Dahlia 'Gerrie Hoek's profusion of spectacular, soft pink flowers set against its dark green foliage will steal your heart! The delicate flowers, up to 4-6 in. wide (10-15 cm) rise atop sturdy stems and resemble elegant waterlily flowers. This dahlia makes brilliant cut flowers and grows up to 3-4 ft. (90-120 cm). A great pick for borders too where it looks amazing floating among Verbena bonariensis and ornamental grasses.

One of the darkest Dahlias with its masses of dark velvety red flowers, almost black at their heart, Karma Choc is a remarkable Dahlia. Especially suited for cutting, it has an outstanding vase life (7-12 days). The fully double flowers, up to 4-6 in. wide (10-15 cm) rise atop dark, sturdy stems and are not top-heavy. They remain standing up nice and straight even when it rains. Dahlia 'Karma Choc' belongs to the 'Karma' Collection, a series of Dahlias bred to produce exceptionally long-lasting cut flowers.

Dahlia 'The Phantom' is particularly arresting with its skirt of deep pink petals with generous splashes of cherry. They surround a lovely central pincushion of tiny elongated florets with a unique combination of the richest plum magenta with caramel orange. A prolific bloomer, its incredibly beautiful flowers, 3 in. wide (7 cm), look great in the garden and harmonize well with other rich and bright colors in the border. 'The Phantom' is a breathtaking Anemone-flowered Dahlia which is always a real standout wherever it is grown.

Among the most fashionable Michaelmas daisies of the moment, award-winning Aster 'Little Carlow' is a lovely hybrid between Aster cordifolius and Aster novi-belgii. This attractive perennial plant produces masses of single flowers, 1 in. wide (2 cm), with lavender-blue petals and bright golden-yellow centers. Borne on soft stems, their gentle color blends with almost any other color in the garden. Healthy, 'Little Carlow' forms a dense clump of dark green leaves, which reach the ground.

Gladiolus 'Milka' (Sword Lily) is particularly exquisite with its spikes of gently crimped and ruffled, lavender-blue blossoms. Each flower spike counts up to 10 blooms and rises among erect narrow, deep-green sword-shaped leaves. Spectacular on its own, in the summer garden or in a vase! Blooming in early summer, this breathtaking beauty grows up to 36-48 inches tall (90-120 cm). Plant in succession for a long-lasting display in the summer.

Santolina or Lavender Cotton (Santolina chamaecyparissus), a favorite of Mediterranean gardens, is a beautiful evergreen shrub noted not only for its dense, fine, silvery gray-green foliage all year around but for its drought tolerance. Blooming occurs in summer with a display of small button-like bright yellow flowers, but Santolina is mostly grown for its foliage.

You will be charmed by the bountiful long-blooming spikes of pale pink flowers of Mountain Fleece 'Rosea. A real beauty for the border, Persicaria amplexicaulis 'Rosea' is a vigorous, upright semi-evergreen perennial which enjoys an extremely long bloom season, from midsummer to fall, and features lovely soft pink fleecy flower spikes held on long, graceful wands atop bushy clumps of large, slightly puckered, dark green leaves. 'Rosea' is a more upright selection than most other cultivars of Mountain Fleece. Typically growing up to 4 feet tall and wide (120 cm), it is trouble-free and easy care, attracts birds and butterflies and is ignored by deer and rabbit.

Adding a delicate airiness to borders or fresh bouquets, Ammi visnaga (Toothpick Weed) is a lovely hardy annual or biennial plant with large domed umbels, up to 5 in. across (12 cm), of densely packed white flowers which mingle gracefully with the other plants in the border. The finely divided foliage is attractive and acts as a light but effective filler, making this plant one of the best filler foliage plants. Blooming over a reasonably long period, from early summer until fall, Ammi visnaga remains attractive in the cold season thanks to its dried flower heads, which will be visited in the fall and winter by birds that feed on the seeds.

Requiring very little care and providing striking color as well as graceful movement in the garden or patio, Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' has become a real favorite among gardeners. How not to resist the spectacular rich burgundy foliage, the exceptionally long arching crimson plumes or the outstanding contrast provided with the surrounding plants and flowers? Fast grower, it typically grows in 3-5 ft. tall (90-150 cm) and 2-4 ft. wide (60-120 cm) rounded mounds. They are topped with soft and fluffy, red-burgundy flower plumes on arching stems from mid-summer until frost. Drought tolerant and ignored by deer!