Myrtle Spurge

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.

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.

Macedonian scabious is an abundantly and long-blooming, undemanding perennial that will bring the untamed charm of summer meadows to the garden. Its wild form originates from the sun-drenched Balkans, where it naturally grows on sunny hillsides and in warm thickets. You will receive from us a mature seedling in a pot, which just needs to be transplanted into well-drained loamy or sandy soil in the sun or partial shade. Here it will quickly take root and form a vigorous clump. The Red Knight cultivar enchants with slender stems up to ninety centimeters tall, which all summer from June to September carry a flood of dark burgundy to deep wine-red flowers. These edible flowers act as a huge attraction for bees, bumblebees, and other insects. The plant is an ideal choice for beginners because it reliably resists frosts down to minus twenty-eight degrees and does not suffer from any pests or diseases. Although it belongs to short-lived perennials, in a suitable place it gladly self-seeds. It will fit perfectly into naturalistically designed plantings with ornamental grasses and is popularly used in sweeping meadow bouquets. We recommend cutting the flowers fully open; they will then stay beautifully fresh in a vase for several days.

A native wild perennial with a large distribution range from Europe to Siberia. Suitable for natural and wild plantings. It grows in meadows and dry grassy places. A very adaptable and undemanding plant, it grows in clumps and spreads via runners. Cutting back after the first bloom encourages a new set of flowers. Harvest for bouquets when the tiny flowers are fully open. It lasts 10 days in a vase. Terracotta features ochre, shades of orange and yellow, and gray-green foliage.

Russian sage reliably brings a touch of sunny steppes into the garden and places almost no demands on care. These sparsely branched subshrubs originally come from harsh, rocky areas from Afghanistan to Tibet, where they grow on open sun-drenched plains. Thanks to its origin, it delights in full sun and poor, well-drained sandy soil with minimal moisture. You will receive from us a well-rooted seedling in a pot, which just needs to be transplanted straight to the chosen spot in the flower bed. It does not need support, is avoided by common pests and diseases, and will survive frosts down to minus twenty-eight degrees. It grows up to one hundred and twenty centimeters and forms striking white felted shoots with silvery grey aromatic leaves. From July to October, it blooms with tiny blue-purple flowers that act as a lure for bees and butterflies and are even edible. Russian sage stands out next to drought-tolerant perennials. The flowers are suitable for cutting and drying for winter arrangements. Moreover, the silvery stems will ensure a beautiful winter effect in the flower bed.

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.

Wand loosestrife is more elegant and slender than the better-known purple loosestrife. It also features much airier inflorescences. The leaves are smooth and narrower, turning dark red in autumn. Rose Queen is a very pretty variety, short for a loosestrife, with fine flower spikes. It handles slightly lower moisture levels well and can be planted in standard beds as well as at pond edges.

Autumn moor grass is an exceptionally hardy ornamental grass that introduces fresh greenery to the garden right from early spring. Native to the rocky slopes of the Balkans, it is well-adapted to free-draining soils, making it an ideal choice for novice gardeners. It forms neat clumps growing thirty to fifty centimeters tall. Its greatest asset is its bright green foliage, which emerges early and remains in pristine condition in the borders well into winter. The plant is untouched by diseases or pests and handles severe frosts superbly. In August and September, delicate creamy-beige flowers appear above the foliage. These rather subtle spikelets give the plant an elegant, refined look. In the garden, it acts as a perfect filler perennial for sunny or partially shaded spots. It looks absolutely stunning paired with calamint, airy gaura, or flowering oregano. Its delicate flowers and leaves are easily used as foliage filler in fresh bouquets, or they can be dried for small-scale floristry projects.

Gaura Siskiyou Pink is a charming perennial that brings lightness and airiness to the garden. Its original native area is in the warm regions of Texas and Louisiana, which is why it thrives in full sun and well-drained sandy soil. It grows in clumps and from June until the autumn frosts produces tiny raspberry-pink flowers that resemble fluttering butterflies. An interesting detail of this variety is the green leaves with a bronze tint and red spots. It is an absolutely undemanding plant, does not suffer from diseases or pests, and even beginners can handle its care. You will receive a grown seedling in a pot from us, which you simply need to transplant directly into the flowerbed. Here it complements ornamental grasses perfectly and acts as an attraction for bees and bumblebees. Although it grows more as a short-lived perennial in our climate, in a suitable place it reliably self-seeds. Occasional pinching will encourage richer branching. Gaura is excellent for summer bouquets. We cut the stems for a vase as soon as the first two to three little flowers open.

