Considered by most growers as the loveliest Globe Thistle, Echinops ritro 'Veitch's Blue' is an excellent rebloomer that produces abundant, dark violet-blue flowers at the end of gracefully curving, branched, silvery stems. Blooming from mid-summer to early fall, the bold and ornamental, steel blue globe-shaped flowers (the size of a golf ball) rise above the foliage of sharply divided, dark green leaves, covered in down beneath. Adds outstanding contrast, interest, and color to the summer garden while being trouble-free and low maintenance.

Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage) is a bushy, woody-based deciduous perennial with long terminal panicles of small, lavender-blue flowers, borne on thin white stems, clad with finely-dissected, aromatic gray-green leaves. Blooming for weeks from mid-summer to fall, this delicate-looking plant is a toughy that is resistant to drought, heat, pests, and poor soils. Pretty and excellent for xeriscaping, its long blooming season, makes it an extremely valuable addition to the garden - even in winter when the stems create a beautiful feature in the landscape.

Striking, Eryngium yuccifolium (Rattlesnake Master) is an evergreen perennial with luminous clusters of small, egg-shaped flowerheads, 1 in. across (2.5 cm), tightly packed with tiny greenish-white flowers, subtended by white pointed bracts. Appearing at the top of smooth, stiff, branched stems in mid-summer, they rise atop a basal rosette of sword-shaped, spiny-edged, yucca-like, blue-gray leaves. Once credited with the curative power of treating rattlesnake bites, Eryngium yuccifolium is commonly known as Rattlesnake Master. And don't worry, it doesn't attract rattlesnakes!