Ragged Robin

Like Lavender, Hyssop is considered a low woody subshrub. It works well in similar planting schemes, with roses or even in steppe-style gravel beds. It can be used in the kitchen and as a medicinal plant. A huge attraction for bees, bumblebees, and butterflies. Sweet pink flowers.

Gaura is a clump-forming perennial native to Texas and Louisiana. Here, it behaves more like a short-lived perennial. It combines beautifully with grasses and adds lightness and airiness to flower beds. It is an excellent food source for insects. Tiny flowers resembling small butterflies bloom tirelessly from June until the first frosts. For bouquets, harvest as soon as the first two or three flowers open on the stem. Siskiyou Pink is a beautiful variety with pink-red flowers on slightly arching stems. It is less hardy than the white-flowering varieties. The red-spotted leaves are also interesting.

Meadow sage occurs here primarily in warmer regions, especially in southern Moravia and northern and central Bohemia. It grows on sunny meadows and hillsides and along paths. Fragrant leaves form a basal rosette, from which several less leafy branched stems grow. The inflorescences are composed of striking bilabiate flowers, which are a great attraction for bees and bumblebees. Rose Rhapsody has light pink flowers.

A beautiful, though rather short-lived perennial, ideal for steppe areas together with delicate drought-loving grasses and perennials. Harvest for bouquets as soon as approximately half of the flowers in the inflorescence are open. It lasts about 5 days in a vase. An exceptional cultivar with flowers in peach and apricot tones, which fade to an elegant antique pink as they finish blooming.

Knautia macedonica is a profusely and long-blooming undemanding perennial. Its wild form originates from the Balkans, where it grows on meadows and in scrublands. In flower beds, it charms with slender high stems that carry pastel wine and pink flowers. It is suitable for naturally designed sunny to semi-shady beds and meadow bouquets.

Cupid's dart is a medium-tall short-lived perennial. It originates from the Mediterranean and is therefore suitable for regions with milder winters. Its flowers are white and shaped like chicory. The undeveloped flower buds are also attractive, as are the silvery spent flower heads. It is also suitable for drying. Fresh stems last 7 days in a vase. Alba has white flowers.

A magnificent plant with feathery terminal inflorescences of a sweet pink color. It smells pleasant, and the pinnate dark green leaves are also aromatic. Unlike the common meadowsweet, it loves moisture, so it is excellent for waterlogged areas and near ponds. Lasts 7 days in a vase. The cultivar Kahome blooms with fluffy deep pink clouds of flowers that spread a honey scent around.

A versatile perennial suitable for both cottage and modern flowerbeds. It also works well in wild, natural plantings. Although its main charm lies in the cute flowers that appear in late spring, it is also valuable in flowerbeds for its early-emerging leaves. Columbines add airiness and lightness to perennial beds and bouquets. They last 7 days in a vase. Kristall is a large-flowered variety with white flowers and striking spurs.

A valuable garden and medicinal perennial, originally from North America. It blooms in summer with dark purple-pink flowers. The spiky flower discs are an irresistible lure for butterflies. Lasts 7–10 days in a vase. After plucking the petals, the stems with the central discs can be dried or used in fresh bouquets as an interesting element. Rubinstern is very similar to the Magnus cultivar; the petals are darker and firmer. As they fade, they gradually pale and droop downwards.

A perennial of delicate appearance with upright thin stems. It blooms repeatedly throughout the summer until autumn. The florets are purple, tiny, and delicate. The leaves are also delicate and linear. It lasts 14 days in a vase.

Feather grass flowers capture attention in beds and bouquets with their lightness and delicacy. All feather grasses love full sun and dry, stony, well-drained soil. To look most natural in beds, it is good to plant them in loose groups of several pieces together with other drought-loving perennials and bulbs. Only then do their stems and inflorescences, set in motion by the slightest breath of wind, truly stand out. Stipa 'Ponny Tails' is a species native to the steppes of Mexico, Texas, and Patagonia. Airy, dense clumps of hair-like delicate leaves resemble horsehair. The leaves are green, turning up to straw-colored towards the flowers. In a suitable location, it also self-seeds.

A verbena species originally from South America. In our country, it is often used as an annual, but in mild winters it can overwinter and reproduce by self-seeding. The firm, airy stems beautifully soften perennial beds and make them special with their purple color. It beautifully complements steppe plantings with grasses and rose beds.

Knautia macedonica is a profusely and long-blooming undemanding perennial. Its wild form originates from the Balkans, where it grows on meadows and in scrublands. Red Knight charms in flower beds with slender high stems that carry dark wine-colored flowers. It is suitable for naturally designed sunny to semi-shady beds and meadow bouquets.

This species of sage originates from the steppe regions of Central and Eastern Europe. It forms profusely flowering small clumps with straight, upright stems. In flower beds, it looks best in groups. It is traditionally planted as a companion to roses due to the matching flowering time. However, it looks equally good in mixed drought-tolerant steppe plantings with grasses. It is an excellent food source for bees. Lasts 7 days in a vase. Amethyst is an elegant variety with long stems and a pink flower color that is unusual for sages.

Similar to Lavender, Hyssop is classified as a low, woody subshrub. It is useful in similar types of plantings, with roses or even in gravel beds of a steppe character. It also has uses in the kitchen and as a medicinal plant. A great attraction for bees, bumblebees, and butterflies. Beautiful blue flower color.

