Coreopsis is a member of the Aster family. This plant is also called “Tickseed” or “Calliopsis”. Most varieties are perennials, with some annual varieties. They are natives of plains in the U.S. They usually bloom with daisy like flowers of yellow or orange from summer to the early part of autumn. Coreopsis is a member of the sunflower family that looks like a daisy. This attractive plant has yellow, gold, red, maroon, or a combination of these colors ,on sturdy stalks that grow from 1 1/2′ to 4′ tall. The Coreopsis flower attracts butterflies. Songbirds like the pods filled with seed. Coreopsis makes excellent cut flowers, too. The strong stems do not require staking. Coreopsis typically bloom bright yellow, daisy like flowers all summer and into the fall. It is known for its long bloom season.

Growing conditions for Coreopsis

- The Coreopsis is very easy to grow and will tolerate any soil except waterlogged soil.
- It prefers lean, sandier soils and requires little watering once established.
- Ideally the soil should be rich and have a pH of between 5.5 and 7. – - Full sun is preferred for prolific blooms.
- Little fertilizer and watering is needed for Coreopsis once established. – Dig up your Coreopsis clumps every three years or so to divide in the fall after blooming or in the early spring.
- Deadheading will encourage prolific blooming.
- No major diseases or pests impact Coreopsis health.
- Coreopsis has interest spring through fall with attractive foliage color and texture.

How to grow Coreopsis

Step 1 :
Sow coreopsis seeds in early spring, just after the final frost of winter. Select a planting location that receives full sun throughout the day and has well-drained soil that is low in fertility. Overly fertile soil can cause invasive growth.

Step 2 :
Mix coreopsis seeds with fine sand to make spreading easier. Broadcast the seed mixture across the surface of the planting site. Do not cover with soil, as sunlight encourages germination.

Step 3 :
Use a flat board to tamp down the seeds into the soil. Water thoroughly after planting to ensure good seed-to-soil contact and to prevent the seeds from being displaced by wind or rain.

Step 4 :
Water coreopsis plants one to two times per week once they’ve emerged, just enough to keep the soil moist without becoming waterlogged. Do not water during the winter, as the plants will not use the moisture.

Step 5 :
Remove any dead or faded coreopsis flowers to prolong the flowering season and prevent self-sowing, which can quickly become out of hand if not regulated. Cut off the flowers as close to the ground as possible and fresh growth will soon appear.

Chocolate mints Latin genus is Mentha piperita species and is not a native of our part of the world, but came from Europe. Growing mint, the world’s favorite flavor, has grown a new twist. The distinctive cool taste grows in more sweet varieties other than peppermint or spearmint. We are all well acquainted with chocolate mint.

Characteristics of Chocolate Mint

- Chocolate mint grows about 12 to 18 inches high.
- Chocolate mint does well in our zone 6 and is hardy to zone 3a.
- Chocolate mint blooms in late spring and early summer with violet-lavender blooms and the leaves are a wonderfully aromatic bronze-green.
- The bees and butterflies love it and even the birds seem to for some reason.
- Chocolate mint fills the surrounding air with a grand fragrance as one walks by.

Growing Conditions for Chocolate Mint

- This plant has two stages of growth. In the early spring, the plant produces flowers, and in the summer, the plant starts to send out shoots and runners.
- If chocolate mint is allowed to grow unchecked, it can become an unruly ground cover, and it has a slightly vine-like growth habit, so it can climb trees and shrubs.
- It’s happiest in partial shade but it will grow in any light from full sun to full shade and in any kind of soil you happen to have.
- The soil should be well-dug, fertile and water-retentive, but not water-logged.
- Set plants 12 to 18 inches apart, depending on the variety. To control their rampant ways, plant them in bottomless containers sunk into the soil. Clay drainage tiles, about 10 inches deep and 6 to 8 inches across, are ideal.

