Verbena Lollipop

This South American Verbena species is often grown as an annual here, but in mild winters, it can survive and self-seed. Its sturdy, airy stems beautifully soften perennial beds and add a special touch with their purple color. It perfectly complements steppe plantings with grasses and rose beds.

Dochany pochází z východní Asie, kde rostou na loukách a ve světlých lesích. Tvoří polokulovité trsy úzkých listů, které se na podzim, stejně jako květy ještě vybarvují. Jsou vhodné do vázy i k usušení. Kultivar Hameln patří mezi nejspolehlivěji kvetoucí v chladnějších oblastech. Květenství mají zpočátku jemný růžový nádech, pak se přebarvují do žlutohnědé až červenohnědé.

Gaura is a clump-forming perennial native to Texas and Louisiana. Here, it tends to behave more like a short-lived perennial. It combines beautifully with grasses, adding lightness and airiness to flower beds. It's an excellent food source for insects. Tiny, butterfly-like flowers bloom tirelessly from June until the first frosts. For bouquets, harvest as soon as the first two or three flowers open on the stem. Summer Breeze has an abundant display of white and pink flowers. It is robust and resilient.

A valuable garden and medicinal perennial, native to North America. It blooms in summer with dark purplish-pink flowers. The spiky flower heads are an irresistible magnet for butterflies. Lasts 7–10 days in a vase. After the petals are picked, the stems with the central heads 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 lighten and bend downwards.

This tirelessly flowering variety, related to the well-known medicinal Verbena, is ideal for perennial plantings as a refining accent. It forms airy, transparent clumps with intensely purple-colored stems and tiny leaves. Delicate pink flowers bloom throughout the summer until autumn. They look stunning in flower beds and containers. In England, where this variety was discovered near the town of Bampton, it overwinters well. Here, it is necessary to find the best possible habitat conditions for it. Also popular with bees and butterflies.

A beautiful lower grass, valued for its early sprouting and long-lasting foliage well into winter. The flowers are rather inconspicuous, beige, and appear in green clumps later in summer and autumn. The leaf color is bright green. A great combination with species such as savory, gaura, or oregano.

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, adding lightness and airiness to 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 to three flowers on the stem open.

An undemanding and modest perennial that blooms with a large number of small flowers. It flowers for a record long time throughout late summer and autumn. It forms smaller, compact, airy bushes that emit a minty, spicy fragrance. The thyme-like flowers attract bees, bumblebees, and butterflies. It will look good among roses and in naturalistic steppe beds, perhaps with lower grasses. This Marjoram is generally taller. Unlike other Marjorams with felted leaves, it stands out for its record-breaking flowering duration, stiff and shiny leaves, and also a larger number of flowers that do not form seeds and are therefore maximally durable. It is sometimes sold under the cultivar name 'Triumphator'.

A valuable garden and medicinal perennial, native to North America. Its spiky flower heads are an irresistible magnet for butterflies. Lasts 7–10 days in a vase. After the petals are picked, the stems with the central cones can be dried or used as an interesting element in fresh bouquets. Flowers in shades of yellow.

An original wild perennial with a large distribution area from Europe to Siberia. Suitable for natural and wild plantings. It grows in meadows and dry grassy areas. A very adaptable and undemanding plant, it grows in clumps and spreads by runners. Pruning after the first bloom will encourage new flowers. For bouquets, harvest when the florets are fully open. It lasts 10 days in a vase. Terracotta features ochre, shades of orange and yellow, and grey-green leaves.

A fast-growing ornamental grass with strikingly colored dark burgundy leaves. It blooms from July to October with pink to burgundy spikes that gradually fade to beige. Interesting not only for its flowers, but also for its overall habit and striking contrasting color.

A beautiful delicate perennial originating from North America. Striking, relatively large but delicate flowers harmonize beautifully with a rich fluffy cloud of tiny leaves. They form compact bushes and are ideal for the foreground of beds. Coreopsis are naturally short-lived perennials. Their lifespan can be partially influenced by choosing a suitable location and care throughout the season. The 'Moonbeam' cultivar blooms with a large number of light yellow flowers with darker centers. It lasts about a week in a vase.

Gaura is a clump-forming perennial native to Texas and Louisiana. In our climate, it behaves more like a short-lived perennial. It combines beautifully with grasses and adds lightness and airiness to flowerbeds. It is an excellent food source for insects. Tiny, butterfly-like flowers bloom tirelessly from June until the first frosts. For bouquets, we harvest as soon as the first two to three flowers open on the stem. Siskiyou Pink is a beautiful variety with rose-red flowers on slightly arched stems. Less hardy than white-flowering varieties. The red-spotted leaves are also interesting.

