(er-ih-THROH-nee-um a-mer-ih-KAY-num)

General Information:

Erythronium americanum is a great little plant for the spring, shade garden. It is native to most of Eastern North America and can found in many wooded areas in this region.

Nice mottled leaves with a yellow-orange tinged flower, Erythronium americanum  is commonly called yellow adder’s tongue, yellow trout lily, yellow fawn lily and yellow dog-tooth violet.  However it is not a violet.

Erythronium americanum; photo by Robert Pavlis

Corms of this plant will produce stolons that slowly spread to form large colonies. The corms can be quite deep making it difficult to transplant, but it can be grown from seed which can take 5 years to flower.

The bulbs (correctly called corms) of Erythronium americanum go deeper on their own if they are planted too shallow for the soil conditions. A lot of bulbs can do this using one of two mechanisms. Narcissus use contractile roots that grow down, get established and then pull the bulb lower. Tulips don't use contractile roots, but they do use something called ‘droppers’. A dropper is a stolon-like structure that grows down and then forms a new bulb at the tip of the dropper. Erythronium americanum use droppers, and do not have contractile roots.

By midsummer the plant goes under ground until next spring.

The main problem with this Erythronium is that it can be shy to flower and the reason for this is still unknown. In a typical colony you will find hundreds of single leaves that do not flower and only a few double leaves that do flower. I had a section of the garden that had a high percentage of flowering plants one year, and almost none the following year. So it is not just a case of maturity. Some claim that a single flowering plant will tend to divide into many smaller corms and therefore not flower the following year. This may be accelerated by a dry spring.

Some claim that extra fertilizer, more light or a very wet condition will produce more flowering plants. It could be that deeper corms flower better or that shallow corms flower better. Placing a rock under the corm at planting does not seem to work. Or it might be that some clones flower more than others. It is odd that these conditions are not better understood for a plant that is both beautiful and native to our woods.

In any event the plant makes a good addition to the garden, even if it is grown just for the leaves.

Life Cycle: perennial bulb

Height: 20 cm (8 in)

Bloom Time: spring

Natural Range: Eastern North America

Habitat: moist hummusy woods

Synonyms:  none

Cultivation:

Light: part shade to full shade

Soil: moist, well drained

Water: moist in spring, dryer in summer

USDA Hardiness Zone: 3– 9

Propagation: seed, offsets

Seedex availability (ORG&HPS annual Seed Exchange): rarely

 (EAR-rin-us  AL-pin-us)

General Information:

Erinus alpinus has won the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit for being an outstanding plant to add to your rock garden or alpine trough, or let it naturalize in the tiny cracks of a brick wall. This alpine plant is a tiny thing that produces lots of flowers.

The pictures in this blog show several small seedlings in their second year. You can clearly see two colour forms of this plant and it is also available in pink. It is known by several common names including fairy foxglove, starflower, alpine balsam and liver balsam.

It is reported to be short lived but under ideal conditions it will live for 5 years. My oldest clumps are now 3 years old. It self-seeds readily and cuttings are easy to root. It is worth a bit of extra effort to maintain this plant in the garden.

In hot climates it will appreciate some shade, but in zone 5 it grows well in full sun. For size comparison, the rock mulch under the plant is ¼” rock.

Life Cycle: perennial– short lived

Height: 4cm (2in) for plant

Bloom Time: spring and early summer

Natural Range: North Africa and Europe. Naturalized in the UK.

Habitat: rocky alpine regions

Synonyms: none

Cultivation:

Light: full sun to part shade

Soil: well drained, scree

Water: prefers some regular moisture

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 - 7

Propagation: seed, cuttings

Seedex availability (ORG&HPS annual Seed Exchange): frequently

 (er-EE-mur-us sten-oh-FIL-us)

General Information:

A real special plant with mixed up names. Many people call this plant Eremurus bungei, but the correct name is E. stenophyllus.

Eremurus stenophyllus; photo by Robert Pavlis

I first purchased this plant as a tuber. Knowing that the tuber rots easily, I planted it on a bed of sand in fall and never saw it again. I then decided to try growing it from seed which worked much better. The clump in the picture is about 4 years old, and it’s getting bigger every year. A few self-seeded plants can be seen at its base.

Also known as Foxtail Lily and Desert Candle, it blooms for several weeks as successive buds open from the bottom to the top. At a height of 120 cm, it makes quite a statement in the garden.

Eremurus stenophyllus; photo by Robert Pavlis

It is native to Central Asia where it grows in dry mountainous areas. It likes to have good drainage and lots of sun. The tuber look like a star fish and is quite fragile. After flowering the plant look a bit ragged and it is therefore best to place this plant behind other plants that will cover the old foliage in late summer. Don’t divide or move the plant unless it is absolutely necessary. When planting a tuber, set the crown of the tuber 10 cm below the soil level.

The pictured plants are a bright yellow fading to a less bright yellow. Some references suggest that they fade to an orange colour and it is possible that this only happens in some hybrids. I believe the pure species stays yellow.

Life Cycle: perennial

Height: 120 cm (4ft)

Bloom Time: mid-summer

Natural Range: Central Asia, Iran, Persia

Habitat: dry rocky mountains

Synonyms:  Ammolirion stenophyllum, Eremurus bungei, E. stenophyllus var. bungei, E. stenophyllus subsp. stenophyllus, Henningia stenophylla

Cultivation:

Light: full sun

Soil: well drained

Water: regular moisture in spring, dry after flowering, especially in winter

USDA Hardiness Zone: 5– 9

Propagation: seed, division

Seedex availability (ORG&HPS annual Seed Exchange): usually

 (el-SHOLT-see-uh   stawn-TON-ee-eye)

General Information:

Are you looking for an unusual subshrub for the fall garden? Elsholtzia stauntonii is a good choice. The Chinese mint shrub is rare in northern gardens, where its late flowering is very much appreciated.

Elsholtzia stauntonii; photo by Robert Pavlis

It is hardy down to zone 4, but in that zone you might never see it flower. Even in zone 5, an early frost will result in poor flowering or even no flowers at all. But it is worth taking a chance since so few other shrubs flower so late in the season.

Elsholtzia stauntonii; photo by Robert Pavlis

Many people call it a shrub. Is it a shrub or subshrub? Botanically there is no difference between the two terms. The term subshrub is used more frequently for small shrubs, or bushes. In zone 5,  Elsholtzia stauntonii dies to the ground most  winters and therefore only reaches a height of about 75 cm (2.5 ft); a subshrub. In warmer climates it can reach 180 cm (6 ft) – more shrub-like.  

Elsholtzia stauntoniiis is also known by other common names including mint shrub, peppermint tree, and the Chinese spicebush, each referencing its very strongly scented leaves. A white flowering variety is also available.

The plant shown in these pictures was easily grown from seed.

Elsholtzia stauntonii; photo by Robert Pavlis

Life Cycle: subshrub or shrub

Height: 75 - 180 (2.5 – 6ft), depending on zone

Bloom Time: early fall

Natural Range: China

Habitat: valley streamsides, rocky mountains, dry hillsides, 700-1600m

Synonyms:  Aphanochilus stauntonii

Cultivation:

Light: full sun

Soil: well drained, not too rich

Water: regular moisture, but drought tolerant

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4–8

Propagation: seed, cuttings (softwood or semi-hardwood)

Seedex availability (ORG&HPS annual Seed Exchange): occasionally