Woodland sage 'Mainacht' is an aromatic perennial originating from the sunny steppes and dry meadows of Central and Eastern Europe. It is a very resilient and undemanding plant that thrives best here in full sun in well-drained and poorer soil. From the supplied grown seedling, a sturdy clump reaching a height of about half a meter will quickly grow. In flower beds, it stands out best when planted in larger groups, for example as a traditional companion to roses or in mixed drought-tolerant plantings with ornamental grasses. The 'Mainacht' cultivar is popular for its striking dark violet-blue flowers, which appear as early as May and June. If you cut it back after the first bloom, it will willingly bloom again at the end of August. During flowering, the sage is literally a magnet for bees and butterflies. It is an ideal choice for beginners, needs no support, and does not suffer from diseases. It is perfectly suited for cutting into fresh bouquets, where its stems stay fresh for approximately seven days. A surprising bonus is that the fragrant flowers are edible.

Lesser calamint Blue Cloud is an undemanding and modest perennial that reliably perfumes any sunny garden. Its original homeland is the sunny and dry slopes of Southern Europe, which is why it thrives best here in direct sun in well-drained, sandy, or poorer loamy soil. It handles winter without problems, tolerating frosts down to minus twenty-three degrees. You will receive a grown seedling in a pot from us, which you just need to transplant straight into the flowerbed, where it will very soon form a compact, airy small shrub reaching a height of up to forty centimeters. It does not suffer from any diseases or pests, so even complete beginners can easily handle caring for it. Throughout late summer and into autumn, it blooms with a record number of tiny blue flowers that are so typical of the Blue Cloud variety. The whole plant emits a pleasant minty-spicy scent, and its flowers, which resemble thyme, act as a literal magnet for bees, bumblebees, and butterflies. It will look great among roses or in naturally designed steppe flowerbeds, where it naturally complements lower ornamental grasses. Additionally, both the blue flowers and green leaves are edible, so you can use them to garnish summer dishes. Lesser calamint is also excellently suited for cutting into smaller fresh bouquets, adding a fine structure to them in a vase.

Alchemilla mollis, known as lady's mantle, is an indispensable perennial for anyone who wants to bring harmony and softness to the garden. Its home is the moister environments of mountain meadows and light forests, making it a very adaptable plant that will survive even severe frosts without problems in our climate. The 'Irish Silk' cultivar is prized for its vitality and abundant blooming, where clouds of tiny, yellow-green flowers float above clumps of gray-green leaves. It is precisely this neutral color that can work wonders in a flower bed – it softens overly sharp contrasts between other flowers and beautifully unifies the entire composition. Besides its ornamental function, lady's mantle also has practical uses. Thanks to its clumping growth and ability to quickly fill in, it is ideal for edging pathways or as an underplanting beneath taller shrubs and roses. Water droplets catch on its leaves, creating a magical spectacle in the garden. If you enjoy making bouquets, you will love lady's mantle as versatile filler greenery that matches almost anything. It will last beautiful for about ten days in a vase, and its inflorescences can also be easily dried without losing too much of their color or shape. Moreover, it is a magnet for pollinators, and its young leaves are even edible, so it also finds use in a natural kitchen.

Anemones come from the same family as buttercups. With their elegant flowers on long slender stems, they can enliven and brighten up late summer and autumn flowerbeds. They stand out against the darker background of shrub groups and will also appreciate their partial shade. The Czech Perennial Association chose autumn anemones as the perennial of the season for 2022. They last 7 days in a vase. Andrea Atkinson is a tender cultivar of autumn anemone with white petals.

