Plants make it onto the list after they have over-wintered at least once. Some of the listed plants have pictures showing how they look in the garden.

My pictures are close-ups because I think the details are so cool. However, you do lose all sense of proportion. If you are interested in seeing the plant in its entirely, there are enough pictures elsewhere on the net. I also have some strewn about in my yearly updates.

In My Shade Gardens

Click to View	Name	Year Acquired	Comments, If Any
	Maidenhair Fern Adiantum	2009	Comes up much later than regular ferns; looks pretty decrepit at first but eventually fills out nicely.
	Bishop's Weed 'Variegatum' Aegopodium podagraria	pre-1996	Caution: Aggressive grower. I personally like it for the spaces between the trees and the fence as nothing much else will grow there and I don't want to relegate a really NICE plant to such an inhospitable place. I pull out all little runners in the spring and mid-summer and don't seem to have much problem with it. It only blooms if it's in a spot that gets sun. The blooms are pretty stinky and attract flies; I cut them down as soon as possible.
	Lady's Mantle Alchemilla mollis	pre-1996	This is one of my favourites. Makes a gorgeous clump. I find the old clumps don't really divide happily. The first year after division, they need more coddling than most plants. I love hunting in the grass for seedlings and growing these alongside in "nurseries", which works better for me when establishing a new area
	Columbine, various Aquilegia	pre-1996	Very susceptible to leaf miners. Various colours, not sure what variety these are, just "mutts" I think. They just come up here and there from the previous year's seeds. I cannot keep them in specific locations and they seem to come up between rocks or other sheltered sowing locations.
	Blunt-Leaved Sandwort Arenaria lateriflora	2007	Only 2 to 3 inches tall, nice ground cover for directly under trees. Flower is only 1/4 inch.
	Astilbe simplicifolia 'Pink Lightning'	2002	Not doing much. Moved it AGAIN (2010) in the hopes of finding its perfect location.
	Daisies Bellis	pre-1996	A bit too floppy and seeds much too prolifically.
	Bergenia cordifolia	pre-1996	I've had this near my front walk/entrance to the rock garden forever. I've never cut it back totally but perhaps that is a mistake. Most of it is still green (albeit a bit bedraggled) come spring but now the old plant stem is very woody and twisty. The new growth is always nicer.
	Bellflower Campanula rapunculoide	pre-1996	Caution: Invasive.
	Painted Daisies Chrysanthemum coccineum (or Tanacetum coccineum)	pre-1996	Doesn't expand much. Looks bedragled after blooming.
	Lily-of-the-Valley Convallaria majalis	pre-1996	Beautiful, love the fragrance but hard to contain. The pips run too DEEP to effectively erradicate them from anywhere.
	Yellow Lady's-Slipper Cypripedium parviflorum	2004	They were planted among the violets but this year (2010), I dug them up into another area of their own where they won't be overpowered.
	Fern	1999	I looked in a garden center for a name but it was just tagged as "hardy fern". Bought 2 plants and the first couple years they did nothing but come up. After that, they started growing little ferns and have increased exponentially. Love it! I've tried the Japanese painted fern, which just looked sickly for a couple years before dying.
	Meadowsweet Filipendula vulgaris & 'Elegans' (F. purpurea)	1998 & 1999	Not sure which is which, as I planted them together. In any case, extremely slow expansion. Floppy. I am trying them in other areas (2010), seeing how they were so reliable in returning. One variety went about 20 feet north into a bit more sun and the other into the rock garden. (2011) The rock garden ones did not survive. The other bunch has grown but are quite leggy. Where I originally dug them out, there were dozens of small ones growing, I guess from roots. I dug them out and replanted them in the new garden.
