Speedwell

Speedwell belongs to the genus Veronica which contains colorful perennials that are both upright and creeping. Both the upright and the creeping plant have “terminals” with flower clusters. The upright have long, tall spike like terminals while the creeping have smaller, trailing spikes. Colors may be white, pink, rose, purple or blue depending on the species.

Speedwell needs full sun but will tolerate some shade. The soil should be average to rich, well draining. Divide plants in the spring or fall to control the spread. Speedwell can be as low as 3 to 8 inches (V. prostrata) or as tall as 2 to 6 feet tall (V.virginica). Depending on the species it is hardy in zones 3 to 8.

Hens and Chicks

Hens and chicks are succulents that belong to the Crassulaceae plant family. They are also known by the name of "houseleeks". Hens and chicks are native to Europe and North Africa but can easily be grown in zones  3 to  11. They like full sun but will tolerate some shade especially in the south's hot afternoon sun. They do not like to be consistently moist and will begin to rot from the outside in if given that  condition to live in. They are therefor very drought tolerant and make a good ground cover for a dry sunny location or rock  garden. 
Hens and chicks come in several different colors, lime green, burgundy and purple. Their leaves can be thin and spiky or  thick and rounded with a pointed tip. They are as small as 1cm (.39 inches) or as large as 20cm  (7.87 inches). "Cobweb Houseleek" has fine spider like web  filaments that grow from leaf edge to leaf edge, forming a  white cover on the  top of the plant.
The "mother" hen is a single  rosette  with small chicks or offsets growing from her edges. To propagate simply remove one of the offsets,  and place it in the soil making sure it makes good soil contact. That easy!
The mother hen will reach maturity at 3 or 4 years old. At that time a single stalk will  grow from the center and form a head. The stalk will be about 2 to 10 inches tall and the head will  consist of a cluster of star shaped  flower buds. It will flower for several weeks and will be dark  pink to yellow. Yep you guessed it, it will die after that. But it will have left many "chicks" to keep the family name going!

Dahlia

 Dahlia. This is the first time I have ever planted dahlias. I selected the bedding size plants for my first go around. I don't know if it is just by the luck of the draw but this is also the first time I have had a serious whitefly problem. The only plants infested are the dahlias. The good

news is the flowers are doing just fine, the leaves are affected but I guess not serious enough to cause much harm at this time. I did spray with a home-made soap and oil concoction.

The colors of the dahlia are vibrant and my photos do not do them justice. You can find dahlias in red, orange, yellow, pink, burgundy, purple and white. The plant likes full sun and enjoys the coolness of early fall. The tall selection (they can be up to 6 feet) need staking which should be placed in the ground when you plant as not to harm the tubers. If you fertilize use a low nitrogen formula such as 6-12-12. Too  much nitrogen will make the stems weak. Note the larger selections are planted from tubers that are packaged like bulbs. They are specific about how they are planted and directions should come with the purchase of the tubers. Dahlias are considered perennial in zones 4 to 10 but care needs to be given to the tubers during the cold. You could probably save your bedding size plant tubers but that would seem a lot of trouble for the price of new plants. I will choose new if I plant them again.

Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum (Mum) is a large family of Daisy like flowers. The Mum comes in a variety of colors with some blooming quite early helping to stretch the season from midsummer to late fall.
The Mum needs full sun with well draining soil. To encourage a well rounded plant  pinch the plant back when the plant has developed 6 to 8 leaves. As the pant continues to grow pinch off any side shoots. You may need to pinch the entire plant once again but you should stop all pinching by July 1.

All Mums are easy to grow from cuttings. You can take the cutting in late spring or early summer. You can keep your Mums healthy by dividing the clumps every one or two years. The Mum is a perennial in zones 5 to 9. Because there are so many selections your local garden center should be able to tell you what grows best in your area. Something to remember: because Mums are grown in a greenhouse to bloom at a particular time the Mum you purchase may not bloom at the same time in your garden the next season.

Candytuff (Iberis sempervirens)

Candytuff is a very popular perennial in the Raleigh area. Now it might be in other areas also but this is where I live and notice the popularity. It is perennial in zones 3 to 9 and does well in full sun to partial shade. It is evergreen with white spring blooms. Its need for water is low and it is an excellent plant for edgings or rock gardens. You should never plant it in poorly drained soil as the roots will rot in winter, in fact rot is the worst enemy of candytuff as it is not prone to diseases nor insect problems.
Candytuff blooms in early spring and last several weeks. Trim the plants after blooming to help keep the plant compact. If you want to divide your candytuff do so in the fall.
I have a new bed in the yard and think I will plant candytuff at the front. I like the fact that it is evergreen and the need for water is low.

Fennel

Fennel is a perennial in zones 5-10. It can grow to 3 to 4 feet tall and likes full sun. If you love butterflies you need to consider adding this plant to your garden.

When planting you need to remember that it can cross pollinate with dill, bean and tomatoes. So it should be planted a distance away from any of these as the cross pollination will distort the taste to something "ugly".

The entire plant is edible. The stalk is eaten like celery, the root is boiled and eaten as a vegetable (I guess) and the seeds are used to flavor stews, meats and fish. The taste is licorice or anise. I don't care for the taste but planted for my friends, the caterpillars which will become the Blue or black swallowtail butterfly!

CANNA

I have not had much luck with Cannas. As I received one yesterday I thought I would look it up once more and see if I can't have a bit more success. Cannas are tropical looking and can range in size from 1' to 8'. They like full sun and rich, well drained but moist soil. They do not mind wet conditions. They are cold hardy through zone 7.
I dug up the ones in my yard this last spring and found that the rhizomes did not look healthy so I tossed them. That may be why I have not been successful. The other reason I may not have had much success is that I do not water as much as I probably should. I will plant this one near my rain barrel to be sure to give it the water it will need now and next summer!
Note; Cannas are prone to leaf rollers, a caterpillar that rolls itself in the new leaves and enjoys a good meal! You can spray or I prefer to pick the little guys off and toss out for the birds to have a good meal.