Native to the Mediterranean area, Gladiolus communis subsp. byzantinus (Byzantine Gladiolus) is a bulbous perennial that features narrow sword-shaped leaves in a fan of 3-5 erect flowering spikes, each bearing up to 15 bold, magenta funnel-shaped flowers, 2" wide (5cm). Blooming in late spring to early summer, this eye-catching beauty grows up to 2-3 ft. tall (60-90 cm) and gradually spreads to form large clumps. Puts a terrific show in beds and borders when mixed with other perennials or ornamental grasses. Great for cutting too! This plant will naturalize and multiply with great enthusiasm in favorable growing conditions.

Regarded by some as one of the very best, Allium 'Firmament' is a rather unusual Allium. Instead of having round flowerheads, it is only two-thirds of the sphere, about 4-5 in. wide (10-12 cm). It is packed with star-shaped, dark silvery purple flowers, each flower being comprised of dark purple florets adorned with shimmering silver anthers. Blooming from late spring to early summer, this striking bulbous perennial enjoys a long-lasting season of interest and remains ornamental in the garden well into summer.

Eryngium bourgatii 'Picos Blue' (Mediterranean Sea Holly) is a lovely addition to the garden or mixed containers for various reasons. Unlike other species, its deeply lobed, dark green foliage, which appears before the flowers, is elegantly marbled with broad silvery-white veins, making it very attractive and luminous. In mid-late summer, its branched stems produce extraordinarily eye-catching, cone-like flowerheads with narrow, spiny, deep blue bracts that make wonderful additions to dried flower arrangements.

Stipa tenuissima (Mexican Feather Grass) is an exceptionally lovely and graceful ornamental grass that exhibits silvery-green thread-like leaves in late spring, that sway gracefully in the slightest breeze, delicately softening any landscape. All summer, it bears abundant feathery panicles, which are held a little above the foliage and can be used in dried arrangements. Native to the Americas, this perennial grass provides a fairly long-lasting display with its airy silky green leaves turning golden brown towards fall.