Gladiolus papilio
"Butterfly Gladiolus"

A vigorous easy to grow late blooming species Gladiolus for those who appreciate refined charm and subtle color. Hardy to 5° F to -7° F and growing up to 3.5’ tall and 1’ across, the arching bronzy stems are gracefully topped by mauve buds opening into 2” funnel shaped flowers. Peer inside and behold! Stunning, painterly moth shaped markings of maroon and gold give this species its common name. Blooms appear from late Summer thru early Fall and make wonderful cut flowers, so much more sophisticated than the common modern hybrids. Grows in any soil – EVEN CLAY – but especially will thrive in rich, moist, humusy soil, rewarding you with a steadily increasing clump. Deciduous.

Sun. Avg. water. Perennial Bulb.
USDA zones 7-10

Pasithea caerulea

Enchanting sprays of TRUE ROYAL BLUE flowers bestow top notch thrills when this rare Chilean member of the Iris family goes into bloom. Compellingly contrasted by bright yellow stamens, the 1” starry flowers bounce and bob atop strong wiry branching stems to 28” tall. Easily grown in a container or well drained rock garden, Pasithea caerulea begins blooming in Spring and continues to delight for a month or two. It often goes deciduous thereafter, but seems to like a bit of water even then. From interesting little potato-like bulbs, the grass-like foliage will return with cooler weather. Fairly hardy, it survived several days of 25° F weather here last Winter. Named after one of the Greek Muses and the daughter of Dionysus, Pasithea was the goddess of relaxation and “aquired sight.”

Sun/Part sun. Avg./Low water. Perennial bulb.
USDA zones 9-10

Umbilicus rupestris
“Wall Pennywort” “Navelwort”
“Bellybutton Plant”
“Shrek Ears”

It was love at first sight when I first saw the perfectly round lily-pad leaves of this cute-as-a-button perennial from Northern Europe. Preferring moist, shady corners, Umbilicus rupestris is often found growing in the crevices of rock walls and can be found cavorting with frogs on rainy days. The dimples in the center of the leaves make this the worthiest of any plant to bear the name “Navelwort” (as the word “umbilicus” means “bellybutton” in Latin). The flower spikes rise 6” above the leaves and look like teensy green hyacinths. I’ve had one in a pot for a few years and have observed it going deciduous after blooming in late Spring, but it’s never failed to return after a month or so of dormancy. It reseeds, too, so I’ve had plenty of little ones to tuck into the rock walls in the garden!

Sun/Shade. Avg. water/Moist. Perennial.
USDA zones 7-10

Viola cornuta
'Ulla'

Very hard to find, this is a PERENNIAL, densely matting and highly desirable dark purple Viola cornuta. Even better, the blooms are rather large – about 1” across and are well displayed atop upright stems to 6” tall. Here in USDA zone 10A (Sunset zone 17), I find it prefers part shade so it’s perfect for growing under roses, trailing over the front of a partly sunny raised bed or used as a filler between taller neighbors. Slowly spreading to about 1’ across, it blooms off and on year around here or Spring thru Fall in more extreme climates. Give ‘Ulla’ rich well drained soil and average water and cut back any time it needs rejuvenation – it bounces right back. Lovely with green flowering Nicotianas!

Part sun/Part shade. Avg. water. Perennial.
USDA zones 6-10