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Known variously as creeping phlox or moss phlox, early flowering Phlox subulata is a familiar friend, a welcome harbinger of spring. Its cheerful five-petaled blooms blanket slopes and spill over walls.A crop of Phlox subulata planted in early fall has oceans of time to fill its containers with vigorous roots. Sooner than you think, cold nights and short days will shut down vegetative growth. That tough evergreen foliage will hunker down and wait patiently. Sleep tight! Come spring, this fa

Back in 1997, Emerald Coast Growers was just six years old. Bill Clinton was in the White House. A new Honda Civic sold for $10,000. The Marlins beat the Indians in the World Series, the Packers whupped the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI, and Princess Diana went for her last car ride in Paris. Au revoir, England’s Rose.But the big news that year? The Perennial Plant Association chose Salvia May Night as its Perennial Plant of the Year. All other phenomena are just fighting for silver.May

Hakonechloa macraMost ornamental grasses thrive in full sun. But most gardens have areas the sun just can’t find. Must those places remain grassless? Fortunately, no!The shaded landscape can also employ and enjoy the graceful form and movement that only grasses bring. The go-to genus: Hakonechloa, Japanese forest grass.This sinuous beauty grows as water flows, welling up and cascading down in supple layers of pendant, bamboo-like leaves. It’s happiest in shade, dappled or full. Northern growers

Isn’t that an oxymoron? Not when it’s…Lobelia cardinalis ‘Black Truffle’ PP25687Truly red flowers are a rare commodity in the perennial market. Lobelia cardinalis is one of those rarities, with brilliant red, red blooms. And ‘Black Truffle’ brings a head-turning look to the species with rich, deep, dark foliage.New leaves emerge glossy black, maturing to shiny maroon. The beautiful bright red blooms attract butterflies and hummingbirds, contrast dazzlingly with the luscious foliage, and make a l