LHAP 304 - Sunny 2

1. LHAP 304 S.H.P. -

Sunny and drier / well drained soils Presentation by E. Kawahara

2. The CARYOPHYLLACEAE Family

• The Carnation Family

A few members you may have heard of

• Chickweed
• Pinks (Dianthus) Carnations Baby’s Breath Soapwort
• Rockwort

Somewhat standard characteristics

• Swollen Nodes
• Opposite leaves
• Prefer Alkaline pH

3. Split (clawed) petals = delicate flowers

• Fruit usually capsule

4. Cerastium tomentosum - Snow in Summer

Origin: Mountains of Europe (Italy) Hardiness Zone: 1

Exposure: Full Sun Soil Conditions: Dry, Sandy soils (very well adapted)

Significant Features...

5. Cerastium tomentosum - Snow in Summer

6. Cerastium tomentosum

Snow in Summer - Identifying Features FOLIAGE

Texture - Very fine, Tomentose leaves Colour - Silvery - white

• Other - Evergreen

7. Cerastium tomentosum

Snow in Summer - Identifying Features Flower

Type - Loose Cyme Colour - White Season of Bloom: Early- Mid Summer

8. Cerastium tomentosum

Snow in Summer- Identifying Features FORM

Height and Spread - 15 cm (6”) x 60 cm (24”) Root Type - Fibrous

Shape - Mat forming but not invasive

9. Cerastium tomentosum

• Snow in Summer

Landscape Use

• Drier sites
• Rock / Alpine Gardens Mass Plant

10. Cerastium tomentosum

• Snow in Summer

Maintenance Considerations

Easy to cut back to desired space Shear flowers to prevent seed heads

Not necessary in low maintenance applications Do not disturb too much or ugly stems will be exposed

11. Which plants do you recognize here, and what maintenance do you suggest?

12. Same Family… second Species...

13. Dianthus plumarius

Dianthus/Cottage Pinks Origin: Europe Hardiness Zone: 2

Exposure: Full Sun Soil Conditions: well drained, slightly alkaline

Significant Features...

14. Dianthus plumarius

• Cottage Pink

15. Dianthus plumarius

Dianthus/Cottage Pinks FOLIAGE

Texture - Very Fine, strong midrib Colour - Glaucous, silver blue.

Other - Grassy texture helps differentiate it from other Dianthus.

16. Dianthus plumarius

Dianthus/Cottage Pinks FORM

Height and Spread - 25 - 45 cm (10”) x 30 - 45 cm (12”)

Root Type - Fibrous and strong Shape - Fairly rounded, mat forming groundcover

17. Dianthus plumarius

Dianthus/Cottage Pinks Flower

Type - Solitary with fringed petal ends.

Colour - All pinks (from blush to nearly red), light purple and white

Season of Bloom - May to July

18. Dianthus plumarius

Dianthus/Cottage Pinks Landscape Use

• Edging, Groundcover, Rock Garden Attracts Butterflies

Decorative for cakes etc.

19. Dianthus plumarius

Dianthus/Cottage Pinks Maintenance Considerations

• Possibly some leaf spot

Requires snow-cover Plant cover protects crown, do not cut back in fall

Possibly shear after 1st bloom Can get a little out of control if not watched.

20. Planting Bed Overhaul - note the weeds

Planting Bed Overhaul - note the weeds.

The grass-like ground cover is Dianthus.

21. Caryophyllaceae Family AGAIN!

22. Saponaria officinalis

• Soapwort

Origin: Native in Europe and Asia Hardiness Zone: 2

Exposure: Full sun Soil Conditions: Widely adapted

23. Saponaria officinalis - Soapwort

FOLIAGE

Texture - Fine textured, entire margins Colour - light green

Other - unremarkable, Evergreen FORM

Height and Spread - 15 cm x 45 cm Growth habit - Mat forming

• Shape - Ground cover

24. Saponaria officinalis - Soapwort

Flower

Type - CARYOPHYLLACEAE! 5 petals (no lobes), hairy sepals

Colour - Pink Season of Bloom - Spring/Early Summer

25. Saponaria officinalis - Soapwort

Landscape Use

• Behind retaining walls
• Rock gardens
• Spring interest
• Accent plant

Maintenance

May need to shear finished flower heads in high maintenance settings

26. Photo - Parkland Garden Centre June 2025

Photo - Parkland Garden Centre June 2025.

