Perennials at Digging Dog
Haloragis to Inula
Includes Helenium, Helianthemum, Helleborus, & Heuchera
Haloragis
Inconspicuous in bloom, but indispensable for foliar variety, this New Zealand native is named after Mum’s hometown on the North Island. The dense mound of small, linear, bronze leaves on wine-colored stems is useful wherever contrast of form and foliage is valued.
In our mixed border, we combine ‘Wellington Bronze’ with Lavandula ‘Ana Luisa’, Euphorbia ‘Black Pearls’ and Stipa arundinacea for an engaging array of texture and color. Cut off the small flowers to prevent seeding.
Blooms September. Size: 3' high x 3' wide; hardy to zone 6.
Haloragis erecta Wellington Bronze (p-0614) Each $6.00
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Helensflower
Legend has it that Helenium first grew on ground watered with the tears of Helen of Troy. The backbone of the late season garden, Helenium sends out branching stems covered with yellow, orange and bronze daisy-like flowers that have sculpted, conical centers and fringed, silky petals.
In areas of high wind or heavy rain, the stout stems may need support. Renown for its rich, buttery yellow blooms, ‘Butter-pat’s fulgent, late season parade is a welcome event in our garden. The sunny petals are gathered by green-tinged golden cones, while tall, stiff stems clothed in lance-shaped leaves stand sentinel below. Try planting this robust
cultivar with Salvia ‘Nekan’, Sedum ‘Neon’ and Calamagrostis brachytricha for a lively gathering.
Blooms July–August. Size: 4' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 4.
Helenium Butterpat (P-1271) Each $8.00
Add to Cart From the same group of seedlings that produced ‘Bruno’ comes ‘Coppelia’, the selection that holds first place in Alan Bloom’s heart for its earlier bloom and shorter stature. Large coppery red blooms supported by sturdy stems offer sumptuous colors for the late season border.
Blooms August–September. Size: 3' high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 4.
Helenium Coppelia (P-0755) Each $6.50
Add to Cart Long after other flowers have had their say, this tall, back-of-the-border Helenium delivers a bonfire of color. Henna-red and burnt orange petals, streaked with gilt hues, surround velvety brown centers, looking like the twirling skirts of flamenco dancers.
Blooms late August–mid-October. Size: 5' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 4.
Helenium Flammendes Käthchen (P-1185) Each $7.00
Add to Cart Plushly colored in chocolate-brown and gold, each round hub centers a carousel of dark brick-red petals, exhibiting orange-yellow striations as they age while smooth-edged lanceolate leaves cloak the sturdy upstanding stems below. wildly popular in europe, this compact shorter statured Helenium makes a welcome addition to any garden, especially when showcased with Asclepias ‘Hello Yellow’ and Panicum ‘Dewey Blue’.
Blooms August–September. Size: 2'–2-1/2' high x 15" wide; hardy to zone 4.
AVAILABLE LATE MARCH 2008
Helenium Rubinzwerg (P-1483) Each $6.50
Add to Cart Cymbal StarOne of the largest flowered Heleniums, ‘Zimbelstern’s undulating, brilliantly golden, mahogany-splashed petals converge at a russet eye. Before its enthusiastic bloom, strong stems sport unusual chartreuse buds that have a joy all their own.
Blooms late August–mid-October. Size: 4'–4-1/2' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 4.
Helenium Zimbelstern (P-0854) Each $6.50
Add to Cart Short petals in sunny deep yellow encompass the blackish brown discs of this western species. Compact and earlier to flower than other Helenium cultivars, ‘The Bishop’ pledges a bright profile when planted with Monarda ‘Jacob Cline’ and Salvia ‘Caradonna’.
Blooms July–August. Size: 2-1/4' high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 6.
Helenium bigelovii The Bishop (P-1115) Each $6.50
Add to Cart First discovered in the late 1800s, this robust and stalwart denizen of the American West volunteers a perky floral display above broad, up to a foot long, strapping foliage that creates a handsome gray-green rosette with a subtle sheen. Sturdy leafy stems yield vibrant clusters of 3 in. wide golden flowers defined by narrow, slightly reflexed rays circling a darker central disk.
Blooms July–August. Size: 3'–4' high x 18"–2' wide; hardy to zone 3.
Helenium hoopesii (P-1270) Each $6.50
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Sun Rose
Evergreen subshrubs and members of the Cistus family, Sun Roses come from the Mediterranean. Tolerant of drought and salt spray, they exhibit the general hardiness that makes them welcome in a rock garden. Let them cascade over a wall or some other sunny, well drained location.
Tufted with yellow stamens, their fleeting, silky, roselike blossoms provide a luminous and continuous display against small-sized matte foliage. Capable of quick infill, combine the Sun Roses with traditional companions like Lavenders, Euphorbias and Origanums. In mouthwatering peach colors, ‘Cheviot’s dainty blossoms dress up its pearly gray foliage. Euphorbia ‘Red Wing’ highlights the splendor.
Blooms May–July. Size: 8" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 4.
Helianthemum Cheviot (p-1084) Each $6.00
Add to Cart Set off by a foil of silver-green foliage, the vivid orange-scarlet flowers blaze with intensity.
Blooms May–July. Size: 8" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 4.
Helianthemum Fire Dragon (p-1293) Each $6.00
Add to Cart Paper-thin, bright orange-red blooms make a toasty statement against a bed of gray-green leaves.
Blooms May–July. Size: 8" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 4.
