The species originates in the mountains of southern Europe and Russia, and this ‘Moonbeam’s lush and low bushy mat of scalloped, ovate green-gray leaves is an excellent foil for its crowded clusters of light yellow blooms. Trailing stems turn upward and, at their tips, Snapdragon-like flowers form a four-sided raceme.

Requiring well drained soil and shade during hot afternoons, this little treasure goes well in a container, or in the rockery with Edraianthus graminifolius and Origanum libanoticum.

Blooms May–September.

Size: 10" high x 12" wide.

Hardy to zone 5.

Originating as a seedling from a naturally occurring hybrid between two eastern U.S. natives Scutellaria ovata and Scutellaria serrata, this first-rate 2022 cultivar was selected by West Virginia-based horticulturalist Peter Heus and introduced by Plants Nouveau. Dapper serrated mint-green leaves with plum-colored margins distinguish the snug semievergreen clump, which premiers large Salvia-like violet-blue and white bicolored flowers on upright, branching dark maroon stems. Happiest in filtered light plus well-drained soil, ‘Appalachian Blues’s amenable deer-resistant habit attracts numerous bee species, tolerates occasional drought and promises long-lasting charm for sunny, moist meadow plantings, mixed borders and woodland peripheries.

Blooms late May–July

Size: 15" – 2' 0" high x 15" – 2' 0" wide.

Hardy to zone 4.

While the native species roams the meadows, open woodlands and shady stream banks and roadsides of the eastern U.S., this new easily grown white-flowering cultivar will illuminate the bright shadows of your garden. Openly arranged, tubular pearl-hued flowers with a hood-like upper lip, light green bracts and plenty of pollinator allure distinguish glimmering 6 in. terminal racemes. Softened by ultrafine downy gray hairs, the dense bushy habit forms an attractive small colony of erect square green stems clothed in ovate, round-toothed smoky-green leaves with pointed tips and a bitter taste that keeps bunnies and deer at bay.

Blooms mid June–August

Size: 2' 0" – 3' 0" high x 12" – 2' 0" wide.

Hardy to zone 4.

Legendary for its tenacious ability to conquer hot sunny niches, this engaging well-groomed Kansas denizen was introduced by the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum. Small, oval-shaped pubescent gray-green leaves and branching, upright square stems cushion a showy, long-lasting display of tubular deep blue-violet flowers, each highlighted with 2 small white streaks. Relishing minimal fertility plus sharp drainage, ‘Smoky Hills’ is second-to-none when massed as a low mounding ground cover that readily enhances borders, meadows, rock gardens and native plantings while warding off the bunnies.

Blooms May–July

Size: 6" – 12" high x 10" – 14" wide.

Hardy to zone 4.

For its tidy swath of dark pink infill, the masses of Snapdragon-like blooms adorning the diminutive, glossy green foliage of ‘Texas Rose’ get our vote. With a dainty, yet durable, low profile, it makes an endearing addition to the rockery, or along a pathway nestled amidst Dianthus ‘Mendlesham Maid’ and Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’.

Blooms mid-June–mid-October.

Size: 4" – 6" high x 15" wide.

Hardy to zone 7.