Design Idea

Cardamine

Cardamine

Cardamine diphylla
Also called Dentaria diphylla. A woodland groundcover perennial, reaching up to 1 x 1 foot, that is native to eastern North America ( Wisconsin to Maine; south to Georgia ).
Each leaf is composed of 3 ovate leaflets.
The white flowers are borne during spring.
Hardy zones 4 to 8 in partial shade.

* photo of unknown internet source


Cardamine enneaphyllos
A perennial, reaching up to 16 inches x 2 feet, that is native to the Balkans in southeastern Europe. It slowly forms sizable colonies.
The leaves are composed of 3 toothed leaflets.
The extremely beautiful foliage is deep red at first, turning to glossy deep green.
Hardy zones 4 to 7 in shade on moist soil. Propagation is from division or seed.

Cardamine heptaphylla
A mat-forming perennial, reaching up to 2 x 3 feet, that is native to southern Europe.
The large pinnate leaves are composed of up to 7 leaflets. The deep green foliage is early deciduous.
The large, lilac-white flowers are borne during early spring.
Hardy zones 4 to 8 on moist, well drained soil. Propagation is from division or seed.

Cardamine latifolia
A mat-forming perennial, reaching up to 20 inches x 2 feet, that is native to the Pyrenees Mountains in Europe.
The pinnate foliage is bright green at first, later turning to mid-green. The leaves resemble that of Watercress.
The lilac-pink flowers are borne during late spring.
Hardy zones 3 to 8 in partial shade on moist, well drained soil. Propagation is from division or seed.

Cardamine macrophylla
A deciduous perennial, reaching up to 4 x 2 feet, that is native to the Himalayas from Nepal to western China at elevations up to 12000 feet or more.
The pinnate leaves, up to 10 inches in length, are glossy bright green.
The fragrant flowers are pink.
Hardy zones 4 to 7 ( 8 & 9 in maritime climates ) on moist soil, it prefers cool summers. Propagation is from division or seed.

Cardamine pentaphyllos

* photo of unknown internet source


Cardamine pratense ( Cuckoo Flower )
A fast growing to invasive, herbaceous perennial, reaching up to 2 x 2 feet, that is native to most of Europe eastward into western Siberia though also naturalized in parts of North America.
The pinnate leaves, up to 6 inches in length, are composed of up to 15 leaflets, up to 0.4 inches in length. In mild climates the foliage clump may be evergreen.
The pale pink ( less often white ) flowers, up to 0.8 inches across, are borne on a spike up to 12 inches in length. The foliage is mid-green.
Hardy zones 3 to 7 in full sun to partial shade on moist soil. Propagation is from division or seed.

* photos of unknown internet source




Edith
Abundant, pure white, double flowers. It is otherwise identical to the species.

Flore Pleno
Double lilac flowers, otherwise identical to the species.

William
Purple tinted foliage and deep lavender flowers, otherwise identical to the species.

Cardamine raphanifolia
An evergreen perennial, reaching a maximum height of 28 inches, that is native from southern Europe to Greece and Turkey.
The rounded leaves, up to 6 inches in length, are glossy green.
The rich pink flowers are borne during mid spring.
Hardy zones 3 to 8, it will form a large colony on moist soil or standing water. Propagation is from division or seed.

Cardamine trifolia
An very attractive, slow spreading, rhizomatous, mat-forming, evergreen perennial, forming a clump up to 12 x 20 inches. It is native to moist woodlands in central and southern Europe.
The leaves, up to 1.8 inches in length, are deep green above, purple beneath.
The white flowers are borne during early spring.
Hardy zones 5 to 8 in shade. Drought tolerant. Propagation is from division or seed.

Dentaria laciniata ( Cutleaf Toothwort )
A rhizomatous perennial, reaching up to 1 foot in height, that is native to old growth moist hardwood forests and floodplains in eastern North America ( Minnseota to Ontario, Quebec & New England; south to Louisiana to Florida ).
The leaves, up to 3 x 3 inches are palmately 3 to 5 lobes. The lobes are toothed and narrow. The foliage turns yellow during late spring and disappears during summer. Each stalk usually has 3 leaves.
The white flowers, up to 0.7 inches across, have 4 petals each and are borne on short racemes.
It is among the first perennials to bloom during spring in the eastern hardwood forests.
Hardy zones 5 to 9 on fertile, humus-rich soil that is shaded during summer. A mulch of chopped leaves is preferred.

* photos taken on Apr 15 2013 in Ellicott City, MD