A prolific plant for a sunny border, Anthemis tinctoria 'E.C.Buxton' is a vigorous perennial that will light up your garden throughout summer and sometimes into fall with its abundant blooms of pale, yellow, single daisy-like flowers atop a fragrant lacy foliage. A low-maintenance plant, it adds long-lasting color and contrast to the summer perennial border.

Armeria maritima (Sea Thrift) is a compact, evergreen perennial boasting round clusters of pink to lavender (or sometimes white) flowers borne atop slender stalks that rise well above the foliage. Blooming profusely in mid to late spring, sporadic additional flowering may occur throughout the summer. Sea Thrift forms a dense, mounded tuft of grass-like, dark green leaves that will spread slowly. A charming little plant that is ridiculously easy to grow and is perfect for edging walks or borders. The flowers can be used as cut flowers too.

Extremely compact, Aster sedifolius 'Nanus' forms a massive display of star-shaped, lilac blue flowers, 1.25 in. wide (3 cm), with sunny yellow centers atop a foliage of lance-shaped, dark green leaves. Blooming for many weeks from late summer to late fall, this eye-catching beauty is a short, bushy perennial that is ideal for the front of the border or container planting. Unlike many other Asters, it doesn't require staking. Native to Europe, it is easy to grow, long lived, brings cheerful fall color and is a great source of nectar for butterflies! Grows in a bushy, compact dome of up to 18 in. tall and wide (45 cm). Drought and rabbit tolerant!

For summer to fall exquisite beauty on easy care plants, few perennials can compare with Aster x frikartii 'Monch' (Frikart's Aster). One of the first Asters to bloom, this lovely perennial plant creates a bold splash of color in the landscape over an extraordinarily long season with masses of attractive, soft lavender-blue, star-shaped blossoms, 2 in. wide (5 cm), with slender rays and golden-yellow centers. Such a gentle color that it blends with almost any other color in the garden. Free flowering, well-branched with sturdy stems that do not need staking, this aster is easy to grow, trouble-free, mildew-resistant and a great source of nectar for butterflies!

Bushy, well-branched, with one of the longest blooming seasons, Red Valerian (Centranthus Ruber) is a popular perennial grown for its ornamental and showy star-shaped flowers. Fragrant, this border beauty is also easy to grow, fairly pest and disease free and attracts butterflies. What else to ask for? A prolific bloomer from early summer to fall, it produces abundant, rounded clusters of crimson ('Coccineus'), pink ('Roseus') or white flowers ('Albus'), rising atop a blue-green, lance-shaped foliage.

Adding a bold, vertical dimension to perennial flower beds, shade gardens, and cottage gardens, Digitalis purpurea (Common Foxglove) is a stately biennial or short-lived perennial boasting tall, one-sided spires of pendant, tubular, bright rosy-purple flowers, 2-3 in. long (5-7 cm), with white speckled throats. Blooming from early to midsummer, they rise from a basal rosette of downy, oblong, deep green leaves. Attractive to hummingbirds which hover near the tubular blossoms and to birds which flock to the seedheads in fall, this lovely plant naturalizes well, as it self-sows freely, and creates lovely colonies in the landscape.

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.

Sea Holly 'Big Blue' is extraordinarily eye-catching with its multitude of intense, iridescent steel-blue flowers, 4 in. wide (10 cm), tightly packed into egg-shaped heads, that light up the garden throughout summer. Its beautiful texture and unique color that extends onto the stems and leaves, coupled with its long-lasting flowering, easy care and remarkable qualities as cut flowers make it a favorite of gardeners. A favorite of bees and butterflies too!

A favorite for cut flowers and arrangements, Baby's Breath (Gypsophila paniculata) also deserves a place in the landscape. Its airy clouds of white or pink tiny flowers add both contrast and texture to the perennial border from early summer to fall. Their billowy appearance is most attractive and has a softening effect on the surrounding plants. Growing in decorative mounds, up to 2-3 feet tall and wide (60-90 cm), covered with myriads of long-lasting, single or double flowers on plants with very small, blue-green leaves, this plant is low maintenance and highly disease-free.

Valued for its showy fluffy vertical flower spikes contrasting with a lush, finely textured, grassy foliage, Gayfeather or Blazing Star (Liatris spicata) is a perennial of great ornamental value. Interestingly flowering in succession from top to bottom over 4 weeks and more, its button-shaped, purple, rosy red or white flowers resemble blazing stars (hence its common name). Attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, this beautiful native American enjoys a long season of interest from mid summer to fall and supplies winter bird food. The narrow, opposite leaves stay attractive all summer and turn a rich bronze in fall. Easy to grow and low care, Liatris spicata adds a strong vertical accent in sunny borders or prairie gardens. It helps create outstanding combinations with the warm golds of Rudbeckia or the purple blossoms of Echinacea.

