Shrubs - test

Alpine Aster (Aster alpines) – A native to Alberta, this low-growing aster with purple-blue or white daisy-like flowers is great for the front of the bed. Allow to self-seed, as the parent plant is not long-lived. Prefers drier lighter soils but will tolerate heavier clay based soil if well drained. Full Sun. Attracts butterflies.

Bearded Iris (Iris spp.) - A bulb plant that produces flat leaves and flower stalks that bloom mid-May to mid-June. Grows 16-30 inches tall and 10-24 inches wide. Full sun.

Blazing Star or Gay Feather (Liatris spicata) - A native to the prairies with grass-like foliage and upright spiks of purple flowers that bloom from the top down. Butterlies love these plants. Require full sun and average, well drained soils to flourish.

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) - These cheery plants provide vibrant colour all summer and into fall. They attract butterflies and make wonderful cut flowers for bouquets. They tolerate sun to part shade and poor soil, and grow 18-30 cm.

Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata) - This plant, native to the prairies, provides cheery blossoms throughout the summer. It enjoys full sun and will tolerate dry conditions. It requires well-draining soil.

Blue Flax (Linum perenne) - Slender fern-like stalks rise from compact mounds bearing loads of sky blue flowers. A prolific self-seeder in an un-mulched bed, but it is easy to weed out unwanted plants. Versatile in all soils as long as they are well-drained and blooms best in full sun.

Bluebird Clematis (Clematis macropetala) – A climbing plant with small, blue flowers. Blooms mostly May-June. Can grow up to 10 feet. Prefers a sheltered site with its roots shaded and can tolerate partial shade.

Coral Bells (Heuchera spp.) - Low growing mounds of colourful foliage and slender stalks of delicate pink, red or white flowers make these an attractive plant for the front of the bed. Tolerant of shade and full sun alike, as well as being wind resistant this species with its many cultivars will perform well in all well-drained soils.

Cranesbill (Geranium x) - A number of perennial geranium options are available such as Johnson's Blue or Dwarf Cranesbill. These plants grow clusters of delicate flowers that bloom throughout the summer. Work well in borders. Full sun.

Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) – Grassy foliage with brownish-orange individual blooms that only last for a day, this species grows well in partial shade to full sun in average soils. Many cultivars are available in a wide range of colour and blooming times throughout the season.

Gas Plant (Dictamnus albus) - Clusters of pink or white flowers with a pungent lemony fragrance in June and glossy dark green leaves make this a great middle of the bed plant for early summer blooming. A slow grower, it has deep taproots that make it drought tolerant when established, and prefers full sun.

Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro) - A large plant with deeply cut leaves that are silvery-white underneath and stalks with steel blue prickly globes that are a magnet for bees and butterflies in late summer. With a deep branching tap root system the species is best in full sun in average, well-drained soils, but also tolerates light shady spots.

Basket-of-Gold (Aurinia saxatilis 'Compactum') - This species forms low growing mounds with small grey-green leaves covered with bright gold flowers in early summer. It is great in rock gardens or the front of the bed, and requires dry soil conditions to show at its best.

Bearberry or Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) - A native ground cover with round evergreen leaves and delicate flowers in the spring and red berries in the fall. Full sun to light shade.

Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia "Aurea") - This is an excellent spreading groundcover for shady spots and trails nicely over rocks or walls with yellow flowers in midsummer. It does best in partial shade but will tolerate sun and shade as well. It is good for moist locations and a good plant to take advantage of rainwater runoff. It does spread but can be easily picked back by pulling stems out. Helps attract bees to the yard.

Maidens Pink (Dianthus deltoides) - This species forms dense mats with fibrous roots and tiny, dark green leaves covered in bright red flowers on small stalks in mid-summer. An easy, self-sowing plant, the spaces between flagstones will quickly fill in. It requires well-drained soil and full sun for best flowering, but will tolerate light shade and even grow beside spuce trees.

Mother-of-thyme (Thymus serpyllum) - This species forms an evergreen mat with tiny purple-pink clusters of flowers in mid-summer and spreads by creeping stems. Try to keep covered with snow over winter to prevent browning of the tiny leaves that turn dark purplish-green in fall. Average to dry soil. Prefers a dry sunny location - does well in sun to partial shade cast by spruce trees, along walkways and rock gardens.

Pussytoes (Antennaria diocia) - A praries native, this species with tiny, silvery leaves forms low mats that readily interweave with other plantings. Short stalks of rose pink flowers come in mid-summer. It performs well in all well-drained soil types, and will tolerate partial shade, but prefers full sun.