Cultivated since the 19th century, award-winner Alchemilla mollis (Lady's Mantle) provides a lovely finish to a border or a path edge and blends beautifully with most perennials. This clump-forming perennial forms dense, leafy mounds of scallop-edged, toothed, densely hairy, light green leaves which nicely retain moisture beads after the rain.

Native to Arkansas, Amsonia hubrichtii (Narrowleaf Bluestar) is an erect, clump-forming perennial which provides 3 seasons of interest with its starry blue flowers in spring, its bright green summer foliage, and its charming fall color. This Blue Star features loose terminal clusters, up to 5 in. long (12 cm), of delicate, pale blue, star-shaped flowers borne on upright stems in late spring - early summer. They rise above the graceful foliage of soft-textured, needle-like, bright green leaves that pleasantly colors up to bright golden-yellow in fall. It makes an excellent backdrop for fall-blooming perennials such as sedums and garden mums.

Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan' adds a touch of elegance to the borders with its large, sweet honey-scented, pure white flowers, reflexing away from their coppery-brown, spiky central cone. Blooming from early to late summer, sometimes with additional sporadic bloom until frost, this attractive perennial provides a vibrant floral display in the garden. Perfect for perennial borders, prairies, and cottage gardens.

Highly popular, Eupatorium maculatum (Atropurpureum Group) 'Gateway' (Joe-Pye Weed) is loved by gardeners for its large, densely packed clusters of mauve-pink flowers, up to 8 in. wide (20 cm), atop sturdy reddish-purple stems. Fragrant, the blossoms are attractive to bees and butterflies in search of nectar. The foliage is also very handsome with its lance-shaped, dark green leaves radiating from the stem to form a whorl of 3-4 leaves.'Gateway' is noted for being more compact than the species, growing shorter and bushier with tighter and thicker flower heads. This is a strong growing perennial which provides a wonderful garden presence and makes a great background plant

Tall and spectacular, award-winning Queen of the Prairie 'Venusta' (Filipendula Rubra) is a splendid herbaceous perennial with large, elegant sprays of small deep pink flowers borne on leafy stems well above the foliage from early to late summer. Pleasantly fragrant, the graceful blossoms mature to pale pink over time and are nicely complemented by deeply cut, bright green leaves that are equally fragrant. Tough, long-lasting, this U.S. native perennial is valued for both its leaves and its flowers. Growing up to 4-8 ft. high (120-240 cm), Queen of the Prairie is easy to grow, requires very low care and is pest and disease-free! Deer and clay tolerant too!

Resembling long, feathery Ostrich plumes, Matteuccia struthiopteris (Ostrich Fern) is an elegant, upright to arching, deciduous fern with showy, finely dissected, fresh green sterile fronds. Emerging at the base of the plant in spring, they gracefully unfurl until they depreciate over summer and lose their leaflets later in the fall, as the plant goes dormant for the winter. They surround shorter, brownish fertile fronds which will persist into winter. Low maintenance, pest and disease free, Ostrich Fern is a great asset for the bog garden!

Thriving in moist areas, Osmunda cinnamomea (Cinnamon Fern) makes a dramatic focal point in the landscape. This impressive, deciduous fern features erect, narrow spikes of cinnamon brown spore-producing structures (sporangia), which emerge from the center of the plant. Resembling cinnamon sticks, these fertile fronds are quite different from the plant's sterile, large, blue-green, lance-shaped fronds and have earned this Osmunda its common name. These fertile fronds appear first as silvery, furry fiddleheads in spring before turning their upper portions to chocolate brown. The sterile fronds bend outwards forming an elegant vase-shaped rosette enclosing the cinnamon fronds. Recipient of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society

Noted for its unique form and texture, Osmunda regalis (Royal Fern or Flowering Fern) is a tall, robust, deciduous fern forming a large rosette of elegant, broadly divided, bright green fronds. Emerging pinkish in spring, they are crowned with rusty-brown fertile flower spikes at their tips, thus giving rise to the common name of 'Flowering Fern'. The lovely foliage turns attractive shades of red-brown in fall, adding visual interest in the garden. Recipient of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society