Full sun, protected sedum bed.

27. CRASSULACEAE

• Stonecrop Family
• Sedum groundcovers
• Hylotelephium species
• Sempervivum

28. Family Characteristics

Frequently succulent herbs to shrubs Flowers with sepals and petals numbered equally

• Leaves fleshy

Genera include: Crassula, Echeveria, Kalanchoe, & Sedum

29. Hylotelephium erythrostictum - Showy Stonecrop

Origin: Mediterranean, North Africa, South America - many are hybrids

Hardiness Zone: 3 Exposure: FULL SUN Soil Conditions: Well drained soils

30. Hylotelephium erythrostictum - Showy Stonecrop

FOLIAGE

Texture - Simple, opposite, fleshy, mostly entire or slightly toothed.

Colour - Variable by cultivar - green, burgundy Other - Fleshy stems

31. Hylotelephium erythrostictum - Showy Stonecrop

FORM

Height and Spread - 45-60 cm x 45-60 cm - mid size

• Growth Habit - Clumping upright

32. Hylotelephium erythrostictum - Showy Stonecrop

Flower

Type - Cyme on terminal inflorescence, extruding stamens, star shaped

Colour - Typically pinks & reds. Sometimes white.

Season of Bloom - “Tall in Fall”

33. Hylotelephium erythrostictum - Showy Stonecrop

Landscape Use

• Rock Gardens
• Dry sites
• Late season Colour
• Butterfly/Bee gardens winter interest Cut flowers

34. Winter interest - collection of snow and frost…

35. Hylotelephium erythrostictum - Showy Stonecrop

Maintenance Considerations

• No serious problems
• Do not overwater/overlove

36. Another CRASSULACEAE - The “real” sedum

37. Sedum Species - Sedums

Origin: Mediterranean, North Africa, South America

Hardiness Zone: 3 - 4

Exposure: FULL SUN Soil Conditions: Well drained soils

38. Note:

Red Fall colour with elongated leaves Blue Spruce

Lower growing green foliage Red rosettes in lower right side

39. Sedum Species - Sedums

FOLIAGE

Texture - Simple, opposite, fleshy, mostly entire or slightly toothed. Shapes variable

Colour - Variable by cultivar - chartreuse, green, blue, burgundy or a mix.

• Other - Fleshy stems

40. Sedum Species - Sedums

FORM

Height and Spread - 10-15 cm x 30+ cm for groundcovers

Growth Habit - slowly spreading groundcovers.

41. Sedum Species - Sedums

Flower

Type - Cyme on terminal inflorescence, extruding stamens, star shaped

Colour - Yellow/Orange, sometimes maybe pink.

• Season of Bloom - Early summer

42. Sedum Species - Sedums

Landscape Use

See note on green roof use Rock Gardens Dry sites

• Late season Colour

43. Sedum Species - Sedums

Maintenance Considerations

• No serious problems

Do not overwater/overlove Spring cleanup, blow out leaves only.

44. CRASSULACEAE Family again…

45. Sempervivum tectorum

• Hens and Chicks

Origin: Native to Mountains of South Europe Hardiness Zone: 2

Exposure: Full sun

Soil Conditions: Prefers shallow, dry, well drained sites. Will rot if kept too wet.

46. Sempervivum tectorum - Hens and Chicks

FOLIAGE

Texture - Coarse (to touch), impact may be relatively fine.

Leaves in rosettes, glabrous Colour - Typically green, now reds and webs!

• Other - Bristle-tips, Evergreen

47. Sempervivum tectorum - Hens and Chicks

FORM

Height and Spread - 15 cm x 30 cm Growth habit - spreading

Other - “Hens” and “Chicks” connected by umbilicals

48. Sempervivum tectorum - Hens and Chicks

Flower

Type - Paniculate cyme rising far above foliage (some consider it unsightly)

Colour - Pink, typically.

Season of Bloom - Mid Summer Other - Comes from the “Hens” which may die after.

49. Full sun location - raised planter (Yucca in the background)

Full sun location - raised planter (Yucca in the background).

Inflorescence rising from center of hen.

50. Inflorescence rising from centre of plant…

51. Sempervivum tectorum - Hens and Chicks

Landscape Use

• Front of border
• Dry gardens/Shallow soil Planters Alpine Garden Green roof

52. Sempervivum tectorum - Hens and Chicks

Maintenance Considerations

Remove spent inflorescence with pruning shears so you don’t pull the plant apart.

