Seneca Hill Perennials

Manfreda virginica

The American Aloe is an unusual southeastern US agave relative, native to dry slopes and woods from Florida to Texas and north to Virginia and Missouri. The thick, pointed rough-edged succulent leaves form a basal rosette from which arises a tall, loose spike of narrow tubular greenish-yellow flowers. Sharp drainage is essential to success with this species.

Matelea obliqua

The Climbing Milkvine is an interesting asclepiad widely distributed in the eastern US, from Pennsylvania south to Georgia and west to Mississippi and Missouri. The annual stems rise from a thickened rootstock and twine around whatever's handy, producing axillary clusters of delicate red-brown flowers followed by narrow soft-spined seedpods. Our photo shows the similar and closely-related M. decipiens, which we've grown here for several years.

Marshallia grandiflora

A delightful Appalachian plant, native to bogs and damp meadows, that forms a basal clump of glossy spatulate leaves from which rise stems topped with solitary pink flowers. The petals are fused part-way into tubes, and twist sideways, giving the flower an unusual lacy appearance. Like many plants that prefer sun and moist soil, this also grows reasonably well in partial shade and average soil. We keep ours right beside a path, where its unusual flowers can be admired up close.

Melanthium virginicum

Bunchflower, native from New York to Minnesota and south to Florida and Texas, is a gorgeous and little-grown plant. It prefers deep rich soil, wet in spring and drying gradually through the summer (think bottomlands, near streams). Maturing after several years, it puts up tall branched spikes packed with waxy white flowers in late June. We offer blooming-size plants, roughly 6 years old from seed.

Monarda bradburniana

We love this refined edge-of-woodland monarda, with its unusually handsome foliage (slightly glossy and rugose, green with purplish tints) and full pale rose-purple flowers, dotted with purple. In a moderately lean soil it stands sturdily upright, and here, at least, shows no signs of the late-season mildews which typically disfigure Mondarda didyma. Native to the central states, from southern Indiana to Iowa and eastern Kansas and south to Alabama, Arkansas and Texas. Photo copyright Aaron Floden, used with permission.

Moraea huttonii

This moraea has overwintered for several years in the open garden here, and the clump has expanded enthusiastically. This year it rewarded us with lots of sweetly scented yellow flowers, with deep yellow nectar guides and a dark brown to purple splotch on the style crest. Widely distributed in the Drakensberg, in or close to water. The long narrow floppy leaves are something of a distraction, but the flowers are enchanting.

Moraea reticulata

A third yellow-flowered moraea from the Eastern Cape, this species is distinguished by its typically solitary leaf and network of fibers around the base of the leaf and stem. The large yellow iris-like flowers, with outer tepals up to 7cm/3in long, are accented with orange nectar guides. Native to steep grassy slopes. We have not yet tested this species in the garden, but the closely-related M. huttonii grows and blooms freely here.
Photo copyright Cameron McMaster, used with permission

Nerine alta

Four-year-old bulbs of this petite summer-growing, autumn-blooming nerine. It is now included in N. undulata, but Cameron McMaster, our source of seed, finds it distinctive and prefers to keep it under its old name. He describes it as follows on his website, www.africanbulbs.com: "Nerine alta - from wetlands in the Kei Road, Stutterheim and Cathcart areas is one of the broad-leaved nerines. Petals very fine tending to role into tubes but strongly crisped giving the impression of a very dainty, spidery flower. Darker pink than N. undulata, otherwise similar leaves and flowering time." An easy container plant, as long as its kept cool and dry in winter. Some of these bulbs bloomed in 2009. Photo copyright Cameron McMaster, used with permission.

Omphalodes verna 'Grandiflora'

This outstanding Creeping Forget-me-not, with myriad electric blue flowers nearly twice the size of those of the species, makes a most effective coarse groundcover, crowding out weeds and any delicate perennial that gets in its way. Not for small gardens, but excellent under larger shrubs and trees.