	Dame's Rocket Hesperis matronalis	pre-1996	Can't keep in a specific spot, they just come up where they want amongst other things. This plant is a biannual but if you're diligent about cutting it down after it blooms (which is my problem) then it will grow new leaves and the plant will stay for the next year.
	Hosta, various incl. 'Honeybells', 'Golden Scepter' 'Blue Cadet'	pre-1996	I love hostas!
	Hydrangea paniculata 'Pink Diamond'	1998	I had two plants; one I kept trying in different places and it never amounted to much. In 2010, it did not come back. The one in the shady rock garden, however, is doing wonderfully.
	Yellow Archangel 'Hermann's Pride' Lamiastrum Galeobdolon	2003	Nice. Not doing a heck of a lot, but then I haven't divided it since its original purchase. Therefore, I thought it was time I tried expanding it, so I divided it into 5 and replanted them in a new location (2010).
	Lamium maculatum 'Pink Pewter'	2003	Died back but some recovered. Often looks bedragled. Not reliable enough in manner or looks for me to befriend it.
	Elephant Ears 'The Rocket' Ligularia stenocephala	1998	Expanded and divided, just not exceptionally quickly. I tried a division in a patch with a bit more sun where it grew taller but the blooms did not last as long and the leaves were always wilting. Divided and replanted in the new garden (2011).
	False Solomon's Seal Maianthemum stellatum	2002	Each flower is only 1/4". Warning, these spread very quickly.
	Feverfew Matricaria (Tanacetum parthenium)	pre-1996	Can't keep these in a specific spot, they just come up where they want amongst other things. Not many survive winter but seed prolifically. Seedlings don't start blooming till late in the summer.
	Forget-me-Nots Myosotis	pre-1996	Can't keep these in a specific spot, they just come up where they want amongst other things. Ever-dwindling amounts.
	Ribbon Grass Phalaris arundinacea	pre-1996	I really just haven't found the right spot for this plant; I keep moving it around. When I had it in my rock garden, it was too hard to contain. Right now it is in shade.
	Phlox white & purple	pre-1996	Not doing so well. At one time, I had tons. Very susceptible to powdery mildew.
	Jacob's Ladder Polemonium caeruleum	pre-1996	Not doing as well as the first few years I had it.
	Solomon's Seal 'Variegatum' Polygonatum odoratum	pre-1996	Very slow multiplier (unlike the 'false' stuff, see Maianthemum stellatum). I originally purchased 2 stalks and after many years I think there are only about 10. However, after having said that, in 2011, I suddenly had an astounding large amount of new plants come up.
	Lungwort Pulmonaria saccharata	pre-1996	So cute with both pink and blue blooms! I find, though, when it's blooming, the patch itself is looking pretty pekid. Afterwards, it fills out nicely. If you have the spotted one (or other multicoloured leaves), it's still attractive without the blooms just not so cute.
	Periwinkle Vinca	pre-1996	I originally thought this long-timer's reign had come to an end in 2010. However, at the beginning of June, shoots finally started growing. The patch is much smaller than it used to be.
	Violets Viola	pre-1996	Short. Seeds a lot and they come up between everything.
	Canada Wood Violets Viola canadensis	2002	Taller, which I generally refer to as "wild violets". Warning, these spread very quickly and seed prolifically.

