Perennials at Digging Dog
Anthericum to Athyrium
Including Aquilegia, Aruncus, Aster, & Astilbe
Anthericum
St. Bernard's Lily"Among the most beautiful of hardy flowers," William Robinson once proclaimed in reference to this easily grown, quick-to-establish European member of the Lily family. And we fully agree. Enchanting, starlike white flowers embellish slender leafless stems arising from a base of narrow grassy foliage. The seed spikes are equally lovely. Naturalize in a warm, sunny spot with fertile, well drained soil, and don't forget to cut a few of its flowers for your next bouquet.
Blooms May-June. Size: 2' high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 6.
Anthericum liliago (P-0919)
Each $6.50
Add to Cart Anthriscus
Cow Parsley
Esteemed for its dark coloring, Cow Parsley offers
a layered 18 in. mound of luscious, plum-colored, fernlike foliage. In early summer, branched stems produce airy umbels defined by small white flowers and pink bracts. A rich blend of opulent purple leaves can be achieved when you associate
this beauty with Aster ‘Lady in Black’
and Berberis ‘Golden Ring’. Keep
the blooms trimmed back to ensure an attractive habit.
Blooms July. Size: 2'–2-1/2' high x 18"–2' wide; hardy to zone 8.
Anthriscus sylvestris Ravenswing (P-1201)
Each $6.00
Add to Cart Antirrhinum
Perennial Snapdragon
Awash with pastel charm, droves of soft pink flowers pose all summer long atop a silvery blue, low growing mound that can take the heat. Perfect for the rockery, a wall or along a pathway, this carefree perennial easily links stronger colored plants, while its thin curvy stems clad in glaucous, round fuzzy leaves crave a bright, sheltered well draining niche.
Blooms June to mid-September. Size: 12"–15" high x 8" wide; hardy to zone 5.
Antirrhinum hispanicum Roseum (P-1435)
Each $6.50
Add to Cart Silver SnapdragonA soft, evergreen palette of silky-haired, gray-green leaves and trailing, fuzzy silver stems set off the glistening, uplifted racemes of creamy blooms. Each two-lipped blossom is accented with a pale yellow throat striped in lilac.
Exhibiting a fortitude for dry conditions and a small mounding presence, this pretty bushlet is ideally suited to the rockery or along a path where it soothes rough edges, and
can be accompanied by Diascia ‘Coral
Canyon’ and Nepeta ‘Select
Blue’.
Blooms June–July. Size: 6"–8" high x 12"–18" wide; hardy to zone 7.
Antirrhinum sempervirens (P-1169)
Each $6.50
Add to Cart
Columbine
This genus deserves its lofty names, which mean
“eagle” and “dove,”
because its intricate flowers have been said to
resemble birds in flight. Beyond the symbolism of the
flowers, the finely textured, widely varied species possess
a gracefulness that is likely to carry you to heights
of enjoyment. Whether delicate dwarfs or bold,
long-spurred varieties, Columbines are characterized
by fernlike three-lobed leaves. They are best suited
for naturalizing in a semishaded woodland, but the smaller species will thrive in a rock garden with
some shade. In the woodland garden, its lengthy stems display large, pure white long-spurred flowers. For a spirited combination of blue and white, try planting this elegant cultivar with Brunnera ‘Langtrees’.
Blooms April–May. Size: 2' high x 15" wide; hardy to zone 4.
AVAILABLE SUMMER 2010
Aquilegia Kristall (p-0020)
Each $6.25
Add to Cart Dangling like delicate Japanese lanterns, the
plum and soft yellow blossoms are topped with wispy,
tapered spurs that curve inward. Like an ideal
small-space ornament, this compact Aquilegia offers a
demure mound of foliage and arresting colors.
Blooms May–mid-June. Size: 8" high x 8"–10" wide; hardy to zone 6.
Aquilegia buergeriana Calimero (P-0918)
Each $6.25
Add to Cart As if in flight, ‘Yellow Queen’s
long outward-curving spurs trail behind its
cheerful, bright yellow flowers. Soaring on tall slender
stems above bushy and bluish green, fernlike foliage,
the upfacing, fragrant blooms are good-sized and
abundant. Owing its vigor and floriferous nature to
its wild southwestern cousin, Aquilegia
chrysantha, this cultivar makes a sunny partner for the lush purple leaves of Anthriscus ‘Ravenswing’.
