorite plant? For most of us, I imagine, it’s tough to get closer than a top 5 or top 10. But if you asked me that question at this time of year and insisted on one top pick, I wouldn’t hesitate to choose Patrinia scabiosifolia (or scabiosaefolia, as some sources prefer to list it).

Continue reading One Plant, Three Seasons: Patrinia scabiosifolia

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One Plant, Three Seasons: Amsonia hubrichtii

Amsonia hubrichtii with Muhlenbergia capillaris [October 22, 2006]
October 22, 2006

I recently read somewhere that Arkansas bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii) is now “out.” Shows how much I know, because I thought that it was finally “in,” having been named the 2011 Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association. Hmmm…maybe that’s part of the problem: I guess it’s not cool to like plants that are (or are becoming) readily available and widely grown.

Continue reading One Plant, Three Seasons: Amsonia hubrichtii