In Both Shade and Sun

Click to View	Name	Year Acquired	Comments, If Any
	Monkshood Aconitum	pre-1996	Mulitiplies well but is very susceptible to some kind of bug colony that malforms its tips, I have to spray very early (and continuously) with insecticidal soap
	Chives Allium senescens	pre-1996	Seeds a lot.
	Pussytoes Antennaria rosea	pre-1996	At one point I had this edging most of my gardens and then in 2005 a lot of it disappeared. Mostly it does best for me now in the grass, in my "nawn" it has spread like wildfire.
	Campanula carpatica	pre-1996	I don't know if these are 'Blue Clips' & 'White Clips' or not. They are from my mom. Reliable, fast growth, expansion as well as seeding a lot and coming up on its own. For the occasional clump that dies out there are always more than enough replacements around. This prolificness sounds scary but don't worry - if you actually want to get rid of it, just pulling suffices; you don't have to dig down to the earth's core or anything (like with lily-of-the-valley). Long blooming, too.
	Cypress Spurge Euphorbia cyparissias	2003	Spreads, but not where I want it to. No longer in its original spot. Pulling out stragglers. Using for filler.
	Daylilies, various Hemerocallis	pre-1996	Top to bottom: 'Chicago Picotee Lace', 'Lavender Dew' The following, I do not know names of:
	Hops Bine Humulus	2007	Not a typo. I originally typed "vine" and when looking up the genus, discovered it's a bine. Look it up and find out why! Grows fast.
	Lilies, various (mostly Asiatics) Lilium	pre-1996	Top to bottom: 'Lolipop', Brush Stroke 'Sunset', Brush Stroke 'Sunrise', 'Fata Morgana', 'Electric', 'Black Beauty' The following, I do not know names of:
	Maltese Cross Lychnis chalcedonica	pre-1996	Will make lots of seeds. If you cut off the big heads after blooming, smaller flowers are then produced at various points along the stems.
	Creeping Jenny Lysimachia nummularia	pre-1996	Not doing as well as it used to.
	Sedum acre	pre-1996	Good ground cover.
	Sedum ellacombianum	pre-1996	Good ground cover.
	Hens & Chicks Sempervivum tectorum	pre-1996	Good ground cover. The small pic here shows the incredible height of the flower stalk from ground level. These stalks only grow on the ones in full sun; quite gangly and unattractive, actually. For the two pictures in the left-hand column, the top image is at ground level; the bottom image is of the flower.
	Goldenrod Solidago canadensis	2004	Taller 'wild' variety, which is a rampaging entity. Luckily, it seems to have short rooting on otherwise long runners, so it's relatively easy to pull back. Doesn't bloom as plentifully in the shade.
	Valerian Valeriana officinalis	2006	Nice leaves. Valerian EVERYWHERE. Little planlets in your clothing, little plantlets in your hair; when you're in love you'll find those little plantlets everywhere. Oh, those are 'little arrows'. Same thing. If you're looking for this plant at the garden center, try the herb section, that's where I found it. Second year's growth is taller with very thick stems. Flowers fill the air with sweet scent.

