A long time favorite of gardeners, Lychnis chalcedonica (Maltese Cross) is a herbaceous perennial that deserves a spot in the sunny landscape. Very attractive with its upright clump of lush bright green foliage topped by large, densely packed, round clusters of brillIant scarlet flowers, it enjoys a long season of interest, is easy to grow, trouble free, reliable, long-lived and adds bold splashes of color where needed. In short, the perfect perennial!

Award-winning Hemerocallis 'Golden Chimes' is an outstanding early midseason Daylily that produces an abundance of small, graceful, star-shaped, deep yellow flowers, 3 in. wide (5 cm), with distinctive reddish-brown reverses. Borne on dark stems, the flowers last no more than 24 hours (thus the common name 'Daylily'), opening up in the morning and withering during the forthcoming night, possibly replaced by another one on the same scape (flower stalk) the next day. The bright green, strap-like leaves of this diploid Daylily are semi-evergreen. Winner of multiple awards.

Multiple award-winner, Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna' is a favorite of many gardeners for its unique, glowing dark purple stems and stunning, vertical spikes of rich, violet-blue flowers appearing in late spring or early summer. Very striking when in bloom, they last for weeks and bring strong color and form to the landscape. Drought tolerant and deer resistant, this Salvia is a real magnet for butterflies, hummingbirds and bees! Reliable and compact, it grows in round clumps of gray-green, aromatic foliage up to 18-24 in. high (45-60 cm) and nearly as wide.

Fragrant and showy, Oenothera biennis (Common Evening Primrose) is an erect biennial featuring large, bowl-shaped, lemon-scented, yellow flowers, up to 2 in. across (5 cm), at the top of a stiff, purple-tinged flower stem. Blooming profusely from early summer to early fall, the flowers open in the evening and remain open through late morning. They rise on leafy, branched stems from a basal rosette of oblong, long medium green leaves. This Evening Primrose completes its life cycle in 2 years, its basal leaves becoming established in the first year, while flowering occurs in the second year. The seeds stay, however, and germinate if the soil is disturbed. The whole plant is edible: the leaves can be cooked as green vegetables and the flowers make beautiful salad garnish!

Statuesque with tufts of foliage bursting with emerging seed heads in early summer, Stipa gigantea is an impressive ornamental grass. Evergreen or semi-evergreen, it forms a dense mound of slender, arching gray-green leaves, up to 18 in. tall (45 cm), from which emerge erect flower spikes rising 4 ft. (120 cm) above the foliage. They bear elegant panicles of silvery spikelets, with long awns and dangling golden anthers which sway gracefully in the slightest breeze and persist well into winter. Spectacular when backlit by the rising or setting sun!

Adding drama to the landscape, Verbascum olympicum (Olympic Mullein) is a short-lived perennial that forms a tall and spectacular candelabra of flowering spikes, smothered with golden-yellow blossoms, 1 in. across (2.5 cm). Blooming in succession over a long period extending from early to late summer, the flower stalks rise majestically from a low-growing, wide rosette of silvery-gray, felted, semi-evergreen leaves, which can reach 1 foot long (30 cm). Easy to please, this hardy perennial is regarded as one of the most desirable of the genus.