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Geography Lessons in the GardenA good mixed perennial garden can be a trip around the world – or at least across a continent or two. Today’s tour involves a plant whose name sounds deceptively like a land it did NOT come from. Nepeta kubanica Neptune (‘Bokratune’ PP29556)Is that a funky way to spell Cuba, land of cigars and Castro? Nyet! The specific epithet refers to “big-leaf catmint’s” ancestral home on the Kuban Peninsula in Southern Russia, on the Black Sea. This particular beauty was bred

Purple is such a striking hue, Rome once decreed that only the emperor could wear it. But it’s also one of Nature’s favorite colors. She bestowed it lavishly upon numerous genera in the plant kingdom and even some in the animal (think birds and fish).Verbena ‘Homestead Purple’ straddles the annual/perennial line: Technically it’s a perennial, but it’s tender enough that in northern climes, it’s used as an annual and replaced each year.Whichever way works in your zone, it’s a worthy addition to t

Illuminating is a cheerful yellow. Ultimate Gray is exactly what it sounds like. They complement one another nicely: Yellow for sunny optimism, gray for rock-solid reliability. We looked at gray last time, so let’s get sunny and optimistic!CoreopsisThe un-charming common name of this useful, varied genus is “tickseed.” It’s such an uncommon common name that nobody uses it, ever. Just as well, right?The Classics!Coreopsis grandiflora ~Seed-propagated for price-point-conscious finishers.‘Baby Sun’