In My Sun Gardens

Click to View	Name	Year Acquired	Comments, If Any
	Yarrow, various Achillia	pre-1996	Short.
	Yarrow Achillia	pre-1996	Believe this is 'Coronation Gold' (Achillea ageratifolia). It is a VERY tall yellowish yarrow (more goldy), with lighter green (almost fuzzier) leaves. Was growing well until 2010. One itsy 1/2 inch shoot was showing in my whole big patch. Hopefully I can coax it to live and recapture its former glory. The dead plant was a bugger to dig out. It previously proved to be amost impossible to divide, as it was very woody underground.
	Kiwi Vine 'Tri-Color' Actinidia kolomikta	1996	Grows really well. Shallow roots send up new vines on occasion in other parts of the garden. You need both a male and female plant for it to bloom.
	Pearly Everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea	1998	Grows outward from its original planting and leaves the center bare; otherwise nice.
	Wall Cress 'Variegata' Arabis ferdinandi-coburgii	pre-1996	Doing well but the varigated leaves are not as prominent as they used to be. Some patches have reverted to all green.
	Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata	2009	Bought late 2009; I had some confusion as to whether this was my Joe Pye Weed or not, as I neglected to keep the marker in the spot - BAD gardener! One died and the other did not. I was further confounded because my mom has the SAME plant growing in her garden and she did not buy it; so the seeds collected from the cottage were actually Swamp Milkweeds. Anyhow, nice clump. Tall and sturdily so. Brilliant colour! Had several monarch butterly caterpillars in 2010! They promptly ate most of it up so the only solution is to have a bigger patch. Luckily, it's very easy to grow from seed.
	Whorled Milkweed Asclepias verticillata	2009	Bought late 2009. Just tiny little shoots (under 2 inches) poking through so far, but a whole whack of them (May 2010).
	Cornflower Centaurea dealbata	2008	Top: Bud, Bottom: Flower Huge! Many buds! Ever so beautiful! When it started blooming (2010), it got pretty floppy. Bought a nice iron fencing piece which kept it upright (2011); can't see the fencing at all it's so thick. Tons of seedlings!
	Snow-in-Summer 'Lanatum' Cerastium alpinum	2003	Slower growth. Has cool hairy leaves.
	Field Mouse-Ear-Chickweed Cerastium arvense	2007	Only 4 to 5 inches tall; flower is just over 1/2 inch. They don't spread nearly as much as some 'real' flowers. Didn't realize until I researched the scientific name that this was in the same genus as the plant above.
	Turtle Head Chelone	2009	I have no idea which variety. Blooms late summer. Looks awesome especially en masse, which I don't have yet but my mom does.
	Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea	pre-1996	It's nice but it does not reliably come back in its original spot. Comes up plentifully from self-seeding.
	Coneflower 'White Swan' Echinacea purpurea	2008	2010: One tiny little stem. Not impressed.
	Sea Holly Eryngium	2008	No variety named on tag. Beautiful big clump came up with tons of buds (2010)! Grew very tall and I had to buy a stake to keep it upright. Much smaller flowers than the 'Blue Diamond' variety I had before.
	Joe Pye Weed Eupatorium maculatum, now Eutrochium maculatum	2003	(For my benefit, this is the one in the front garden.) Variety unkown; believe it is "Spotted Joe Pye Weed", though. Comes up very late, every year I think it must not have made it and then it appears. Has not increased substantially.
	Cranesbill Geranimum 'Max Frei' Geranimum sanguineum	2008	Tiny, compact leaves.
	Baby's Breath Gypsophila paniculata	pre-1996	I like the way this fills a whole area with one plant. I have only once divided a plant; I have read it is hard to divide, anyway, because of its tap root. My biggest clump reaches 4-5 feet in diameter. Until it grows each year, I'm always thinking I should plant something in all that space, it looks so bare. Side note, I've read this plant is an "invasive" species, but I have never had a single seedling come up anywhere. I don't consider a single 10+-year large mound invasive.
	Sunflower Helianthus	pre-1996	Plant's stems always get grossly mega-covered in reddish aphids. Needs vigilant surveilance and lots of insecticidal soap. Seeds itself a lot.
	Heliopsis 'Loraine Sunshine'	2004	Gorgeous white/green leaves (pic). Flower pic to follow. Comes up hither and thither, but it's still here.
	'Stella D'Oro' Daylilies Hemerocallis	pre-1996	I have this in several places: bordering half of my patio garden, at the sunny end of my rock garden and two patches in the front. Forms huge clumps.
	Coral Bells 'Palace Purple' Heuchera micrantha	2007	I divided it in spring 2010 because it was so big and I wanted to expand my patch. I thought I killed off 2/3 of it in doing so. However, with copious amounts of watering (and spreading compost and mulch), the other two divisions are growing.
