The Well-Tended Perennial Garden The Essential Guide to Planting and Pruning Techniques, Third Edition

Stokesia laevis Stokes’ aster compoSitae Lavender-blue fringed daisylike flowers; straplike green leaves 12–15 in. (8 in.) high; ...

Stylophorum diphyllum wood poppy p apaveraceae Bright yellow poppylike flowers; lobed green leaves with silver undersides 18–24 ...

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (syn. Aster novae-angliae) New England aster compoSitae 1 1/2-in. purple, pink, or white daisy flow ...

Deadleafing can also help keep plants attractive. Some asters are attractive over the winter and may provide food for birds, but ...

3 ft., around early to mid-October. It is dense and full and has lavender flowers, flowering at a time when most of the rest of ...

Syneilesis aconitifolia shredded umbrella plant aSteraceae Serrated, umbrella-shaped woolly leaves with drooping lobes; insignif ...

and is not a major maintenance issue. related plantS Tanacetum corymbosum has neater, clean-cut foliage. It is a longer lived sp ...

related plantS Buphthalmum salicifolium, willowleaf oxeye, has shorter, 1- to 2-ft.-tall stems, but they are weak and require su ...

Shear off flower buds if bloom is not desired on hedge plants. An annual shearing of winter-damaged branch tips generally is nee ...

their mature size, sometime in late May or early June, to reduce height and eliminate the need for staking. Foliage may decline ...

Thermopsis villosa (syn. Thermopsis caroliniana) southern lupine leguminoSae Yellow lupinelike flowers; palmately compound leave ...

Thymus. Thyme’s tendency to self-sow can be a benefit in the garden or landscape, particularly among stepping-stones. Thymus thy ...

Tiarella cordifolia foamflower Saxifragaceae White flower spikes; green heart-shaped leaves 12 in. (6 in.) high; 12–24 in. wide ...

can be prolific in certain cases. Spiderwort has a tendency to flop and often requires staking. Cutting the plants back by half ...

Tricyrtis hirta toad lily liliaceae Starry white or lilac flowers, heavily speckled purple; soft, hairy, oval leaves 2–3 ft. hig ...

Trollius ×cultorum hybrid globeflower ranunculaceae Yellow or orange globelike flowers; dark green leaves 18–24 in. high; 24 in. ...

Verbascum mullein Scrophulariaceae Yellow, rose, or white flower spikes; soft, often hairy, coarse leaves 3–6 ft. high; 1 1/2–2 ...

plants can tower to 9 ft. tall, too large for many perennial gardens. Plants respond to a variety of pruning methods to reduce t ...

Veronica austriaca subsp. teucrium (syn. Veronica teucrium) Hungarian speedwell plantaginaceae Blue flower spikes; narrow, tooth ...

addition—very floriferous and a good rebloomer late in the season. other maintenance Provide well-draining soil, particularly ov ...