Root systems rot in wet conditions Avoid overhead watering in afternoons (soil stays wet)

53. EUPHORBIACEAE

• Spurge Family

54. Family Characteristics

• Colourful bracts
• Flowers regular
• Milky sap

55. Euphorbia polychroma

• Cushion Spurge

Origin: Eastern Europe Hardiness Zone: 2 Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Conditions: Well drained, infertile soil, drought tolerant once established.

56. Euphorbia polychroma - Cushion Spurge

FOLIAGE

Texture - Leaves alternate, sessile or short petiole, oblong to ovate. Pubescent.

Colour - Species is green, new cultivars red Other - Fall colour red

57. Euphorbia polychroma - Cushion Spurge

FORM

Height and Spread - 30-45 cm x 45-60 cm

Growth Habit - Can spread Shape - Compact Mounds in early season

58. Euphorbia polychroma - Cushion Spurge

Flower

Type - Cyme. Apetalous, pistil and stamen fused. SHOWY BRACTS

Colour - Bracts are yellow Season of Bloom - Late Spring/Early Summer

Other - Fruit also turns red in Fall

59. Euphorbia polychroma - Cushion Spurge

Landscape Use

Spring/Fall interest Round form Mass plant or accent

60. Euphorbia polychroma - Cushion Spurge

Maintenance Considerations

Cut back mid summer for a second show (Falls open)

• May spread (seed?)

61. Note flower time parallels

Note flower time parallels: German Iris and Oriental Poppy are just starting. Periwinkle is in full bloom. Cushion spurge and Creeping Thyme are just starting.

62. XANTHORRHOEACEAE

ASPHODELACEAE (new) The Aloe Family Leaves: distichous (stacked alternately in rows)

Inflorescence: Terminal panicle Flower Parts: In threes

63. XANTHORRHOEACEAE Hemerocallis cvs. - Daylily

Origin: Europe, China, Japan Hardiness Zone: 2 Exposure: Part Shade - Full Sun

Soil Conditions: Moisture holding, well drained soil.

Significant Features...

64. Hemerocallis cvs.

• Daylily

65. Hemerocallis cvs.

Daylily- Identifying Features FOLIAGE

Texture - medium textured, Strap-like monocot Colour - Green

Other - Leaves are keeled in a cross section.

66. Hemerocallis cvs. - Daylily - Identifying Features

Flower

Type - Trumpet shape on a scape Colour - Wide Range from nearly white to deep red

• Season of Bloom - Summer

Other - Blooms last one day, but plants bloom profusely (10 days +)

67. Hemerocallis cvs. - Daylily- Identifying Features

FORM

Height and Spread - variable by cv.

Root Type - Tuber Shape - Arching vase, clump forming.

68. Left

Left: The original daylily - note the coarse texture, and the packed shale keeping it in place…

Below: Daylilies aren’t usually abuzz, but they do still get visited by some pollinators

69. Hemerocallis cvs.

• Daylily

Landscape Use

• Anywhere in landscape
• En Masse or Specimen

Industrial / Commercial sites Good Filler Competes with tree roots, shrubs, and goutweed!

70. Hemerocallis cvs.

• Daylily

Maintenance Considerations

Post Transplant and post freeze, plants collapse

• Cut back in fall
• Deadhead

71. Next to a Japanese Spirea, creating a foundation for an analogous colour scheme…

72. Thriving in a west facing, dry (note the lack of mulch) bed…...

Thriving in a west facing, dry (note the lack of mulch) bed… what else do you recognize around them?

73. LAMIACEAE Family

74. Stachys byzantina

Lamb’s Ears Origin: Iran/Turkey/Armenia Hardiness Zone: 2

Exposure: Full sun (or no hairs)

Soil Conditions: Well drained soil, tolerates some drought.

75. Stachys byzantina - Lamb’s Ears

FOLIAGE

Texture - Simple, basal, opposite attached, petiolate. Oblong - rugose surface.

