Perennials at Digging Dog
Tanacetum to Yucca
Including Thalictrum, Thymus, Tricyrtus, Trillium, Veronica, & Verbascum
Tanacetum
Tansy
Golden TansyBe careful! Legend tells us that this herb, mixed into salad, helped married couples conceive! With deeply incised, yellow-green foliage, ‘Isla Gold’ is a blithe light in the garden border, holding its bright color and form throughout the summer. Shear off yellow flower clusters to prolong the gilded display. Its carefree, open demeanor provides a delicately feathered backdrop for the dramatically dark leaves of Heuchera ‘Obsidian’.
Blooms July – August. Size: 2-1/2'–3' high x 3' wide; hardy to zone 5.
Tanacetum vulgare ‘Isla Gold’ (P-0868)
Each $6.00
Add to Cart Teucrium
Held in playful repose—some straight, some slightly bent—the long, animal-like floral tails host tightly set jade-green buds. Upon opening, copious Veronica-style spikes entice us with lavish purple-red shades. Touting a more compact habit, improved branching and aromatic sage-green textured foliage, this new and bushy, clump-forming perennial forges a welcome sight in any border, or it can be pruned for an attractive, out-of the-ordinary hedge.
Blooms August–October. Size: 16"–20" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 6.
Teucrium hircanicum ‘Paradise Delight’ (P-1408)
Each $6.75
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Held in playful repose—some straight, some slightly bent—the long, animal-like floral tails host tightly set jade green buds. Upon opening, copious Veronica-style spikes entice us with lavish deep fuchsia-purple shades.
Native to the Caucasus Mountains and Iran, this bushy, clump-forming perennial, with its aromatic sage-green textured foliage, forges a welcome sight in any border, or it can be pruned for an attractive, out-of the-ordinary hedge.
Blooms July–October. Size: 18"–2' high x 20" wide; hardy to zone 6.
Teucrium hyrcanicum ‘Purple Tails’ (P-1324)
Each $6.50
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Meadow-Rue
Once upon a time, the newborn infant was placed upon a pillow filled with Meadow-Rue to ensure a prosperous life. Thalictrum means “to flourish,” and it does, with elegant foamlike sprays that resemble Baby’s Breath, and rounded, finely cut, compound foliage. Tougher than it appears, Thalictrum is the perfect choice for the border.
Pale purple double flowers with yellow eyes adorn this Thalictrum’s tall flower stems. We often grow ‘Hewitt’s Double’ among other plants, such as Anemone x hybrida ‘Andrea Atkinson’, for support, especially in areas exposed to summer wind and rain.
Blooms August–September. Size: 4'–6' high x 3' wide; hardy to zone 5.
Thalictrum delavayi ‘Hewitt’s Double’ (p-0139)
Each $9.75
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Loosely garbed in striking steely blue foliage, ‘Elin’s tall purple-tinged stems maintain a stately carriage. An impressive hybrid between Thalictrum flavum var. glaucum and Thalictrum rochebrunianum, its sturdy upright stalks culminate in open sprays of bicolored pale yellow and lavender flowers. Known to grow up to 12 ft. tall, this lofty Thalictrum paints soft smoky hues in the background and seldom needs staking.
Blooms July–early August. Size: 8' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 5.
AVAILABLE SPRING 2012
Thalictrum ‘Elin’ (p-1145)
Each $10.25
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You will never “rue” planting this winning European native. As it emerges in spring, tender mauve-tinted stems and foliage scramble skyward. By midsummer, gleaming and glaucous trilobed, silvery blue-green foliage adorns brawny upright stems. Erect, gossamer-like panicles of soft yellow burst upward in a frothy show.
Absolutely striking when planted in a drift with Phlomis russeliana and Spodiopogon sibiricus.
Blooms July–August. Size: 5'–6' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 5.
