Dramatic rosettes on woody stems. 'Zwartkop' variety has near-black leaves. Stunning in containers.
Licorice-scented foliage and tubular orange-pink flowers that hummingbirds and butterflies find irresistible. Thrives on neglect.
Dramatic globe-shaped heads on tall stems. Architectural and deer-proof.
Narrow, fuzzy foliage resists the leaf spot that plagues Goldsturm. A worthy upgrade.
Chartreuse needle-like foliage turns golden orange in fall. Tiny yellow flowers are a bonus.
Lavender-blue spikes with licorice-scented foliage. A pollinator powerhouse that blooms for months.
Purple cascades spilling over walls and rocks in spring. Shear after bloom for a fresh flush of foliage.
Broccoli-like heads open pink and age to copper-bronze. Four-season interest, zero maintenance.
Bright golden-yellow cascades over walls and rock edges in spring. Cut back after flowering to stay tidy.
Deep, near-black purple with a small yellow-green throat, the darkest and most dramatic daylily you can grow.
Coral-pink blooms with a tangerine beard. Named for the opera star and just as elegant.
The signature grass of the tallgrass prairie, turning copper-bronze in fall with distinctive turkey-foot seed heads.
Golden prairie workhorse that lights up late summer meadows.
Fiery bicolor pinwheels that bloom nonstop in the worst heat and soil.
Blooms in spring, then reblooms summer through frost. Compact habit with classic lilac fragrance.
Lupine-like spikes on a native that lives forever. Gets better with age.
Steel-blue tufted mound. Perfect edging or rock garden accent.
Delicate sky-blue flowers open each morning on airy stems over fine foliage.
Short clumping grass with distinctive eyebrow-shaped seed heads thrives in dry soils.
Compact clumps of steel-blue blades provide year-round color and texture.
Star-shaped electric blue flowers that bees go absolutely wild for. Self-sows freely.
Explosive cascades of papery magenta, hot pink, or coral bracts that smother walls, fences, and pergolas with nonstop color from spring through fall in zones 9 to 11.
Long, arching flower wands that butterflies absolutely lose their minds over.
Vivid orange-red flat-topped clusters that monarchs and swallowtails cannot resist. Drought-proof once established.
Low mounds of gray foliage are covered in tubular red-orange flowers in late summer.
Electric blue flower clusters on an evergreen California native. Hummingbird and bee magnet.
Golden cups that carpet hillsides across the state. Closes at night and on cloudy days.
Dark purple stems set this apart from every other salvia. Vertical, architectural, electric.
Tidy, dome-shaped habit that never flops open. Stays compact without shearing.
Billowy lavender-blue haze that blooms all season if you shear it back.
Grows for decades, then sends up a massive flower stalk up to 20 feet tall before dying. Worth the wait.
Tiny daisy flowers with apple-scented foliage. Brew into tea or let it naturalize between pavers.
Long lavender-blue spikes cover this heat-loving shrub all summer. One of the few shrubs that actually blooms in August.
A rainbow mix of coneflower colors from a single seed strain. Every plant is a surprise.
Scarlet red with a velvety texture. One of the best true red daylilies available.
Spider-flower with whisker-like stamens and airy blooms. Tall, dramatic annual that self-sows freely.
Creamy white rose-like flowers with sweet fragrance and feathery seed plumes on a tough Rocky Mountain native.
Tall stems with large yellow daisies tower over deeply cut basal leaves that align north-south.
Tough prairie native with long bloom season and medicinal history.
Flat coral-orange rosettes produce vivid flower stalks in late winter. One of the hardiest aloes.
Bold spikes of tubular red flowers in spring attract hummingbirds before bean pods form.
Airy, dancing flowers on thread-thin stems. Effortless cottage garden charm.
An evergreen sun-loving groundcover that smothers walls, slopes, and rock gardens in dense pink, purple, blue, lavender, or white sheets every April and May.
Fragrant, walkable ground cover. Bees love it, foot traffic can't kill it.
One of the first signs of spring, pushing through snow with jewel-toned cups.
Spiky purple blooms above silver-green aromatic foliage. A kitchen herb that doubles as an ornamental.
Virtually indestructible perennial with trumpet blooms in every warm hue.
Cheerful desert wildflower that blooms almost year-round in warm climates. Thrives on neglect.
Spicy clove-scented pinks with fringed petals in pink, red, white, or salmon, one of the best long-blooming edgers and front-of-border perennials for sun.
Fully double coral blooms like a small peony on a daylily, lush and completely unexpected.
Tiny alpine cushion plant smothered in bright yellow flowers in early spring. Perfect miniature scale.
Creeping mat of burgundy-tinged foliage with starry red flowers. Turns deep red in fall.
Slow-growing dwarf with dense rounded habit. Perfect for small gardens and foundation plantings.
Perfect rosettes in blue, green, pink, and purple. Bell-shaped flowers on arching stems. Frost-tender.
Pale blue starry flowers in spring give way to feathery foliage that turns brilliant gold in fall. Two seasons of beauty for zero effort.
Delicate fairy-wing flowers above leathery foliage. One of the toughest dry shade groundcovers.
Clusters of small white daisies that bloom for weeks. Historic medicinal herb that self-sows readily.
Spikes of scarlet tubular flowers that hummingbirds fight over. Southwestern native at its finest.
Arching, bottlebrush plumes that catch the light. Movement in the garden.
Perfectly spherical steel-blue globes on white stems that dry to perfection. Bees are absolutely obsessed.