Colour - Green with lots of fine white hairs (densely tomentose)

Other - Semi-evergreen FORM

Height and Spread - Foliage = Groundcover 15 cm x 30 cm

Inflorescence rises to 60 cm+ Growth Habit - Can spread aggressively and clump densely

76. Stachys byzantina - Lamb’s Ears

Flower

Type - Spike, LAMIACEAE flower Verticillaster cymes

Colour - Pink Season of Bloom - Mid summer - Frost

Other - Flowers very small, does not contribute to overall aesthetic.

77. Stachys byzantina - Lamb’s Ears

Landscape Use

Front of border (if flowers to be removed) Mass Planting

Rock/Alpine Gardens Sensory garden - touch Attracts bees

Deer and rabbit browse resistant.

78. Stachys byzantina - Lamb’s Ears

Maintenance Considerations

Consider cutting off flowers Note lawn invasion!

• Rots in heavy soils
• Remove spent inflorescence

79. LAMIACEAE Family

80. Thymus species- Thyme

Origin: Greenland, Scandinavia Hardiness Zone: 2

Exposure: Full Sun Soil Conditions: Thrives in poor soils

81. Thymus species- Thyme

FOLIAGE

Texture - Very fine, opposite attachment, margins entire, simple leaves, nearly sessile

Colour - Green Other - Leaves aromatic and edible.

FORM

Height and Spread - 5-15 cm x 60 cm height varies by species.

Growth Habit - vigorous, stoloniferous mat in full sun.

82. Thymus species- Thyme

Flower

Type - Verticillaster cymes (like Lamb’s Ears but prettier and smaller)

Colour - rose-purple Season of Bloom - Early Summer primarily

83. Thymus species- Thyme

Landscape Use

• Groundcover
• Use between flagstones

Mother-of-Thyme - sensory garden (smell and taste)

• Alpine Garden

Water substitute in landscape design Green Roof

84. Thymus species- Thyme

Maintenance Considerations

Treat as Evergreen.

Keep Broadleaf weeds out!

Shear spent Creeping Thyme Flowers in high maintenance gardens

85. Noted Feb 2024 - all of the Creeping Thyme in these beds...

Noted Feb 2024 - all of the Creeping Thyme in these beds had been uncovered with numerous deer tracks… aromatherapy pillow? Or maybe they like more flavourful food?!

86. Notice the bloom times (Hawthorn & Iris & Columbine in the background)

Notice the bloom times (Hawthorn & Iris & Columbine in the background).

87. PRIMULACEAE

• Primula Family

88. Family Characteristics

Herbs / slightly woody Basal/opposite leaves (sometimes whorled)

Prefers moist to aquatic sites Flowers often in terminal clusters

• Fruit is a capsule

89. Primula - Primula / Primrose

Origin: Europe/North America Hardiness Zone: 2 - 3

Exposure: Part Shade to full sun

Soil Conditions: Moist, highly organic soils - some can be wet; others require drainage

90. Primula - Primula / Primrose

FOLIAGE

Texture - Simple, basal, variable by species Colour - Green

Other - Some may be hairy, some smooth...

FORM

Height and Spread - 15-60 cm x 25-30 cm

Growth Habit - Low mounding rosette Shape - Round

91. Primula - Primula / Primrose

Flower

Type - Typically Umbels, may be solitary Colour - EVERY colour, often yellow centers

Season of Bloom - Early spring - Early summer

92. Primula - Primula / Primrose

Landscape Use

• Front of bed
• Groundcover
• Small groupings
• Naturalized area
• Shady site

93. Primula - Primula / Primrose

Maintenance Considerations

• Low maintenance plant in correct growing conditions

Trim finished inflorescences and then leave it alone

Make sure to plant with other later season plants

Do not allow to go to seed if you don’t want it to spread.

94. All 6 of these classic shade plants are LHAP curriculum plants!

95. ID Review

Which of these flowers do you recognize from ID over the years…

96. There are 3 (maybe 4) third year plants,

1 (maybe 2) second year plants, 1 First year plant

97. Identify the Tree…

Native Lady’s Slippers are the yellow flowering plant.

Look for

• Siberian Iris
• German Iris

Arctic (?) dwarf iris Hosta Columbine Lily Daylily

• Peony
• Oriental Poppy

98. What do you recognize?

99. Designing with Colour

Cool Colours vs Warm Colours Different emotional responses

Pushes the horizon away or brings it near White is free, but creates holes

Limit your designs to 3 colours Analogous schemes vs Complimentary vs Monochrome

Schemes may change with the seasons (advanced skill)