A favorite of many gardeners, multiple award-winner Allium hollandicum 'Purple Sensation' is a striking ornamental onion with perfectly round flowerheads, 3 in. wide (8 cm), packed with dozens of small, star-shaped, rich violet-lilac flowers. They are borne atop sturdy stalks, which arise from a group of 6 to 8 handsome, blue-green leaves. Blooming in late spring to early summer, this spectacular Allium enjoys long-lasting blooms and makes outstanding cut flowers that will last for 2 weeks.

Ideal for partially shaded gardens, award-winning Persicaria bistorta 'Superba' is a vigorous European Bistort cultivar that elegantly displays dense, bottlebrush-like spikes of tiny pink flowers, 4-6 in. long (10-12 cm) atop leafless stems rising well above the foliage in late spring to early summer. Semi-evergreen, this handsome perennial plant may also re-bloom into fall. A brilliant way of coloring shady areas! Virtually pest-free and low maintenance, Bistort attracts birds and butterflies but deer will ignore it!

A very desirable garden plant, Cirsium rivulare 'Atropurpureum', commonly known as Plume Thistle, is a tall, branching, upright perennial exhibiting strong, leafless stems with pincushion-like, deep crimson flowers, up to 1 in wide (3 cm), atop a large basal rosette of soft green leaves. A magnet for bees and birds! Blooming from mid-summer to late summer, Plume Thistle is a statuesque plant that slowly grows in clumps, up to 4 ft. tall (120 cm), and spreads 2 ft. (60 cm).

Robust and extraordinarily beautiful, Nectaroscordum siculum (Sicilian Honey Garlic) displays showy clusters of gracefully drooping bell-shaped flowers combining cream, pink and green tints rising on a tall, leafless stem atop blue-gray, twisted basal leaves. Blooming in late spring or early summer, the flowers are then followed by decorative, erect seed pods in late summer which may be dried for winter decorations. Easy to grow, undemanding and beautiful, this plant is a great addition to the landscape.