Majestic, tall, and slender, Thalictrum rochebrunianum (Meadow Rue) is favored for its lacy, refined, bluish-green foliage and its airy open clusters of pendulous, lavender flowers with conspicuous soft-yellow centers and gorgeous sturdy purple stems. Adding elegant vertical lines to the garden and clouds of rosy-lavender blooms, it blooms later than other Meadow Rues, from mid to late summer, but longer (up to 6 weeks). Being a 'see-through' plant, this Meadow rue is quite versatile and may be placed in front of drifts of shorter perennials or at the back of borders where it will act as a delightful foil. Easy to grow, Meadow Rue is deer and rabbit tolerant. Staking may be required.

Astilbes are fabulous plants for shady, moist conditions. Admired for their graceful, colorful flower plumes rising elegantly above mounds of fern-like foliage which remains attractive all season long, they light up your shade garden for weeks and add a dazzling splash of color in the landscape. Each plume consists of hundreds of densely packed tiny flowers, each opening in succession from late spring to late summer, providing a long season of bloom before turning progressively a rich caramel color.

Resembling Forget-Me-Nots, Brunnera macrophylla (Siberian Bugloss) are rhizomatous herbaceous perennials with large, ovate or heart-shaped basal leaves and pretty sprays of small bright blue flowers in spring. Although their clouds of bright blue flowers add cool and striking color to the landscape, Brunneras are mostly valued for their beautiful foliage which creates a lush carpet of deep green or variegated leaves.

Often called the 'perfect perennial' because of its numerous qualities: showy flowers, wide array of vibrant colors, drought tolerance, heat stress immunity, ability to grow in most hardiness zones and low care requirements, Daylily (Hemerocallis) is a remarkable and stunning addition to the garden! Each flower typically lasts no more than 24 hours, opening up in the morning and withering during the forthcoming night, possibly replaced by another one on the same flower stalk the next day.

Ridiculously easy-to-grow and long-lived, Hostas (Plantain Lilies) are shade-loving perennials that are highly prized by gardeners for their elegance and attractive foliage. Native to eastern Asia, these low-maintenance foliage plants are fabulous for shady areas and combine beautifully with other shade perennials. The world of Hostas is incredibly rich in terms of size, color, texture, leave shape. There are thousands of Hosta cultivars available reflecting their immense popularity with gardeners, and new varieties are legion. Growing from 6 inches to 3 feet tall (15-90 cm), the attractive foliage is topped in early-mid summer with taller funnel-shaped or flared flowers, in shades of white, lavender, or purple. Some flowers are even sweetly fragrant.

Siberian Irises are terrific herbaceous perennials, rich with many qualities: fabulous looking, long display season, easy to grow, low maintenance and trouble free! Their exquisite flowers come in an array of gorgeous blue, purple, red-violet or yellow with newer cultivars in brown and orange shades, and can have a variety of forms from upright to flat and round. After blooming, their grass-like foliage of upright, blade-shaped leaves, is also one of their most attractive garden features as it remains fresh-looking all season.

Monarda has very distinctive, brightly colored flower-heads that create impressive border displays and provide a great impact when used in a mass planting. The blooms consist of asymmetrical, two-lipped tubular flowers borne in dense, globular terminal heads, which rest upon a whorl of decorative bracts that attract scores of butterflies and hummingbirds. It is also grown for its aromatic foliage that can be enjoyed in salads or simply by passing by.

Providing fantastic warm colors in the late summer garden, Rudbeckia fulgida are herbaceous perennial boasting golden yellow flowers with prominent, brown or black central cones. Blooming profusely from mid-summer through early fall, they are borne atop sturdy stems and literally cover the foliage of lance-shaped, deep green leaves. Their joyous color range is fairly limited - from yellow to orange-yellow - but they differ in height and habit. Extremely easy to grow, they look stunning next to the cool blue colors of Geranium, purplish Asters, or the soft tan ornamental grasses.