Blooms April–May. Size: 2-1/2' high x 15" wide; hardy to zone 4.
Aquilegia chrysantha Yellow Queen (p-1168)
Each $6.25
Add to Cart Promising plenty of nodding vivid blue-violet flowers brightened by white centers, this sturdy Columbine forms a tidy, low growing mound of deep green foliage. Nestled along a stone wall or garden path, ‘Blue Angel’ will bestow
enchanting detail.
Blooms April–early June. Size: 8" high x 10" wide; hardy to zone 4.
Aquilegia flabellata Blue Angel (p-1057)
Each $6.25
Add to Cart The blooms of this exquisite Columbine are valued for their creamy hues and unique, sweet honeysuckle fragrance. Pale yellow petals infused with the slightest pink blush and muted lavender tones add subtle color to the large, short-spurred pendant flowers.
Dwelling in subalpine meadows all the way from northern Pakistan to northern India and Kashmir, Aquilegia fragrans will easily reside in your rockery, patio pot or border’s forestage—anywhere you can savor its delectable scent.
Blooms May–June. Size: 2-1/2' high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 5.
Aquilegia fragrans (p-1306)
Each $6.25
Add to Cart 
Some 75 years ago, Joseph Rock gathered seed from this elegant beauty in China’s Szechwan kingdom. Elevated on stems that mimic a dancer’s grace, the pendant flowers are richly colored in deep lilac shades. White-edged
corollas enhance the large, short-spurred blooms above a pleasing foliar mound.
Blooms May–June. Size: 15"–20" high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 6.
AVAILABLE SUMMER 2010
Aquilegia rockii (p-1246)
Each $6.25
Add to Cart Highly ornamental, this sturdy perennial’s dark purple blossoms skirt white-white corollas.
The dramatic contrast injects an element of surprise
in the garden. Deeply incurved spurs stand sentinel over each nodding bloom, which rises 2 ft. on strong and lean stems from a leafy bluish green mound. Set this dark knight near the gilt foliage of Campanula ‘Dickson’s Gold’ for a captivating union.
Blooms May–June. Size: 2' high x 15" wide; hardy to zone 4.
Aquilegia vulgaris William Guiness (P-1098)
Each $6.25
Add to Cart We grew this unusual cultivar from seed, and its
intensely golden springtime foliage gradually
transmutes into light yellow summer garb, imparting
a bright glow to darker garden corners. Gorgeous
bicolored blue and rose blooms heighten the
display while the deep greens of Pulmonaria
‘Benediction’ and Omphalodes ‘Joy Skies’ furnish an invigorating contrast.
Blooms April–May. Size: 18"–2' high x 12"–15" wide; hardy to zone 4.
AVAILABLE FALL 2010
Aquilegia vulgaris Woodside Gold (p-0917)
Each $6.25
Add to Cart Aralia
Elk CloverGreen, herbaceous, and very large leafed, this energetic Ginseng relative brings bold architecture to the late season garden. Thick green stalks and arching pinnate greenery spring from a good-sized fleshy rootstock, and by autumn warm buttery yellow foliage and wine-streaked stems prevail. Populating open, sputnik-like compound umbels, quantities of small, starry white flowers illuminate the verdant long-lived mass that furnishes excellent cover and lustrous purple-black berries for the birds. A denizen of California and Oregon, Elk Clover demands moist rich soils, and flourishes in a shady relaxed border, by pond side, or in a woodland garden.
Blooms August–mid-October. Size: 6'–8-2/3' high x 6'–8-2/3' wide; hardy to zone 8.
Aralia californica (p-1365)
SOLD OUT!
Email me when this plant is available Arisaema
Cobra Lily
Himalayan Cobra LilyJewel of the woodland garden, this elegant, easy-to-grow species is found throughout southwestern China. A whorl of numerous narrow leaflets with slender drip-tips and undulating edges crowns each tall stately stem. Conjuring mysterious images of a cobra poised to strike, the otherworldly inflorescence is borne from a petiole beneath the foliage. It is defined by a purplish brown and greenish white-streaked spathe with an elongated hood that tapers to a pendulous, very long, threadlike tip. Clustered, bright scarlet berries create a colorful grand finale. Fertile, humus-rich and evenly moist soil will keep the Cobra Lily charmed.
