While most ornamental onions are prized for their fireworks-like globe of flowers, Allium cernuum sports umbels that hang from crook-shaped stems. Their pendulous blooms can bring butterflies and whimsy to your garden from June to August. They require little maintenance and will spread less than a foot.

Location: Glade Garden

Photo credit: A. Auner

Cleome hassleriana

For a summer bloomer that does evoke the image of fireworks, look no farther than Cleome hassleriana, or spider flower. These rabbit-resistant annuals bloom from early summer until frost and can be found in colors ranging from white to purple. They can get up to six feet tall, and their palmate leaves add yet more interest throughout the season.

Location: Scott Entrance Garden and Terry Shane Teaching Garden

Photo credit: A. Auner

Coprosma repens ‘Martini Midnight’

The gleaming foliage of Coprosma repens (more commonly known as the mirror plant) with its undulating margins is interesting in any cultivar, but ‘Martini Midnight’ really shines in the Cosby Courtyard containers with its cherry-red margins. The orange –tinged leaf undersides add depth to the variegation.

Location: Isabelle Cosby Courtyard (Container #58)

Photo credit: A. Auner

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Japanese cedars of any cultivar are worthy trees in this area. They assume a stately, excurrent form and tolerate many soil conditions. photo credit: A. Auner

Japanese cedars of any cultivar are worthy trees in this area. They assume a stately, excurrent form and tolerate many soil conditions. Better yet, they bear wicked spikes in the form of awl-shaped leaves (like those of Juniperus, but bigger), which are arranged in spirals around the somewhat weeping branchlets. These are densely grouped into large sprays—as a former teacher of mine would say, you can’t throw a cat through it. This foliage pattern creates a fine texture, which is accented by spiky, round cones, forming in summer.

Cryptomeria's characteristic bark peels in long, vertical strips. photo credit: A. Auner

Another feature shared by Cryptomeria and Juniperus is characteristic bark: the barks of both genera peel in long, vertical strips. Cryptomeria (a single-species genus) thrives in Zones 6-8 (9) and is easy to keep healthy, provided that it is not exposed to drought or harsh winds.

‘Sekkan sugi’ foliage starts out white-tipped in early spring, fades to nearly neon green during the summer and fall, and then takes on a bronze cast in winter. photo credit: A. Auner

The foliage of wild-type Japanese cedars is normally green with a slight blue tinge. Some cultivars of Cryptomeria are notable for enhancing this blueness (e.g. ‘Blue Form’, a specimen of which is located near the ‘Sekkan sugi’ in the Pinetum). ‘Sekkan sugi’, however, stands out markedly, as its foliage starts out white-tipped in early spring, fades to nearly neon green during the summer and fall, and then takes on a bronze cast in winter.

The cones of Cryptomeria japonica 'Sekkan sugi' add winter interest. photo credit: A. Auner

When individuals of this cultivar begin bearing cones in early summer, they start out the same bright green as the leaves. The effect of these colors is dramatic when coupled with the height of the tree—most sources list it as growing up to 35 feet, but the specimen in the Scott Arboretum Pinetum is substantially taller than this; however, ‘Sekkan sugi’ (which translates to “yellow cedar”) maintains a relatively columnar form, making it surprisingly compact in the landscape.

Between the spikes, the size, and the brightness of the foliage, C. japonica ‘Sekkan sugi’ makes a marvelous accent plant. It strikes the eye all year and changes with the seasons, so one does not tire of its blinding hues. It will stand out in nearly any setting, particularly as it begins its sunward stretch.

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Gardenia jasminoides ‘Chuck Hayes’ (Common Gardenia)

This gardenia is located in the Fragrance Garden, in Clothier Hall’s cloister, for good reason: its scent is almost overpowering in its sweetness. Between the fragrance, the lustrous foliage, and the creamy double blooms, ‘Chuck Hayes’ is nearly irresistible. Better yet, Michael Dirr reports it to be “possibly” hardy in Zone 6! Gardenias prefer acid, rich, moist (yet well-drained) soils and should be protected from winter’s chill.

Garden location: Fragrance Garden

Photo credit: A. Auner

Calocedrus decurrens (California incense-cedar)

The California incense-cedar exhibits a uniform, columnar form. Bright green foliage is arranged in vertical fans (similar to arborvitae) with an incense-like scent when the leaves are crushed. What strikes me most about this tree, however, is its bark. The large, distinct panels of bark range from rust-red to wintergreen in color—the effect is that of stained glass. California incense-cedars can reach 50 feet in height and can survive in poor soils, but should not be planted in windy spots. The pictured specimen lives in the Pinetum, near the railroad.

Garden location: Pinetum

Photo credit: A. Auner

Leitneria floridana (Florida corkwood)

This uncommon, March-blooming shrub is now proving its summer mettle behind Benjamin West House, near the Biostream, with its bright, lanceolate leaves and chocolate-brown stems with round lenticels. Florida corkwood’s suckering habit and height, which should not exceed 12 feet, makes it appropriate for adding interest and contrast under large trees. Leitneria can tolerate wet soils and winter temperatures well below those of its usual range.

Garden location: between the Biostream and Benjamin West House

Photo credit: A. Auner

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The smokebush is known and named for thin inflorescence stalks that resemble clouds of haze after the plant’s flowers drop early in summer. However, the smokebush east of Parrish hall is equally ornamental without its namesake. ‘Royal Purple’ features dark foliage that turns nearly black over the growing season. Common smokebush grows well in most soil types, but it needs full sun and good drainage. It blooms best with little to no pruning; however, hard pruning to three feet keeps it more compact and gives the new foliage a more vibrant color.

Garden location: Between the east wall of Parrish Hall and the Dean Bond Rose Garden

Photo credit: A. Auner

Zenobia pulverulenta ‘Woodlanders Blue’ (dusty Zenobia)

From its appearance, you would think dusty zenobia was native to some ethereal fairy kingdom from children’s literature, yet it calls the southeastern United States home (and is also quite content in the Glade Garden). The pendulous, white flowers on white racemes, which bloom in May, might be the zenobia’s most spectacular feature, but this cultivar certainly provides multi-season interest. Its gray-blue foliage and arching branches stand out in summer, and reddish-purple fall color rounds out the year. Dusty zenobia prefers acid soil and requires even moisture, making it a perfect choice for moist spots in the garden.

Garden location: Glade Garden, in the corner opposite the storm water stairs

Photo credit: A. Auner

Fothergilla x intermedia ‘Blue Shadow’ (Fothergilla)

While fothergilla are usually grown for their fragrant, white spikes of flowers, and thus relished in April, ‘Blue Shadow’ brings much more to the table. This shrub maintains its striking blue foliage all summer. In the fall, this fothergilla’s witch hazel-like leaves turn various, bright shades of orange. It must be planted in acid soil, but it can tolerate some shade.

Garden location: Along the road west of the Science Center, north of the Glade Garden

Photo credit: A. Auner

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