Plant of the Week: Pickerel Weed (Pondeteria cordata)

This is a water's edge plant and typically grows in mud with water covering the rhizomes.  It can form vast colonies in the wild but is tamed in the water garden by growing in containers with rich loamy soil covered with a few inches of water.  It flowers from late June through summer and the flower spikes occur on glossy green arrow-shaped leaves.  The flowers give rise to distinctive seeds with toothed ridges that can be dried and eaten with granola. The entire plant gets 2 - 4 feet tall and it must be grown in full sun. The plant gets its name from the Northern pike or pickerel fish from which it is believed to coexist with.

Plant of the week: Meadow Phlox (Phlox maculata)

This is a superior summer blooming phlox compared to the commonly available garden phlox (P. paniculata) because it is not susceptible to powdery mildew or root rot.  It is fairly easily grown in medium soil, full sun and should not be over-watered.It is rhizomatous and clump forming and can reach 2-3' tall.  It is a deep pink color and hummingbirds are attracted to the slightly aromatic flowers a good summer mulching will help the species thrive and individual flowers should be deadheaded to keep the species blooming throughout the summer,  The lance-shaped, finely toothed leaves can reach up to 5" long and appear on reddish spotted stems (hence the name from the Latin - maculata - spotted).  This also makes an excellent cut flower.This species is often called Wild Sweet William.