Agastache
(Hummingbird Mint)
The name “agastache” is derived from two Greek words agan meaning much and stachys meaning ear of grain in reference to the flower spikes.
Agastache are deer resistant and one of the most reliable plants at attracting bees and butterflies to the garden.
There are many types of Agastache each with different flower color, height, foliage, and aroma.
In the language of flowers, Agastache flowers have a very special meaning. It is known as a charm against evil forces and negative energies. It conveys the meaning of protection while also being a magical enchantment.
Full Sun
Hosta
(Plantain lilies)
Hosta was once called ‘Funkia’ and is named in honor of Austrian Botanist Nicholas Thomas Host.
Hostas are valued for their attractive, showy foliage and come in various colors, textures, shapes, and sizes. They produce spikes of lavender or white trumpet-shaped flowers that hummingbirds and bees love. Some are fragrant, while others are not.
These plants are considered the queens of the shade garden.
The leaves and flowers are edible to humans, and Hosta is often grown as vegetables in Asian cuisine. (Only eat plants that are not sprayed with chemicals).
Hosta plants signify friendship, faithfulness, and devotion.
Crocosmia
(Montbretia)
Crocosmia comes from the Greek words for saffron (krokos) and smell (osme), alluding to the saffron scent the dried flowers produce. When dried flowers are placed in warm water, they emit a strong smell of saffron.
They have sword-like foliage and brightly-colored flowers. The buds open one-by-one from the bottom up, and the tubular flowers are magnets for hummingbirds.
Crocosmia adds excitement to midsummer perennial gardens even when the plants are not blooming.
It is an excellent cut flower representing confidence, feelings of love, and the deepest emotions. Crocosmia is used to make a yellow dye, which is used as a saffron substitute for coloring foods.
Full Sun/ Pt Shade
Heuchera
(Coral Bells)
Rich in nectar, the flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies. They are also deer resistant and make lovely cut blooms.
All are native to North America. Coral bells were one of the first plants exported back to Europe in the 1600s by early American explorers.
Heuchera was named after an 18th-century German botanist Johann Heinrich von Heucher. The common name ‘coral bells’ is derived from the nodding, bell-shaped flowers.
Coral bells can be grown in a wide range of light conditions, from full sun to shade. To get the best leaf coloration plant in a place with morning sun and afternoon shade. Purple-leafed cultivars can tolerate more direct sun; conversely, yellow, amber, and gold-leafed cultivars are less tolerant of sun.
They are at home in woodland gardens, rock gardens, or as groundcover.
Coral Bells have often been thought to represent modesty, charm, joy, and happiness.
Garden Phlox
Tall garden phlox have long-blooming, colorful flowers that pop in any garden.
These perennial flowers are often used as background plants in narrow borders or in groups between taller and shorter plants in a wide border.
Bees, butterflies, and pollinators are attracted in abundance to these plants.
Phlox flowers symbolize harmony, compatibility, unity, partnership, agreement, and united hearts and souls. In the Victorian language of flowers, a gift of phlox flowers would have indicated a marriage proposal, and wearing fragrant phlox would have demonstrated a wish for sweet dreams.
Except for one species native to Siberia, all species of phlox are native to North America.
The name is derived from the Greek word phlox meaning flame in reference to the intense flower colors of some varieties. Full Sun/ Pt Sun