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!

A stunning plant for year-round interest, Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii is a statuesque evergreen shrub that enjoys months of chartreuse flowers. Upright, it features erect stems with spirally arranged narrow blue-green leaves. They are decoratively topped with thick bottlebrush-like greenish-yellow flowers in spring, which consist primarily of glowing lime-yellow bracts with purple nectar glands. Remaining attractive during all its growing season, this remarkable plant is resilient to most pests and diseases and is deer and rabbit-resistant.

Incredibly showy, fast and easy to grow, Euphorbia palustris is an upright, bushy, clump-forming herbaceous perennial which is perfect to brighten any border. It produces exceptionally eye-catching clusters of bright greenish-yellow flowers in late spring to early summer (depending on regions), which last for months. The foliage of medium green leaves, elegantly radiating from exquisitely branched stems, turns to attractive shades of yellow or orange in fall, providing a long season of interest.

Geranium 'Rozanne' is an exceptional, unique, and unsurpassed geranium selection. There are not enough superlatives to describe this fabulous perennial. Robust and vigorous, with one of the longest flowering periods of all hardy geraniums and rare blue-colored flowers of great decorative beauty, it is an ideal element of the garden, patio, or balcony. A prolific bloomer, it continuously produces masses of large violet-blue flowers with attractive purple-violet veins and small white centers for months of color from late spring to the first frost.

Hemerocallis 'Stafford' is incredibly beautiful and produces masses of rich burgundy flowers with yellow and orange stripes that melt into a golden throat. Each flower typically lasts no more than 24 hours (thus the common name 'Daylily'), opening up in the morning and withering during the forthcoming night, possibly replaced by another one on the same scape (flower stalk) the next day. The bright green, strap-like leaves of this midseason diploid Daylily are semi-evergreen in mild areas. Blooming in midsummer, this clump-forming perennial grows up to 24-28 in. tall (60-70 cm) and spreads slowly via rhizomes to 12-24 in. (30-60 cm)

Striking and eye-catching with its brilliant crimson leaves, Imperata cylindrica 'Red Baron' (Japanese Blood Grass) is a very distinctive ornamental grass. It produces upright, bright green blades whose upper half turns cranberry-red in summer and deepens to burgundy until late fall before it goes dormant in winter. Narrow panicles of silvery-white spikelets appear occasionally in late summer, but the main charm of this grass is its brazen foliage. Valuable for its stunning appeal, this highly decorative grass is one of the most beautiful ornamental grasses for the garden, where it provides a lovely contrast with other plants.

Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea (Purple Moor Grass) is an exceptionally lovely and graceful ornamental grass. Tall, with an open growth habit, it exhibits arching thread-like leaves topped in summer with a haze of delicate flower spikes, that sway gracefully in the slightest breeze. Emerging green then fading to purplish-brown to finally mature to golden shades, they provide a long season of interest extending into the fall. Wet soil tolerant, it requires very little care, is deer resistant, and provides weeks of interest from summer to fall

Low-growing, compact and incredibly floriferous, Pennisetum orientale (Oriental Fountain Grass) is a clump-forming tufted perennial grass and one of the most striking hardy fountain grasses. Blooming over an exceptionally long season, its fluffy flower spikes rise high above the foliage, arching upward or outward, and cascading down the deep green to gray-green foliage that rustles in the wind. Resembling bottle brushes, the flower spikes consist of soft, pinkish spikelets that are formed in long, narrow panicles, about 4-5 in. long (10-13 cm). They sway in the breeze and literally glow when lit from behind in early morning or late afternoon sun. Over time, those pink panicles mature to a light brown. The foliage turns straw-colored in the fall and generally remains attractive, well into the winter.

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.

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!

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.

Winner of the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society, Verbena bonariensis is a tall and slender-stemmed perennial that displays rich lilac flowers in tight clusters atop long stems that sway gracefully in the summer breeze. They rise well above rosettes of lance-shaped, dark green leaves that hug the ground. A superior nectar plant, hummingbirds and butterflies love it, and so will you!

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!

Agapanthus are such flamboyant and exotic-looking perennials that it is impossible not to love them! Easy to grow, pest and disease free, they feature showy, rounded clusters of brightly colored flowers on stiff, upright stalks atop clumps of beautiful, long, shiny leaves.

Eye-catching, Anthemis tinctoria is a vigorous perennial that will light up your garden throughout summer and sometimes into fall with its abundant blooms of shining golden yellow flowers atop a fragrant lacy foliage. A low-maintenance plant, it adds long-lasting color and contrast to the summer perennial border.

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.

Often grown for their dramatic foliage - large banana like leaves - Cannas provide a strong ornamental interest and immediately give a touch of the tropics in the garden. Ranging from 1.5 to 8 feet tall (45 to 240 cm), they bloom from mid summer to fall in a warm array of colors varying from red, orange, yellow to pink or cream. Flowers last only a day or two, but are generally quickly replaced. The foliage of large paddle-shaped leaves may be striped or variegated and exist in shades of green or bronze.

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!

Native to North America and Central America, Helenium is a great perennial for the late season garden as it provides weeks of splashes of color, from early summer to early fall, when many other perennials are starting to fade.

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.

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.