This plant will be shipped from fall through mid-spring. Most of the plants will be shipped dormant and bare-root unless we have potted ones which have sprouted.
Dormant Arisaemas in containers must not be kept wet. Water them in their pots only when the soil gets bone dry—about twice a month.
Blooms June. Size: 3'–4' high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 6.
AVAILABLE JUNE 2010
Arisaema consanguineum (P-1608)
Each $7.00
Add to Cart Artemisia
Plentiful small round buds and fluffy, pastel pink blooms populate gracefully tapered sheaves, and set against the deep purple branching stems they seem to sparkle. The elegant, airy flowers reign over an impressive textural foil of jagged-edged dark green leaves.
Blooms August–September. Size: 5' high x 18"–2' wide; hardy to zone 5.
Artemisia Rosenschleier (p-1433)
Each $6.50
Add to Cart White MugwortIts upright growth habit and unaromatic green
leaves are similar to Artemisia lactiflora, but the
purple-red stems of this Chinese species make it otherwise
quite unique. The strong, upright stalks reach 4 ft. in
the first season and hold large branched panicles
of white flowers. In the company of other tall perennials such as Aster turbinellus, this plant will create a striking fall border. To highlight its reddish stems, plant Panicum virgatum ‘Warrior’ nearby.
Blooms August–September. Size: 5' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 4.
Artemisia lactiflora Guizhou (P-0180)
Each $6.50
Add to Cart Western Mugwort‘Valerie Finnis’ dons silvery white leaves so soft and showy you’d think they were felt. Lobed near the tips, the wide aromatic foliage lines stout, generally erect gray stems, forming a compact, noninvasive clump that makes a luminous counterpoint to lush greens or bronzes.
This prized perfect-for-drying Mugwort can be pinched to maintain its textural form and lightly sheared when dense yellowish gray flower panicles appear. Thwarting deer and tolerant of both poor or dry soil, the Western Mugwort demands excellent drainage and mopes in high humidity.
Blooms August. Size: 15"–18" high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 4.
Artemisia ludoviciana Valerie Finnis (P-1505)
Each $6.50
Add to Cart Brimming with texture, ‘Sea Foam’ hosts a frothy display of incandescent silver-gray foliage. Swirling, curly, filigreed leaves are draped like finely cut lace along vigorous firm woody stems. Not intrusive and tight-set, this low mounding shrubby perennial can take it hot but not humid, needs well drained soil, makes a good winter statement and occasionally yields cute, little yellow buttons on downy white flower spikes. Zone 4/5.
Blooms August. Size: 8"–12" high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 5.
AVAILABLE FALL 2010
Artemisia versicolor Sea Foam (P-1507)
Each $6.50
Add to Cart
Goat's Beard
When you think of a woodland setting, think
Aruncus. With elegant, feathery ivory
plumes, Goat’s Beard is similar to and combines
well with Astilbe, although it is airier in form. A
terrific understory for tall canopies of Styrax japonicus
or Maples, it thrives in moist soil, and is a natural
beside a pool or stream. Place Aruncus where you
can view it from the south, to take advantage of its
tendency to lean toward the sun. It’s a popular cut flower. 
The fine, delicate foliage and small stature of
this tidy dwarf lends itself as a ground cover around
flat stones and rocks. It’s well suited for the
front of the border with broad-leafed Epimediums.
Blooms late May–mid-June. Size: 8" high x 12" wide; hardy to zone 5.
Aruncus aethusifolius (P-0995)
Each $6.00
Add to Cart Shorter and sturdier than the species, this
German hybrid does well in windy areas. Dispelling all
images of a stocky work plant, its name means “child of two worlds,” and it is indeed otherworldly.
Blooms June–July. Size: 2-1/2' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 5.
Aruncus dioicus Zweiweltenkind (P-0021)
Each $6.50
Add to Cart
Wild Ginger
Stretching out by underground rhizomes, the Wild Gingers are handsome woodland dwellers whose large-leafed, low growing colonies flourish in moist, shady niches. Long petioles elevate their polished, usually heart-shaped foliage while darkly
colored, three-lobed blooms add intrigue.
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