Betula nigra (River Birch) is a bushy deciduous tree prized for its incredible peeling bark. Salmon-pink, smooth and shiny at first, the bark flakes and curls in cinnamon-brown to blackish sheets. Vigorous and fast-growing, this birch has a large, pyramidal, upright habit and bears diamond-shaped, glossy green leaves with silvery undersides, which turn yellow in fall. Perfect for wet soils, this birch can tolerate locations with drier soils and is perhaps the most culturally adaptable and heat tolerant of the birches.

Compact, Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruticosa' (Boxwood) is a small, slow-growing, broadleaf evergreen shrub with a soft and lush foliage of ovate, fairly glossy leaves, up to 1 in. long (2 cm). Tough, hardy and easy to grow, this dwarf Boxwood provides color year-round, as well as form, texture and contrast to its companion plants.

A great choice for shady spots, Astrantia major 'Alba' (Great Masterwort) features large clusters of pale greenish-white flowers crowded together in a dome-shaped flowerhead, 1.5 in. wide (4 cm), just like pins on a cushion. They are surrounded by an elegant ruff of greenish white papery bracts that are often tipped green. The distinctive blooms are borne on erect stems, well above the rosette of lush, deeply cut, glossy green leaves. They remain attractive for months.

Incredibly showy, fast, and easy to grow, Euphorbia wallichii, commonly called Wallich Spurge, is an upright, bushy, clump-forming perennial which is perfect to brighten any border. It produces exceptionally eye-catching clusters of bright yellow cupped flowers with orange stamens in mid-spring which last for months. The foliage of pointed, green leaves, elegantly adorned with a white mid-rib, radiates from exquisitely branched coral red stems and turns to attractive shades of yellow or orange in fall, providing a long season of interest.

Widely popular among gardeners, Iris sibirica 'Silver Edge' (Siberian Iris) is a clump-forming perennial with stunning, rich sky-blue flowers, adorned with a distinctive silver edge. Blooming in late spring to early summer, the blossoms are intricately veined with yellow and white at the base of each fall. They rise atop sturdy flower stalks, well above the foliage. After blooming, the grass-like foliage, consisting of sturdy clumps of upright blue-green, narrow and fairly rigid, blade-shaped leaves, is also one of its most attractive garden features.

Ideal for the woodland garden, Geranium sylvaticum 'Birch Lilac' (Wood Cranesbill) is an erect herbaceous perennial forming a dense mound of deeply divided green leaves, topped with abundant, saucer-shaped, lilac blossoms adorned with a small white center from late spring to early summer. Flowering best in damp conditions, let it ramble and tumble in with its neighbors beside a pool, stream or in a bog garden!

Adding a delicate airiness to the summer border, Cenolophium denudatum (Baltic Parsley) is a lovely hardy perennial plant with profuse, flat-topped umbels, 5 in. wide (12 cm), of creamy white flowers, floating atop mounds of dark-green, semi-evergreen fern-like foliage. Blooming over an extremely long flowering period, from mid-summer until mid-fall, Cenolophium denudatum is easy to grow, vigorous, adaptable, and requires very little care. A favorite of designers, it gracefully mingles with other plants, adding unmatched elegance.

Hakonechloa macra (Hakone Grass) is a very beautiful perennial grass forming a cascading mound of gracefully arching, bright, rich-green leaves that ripple in the slightest breeze. Bringing alive any garden area, its soft foliage provides great fall color when it changes to exquisite copper-orange shades and persists into winter. Delicate airy sprays of green flowers appear in mid-late summer but are generally unnoticed among the leaves. Hakonechloa macra is more sun tolerant, drought tolerant, cold-hardy, faster growing, and easier to propagate than 'Aureola'.

Adding a delicate airiness to the landscape, Anthriscus sylvestris (Cow Parsley) is a robust short-lived perennial with abundant and elegant, lacy umbels of frothy white flowers floating atop mounds of fresh green, sharply-cut, pinnate leaves. Often turning purple with age, the flowers gracefully mingle with other plants, adding unmatched elegance. Blooming over a long flowering period, from mid-spring until early summer, Anthriscus sylvestris is easy to grow, requires very little care, and is ideal for moist or shaded fertile soils.

Compact with large upward-facing flowers, award-winning Aquilegia Songbird 'Dove' is very eye-catching with its long-spurred, pure white flowers, up to 3 in. long (7 cm), rising with natural grace above a lovely fern-like, blue-green foliage. Blooming for 4-6 weeks in late spring to early summer, this perennial is generally short-lived but will self-seed without being annoying. ‘Nightingale’ is a cultivar of the Songbird Series, which is noted for its compact plants and large upward-facing flowers in shades of blue, red, or yellow, often with contrasting white petals.