Geums are cute spring perennials with adorable cup-shaped flowers in warm color shades. Flowers grow on long branched stems. Petals are usually ruffled, flowers semi-double. Their clump-forming foliage is also interesting, eventually creating good ground cover. Flowering Geums are a great attraction for insects, especially butterflies. For bouquets, we harvest as soon as a quarter or half of the flowers on the stem are open. They last 7 days in a vase. Tempest Scarlet blooms with semi-double flowers of a deep scarlet color. It was bred in Scotland and excels with a long flowering period. Often, even after a break in the hottest summer period, it blooms again in autumn.

A perennial that finds its place in naturalistic steppe and gravel beds. It attracts bees, bumblebees, and butterflies. It is floristically valuable for its flowers with striking bracts, which are also perfect for drying. The roots of some species were formerly eaten candied as sweets in England and France and added to pastries and jellies. In herbal medicine, it was used as an aphrodisiac, among other things, hence its folk name "male fidelity".

Catmints are ideal companions for roses, suitable for naturalistic gardens, and lower species also for boxes and pots. Some of them are an irresistible attraction for cats, caused by the hallucinogen nepetalactone. This should be present in the highest amount in the species Nepeta cataria. Conversely, lemon-scented catmints reportedly do not attract cats. The botanical name Nepeta likely comes from the name of the ancient Etruscan city Nepet - Nepi in the territory of today's Italian province of Viterbo, where the plant was once cultivated. Nepeta racemosa naturally grows on dry meadows and rocky, stony slopes from the Caucasus to Central Asia. It has aromatic grey-green leaves and forms a tufted semi-spherical bush. Walker’s Low got its name after an Irish estate where it was bred in 1970. It has the most intense blue-violet flower coloration.

A short-lived perennial with silvery, softly felted stems and leaves. It blooms for a very long time; a new flower opens every day to replace the previous one. An elegant white variant of the standard species.

A short-lived perennial with silvery, softly felted stems and leaves. It blooms for a very long time; a new flower opens every day to replace the previous one. The standard species has single, purple-pink flowers.

A valuable garden and medicinal perennial, native to North America. It blooms in late summer and captivates with long drooping petals. The spiky flower centers are an irresistible attraction for butterflies. It lasts 7–10 days in a vase. After removing the petals, the stems with the central discs can be dried or used in fresh bouquets as an interesting element.

Rudbeckia, also known as coneflowers, originates from North America; they are robust and abundantly blooming perennials of late summer and autumn. They are suitable for prairie plantings with tall grasses as well as for cottage gardens. The central disks look very effective even after flowering and decorate perennial beds throughout the winter. Harvest for the vase as soon as they bloom. Vase life is 7 to 10 days. We can also use the dry central disks. Goldsturm is a reliable and long-proven cultivar. It has bright golden-yellow flowers with dark centers.

Garden cultivars of goldenrod are attractive and low-maintenance perennials bred from native North American wild species. Unlike them, however, they are not invasive and do not spread uncontrollably in flower beds. They are specially bred for cutting, which is why they are relatively tall, grow upright, and bloom profusely. For bouquets, we can harvest both freshly bloomed plants and stems with buds. They last 10 days in a vase. In flower beds, they are an essential food source for bees. The pastel yellow flowers of Romantic Glory combine well with other colors.

This species of sage originally comes from the steppe regions of Central and Eastern Europe. It forms profusely flowering small clumps with straight upright stems. In flower beds, it looks best in groups. Traditionally, due to the identical flowering time, it is planted as a companion to roses. However, it will look just as good in mixed drought-loving steppe plantings with grasses. It lasts 7 days in a vase. The cultivar Caradonna stands out with a long flowering period and dark, almost black-purple stems with tiny purple flowers and dark purple bracts. If we cut it back after flowering, it will bloom again in late August and September.

A very hardy and long-lived perennial with an almost year-round effect. It forms upright clumps, and the flowers attract bees and butterflies. The cultivar Brilliant is characterized by shrubby growth and a distinct pink color.

Geums are cute spring perennials with adorable cup-shaped flowers in warm shades. The flowers grow on long branching stems. The petals are often ruffled, and the flowers semi-double. Their clump-forming foliage is also interesting, eventually creating good ground cover. Flowering geums are a great attraction for insects, especially butterflies. We harvest for bouquets as soon as a quarter or half of the flowers on the stem are open. They last 7 days in a vase. Geum rivale is an original native perennial. It grows naturally on the banks of streams and in wet meadows. It has yellowish flowers with a pink tinge, and the calyx is purplish.

Great burnet is a native meadow plant that naturally grows on damp meadows. In mid-summer, branching stems with tiny dark red flower heads rise from a clump of pinnate leaves. They create unusual structural and color accents in flower beds and bouquets. Great burnet is a vital plant for the Scarce Large Blue butterfly. In the garden, it fits well into naturalistic plantings with grasses and other perennials. It adds lightness and airiness to bouquets. It lasts 7 to 10 days in a vase.

Delicate decorative, long-lived shade-loving perennials with pinnate leaves and magnificent feathery inflorescences. They originate primarily from East Asia, but also from eastern North America. They look best in large-scale plantings. Due to relatively late sprouting, it is good to combine them with early-flowering bulbs. They last 4–10 days in a vase. We harvest as soon as half of the inflorescence is in bloom. They are very sensitive to ethylene released from ripening fruit. Anita Pfeifer has pink flowers.