Award-winner Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' is a sun-loving perennial that stands out with its bold, giant flowers whose rosy purple petals are held out flat rather than drooping like most coneflowers. An early bloomer, this compact coneflower provides a vibrant floral display in the garden from early to late summer, sometimes with additional sporadic bloom until frost. Perfect for perennial borders, prairies, small gardens and containers.

Hardy and reliable, Agastache 'Black Adder' (Giant Hyssop) is a charming herbaceous perennial boasting bottle-brush, terminal spikes, 6-8 in. long (15-20 cm), packed with fragrant, tubular, two-lipped red-violet flowers emerging from dark buds. Blooming from mid-summer to fall, they provide a remarkably long floral display and add color as well as a lovely spiky texture to the garden.

Adding lovely vertical lines to the garden, Agastache rugosa f. albiflora 'Alabaster' (Korean Mint) is a compact and bushy, upright herbaceous perennial with aromatic, dark green, oval to lance-shaped leaves. From mid-summer to early fall, it produces ravishing spikes of creamy-white flowers held over the foliage mound. The long flowering season, showy flower spikes, licorice-scented foliage, low maintenance, and deer resistance of this Agastache explain its great popularity among gardeners. And it is not only pleasing to people. Bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies love it too.

Monarda 'Vintage Wine' (Bee Balm) is a clump-forming perennial boasting masses of dark, wine-red flowers, borne in dense, globular terminal heads. Blooming for weeks from mid-summer to early fall, they rest upon a whorl of decorative bracts. The colorful and nectar-rich blooms ensure that butterflies and hummingbirds are regular visitors to the garden. Their vibrant color is set off to perfection by the fresh green leaves, which are delightfully fragrant and can be enjoyed in salads or simply by passing by. This Monarda is significantly more resistant to powdery mildew than most varieties.

Incredibly popular, Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' is a robust, upright, and spreading deciduous shrub boasting huge, luxuriant conical flowers, up to 6-12 in. long (15-30 cm). Held upright on sturdy stems, they are well distributed, making a very attractive plant and display. As an added bonus, they change color as they mature, gradually turning from lime-green to creamy white in late summer to a rich, deep pink before finally fading to beige in fall. As the flower show fades, the oval, dark green leaves turn to lovely shades of red for a breathtaking autumn display. Persisting well into winter, the panicles provide additional winter interest.

Award-winner Sedum 'Herbstfreude' or 'Autumn Joy' is probably one of the best of all border sedums. Vigorous, hardy, carefree, good-looking, with a season of interest lasting more than 6 months from early summer until well into winter, who could resist? Easy to grow, this standout perennial forms a 2 feet tall (60 cm) clump of thick, fleshy blue-green foliage topped with flower buds resembling broccoli. Gradually, these densely clustered buds will reveal tiny, star-like soft raspberry pink flowers in mid to late summer, which will softly change to rich rose and then coppery-rust in the fall as they die.