Anemones come from the same family as buttercups. With their elegant flowers on long slender stems, they can enliven and brighten late summer and autumn beds. They stand out against the darker background of shrub groups and will be grateful for their partial shade. The Czech Perennial Association chose autumn Anemones as the perennial of the 2022 season. They last 7 days in a vase. 'Lorelei' has semi-double flowers in a tender light pink tone.

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 excellent pasture 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 on the stem open. The pure white blooming Cool Breeze has no hint of pink like other varieties. The flowers have greenish-white stamens, and the buds are also greenish-white. It grows more compactly than other Gauras.

Sedum Herbstfreude is a very hardy and long-lived perennial that offers an almost year-round effect. The original sedum species grow in dry, rocky, and sunny habitats, so even in our gardens, it will welcome full sun and well-drained, sandy, or loamy soil. We will deliver a mature seedling in a pot, which you just need to transplant directly into the flowerbed. Thanks to its undemanding nature, it is absolutely ideal for beginners. It perfectly handles drought, does without support, and does not suffer from any diseases or pests. It can withstand even severe frosts dropping to minus twenty-eight degrees. It forms upright clumps with fleshy gray-green leaves, which are decorated with rich inflorescences from August to October. The Herbstfreude variety is one of the hardiest and most robust, blooming in captivating shades of old rose, terracotta, to deep burgundy. These flowers act as a literal magnet for bees, bumblebees, and butterflies, providing them with important food at the end of summer. It fits perfectly into drought-tolerant flowerbeds, country gardens, as well as modern plantings, where it beautifully complements shorter ornamental grasses. Growing it in larger pots on the terrace is also easy. The sturdy stems growing to a height of fifty to seventy centimeters are perfectly usable for cutting into late summer bouquets. They stay fresh for a long time in a vase and add an interesting color to arrangements. In the autumn, after blooming, you don't need to cut it at all. The remaining inflorescences will create a wonderful winter effect, especially when covered with frost in the cold months.

Hellebores are evergreen perennials that form slowly spreading clumps of leathery, dark green leaves. Stems usually bear four to five flowers. They bloom very early, as early as late winter and the beginning of spring. They are suitable for vases only after conspicuous seed pods form in the center of the flower and the flower matures. Before that, they tend to wilt and the stems cannot hold the flower in an upright position. All parts of the plant are poisonous. The flowers of Hellebore Double Ellen Purple are semi-double to double, deep purple in color with contrasting white stamens. As the flowers mature, the dark color fades and the edges of the petals remain distinctly colored.

It is a typical Mediterranean species that tolerates drought and heat well here, but not winter waterlogging. The wulfenii cultivar should be less sensitive to cold, but intolerance to winter waterlogging remains. Plant in protected places, e.g., in front of a warm house wall in Mediterranean-style beds. Floristically, it is valuable for its greenery and early flowering. Lasts 7–10 days in a vase. Beware of the milky sap in the stems, which can irritate the skin.

Fernleaf Yarrow originates from the Caucasus and Central Asia. Unlike Common Yarrow, it grows in clumps and is also suitable for drying. Cutting back soon after flowering encourages re-blooming. However, if you decide to leave the spent stems in the beds, you gain a perfect structure that remains impressive long into winter. The leaves of this species emit a typical bitter Yarrow aroma. It lasts 10 days in a vase.

A dense hemispherical shrub with smooth fresh green leaves that are lighter on the underside. Flowers in convex to hemispherical inflorescences with a diameter of 15–30 cm gradually change color from pale green and cream to pure white.

Common thyme is an indispensable herb and a small perennial that will scent any sun-drenched garden. Its original home is the sunny Mediterranean, where it grows on dry, rocky hillsides. Therefore, it will also grow best in your garden in full sun and well-drained, rather sandy soil. Once planted, it becomes a hardy plant that can even withstand our frosts down to minus twenty-three degrees. In flower beds, it acts as a ground cover and reliably complements drought-tolerant plantings. During June and July, it transforms into a flood of tiny lilac-purple flowers that act as a magnet for bees, bumblebees, and butterflies. It is a completely undemanding plant suitable for beginners, which does not suffer from diseases or pests. You will receive a beautifully grown seedling in a pot from us, which you can simply transplant right away. The 'Compactus' variety is characterized by its dense growth, reaching a height of only ten to twenty centimeters. It impresses with its light purple flowers and very tiny, deep green leaves with an extraordinarily intense fragrance. The entire plant is edible and has a wide range of uses in the kitchen. It responds very well to pruning, so you can easily shape it into a firm mound. You can dry the cut aromatic sprigs to stock up, or use them fresh.