Thalictrum flavum ssp. glaucum (p-1146)
Each $6.75
Add to Cart A marvelous perennial that fashions an ethereal, lavender-hued mist, this elegant Japanese native boasts attractive foliage and a bounteous display of dainty flowers. Tall stems hold glabrous, blue-green, oval-shaped leaves, and each produces wiry branched blooming panicles. Prominent pale yellow stamens and persistent sepals accentuate the display. Most effective in a drift, place wherever a glow of purple would be welcome.
Blooms August–September. Size: 5' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 5.
Thalictrum rochebrunianum (p-0970)
Each $6.75
Add to Cart Discovered as a garden seedling between Thalictrum elegans and Thalictrum delavayi by celebrated French Heuchera breeder, Thierry Delabroye, this towering floriferous Meadow Rue is indeed splendid. Heaven bound and steadfast, 9 ft. tall, crimson tinted stalks, clothed with lacy grayish green fernlike foliage, have a willowy architectural appeal.
Myriad lavender-pink flowers, centered by cream-colored stamens, compose a massive, yet sprightly pastel cloud, which envelopes the entire upper 3 ft. of each impressive plant nearly all summer long.
Blooms late June – September. Size: 5'–9' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 3.
AVAILABLE SPRING 2012
Thalictrum ‘Splendide’ (P-1676)
Each $12.75
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Thyme
“I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,” says Oberon to Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Upright or creeping, these aromatic culinary herbs form luscious mats of ground cover or sprite-sized shrubs, embellished with miniature flowers in whites, purples and pinks. In the herb garden, or around and between stepping stones or bricks, Thymes love sun and well drained soil, and can even tolerate a dose of wind and salt spray.
This low spreading, evergreen Thyme has a lot to offer: golden variegated foliage, colorful flowers, and a tangy lemon aroma. Brimming with tiny pinkish purple blooms, the 3 to 4 in. long, flowering clusters enhance the gilt-edged, deep green leaves, which are especially bright-hued in the cool of spring. Creeping near Hebe ‘Champagne’, ‘Doone Valley’ makes a captivating, small-space ground cover.
Blooms August–October. Size: 5" high x 18" & spreading; hardy to zone 5.
Thymus ‘Doone Valley’ (P-1200)
Each $6.75
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Hailing from Latavin, this topnotch, rarely offered cultivar is the perfect choice for nestling between stepping stones. Resilient, deep green pint-sized leaves cavort close to the ground forming lustrous mats spangled with a slew of miniature, rosy purple blooms.
Blooms June – July. Size: 3" high x 18"–2' wide; hardy to zone 5.
Thymus ‘Latavin Lucy’ (P-1467)
Each $6.75
Add to Cart Dwelling in Turkey’s Amanos Mountains, this distinctive softly colored Thyme houses pale stems and short, stiff needlelike leaves. The low, aromatic grey-green mound is fine textured, semievergreen and well branched, and garnished with clusters of miniature rosy pink flowers, making it a natural for a trough, the rockery or a Thyme-inspired tapestry.
Blooms June – July. Size: 8" high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 7.
Thymus leuchotrichus (P-1544)
Each $6.75
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Small pink flowers ascend a thimble’s length or two above a soft looking, broad mound of fine textured, almost needlelike foliage.
Blooms June – August. Size: 4" high x 15" wide; hardy to zone 4.
Thymus pannonicus (P-0140)
Each $6.75
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Mother Of ThymeDressed up with a fresh pink blanket of bloom and a delicate texture, ‘Pink Chintz’ is
one of the first Thymes to flower. Obscured by its colorful cover, this vigorous ground hugger’s small grayish green leaves are strongly scented, close-knit and fuzzy. Try tucking Mother of Thyme in the rockery alongside Stachys ‘Silky Fleece’ and Dracocephalum ‘Blue Dragon’ for a detailed association.
Blooms May–July. Size: 1"–2" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 5.
Thymus ‘Pink Chintz’ (P-1286)
Each $6.75
Add to Cart White Creeping Thyme
An elfin-sized army of bright green rounded leaves and wiry thin, straw-colored stems weaves a low-lying springy mat. Whether nestled into nooks or stowed amid pavers, the attractive evergreen foliage gets a refreshing lift when petite white flowers form a thick summertime icing.