	Siberian Iris Iris	2003	From my mom. Nice' I like the skinner leaves which is good because it blooms early spring so the rest of the time it's just greenery.
	Edelweiss Leontopodium alpinum	2004	Not a quick expander.
	Liatris (purple)	pre-1996	Love these but for some reason I can't grow the white. I'm always amazed at how very shallow their root system is: It seems to be non-existent, how they survive the winter is beyond me. Have expanded quite a lot.
	Tiger Lily Lilium	pre-1996	Very tall. Seeds readily.
	Sea Lavender Limonium latifolium	pre-1996	I only have one really nice clump; I've never tried dividing (apparently hard to do because of its long tap root). Seeds readily if one just recognizes that fact. Silly me, I was always "weeding" in front of this plant until it occured to me this particular plentiful weed was ONLY in that area. The first leaves of the babies are more rounded instead of elongated, looked a lot like plantain to me... left a few for a second year and, yup, baby sea lavenders. So now I'm planting them elsewhere (2010).
	Flax Linum	pre-1996	Can't keep these in a specific spot, they just come up where they want amongst other things. Seeds plentifully. Transplants (whether old or new) don't seem to do as well as those just left alone.
	Lychnis coronaria	2000	Plantlets love to come up in the grass. Or here and there. Just not where they were PLANTED. Basically, I use it for filler. Very pretty but not compliant.
	Loosestrife 'Alexander' Lysimachia punctata	2002	Nice variegated foliage but I have to watch for (and destroy) the non-varigated stems that come up. Likes to creep away from its original intended spot.
	Jonquil Narcissus jonquilla	2004	Doing nicely though not increasing a whole lot.
	Sundrops Oenothera	pre-1996	First big die-out 2004. Grows outward from the original position, mostly into the grass and I dutifully replanted these back to the center. Not much came up this year (2010).
	Prickly Pear Cactus Opuntia fragilis	2007	Still around but it's doing a whole lot of nothing. Except stabbing me when I put down my hand, forgetting it's there.
	Moss Phlox 'Emerald Blue' Phlox subulata	1997	Has grown, expanded, been divided. Leaves are prickly.
	Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana	1999	Has long creepers that come up away from its original spot. Sometimes I dig them up and plant a grouping but mostly I just let them grow through whatever they feel like. For a tall plant, it's nice and sturdy. Transplants do not seem to grow as tall the first year.
	Chokecherry Tree Prunus virginiana	pre-1996	On the front city boulevard.
	Irish Moss Sagina subulata	pre-1996	Not the best picture. It's difficult because the flowers are so itty bitty. Each bloom is only about 1/8 inch. I thought I lost this plant in 2003 but it is still hanging around.
	Scotch Moss 'Aurea' Sagina subulata	2008	It was all brown this spring (2010). I thought it was dead, for sure. But it is coming back over its whole expanded area.
	Sedum 'Autumn Joy'	pre-1996	Not doing as well as it used to.
	Sedum, Blue Spruce	2006	Ground cover. Still here, still where it was planted, expanding nicely but it's not very beautiful. Yet it warrants 2 pictures because I thought the buds looked neat, like little swrilies on top of ice cream cones.
	Sedum	pre-1996	Unknown variety. Looks a lot like ewersii.
	Blue-Eyed Grass Sisyrinchium montanum	2006	Replanted it in 2009 and unfortunately probably killed a lot off because I was trying to separate out all the quackgrass from it.
	Goldenrod 'Baby Gold' Solidago canadensis	2002	Well behaved variety, nice clumps, steadily multiplying. The part I divided into my "triangle" garden did not come back this year. But the others are all doing very well. Divided more to expand the patch in the sun garden.
	Lilac, Little Leaf 'Superba' Syringa microphylla	2001	I have a soft spot for lilacs (and any other plants that were around in my childhood house). Love the scent. This is a short variety.
	Creeping Thyme Thymus	2003	A second trial, which has been nothing short of miraculous for its expandability. Unfortunately, I do not have the variety recorded. It shows up in places where it hasn't even been planted (obviously seeded itself). I have it in the front, in back, in sun, in shade. I grow it in my "nawn" where it is mowed regularly; there it is dense little mats where the leaves seem to be smaller and darker, I'm guessing it has something to do with not being allowed to grow tall and bloom. In the gardens, taller plants grow up and through it. And what a wonderful scent!
	Spiderwort Tradescantia	2000	This was a plant from my mom which she got from her cousin, so not sure what kind it is. Expands well; I have divided it several times and have it growing in a few different areas. It does tend to get "mowed down" by a heavy rain or wind. Good to have it accompanied by other plants that will help to keep it upright.
	Veronica	pre-1996	Gets bedraggled-looking after blooming.

