One of the largest and most fragrant of the primula species, Primula florindae (Giant Cowslip) is a long-lived perennial favored by many gardeners with damp and partially shaded gardens. Hardy and easy to grow, it bears large umbels of delicately scented, nodding, rich, sunny yellow flowers, trimmed with silver farina around the base. Filling the air with their heavenly honey perfume, they bloom from early to late summer and grow up to 4 ft. tall (120 cm). They increase year after year, each plant producing dozens of blooming stems, and naturalize to form cheerful swathes. Virtually disease-free and low maintenance. USDA Zones: 3-9.

Noted for the spectacular display provided by its vivid flowers, Big Betony 'Superba' (Stachys macrantha) is a wonderful perennial featuring 2-3 whorls of vibrant, violet-purple, two-lipped flower spikes held above handsome mounds of soft, wrinkled, dark green leaves with scalloped edges. They bloom for a few weeks from late spring to mid-summer and always create an incredible show when massed!

So exquisite and delicate, Astrantia major 'Roma' never fails to amaze onlookers! How to resist the intricate beauty of its blossoms: tiny pink flowers crowded together in a dome-shaped flowerhead, just like pins on a cushion, and surrounded by an elegant ruff of papery bracts. They are borne on long wiry stems, well above the rosette of attractive deep green maplelike leaves. The flower color is a subtle combination of soft pink, green and white.

Admired for its graceful, pure white flower plumes rising elegantly above fern-like mounds of deeply-cut foliage, Astilbe 'Snowdrift' (Astilbe x arendsii) is a superb cultivar that brightens up any shady areas of the garden. Each plume consists of hundreds of densely packed tiny flowers, each opening in succession, providing a long season of bloom in early to mid-summer.

A popular Astilbe variety with sturdy stems and abundant flowers, Astilbe 'Hyacinth' or 'Hyazinth' (Astilbe x arendsii) features graceful, lavender-pink flower plumes rising elegantly above fern-like mounds of deep green foliage. Sparkling in the shade, each plume consists of hundreds of densely packed tiny flowers, each opening in succession, providing a long season of bloom in mid-late summer. Long-lasting, the flower plumes turn a rich caramel color which provides winter interest to the garden.

With a soft palette of pastel-colored flowers, Achillea millefolium 'Summer Pastels' is a stunning Yarrow with masses of long-lasting flower clusters, up to 8 in. wide (20 cm), in glorious shades of red, pink, yellow, orange, salmon, lilac, purple and white. Its pleasantly aromatic, green fern-like foliage is disease resistant and nicely compliments the cheerful flat umbel flowers. Blooming for weeks from early to late summer, this eye-catching beauty easily enlivens any sunny corner of the garden.