Blooms July – August. Size: 2' high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 5.
Thymus praecox ssp. arcticus ‘Albus’ (P-1543)
Each $6.75
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Woolly ThymeWoolly, Tom Thumb-like and cozy-looking, the aromatic silver-green leaves form a tight nearly prostate mat tough enough to handle foot traffic. This versatile pink flowering Thyme can creep between steps and patio stones or cushion hard edges in the garden, as well as spice up culinary dishes and impart medicinal properties. Zone 3/4.
Blooms May – June. Size: 1"–2" high x 10"–12" wide; hardy to zone 4.
Thymus praecox ‘Pseudolanuginosus’ (P-1623)
Each $6.75
Add to Cart Illuminated by gold-splashed green leaves, this bushy aromatic Thyme sculpts low evergreen billows that soften our steps. Droves of lighthearted lavender-pink flowers and neighbors like Saponaria and Silene ‘Compacta’ heighten the composition. Zone 6/7.
Blooms June–July. Size: 6" high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 7.
Thymus pulegioides ‘Archer’s Gold’ (P-1409)
Each $6.75
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Even though its name doesn’t impart visions of beauty, we promise you’ll be smitten with this showy Asian Thyme. Highly fragrant dark green leaves and wire-thin creeping stems weave a dense verdant mat. Prolific, ample-sized rosy pink flowers festoon foliage that can soften your pavers, flavor your dinner or be utilized medicinally to fight cancer and infections.
Blooms July – August. Size: 4" high x 12"–2' wide; hardy to zone 5.
AVAILABLE LATE SPRING 2012
Thymus quinquecostatus (P-1718)
Each $6.75
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Teensie-tiny miniature leaves comprise a snug carpet-like hummock that’s small in size, but big on charm. Remarkably rugged, the fuzzy, gray-green overlapping foliage belies its diminutive appearance, enduring some foot traffic and hot dry conditions. Pretty lavender-pink elfin flowers peek out from the fine textured soft-looking clump as it slowly mantles a staircase, the rockery or a Tom Thumb-like container planting.
Blooms July – August. Size: 1"–3" high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 4.
Thymus serpyllum ‘Minor’ (P-0141)
Each $6.75
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Rosy pink flowers peer above this mat of semi-evergreen, fragrant, rich kelly green foliage. Noted collector Victor Reiter brought this one back to northern California from the Mediterranean. We use it liberally to fill crevices or cascade over walls.
Blooms June–July. Size: 2"–6" high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 6.
Thymus serpyllum ‘Victor Reiter’ (P-0142)
Each $6.75
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Foam Flower
This easy-to-grow, clump-forming evergreen is one of the finest spring flowering woodland perennials.
‘Pink Skyrocket’, a Terra Nova introduction, is one of the best pink flowering cultivars in the genus. Dissected Maple-like leaves, engraved with dark chocolate central blotches, shape a lush shiny green mound. “Skyrocketing” on tall sturdy stems, large, perfect-for-cutting spires are studded with round rosy buds and frothy pink and white star-shaped flowers. En masse, as an understory or along the border, this easy-to-grow, clump-forming evergreen works well skirting Viburnum, the Sichuan Deutzia and Sambucus. (pp#13382)
Blooms March – May. Size: 12" high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 4.
Tiarella ‘Pink Skyrocket’ (p-1468)
Each $7.00
Add to Cart Trachystemon
Oriental Trachystemon
Looking for a bold toughie to beautify that problem area in your garden? Trachystemon orientalis may be your answer.
Whether the spot is sunny or shady, dry or moist, or over rough terrain, this Borage family member will rapidly fill it in with a thick, weed-smothering cover of handsome, coarse textured dark green leaves—hairy, immense, many up to a foot long, and heart-shaped—attached to long petioles. Heralding spring, starry blue, white-throated flowers carried on branched hairy pink stems are reminiscent of Dodecatheon blooms and make their appearance before the wavy-edged foliage bursts forth in late spring.