Native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, Phacelia tanacetifolia (Fiddleneck) is a terrific beneficial-insect plant and one of the very best bee plants. It is also very ornamental with its abundant and long-lasting fiddlehead clusters of lavender-blue, bell-shaped flowers with long stamens that gracefully extend well beyond the flowers. Blooming from late spring to early fall (up to 5 months!), they rise elegantly above the fine, feathery, tansy-like foliage.

Long lived and drought tolerant, Sedum 'Jose Aubergine' is a lovely sight in the landscape with its masses of deep, dusky pink flowers, densely packed in large umbrella-shaped flowerheads, and showing off atop dark purple stems clad with deep, rich aubergine, fleshy leaves. Easy to grow, this standout semi-upright perennial forms a 18-24 in. tall and wide (45-60 cm) clump of thick, fleshy dusky purple foliage topped with flower buds resembling broccoli. Gradually, these densely clustered buds will reveal tiny, star-like pink flowers in midsummer, which will softly change to mauve-pink, then chestnut-bronze in fall as they die. 'Jose Aubergine' grows strong and upright without flopping over.

Long lived and drought tolerant, award-winner Sedum 'Matrona' is a fabulous sight in the landscape with its masses of pale pink flowers, densely packed in large umbrella-shaped flowerheads, and showing off atop sturdy ruby stems that keep them perfectly upright, coupled with the fleshy, purple-veined and purple-tinged leaves. Easy to grow, this standout perennial forms a 18-24 in. tall (45- 60 cm) clump of thick, fleshy gray-green foliage topped with flower buds resembling broccoli. Gradually, these densely clustered buds will reveal tiny, star-like pink flowers in mid to late summer, which will softly change to mauve-pink, then chestnut-bronze in fall as they die

Named after Achilles, hero of the Trojan Wars in Greek mythology, who used yarrow to heal the wounds of his soldiers, Achillea is valued for its pleasantly fragrant, feathery foliage and its long-lasting, conspicuous, flat umbel flowers. Vital ingredient of herbaceous borders, cottage gardens, meadows or prairies, Achillea typically blooms for weeks from late spring to late summer, in a wide range of colors. Easy care, drought, deer and rabbit resistant, Achillea is rich in many qualities!

Agastache are beautiful, aromatic herbaceous perennials, rich in many qualities: broad color palette, lovely vertical lines, abundant blooms, drought and heat tolerance, great versatility. And they are not only pleasing to people - bees, hummingbirds and butterflies adore them too. Generally disease and pest free, they are resistant to deer and rabbits

An essential component of many bouquets thanks to their long vase life (over 2 weeks), Peruvian Lilies (Alstroemeria) are striking beauties that also deserve a spot outdoors. Borne in loose clusters, their 2 in. (5 cm) exotic blossoms are often streaked or freckled and are available in a fabulous range of colors. Resembling lilies with their attractive trumpet-like flowers, they do not grow from true bulbs but rather grow from tuberous roots which spread outward, gradually increasing the plant size each year.

Showiest members of the genus 'Iris', Bearded Irises should have a place in any garden. While there are thousands of cultivars, all bear flowers with 6 petals: 3 upright petals (standards) and 3 dropping petals (falls) displaying a fuzzy line or beard in their center, guiding insects towards the pollen. Flowers come in an array of gorgeous colors in the spring with some cultivars re-blooming in the summer and fall. As an added bonus, many re-blooming irises are fragrant.

Showy and long lived, Campanula lactiflora (Milky Bellflower) provides a stately presence in the garden with its tall, multi-branched stems producing hundreds of small lavender or white star-like flowers in open clusters from mid to late summer. Romantic looking, its long-lasting blooms mix superbly with roses and are spectacular additions to the perennial border, whether planted in sweeping drifts or used as a backdrop at the back of the border.

Combining grace and elegance, Campanula persicifolia (Peach-Leaved Bellflower) is a clump-forming perennial that sends up tall, sturdy stems which bear large, outward-facing, cup-shaped, single or double flowers in shades of violet-blue to white. Blooming over a long season, the enchanting flowers rise above spreading mats of narrow, toothed, bright green leaves. Adding color and contrast to the garden, these Bellflowers partner pleasingly with most perennials, including Baptisia australis (Wild Indigo), peonies or roses.

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.

Kniphofias, commonly known as Torch Lilies or Red Hot Pokers, always make a bold statement in the garden with their brilliant show of bright-colored, dense, erect spikes resembling glowing pokers or torches. Blooming from late spring to early fall, depending on the varieties, their stately flowers are noted for their long-lasting display of reds, oranges, yellows or creams, adding eye-catching splashes of color to any border.

Highlights of the garden from late spring to early summer, Oriental Poppies (Papaver orientale) are truly eye-catching perennials with their huge, silky-satin flowers in shades of red, orange, white or pink. Planted in small groups, their bold blossoms will give a colorful punch to your borders and draw the attention! The seedpods that follow the fading flowers are also quite attractive and can be used in dried flower arrangements or left in the garden for the visual interest they bring!