Plants in the Past

This section I'm not sure about, but I guess it is worthy to note/remember what didn't work. Some plants I had a few years (and/or liked a lot) before they bit the dust. It's good to have a record because I forget.

Click to View	Name	Year Acquired	Year of Demise	Comments, If Any
	Bugleweed 'Bronze Beauty' and 'Burgundy Glow' Ajuga reptans	pre-1996	2006	'Burgundy Glow' was gone in 2004.
	Alpine Lady's Mantle Alchemilla alpina	2008	2011	In 2009, the cornflower grew over this and mostly blocked it out, poor thing. In spring 2010, I moved it and it was a bit shaken up from those two ordeals but it did quite nicely despite its previous treatment. Guess it didn't like its new location.
	Alyssum montanum 'Mountain Gold'	2003	2004
	Columbine 'Ruby Port' Aquilegia vulgaris	2007	2008	The only 'named' variety I've tried since my original mixes.
	Goat's Beard Aruncus aethusifolius	1997	1998	Short variety.
	Thrift 'Splendens' Armeria maritima	1997	2003
	Japanese Painted Fern Athyrium niponicum	2003	2006	Even the years it came up, it looked shrivelled and sickly.
	False Indigo 'Purple Smoke' Baptisia	2006	2007
	Campanula 'Cherry Bells' Campanula punctata	2008	2009
	Campanula 'Dickson's Gold'	2004	2005
	Clematis	2005	2007	'Nelly Moser' (2007-2009)
	Tickseed 'Baby Sun' Coreopsis grandiflora	2006	2009
	Crown Vetch Coronilla varia	2008	2010	Not much of a disappointment. In 2009, it took over, stampeding over the lungwort and campanula in that area. No great loss, I thought, when it seemed to have died out. But then seedings appeared all over, several from meandering roots which didn't agree with my sensibilities. I was going to replant the seedlings into another area but ended up dumping them instead.
	Sweet William Dianthus barbatus	pre-1996	1998	One of those plants I loved because my mom always had them at our old house where I grew up. It just didn't work out for me here.
	Leopard's Bane Doronicum caucasicum	2008	2010	In 2009, this plant had me oohing and aweing.
	Sea Holly 'Blue Diamond' Eryngium planum	2008	2009
	Joe Pye Weed 'Gateway' Eupatorium maculatum	2008	2010	(For my benefit, this was the one in the back garden.)
	Blanketflower Gaillardia grandiflora	1998	2003	I think it was me who actually killed it. It was so very late coming up that every year I would try to fill in that blank spot and disturb it. It was moved around so frequently because of its lateness that I never could remember where it was planted and it was unable to establish itself at all.
	Sweet Woodruff Galium odoratum	2000	2003	This spread so well the first couple years, too!
	Cranesbill Geranimum 'Vision' Geranimum sanguineum	2001	2002	A further unknown variety (from Calgary/large leaves) was obtained in 2002.
	German Statice Goniolimon tataricum	1996	2004	Not a bad run and it WAS a very nice plant. Haven't seen it in garden centers lately, though.
	Hydrangea 'grandiflora'	1998	2000
	Lavender Lavandula	pre-1996	2003
	Motherwort Leonurus cardiaca	2003	2007	Dug this up from the cottage. Did not flower as nicely for me. In 2004, MTS had to do some work and dug up my back corner and destroyed most of this patch; in 2005, I decided to start eliminating the rest and try goldenrod there instead.
	Bitter Root 'Little Peach' Lewisia longipetala	2008	2010	Very beautiful little flower but it never did much.
	Liatris 'Floristan White'	1997	2003	Always did poorly, never amounted to much.
	Gooseneck Loosestrife 'Beaujolais' Lysimachia clethroides	2005	2006
	Oriental Poppy 'Royal Wedding' Papaver orientale	2005	2009
	Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'	pre-1996	2006	More than half first died out in 2004.
	Persicaria 'Red Dragon', tricolour	2003	2004
	Silver Lace Vine Polygonum aubertii	2002	2004
	Spring cinquefoil Potentilla neumanniana	2007	2010
	Primrose Primula	pre-1996	2009	Picture after a rain. This survived a long time but didn't do much in the way of expansion, until it was finally overshadowed/crowded out by the daylilies.
	Prairie Crocus Pulsatilla patens (Anemone patens)	2009	2011	Disappears for the summer after blooming. Was beautiful its second year.
	Rock Soapwort Saponaria ocymoides	pre-1996	2006	Most died out in 2003, although a couple babies survived to bloom a couple more years.
	White Mossy Saxifrage Saxifraga x arendsii	1997	1998
	Pincushion flower 'Blue Diamonds' Scabiosa hybrid	2007	2008
	Sedum 'Mediovariegatum'	2005	2006
	Sedum 'Tricolour'	1997	1999
	Sisyrinchium 'Rocky Point'	2005	2006
	Spirea japonica 'Shirobana'	2000	2010	Always late producing shoots with many branches dead.
	Wherry foamflower Tiarella wherryi	2007	2009
	Toad Lily Tricyrtis Hirta	2000	2001
	Honeysuckle Lonicera	pre-1996	2010	In recent years it was getting extremely top heavy whilst mostly bare on the bottom, so in 2009 I cut it down, hoping to get new growth from the ground. It looked all right last year, but for some reason did not survive the next winter.

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