Its native haunts are Bulgaria and northern Turkey, and here in our garden it intermingles with Anthriscus ‘Ravenswing’ and Euphorbia ‘Great Dixter’, creating a dynamic array of foliar colors and textures.
Blooms March. Size: 18" high x 2' & spreading; hardy to zone 6.
Trachystemon orientalis (P-1356)
Each $7.00
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Toad Lily
Some say this fascinating species owes its common name to the Philippine Tasaday Indians’ practice of wiping their hands with juice from the blossoms before setting out to collect frogs. Others say it’s the unusual spotted flowers that account for the name.
Whichever story is true, the blooms have such detail and quiet beauty that they should be admired close-up. They open on gently arching stems for long periods in late summer and early fall, when most other flowers are already spent. With a moist, humus-rich soil, all the Toad Lilies will form elegant clumps.
A jewel of the shadows, velvet-smooth lily-like flowers are defined by pronounced violet anthers and creamy white and powder blue petals dramatically splashed with bluish purple flecks. Compact gently arching stems and ovate emerald green leaves forge a stylish vase-shaped base for rounded maroon buds and exotic-looking late season flowers. Inheriting hirta and formosana ancestry, ‘Blue Wonder’ needs to be ensconced along a path where its amazing detail can be easily relished.
Blooms September – October. Size: 18"–2' high x 12"–15" wide; hardy to zone 5.
Tricyrtis ‘Blue Wonder’ (P-1719)
Each $7.50
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Renowned for its extra large and wider open flowers, this exquisite, newly introduced Toad Lily is a formosana hybrid. Ornate, spidery spaced petals are inscribed by occasional darkened tips and irregular velvet-rich deep purple spots, stipples and mottling on a creamy white background. An enticing fall beacon amongst the shadows, ‘Empress’s showy terminal blooms are supported by an upright robust gathering of lustrous, semi-clasping dark green foliage that stays dapper all season.
Blooms August – September. Size: 2-1/4' high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 5.
Tricyrtis ‘Empress’ (P-1469)
Each $7.50
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Smaller in stature than the other Tricyrtis cultivars we offer, the wine-colored upright stems of this garden “warrior” are a striking complement to its light green leaves. A further touch of light is achieved by the irregularly variegated, creamy leaf margins. Orchid-like purple flowers have
dark plum speckles, and gold and white highlights at their centers. Skirt it with Epimedium grandiflorum ‘Lilafee’.
Blooms August–September. Size: 16" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 5.
Tricyrtis formosana ‘Samurai’ (P-0143)
Each $7.50
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These purple-spotted, dark dusty blue flowers with white centers evoke images of early night skies sprinkled with stars. The dark green foliage is also spotted, and combines with deep purple buds to give this spectacular Tricyrtis long lasting appeal. Plant with Kirengeshoma and double the intrigue of the
flowers and foliage.
Blooms September–October. Size: 2' high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 5.
Tricyrtis ‘Hatatogisa’ (P-0423)
Each $7.50
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Attired in neon-bright chartreuse foliage, this hirta ‘Variegata’ sport is a shining beacon for any shady spot that needs some oomph. Arching stems feature arresting, purple flecked white flowers that heighten the illuminated composition.
Introduced by Bluebird Nursery, ‘Moonlight’ maintains its refreshing, well-groomed look throughout the season.
Blooms September–October. Size: 20" high x 18"–2' wide; hardy to zone 5.
Tricyrtis hirta ‘Moonlight’ (P-1355)
Each $7.50
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Long esteemed in Japan for its elegant cut flowers, ‘Sinonome’ presents a pleasing vase-shaped clump of upright stems lined with lustrous, clean-looking dark green foliage. Emerging from buds the color of chocolate, white, upfacing blooms show off richly colored ruby freckles. One of
the more heat and drought tolerant Toadlilies, this Tricyrtis could be planted next to Aster
divaricatus.
Blooms September–October. Size: 2'–3' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 5.
Tricyrtis x ‘Sinonome’ (P-1228)
Each $7.50
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Trifolium
Clover
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