Allium sphaerocephalon or 'Drumstick Allium' is a lovely addition to the border where it adds interest and movement with its dense egg-shaped flower heads atop straight and slender stems, delicately turning from green to purple as they mature. Blooming in late spring to early summer, this spectacular bulbous perennial adds some dramatic color to the garden. Naturalizes easily and will come back year after year

Grown for its magnificent silver-white foliage, Artemisia ludoviciana (White Sage) is a fast-spreading perennial that adds light and contrast to the landscape and combines well with almost everything. Typically growing in a bushy clump, 2-3' tall (60-90 cm) and as wide, its lance-shaped foliage is aromatic when bruised. Its tiny, yellow-gray flowers are inconspicuous and should be removed as they appear. Drought, deer, and rabbit tolerant!

One of the most popular foliage plants, award-winner Artemisia schmidtiana 'Nana' is a compact, semi-evergreen perennial forming a low, spreading mound with soft, silvery leaves divided into hair-like segments of extremely fine foliage texture. Tiny, yellow nodding flower-heads appear in mid or late summer, but they are ornamentally insignificant and are best cut off to keep the foliage at its best. A great choice as a neutral spacer or framing plant, Artemisia schmidtiana 'Nana' is a graceful addition to the landscape. One of the few Artemisia that is not invasive by underground rhizomes.

Noted for its vigor and superb elegance, Athyrium filix-femina (Lady Fern) is a lovely deciduous fern forming a large rosette of upright to arching, lacy, lance-shaped, fresh-green fronds. The stems are generally green but sometimes display a very interesting red hue. Fast-growing, this fern is easy to grow and perfect for filling gaps between shrubs or under trees.

Bearing charming and profuse flowers for months, Centaurea cyanus, known as Cornflower or Bachelor's Button, are particularly attractive annual plants with usually double, daisy-like flower heads, 1.5 in. wide (3.5 cm), in shades of blue, pink, lavender, white, and maroon. Blooming abundantly from late spring into late summer (if deadheaded), they rise cheerfully atop tall stems clad with lance-shaped, gray-green leaves. A magnet for butterflies, they are excellent for cutting and drying. A magnet for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators and beneficial insects.

With its luminous spiny collar of silvery-white bracts surrounding an egg-shaped flower head and tightly packed with flowers, initially pale green, then changing to steel-blue, Miss Willmott's Ghost (Eryngium giganteum) is quite a catch and an asset to any garden! Rising atop a basal rosette of heart-shaped green leaves, this short-lived perennial or biennial self-sows generously and remains in the garden year after year for our utmost pleasure.

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 species 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.

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.

Highly decorative with its profuse and attractive, fluffy, white flowers, rising on tall willowy stems and bobbing in the air, Sanguisorba tenuifolia 'Alba' is a prized addition to the garden. Commonly known as White Japanese Burnet, this vigorous perennial features an equally beautiful foliage of intricately cut dark green leaves. This very ornamental plant is a 'see-through' plant which may be planted at the front of the border since the tall flower stalks are so airy and delicate that we can see through them to the plants behind.

Lamb's Ears (Stachys byzantina) is a wonderful evergreen perennial, mostly grown for its rich rosettes of showy, velvety, silvery tongue-shaped leaves, resembling lamb's ears and bringing interest to the border. Pink-purple flower spikes appear in late spring or early summer. Their fuzzy flowers add textural interest, but cutting them off promotes foliage growth and improves the plant's vigor.

Statuesque with tufts of foliage bursting with emerging seed heads in early summer, Stipa gigantea is an impressive ornamental grass. Evergreen or semi-evergreen, it forms a dense mound of slender, arching gray-green leaves, up to 18 in. tall (45 cm), from which emerge erect flower spikes rising 4 ft. (120 cm) above the foliage. They bear elegant panicles of silvery spikelets, with long awns and dangling golden anthers which sway gracefully in the slightest breeze and persist well into winter. Spectacular when backlit by the rising or setting sun!

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.