What Care should be taken

- A twice yearly feeding with bone meal will keep it even happier.
- Remove the flowers by hand as soon as they appear because if left, they will reduce the amount of leaves.
- Mint suffers from only one disease and that is rust – allow it to get a hold and it will kill all your mint plants. he best method is to examine each plant carefully for signs of rust (orange blobs generally on the underside of the leaves) and remove any leaves affected – spray as well with a chemical if you want.

Uses of Chocolate Mint

- It can be used as a garnish on salads, roasts, desserts, and a myriad of other dishes.
- Chocolate mint can be used in desserts; it can be added to sorbets and cakes.
- Chocolate mint can also make a very interesting star ingredient in mint sauce for Southeast Asian food, and it pairs well with spicy food.

Ligularia – although there are many common names for these dramatic and handsome beauties, in Calgary the usual term is the generic ligularia. They are fabulous perennials, occurring naturally from Europe across to Japan.
Ligularia stenocephala ‘The Rocket’ belongs to the plant family COMPOSIT and Genus Ligularia. This genus was classified into the Compositae by count Alexandre de Cassioni in his early 19th century work, Dictionarie de Sciences Naturelles. It is today groued into the Asteraceae. The species is native to northern China, Japan and Taiwan. This is the only widely cultivated variety.

- Ligularia ‘The Rocket’ is a stately plant with very tall, 5 to 6′ golden yellow flower spikes that rise up high over large, serrated green foliage.
- The long narrow yellow spires open up with blooms from bottom to top.
- All plants need light to allow the photosynthesis process of converting carbon dioxide to growth sugars to take place.
- Some plants need more sun-light than others.
- Ligularia stenocephala ‘The Rocket’ does not attract these beautiful hummingbird, sunbird or nectar feeding varieties of garden birds.
- Almost all plants grown in gardens need to be fed using fertilzer in order to see them at their best.
- It performs at its best when planted in cool, wet areas.
- Ligularia stenocephala ‘The Rocket’ can survive very cold winters with annual averages as low as -30 Fahrenheit.
- This plant likes soils that are bog.
- This species likes partial to full shade. It does well in moist soils.
- Ligularia stenocephala ‘The Rocket’ is a perennial.
- A robust perennial essential to the mixed border and back of perennial beds. Attractive massed in a woodland setting. Linear planting creates a striking seasonal hedge-like mass.
- Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system.
- Feed with a general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring.
- Prune old flower heads to encourage more blossoms.

Lamium is a short, rapid growing plant in the mint family. Also referred to as spotted deadnettle, lamium will grow in shady locations that do not commonly support other plant life. Members of the Lamium that are grown in the garden are usually done so for their beautiful foliage. The Lamium genus are hardy perennials and contains many members most of which are weeds.

Characteristics of Dead Nettle (Lamium)

- Nettle is a well behaved ground cover and is not considered a serious garden thug.
- It is easily edged in the spring and is not likely to become a weed.
- Dead nettles are ground cover perennials with leaves that are marked in silver. The flowers – yellow or pink – appear next to the leaves.
- It flowers in late spring or early summer.
- This is one hardy plant, surviving nicely down into USDA zone 2.
- Dead Nettles are deer resistant. A good plant to use for naturalizing, massing or as a ground cover.

Planting Conditions for Dead Nettle (Lamium)

- Very hot conditions can lighten up the colouring so this plant is best considered a part-shade or shade groundcover in a decent soil.
- Try planting under shrubs to brighten up unused garden spaces.
- Place the plants no deeper than they were growing in the containers.
- Set the plants 9 to 12 inches apart.
- Water well until soil is completely moist.
- Control the spread in the spring with a sharp shovel to edge it.
- Easily propagated by division in the spring or by tip cuttings.

Caring for Dead Nettle

- They should be fertilized in the spring.
- Once the flowering season is over they should be cut back.
- Shear this plant after the first bloom to promote compact growth.
- Apply a light application of organic fertilizer on top of the soil in early spring.
- Water well.