Perennials & Biennials

Showing 497–504 of 508 results

  • Veronica gentianoides Gentian speedwell Z. 4-9

    Erect spikes of pale blue flowers sprouting above clumps of basal foliage in late spring/early summer.

    $12.75/bareroot

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    Erect spikes of pale blue flowers sprouting above clumps of basal foliage in late spring/early summer.

    Can not ship to: Illinois

    Size: 18" x 12"
    Care: sun to part shade in moist well-drained soil
    Native: eastern Europe
    Wildlife Value: attracts butterflies
    Awards: England's Royal Horticultural Society Award of Merit.

    According to Christian tradition, as Jesus carried the cross to Calvary, a woman wiped his face with her handkerchief, leaving the imprint of the features of his face, the vera iconica, meaning “true likeness.”  When the Catholic Church canonized the woman, the Church gave her the name Saint Veronica.  Medieval gardeners named the plant after her due to the perceived likeness of the flower to her handkerchief. Introduced to European gardens by 1784.

  • Veronica liwanensis Turkish speedwell Z 4-8

    Tiny true blue saucers smother the ground

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    OUT OF STOCK

    Tiny true blue saucers smother the ground in May & June – groundcover, front of border or rock garden plant.

    Size: 1” x 18” spreader over time
    Care: sun to part shade in moist well-drained to well-drained soil
    Native: NE Anatolia, Caucasus
    Wildlife Value: attracts butterflies
    Awards: 1997 Plant Select Winner.

    Collected before 1849.

  • Veronica officinalis Common speedwell Z 3-7

    Mat-forming perennial with spikes of blue flowers with darker blue stripes on the petals, May-August

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    OUT OF STOCK

    Mat-forming perennial with spikes of blue flowers with darker blue stripes on the petals, May-August

    Size: 4-12” x 6”
    Care: sun in dry, well-drained soil
    Native: Europe and Asia
    Wildlife Value: attracts bees

    Used in European traditional medicine as a cough remedy and tonic as well as a salve. Used for centuries as a cure-all medicinal as long ago as ancient Rome.  Grown at America’s 1st botanic garden, Elgin Botanic Garden 1811.

  • Veronica prostrata syn. V. rupestris Sprawling speedwell, Harebell speedwelll Z 4-8

    From midspring to midsummer short blue spikes above prostrate foliage.

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    OUT OF STOCK

    From midspring to midsummer short blue spikes above prostrate foliage.

    Size: 6” x 18”spreads
    Care: sun to part shade in moist well-drained soil.
    Native: Europe
    Wildlife Value: Deer and rabbit resistant.
    Awards: Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit.

    In gardens since at least 1753 (Linnaeus). Bloomed for 4 or more months in rock garden at Edinburgh Botanic Garden (The Garden, Jan. 1876.)

  • Veronica repens Creeping speedwell Z 5-9

    Palest of blue blooms in spring

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    OUT OF STOCK

    Palest of blue blooms in spring on this low, creeping groundcover.

    Size: 2” x 8-12”
    Care: full sun to part shade in moist to moist well-drained soil
    Native: Corsica

    According to Christian tradition, as Jesus carried the cross to Calvary a woman wiped his face with her handkerchief, leaving the imprint of Christ’s features, the vera iconica, meaning “the true likeness.”  When the Catholic Church canonized the woman the Church named her Saint Veronica.  Medieval gardeners named the plant after her due to a perceived likeness of the flower to her handkerchief.  This species collected by 1800.  According to William Robinson, father of the mixed perennial garden, Veronica repens “clothes the soil with a soft carpet of bright green foliage, covered in spring with pale bluish flowers.”

  • Veronica spicata Speedwell Z 4-8

    Blue spikes with a hint of lilac

    $12.25/bareroot

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    Bluish-purple spikes all summer, if deadheaded

    Size: 24" x 18-24"
    Care: Sun in well-drained soil
    Native: Hilly pastures in Europe and North Asia
    Wildlife Value: attracts butterflies

    According to Christian tradition, as Jesus carried the cross to Calvary a woman wiped his face with her handkerchief, leaving the imprint of Christ’s features, the vera iconica, meaning “the true likeness.”  When the Catholic Church canonized the woman, the Church gave her the name Saint Veronica.  Medieval gardeners named the plant after her due to a perceived likeness of the flower to her handkerchief.  Veronicas have been in cultivation since at least Medieval times.  Europeans made tea from V. spicata. In 1693 a symmetrical garden at Versailles used speedwell.  V. spicata is a parent to many hybrid cultivars.

  • Veronicastrum virginianum, Culver’s root Z 4-9

    Tall, graceful ivory spires made of multitudes of small tubes crowd along the stem, arranged like a candelabra, bloom from early to mid-summer.

    $12.75/bareroot

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    Tall, graceful ivory spires made of multitudes of small tubes crowd along the stem, arranged like a candelabra, bloom from early to mid-summer.

    Size: 4' x 18"
    Care: full sun to part shade in moist soil
    Native: From Canada to Texas incl. Wisconsin native
    Wildlife Value: Numerous bee species, including the Rusty patched Bumble Bee wasps and butterflies collect pollen and drink the nectar.

    Used by American Indians as a laxative and to induce vomiting and clean blood.  Cherokee cured typhus and inactive livers with Culver’s root. Seneca Indians used the root in their ceremonies. Sioux also used this to stimulate the liver. They also burned the root for the smoke to purify those who had contact with a dead family member. 1st collected by Rev. John Banister (1649-1692) who moved to colonial Virginia in 1678.  A gunman mistakenly shot and killed him while he collected plants.   Colonial Puritan Cotton Mather unsuccessfully attempted to use this plant to cure his daughter’s tuberculosis in 1716.  Colonial nurseryman John Bartram (1699-177) 6used this medicinally saying, “One Handful of the Roots of this Plant, boiled in a Pint of Milk, and drank, is used by the back Inhabitants for a powerful Vomit.” Pressed specimen in Emily Dickinson’s herbarium.

  • Viola tricolor Johnny jump up, Heartease Z 2-9 RESEEDING short-lived perennial

    Purple, yellow and white from spring to late fall

    $6.25/pot

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    Purple, yellow and white from spring to late fall

    Size: 3-5” x 4-6”
    Care: Sun to part shade in moist well-drained soil
    Native: Europe and Asia
    Wildlife Value: Violas are the sole food source for the caterpillar of Fritillary butterflies.

    Viola was named after a mythical young woman who Zeus loved and who Zeus’ wife harassed.  Athens adopted the V. tricolor as its symbol.  Pliny prescribed it for headaches in ancient Rome.  Mentioned repeatedly by Shakespeare.  In the 1500’s the plant was used to make a medicinal tea to cure chest and lung inflammations, (Gerard) and later to cure impetigo and ulcers.  Grown in the Eichstätt Garden, the garden of Johann Konrad von Gemmingen, prince bishop of Eichstätt in Bavaria, c. 1600.

    The origin of all pansies which resulted from 30 years experiment by English gardener to Lord James Gambier (governor of Newfoundland), William Thompson in early 1800’s.  The 1st pansies came from a cross of V. tricolor with V. lutea and V. altaica.  When Napoleon Bonaparte died Viola tricolor found in his locket with a snip of Josephine’s hair.  Thomas Jefferson imported Viola tricolor from France in 1767. Grown at Elgin Botanic Garden, America’s 1st botanic garden, 1811.  Pressed specimen in Emily Dickinson’s herbarium.