The yellow blooms are spotted and brushed mahogany-red and have a light, sweet fragrance you'll appreciate in a vase. At 30in, this variety makes a very graceful cut flower.

Dr. Mark Bridgen, the breeder, reports that 'Sweet Laura' is also the hardiest of the University of Connecticut brood, overwintering reliably in Zone 5. Great news for gardeners in colder areas!

This genus of some 50 species of herbaceous perennials has gained renown for the superb cut flowers yielded by a few of its members. Until recently, however, their performance in the garden had fallen well short of their value in a vase. A breeding program at UConn is changing all that, and we're pleased to offer the best of the patented varieties introduced thus far. They are vigorous and heavy-blooming, producing as many as 20 beautifully streaked and spotted flowers per stem all summer and into autumn, and their bright colors provide the spark of life in borders and containers.

Plants thrive in fertile, well-drained garden soil in full sun or partial shade, so long as their roots are kept cool, which we manage by planting early and mulching heavily. (Gardeners in warm climates may find that flowering slows or stops in the heat of summer.) Where the plants are not hardy, their tuberous roots can be dug--carefully, for they are very brittle--and overwintered indoors in a cool, dry location. (PP 10,030)