Stipa flowers captivate in beds and bouquets with their lightness and delicacy. All stipas love full sun and dry, stony, well-drained soil. To make them look as natural as possible in beds, it is good to plant them in several pieces in loose groups along with other drought-tolerant perennials and bulbs. Only then will their stems and inflorescences come alive with the slightest breath of wind. 'Ponny Tails' is a species native to the steppes of Mexico, Texas, and Patagonia. Airy, dense tufts of hair-like, delicate leaves resemble horsehair. The leaves are green, turning straw-colored towards the flowers. It even self-seeds in a suitable location.

This species of sage (Salvia nemorosa) originally comes from the steppe regions of Central and Eastern Europe. It forms richly flowering small clumps with straight, upright stems. In flowerbeds, it looks best in groups. Traditionally, it is planted as an accompaniment to roses due to their similar flowering time. However, it will also look great in mixed, drought-tolerant steppe plantings with grasses. It lasts 7 days in a vase. The Caradonna cultivar stands out for its long flowering period and dark, almost black-purple stems with small purple flowers and dark purple bracts. If pruned after flowering, it will bloom again in late August and September.

Nenáročná a skromná trvalka, která vykvétá velkým množstvím drobných kvítků. Kvete rekordně dlouhou dobu po celé pozdní léto a podzim. Tvoří menší kompaktní vzdušné keříky, které vydávají mátově kořenitou vůní. Květy podobné tymiánu lákají včely, čmeláky a motýly. Dobře bude vypadat mezi růžemi i v přírodně pojatých stepních záhonech třeba s nižšími trávami. 

Perovskia are sparsely branched subshrubs, native to regions from Afghanistan to Tibet. They grow in open, sunny, rocky and stony habitats. Their striking features are their white felted shoots and greyish aromatic leaves. They are suitable for sunny beds with other drought-tolerant perennials, where they create interesting structures even in winter months. Little Spire is a smaller cultivar also suitable for pots with a soil volume of 7 liters or more.

Sneezeweed (Helenium) is a hardy, profusely flowering perennial that brightens the garden with yellow flowers all summer long until early autumn. Originally from North America, its cultivation has a long tradition in Europe and it often appears in rustic 'grandmother's' gardens. It will look equally good in modern arrangements with tall grasses.

Broadleaf sea lavender, also known as Statice, is a plant originally from the steppe regions of Southern Europe. Leathery leaves form basal rosettes, from which veiled panicles of tiny, light lavender-colored flowers emerge. Perfect for bouquets; for drying, harvest when the flowers are fully colored.

A valuable garden and medicinal perennial, native to North America. The spiky flower cones are an irresistible magnet for butterflies. They last 7–10 days in a vase. After the petals are picked, the stems with the central cones can be dried or used in fresh bouquets as an interesting element. White Swan blooms with milky white flowers with brown-orange centers. The petals are not spread out completely horizontally; they bend slightly downwards.

Lady's mantle naturally grows in mountain pastures and meadows, and in mixed forests. It is ornamental both in leaf and flower. The leaves have fine hairs, giving the plant a velvety character. It is a perennial sought after by ancient alchemists for the dew drops that appear in the leaf fans. Valuable for florists for its abundance of tiny greenish-yellow flowers. Important in beds for its ground-covering nature. It lasts 10 days in a vase.

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

A fast-growing ornamental grass with strikingly colored dark burgundy leaves. It blooms from July to October with pink to burgundy spikes that gradually fade to beige. Interesting not only for its flowers, but also for its overall habit and striking contrasting color.

A valuable garden and medicinal perennial, native to North America. It blooms in summer with dark purplish-pink flowers. The spiky flower cones are an irresistible magnet for butterflies. They last 7–10 days in a vase. After the petals are picked, the stems with the central cones can be dried or used in fresh bouquets as an interesting element. Magnus has striking deep pink flowers with an orange-brown center.

Catmints are ideal companions for roses, suitable for natural-style gardens and, the smaller varieties, for window boxes and pots. Some of them are an irresistible attraction for cats, due to the hallucinogen nepetalactone. This should be present in the highest degree in the species Nepeta cataria. Conversely, lemon-scented catmints reportedly do not attract cats. The botanical name Nepeta probably comes from the ancient Etruscan city of Nepet - Nepi in today's Italian province of Viterbo, where the plant was once cultivated. The faassenii group is characterized by vigorous upright growth, delicate foliage, and long stems suitable for cutting. 'Walker's Low' got its name from the Irish estate where it was bred in 1970. It has the most intense blue-purple flower coloration.

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