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Many a gardener treasures their earthly creation as a little piece of heaven, and we wouldn’t dream of arguing with them. Why not take things a step farther and offer them some of our favorite “heavenly” cultivars?Dianthus “Pinks”This Greek-derived genus name literally means “Divine flower” or “Flower of Zeus.” It’s a mashup of “Di,” deity, and “anthos,” flower.We don’t know exactly what heavenly members of the carnation clan the ancient Greeks were admiring, but we’re pretty confident it wasn’t

How sweet the sight! This lovely bicolor's namesake hymn, widely associated with the Civil War, was actually written before the Revolution by an English slave-trader turned abolitionist and minister. Among the world’s most recognized tunes, it’s sung an estimated 10,000,000 times a year!Phlox subulata ‘Amazing Grace’ “Moss phlox”How sweet the sight! This lovely bicolor’s namesake hymn, widely associated with the Civil War, was actually written before the Revolution by an English slave-tra

Many gardeners believe their earthly creation is a little piece of heaven, and we wouldn’t dream of arguing with them. Why not take things a step farther and offer them some of our favorite “heavenly” cultivars? Nepeta Neptune (‘Bokratune’ PP29556) “Catmint” Aside from phonics, the Roman god of the sea isn’t exactly a natural fit for a plant famous for attracting cats, who are famously averse to getting wet. But when you see the sky blue flowers floating above a sea of blue-green foli

A good mixed perennial garden contains a trip around the world – or at least across a continent or two. Today’s tour guides: a native that sounds exactly like where it came from, and an immigrant whose name bears echoes from long ago and far away. Aster novae-angliae “New England Aster” Here’s a case where Latin and common names mean precisely the same thing. This fall-flowering plant was first collected in the original northeastern American Colonies and shipped home to Europe, where th

WHERE IN THE WORLD DID WE GET THIS PLANT?Geography Lessons in the Garden, Part 3A good mixed perennial garden can be a trip around the world or, in this case, across a continent or two. Today we’ll meet a couple of immigrants from the Old Country.Campanula carpaticaOur favorite “bellflower” hails from the Carpathian mountains, which arc through seven nations in central and eastern Europe. The Carpathians are also home to brown bears, wolves and lynxes. We’re not suggesting you invite those speci