Majestic, tall, and slender, Thalictrum rochebrunianum (Meadow Rue) is favored for its lacy, refined, bluish-green foliage and its airy open clusters of pendulous, lavender flowers with conspicuous soft-yellow centers and gorgeous sturdy purple stems. Adding elegant vertical lines to the garden and clouds of rosy-lavender blooms, it blooms later than other Meadow Rues, from mid to late summer, but longer (up to 6 weeks). Being a 'see-through' plant, this Meadow rue is quite versatile and may be placed in front of drifts of shorter perennials or at the back of borders where it will act as a delightful foil. Easy to grow, Meadow Rue is deer and rabbit tolerant. Staking may be required.

One of the most popular Clematis, 'The President' is a deciduous vine that gets covered with a profusion of impressively large star-shaped flowers, up to 7 in. (18 cm), in shades of rich violet-blue, with 8 overlapping sepals that are silver beneath. The filaments are white-tinged with pinkish to deep reds. Lovely! A gardener's favorite since its introduction in 1876! Blooming in late spring to early summer and late summer to early fall, this vigorous and extremely floriferous Clematis vine won the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society for its noteworthy qualities.

Resembling the delicate Astilbe, Artemisia lactiflora (White Mugwort) is favored for its deep green foliage, its attractive plumes of creamy-white flowers and its elegant vertical lines. Unlike its Artemisia cousins whose yellow-gray flowers are inconspicuous, White Mugwort features lovely sprays of tiny flowers, on slightly arching but self-supporting stems from late summer to fall, atop toothed, deep-green leaves with silver undersides. This is an excellent selection for the garden thanks to its airy texture and is perfect for lightening the effect of brightly colored flowers in the landscape.

Tall, Monarda 'Kardinal' (Bee Balm) is a clump-forming perennial boasting masses of brilliant raspberry red flowers, borne in dense, globular terminal heads. Blooming for weeks from mid-summer to early fall, they rest upon a whorl of decorative purple bracts and attract scores of butterflies and hummingbirds. Their vibrant color is set off to perfection by the bright, fresh green of the 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 older varieties.

A spectacular sight in summer, award-winning Monarda didyma x fistulosa 'Oneida' (Bee Balm) is a clump-forming perennial boasting masses of bright scarlet flowers borne in dense, globular terminal heads. Blooming for weeks from mid-summer to early fall, they rest upon a whorl of decorative chocolate bracts and attract scores of butterflies and hummingbirds. Their vibrant color is set off to perfection by the bright, fresh green leaves, which are delightfully fragrant and can be enjoyed in salads or simply by passing by. Considered to be the best of the red Monardas, 'Oneida' is significantly more resistant to powdery mildew than older varieties.