Helianthemum Henfield Brilliant (P-0943) Each $6.00
Add to Cart Imparting a crisp elegance, sheet-white flowers lifted on wiry stems illuminate this Sunrose’s sturdy, deep green foliage.
Blooms May–July. Size: 8" high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 4.
Helianthemum St. Mary’s (P-1339) Each $6.00
Add to Cart Delicate rose-pink blooms adorn the very silvery foliage of this Helianthemum. Contrast ‘Wisley Pink’s soft and alluring demeanor with fellow Mediterranean, Eryngium variifolium.
Blooms May–July. Size: 8" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 4.
Helianthemum Wisley Pink (P-0944) Each $6.00
Add to Cart Like tiny suns, ‘Wisley Primrose’s soft yellow blooms warm its gray-green foliar mass. A swathe of Nepeta nervosa’s blue flowers highlights the splendor.
Blooms May–July. Size: 8" high x 18" wide; hardy to zone 4.
Helianthemum Wisley Primrose (P-0898) Each $6.00
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Sunflower
The sunflower was once an emblem of the Sun God of the Incas. This well-loved genus is 150 species strong and includes not only sprightly garden plants but commercially important food and oil crops.
Our easy-to-grow selections tolerate a wide range of garden soils, attract bees, and make great cut flowers. Originally discovered as a chance seedling at Matanzas Creek Winery in northern California and visible from literally ½ mile away, abundant pale yellow flowers cover the upper third of this extravagant perennial. Ours bask in their glory near the pond, along with other late bloomers like Salvia corrugata and Miscanthus ‘Adagio’.
Blooms September–early November. Size: 7' high x 3' wide; hardy to zone 6.
Helianthus angustifolius Matanzas Creek (P-0534) Each $6.50
Add to Cart Giant Pale Yellow SunflowerLate blooming pastel yellow flowers gaze down at onlookers from atop lofty, sturdy stems. Combine with Buddleja ‘Ellen’s Blue’, Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ and tall, late Asters in the rear of the border.
Blooms early August–October Size: 6'–10' high x 2'–3' wide; hardy to zone 6.
Helianthus giganteus Shelia’s Sunshine (p-0461) Each $6.50
Add to Cart Woodland SunflowerA celebrated American denizen often found in open woodlands, prairies and along roadsides, this Sunflower’s ebullient yellow face belies its resilient nature. The dense colony of upright wine-hued stems and rough lanceolate leaves can handle neglect, drought, and sun or shade.
Enticing to bees, butterflies, and gardeners alike, yellow 2 in. wide, broad-petaled and brown-centered blooms burst forth from round, spiky-looking green buds. Even though the long lasting jaunty display signals summer’s end, the good-sized chocolate-colored seed heads keep the birds happy and our interest sparked.
Blooms August–October. Size: 5'–6' high x 3' wide; hardy to zone 3.
Helianthus hirsutus (P-1383) Each $6.50
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‘Lemon Queen’s cloud of citrus yellow daisies will quench your thirst for color and cheer, while robust columns of deep green foliage make a strong architectural statement in the border or meadow planting.
Blooms August–October. Size: 7' high x 3' wide; hardy to zone 4.
Helianthus laetiflorus Lemon Queen (p-0535) Each $6.50
Add to Cart As summer fades into fall, this native New Mexican sunflower bursts into abundant bloom with gorgeous large, golden yellow flowers. Dark green, long and narrow pointed leaves create an eye catching colonnade several months before the top half of each red-tinged, sturdy stem gives way to the closely arranged, fulgent daisies.
Putting on one of the latest and unequivocally finest autumn displays, regal ‘Santa Fe’ stands in sharp relief to the violet-hued Aconitums in our border.
Blooms September–October. Size: 6'–8' high x 3' wide; hardy to zone 4.
Helianthus maximiliana Santa Fe (P-1213) Each $6.50
Add to Cart Helichrysum
Alluring and almost luminescent, this fine textured mounding subshrub is a tidy and compact improvement over the species. Soft to the touch, the downy white stems and tiny round, silvery leaves make Helichrysum ‘Nana’ a soothing companion for Uncinia rubra in a container. At the front of border, Dracocephalum ‘Fuji Blue’ and Euphorbia ‘Fern Cottage’ bring captivating contrast to its felted foliage.
Size: 2'–3' high x 4'–5' wide; hardy to zone 9.
Helichrysum petiolare Nana (P-0756) SOLD OUT!
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Christmas Rose/Lenten Rose
Stories about this genus are countless. In medieval times, it was considered a weapon against
witches, madness and evil spirits. Hellebores deserve a place in every garden, not only because of their
supposed power, but because they bloom for a long time, early in winter, when the weather is cool and most
other flowers are still dormant.
They like moist, loamy soil with lime and leaf mold. We like them as ground covers for deciduous shrubs, conifers, or broad-leafed evergreens, and when possible plant them
in an elevated spot to admire their nodding flowers. Corsican Hellebore
This native of Corsica and Sardinia is one of the largest Hellebores, with big racemes of light green, cup-shaped flowers nodding well above gray-green foliage. The sturdy leaves of this bushy, subshrublike plant have veins of ivory and small teeth that turn red with age. Try it as a foil for Omphalodes ‘Cherry Ingram’ and Pulmonarias.
Blooms February–April. Size: 18"–2' high x 2' wide; hardy to zone 6.
Helleborus argutifolius (p-0087) Each $7.50
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