Lesser calamint White Cloud is an undemanding and modest perennial that reliably perfumes any sunny garden. It naturally grows on the sunny and dry slopes of Southern Europe, which is why it will welcome direct sun here too, along with well-drained, even poorer sandy or loamy soil. It handles winter without trouble, tolerating frosts down to minus twenty-three degrees. You will receive a grown seedling in a pot from us, which you just need to transplant straight into the flowerbed, where it will very soon form a compact, airy small shrub reaching a height of forty centimeters. Even complete beginners can easily handle growing it, as the plant does not suffer from diseases or pests. From July to September, it blooms with an incredible number of tiny white flowers that emit a pleasant minty-spicy scent. The flowers, resembling thyme, function as a huge magnet for bees, bumblebees, and butterflies. The entire plant is edible and will perfectly garnish summer dishes. In the garden, it will perfectly complement roses or steppe flowerbeds with lower grasses. Furthermore, you can cut the flowers for smaller fresh bouquets, adding lightness and a fine airy structure to them 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.

An undemanding and modest perennial that blooms with a large number of tiny flowers. It blooms for a record-breaking length of time throughout late summer and autumn. It forms smaller, compact, airy bushes that release a minty-spicy scent. The thyme-like flowers attract bees, bumblebees, and butterflies. It will look good among roses as well as in naturalistic steppe beds, perhaps with lower grasses. This calamint is generally more vigorous. It differs from other calamints with felted leaves by its record flowering length, stiff and shiny leaves, and also a larger number of flowers that do not form seeds and are therefore maximally durable. Sometimes sold under the cultivar name 'Triumphator'.

Broad-leaved statice, also known as sea lavender, is a plant originally from the steppe regions of southern Europe. Leathery leaves form a basal rosette. From these, veil-like panicles formed by tiny light lavender flowers grow. Perfect for bouquets; for drying, harvest when the flowers are fully colored.

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.

Knautia Melton Pastels is an abundantly and long-blooming, undemanding perennial with which you can easily conjure up a piece of wild nature right behind your house. The original species has its roots in the Balkans, where it grows wildly in sun-drenched thickets and on dry meadows. In flowerbeds, it immediately draws attention with its slender, tall stems. In the Melton Pastels cultivar, from early summer until autumn, they carry a flood of small flowers in pastel pink and burgundy tones. A healthy seedling in a pot will arrive at your home. Once you transplant it in the sun or partial shade with well-drained soil, it will quickly reward you with vigorous growth. It stands out best when you plant about five plants per square meter, with a spacing of half a meter from each other. Care for knautia is completely undemanding; it playfully survives even severe frosts and does not require complex fertilizing. Because it grows up to a meter in height, we recommend providing it with unobtrusive support. Although it belongs among short-lived perennials, nature designed it so that it readily self-seeds without any problems. For lovers of floral decorations, this plant is a literal treasure. The stems are long and sturdy, so they look completely natural in vases and give bouquets a meadow touch. They also apply excellently in the creation of dried arrangements, bringing interesting structure to them. Although it is a strong plant suitable for beginners, a minor ailment can be powdery mildew or aphids, which you just need to catch in time.

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.

A valuable garden and medicinal perennial, native to North America. The spiky central discs are an irresistible attraction for butterflies. They last 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 feature. Flowers in shades of yellow.

Anemones come from the same family as buttercups. With their elegant flowers on long slender stems, they can liven up and brighten late summer and autumn beds. They stand out against the darker background of shrub groups and will also be grateful for their partial shade. The Czech Perennial Association chose autumn Anemones as the perennial of the season for 2022. They last 7 days in a vase. Whirlwind is a historical variety bred in 1887 in the USA. It has a semi-double pure white flower, often with inner twisted petals, and compact, strictly upright growth. The flowers are very durable.