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

Providing a bold splash of color in the late-season garden with its masses of lavender-blue starry flowers, the Italian Aster (Aster amellus) is one of the first Asters to bloom, doesn't need staking, and is not sensitive to mildew. Native to Europe, it is easy to grow, is long-lived, brings cheerful fall color, and is a great source of nectar for butterflies! As opposed to the New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae) or the New York Aster (Aster novi-belgii), it doesn't produce tall, pyramidal plants, but the size and beauty of its blossoms, coupled with its neat and compact habit, make the Italian Aster among the most desirable of all Fall Asters.

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.

Coreopsis, commonly known as "Tickseed", are prized by many gardeners for the bright colors of their flowers and their ability to put up with most garden soils. There are over 100 species available and countless hybrids, including both annuals and perennials. Most of them are low maintenance, drought tolerant and enjoy a long blooming season, generally from early summer to fall, or even longer if deadheaded. Native American Coreopsis are not only workhorses in sunny borders, they also make excellent cut flowers.

Tough as nails, Coneflowers (Echinacea) are wonderful additions to the landscape with their brightly colored blossoms to be enjoyed over a long flowering season. Simple to grow, mostly trouble-free, thriving on neglect, these members of the Asteraceae family (along with daisies, sunflowers and asters), are reliable performers that are tolerant to almost everything! Loved by butterflies, birds and bees, Coneflowers have won the hearts and minds of many gardeners and are increasingly in vogue as garden perennials, as cut flowers or landscape plants. They enjoy such a long list of virtues that should not be overlooked!

Adding fabulous color and form to the early summer border, hardy perennial salvias are mostly represented by the hybrids of Salvia x sylvestris (Woodland Sage) and Salvia nemorosa. With their vertical, densely packed flower spikes, ranging from rich indigo-blue to violet to purple, these hardy salvias contribute to creating incredibly beautiful and contrasting combinations with other perennials and ornamental grasses. Butterflies and hummingbirds love them as they enjoy sipping the nectar from their tightly bunched whorls of flowers.

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.

Late summer and early fall often represent a challenge to gardeners as summer-blooming plants begin to fade while fall bloomers have not quite reached their apex. Fall-blooming anemones, commonly called Japanese Anemones or Windflowers, are fabulous perennials, helping with this transition from one season to the next.

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.

Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum) is a highly popular herbaceous perennial valued for its prominent and spectacular floral display and its attractive, lush dark green foliage which provide weeks of color starting early or mid-summer. Extremely easy to grow, there is a Shasta Daisy for every garden and every taste thanks to the profusion of cultivars presenting different levels of compactness, floral size, flowering type (single or double), longevity, or repetitiveness of the bloom period.

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.

With its showy, sweetly fragrant flowers and long blooming season throughout the summer until early fall, Phlox paniculata is a garden classic that is considered by many as the backbone of summer borders. Their full round heads of white, lavender, pink, rose, red and bi-color blossoms sway attractively in the breeze, adding a gentle fragrance that is always welcome. Rich in nectar, they are visited by hummingbirds, butterflies, and birds that adore them! And so should you!

Rudbeckia hirta, commonly known as Black-Eyed Susan, Gloriosa Daisy or Yellow Oxeye Daisy is a cheerful, widespread wildflower that belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is renowned for its showy golden-yellow or orange-red, 2-3 in. wide (5-7 cm), daisy-like flowers with dark chocolate central cones. The single or double blooms rise atop sturdy, upright, scattered stems. Their foliage of oval green leaves is covered with bristly hairs that give it a slightly rough texture. Black-Eyed Susans flowers are attractive to butterflies, bees, and other pollinators and beneficial insects. They are considered deer-resistant plants due to their typically rough leaves and stems.

Noted for their graceful and bountiful flowers, Speedwells (Veronica longifolia) are long-blooming, easy-care perennials that are prized by gardeners for the distinctive vertical lines they bring to the landscape. Their spiky flowers, in shades of white, blue, pink, purple or violet, rise like slender wands which enliven the garden with color and clouds of butterflies.

Extremely showy, Veronicastrum virginicum (Culver's Root) introduces elegant vertical lines to the borders with its long spikes of densely-clustered, tiny flowers from summer to fall. With a candelabra look, these attractive inflorescences, in shades of white, blue, pink and purple, are nicely complemented by lanceolate, dark-green leaves that are arranged in whorls around the stem. Fantastically hardy, very tolerant, Veronicastrum adds height, structure and texture to the garden, and as a bonus, this plant also attracts bees and butterflies!