Showers of small yellow flowers followed by papery lantern-like seed pods. Tolerates tough urban conditions.
Wrongly blamed for allergies. A vital late-season pollinator magnet.
The gold standard rudbeckia. Uniform, floriferous, and utterly reliable in any soil.
Tiny grape-like clusters that spread into rivers of blue over time.
Lemon-yellow rebloomer with light fragrance. A bit taller than Stella with softer color.
Tight rosettes that multiply by producing offsets. The mother plant flowers once, then dies, replaced by chicks.
Compact and intensely dark purple. The standard against which all other lavenders are measured.
Fiery double blooms like tiny orange dahlias on a coneflower. A showstopper that earns every bit of the hype.
Dramatic burgundy-red foliage all season with white tubular flowers in late spring. The most striking native penstemon for gardens.
Tall, pale lemon-yellow, sweetly fragrant blooms on an heirloom variety that's been cherished since 1925.
Neon-bright daisy flowers that shimmer in the sun over succulent foliage. Thrives in hot, dry rock gardens.
Reliable rebloomer with pure white ruffled falls. Blooms spring, then again in fall.
Golden-orange fall color and shimmering flower spikes make this tall prairie native one of autumn's best performers.
Massive 6-9 inch golden daisies on a short-lived plant. Bigger and bolder than perennial black-eyed susans.
Elegant sword-leaved perennials with intricate, ruffled blooms.
Strong vertical plumes emerge in early summer and persist as tawny stems through winter.
Multi-colored flower clusters that bloom relentlessly in brutal heat.
Fragrant silver-green mounds beloved by bees and humans alike.
Succulent rosettes with brilliant striped flowers in hot sunset colors. Must have perfect drainage or it rots.
Blazing star. Spikes that bloom unusually from top to bottom.
Upright clumps turn coppery orange in fall and stand well through winter.
The gold standard coneflower. Flat, non-drooping petals around a bold copper cone. Perennial Plant of the Year.
Narrow arching foliage creates elegant vase shapes topped with coppery pink plumes in fall.
Smooth red bark with urn-shaped flowers that feed hummingbirds in late winter. Sculptural beauty.
Ruffled golden-yellow flowers with a lavender eye, large, showy, and sweetly fragrant in the summer border.
Enormous fried-egg flowers on blue-gray stems. California's largest native wildflower. Spreads aggressively.
Perennial Plant of the Year. Dense indigo-violet spikes that rebloom if deadheaded.
Gossamer fine blades ripple in the slightest breeze like living silk. Plant where you can watch it move.
Distinctive sombrero-like flowers sway on wiry stems in summer prairies.
Tall, graceful plumes that persist through winter. Living architecture.
Compact lilac with pale lavender blooms and outstanding fragrance. Burgundy fall foliage as a bonus.
Fine white-edged foliage shimmers in morning light, then silver plumes arch above in fall.
Earlier blooming and slightly softer purple than Hidcote. Gertrude Jekyll's favorite for a reason.
Deep burgundy-red with a black eye and yellow throat, smoldering in the summer border.
Stiffly upright blue-green foliage that never flops. The most architectural switchgrass available.
Cascading creamy white plumes on arching branches. Western Washington's summer answer to a native bridal veil.
Tiny flowers are a pollinator magnet when allowed to bloom. Let a patch go to flower for the bees.
Holly-like evergreen with yellow flower clusters followed by blue berries. Tough, shade-loving native.
Compact cranberry-red with a yellow-green throat and one of the best reblooming habits in the entire family.
Tubular flowers on upright stems. Native hummingbird magnet for dry gardens.
Survives humidity and cold that kills other lavenders. Silver foliage stays tight and full.
Billowing pink seed clouds float over fine foliage in autumn and remain attractive dried.
Intoxicatingly fragrant tropical blooms. The flower of Hawaiian leis.
Brilliant orange-red blossoms in late spring and summer are followed by decorative, edible fruits.
Deep rose-purple petals and a bronzy cone on a compact reblooming plant that won't sprawl.
Huge basal leaves and tall stalks topped with yellow daisies give strong prairie structure.
Fine-textured mounds send up airy fragrant flower sprays that persist into winter.
The bluest foliage of any switchgrass, with airy pink seed clouds drifting above in late summer.
Nodding wine-red flowers transform into feathery pink seed plumes that persist into summer. Native prairie gem.
Deep purple-red blooms on a compact Stella-sized plant. Brings rich color to the front of the border.
Burgundy foliage topped with fuzzy rose-colored plumes. Stunning in containers where it's treated as an annual in cold climates.
Brushy purple flower spikes rise over fine foliage and feed prairie pollinators.
Torch-like spikes in fire-orange and yellow that hummingbirds zoom straight to. Bold and unforgettable.
Brilliant red with a small yellow center, compact and one of the earliest daylilies to kick into rebloom.
Spikes of deep blue tubular flowers rise above glossy evergreen foliage in early summer.
Aromatic evergreen herb with tiny blue flowers loved by early bees. Needs excellent drainage.
Soft rose-pink blooms with a cream throat that keep coming from late spring to frost, absolutely tireless.
Airy lavender clouds on silver stems. Thrives in heat and poor soil.
Vertical flower spikes that hummingbirds and bees cannot resist.
Tubular red trumpets on a wiry biennial that hummingbirds adore across the Mountain West. Blooms its second year, then self-sows.
Metallic blue bracts and cones turn the whole plant a vivid silvery-blue. Otherworldly and completely drought-proof.
Grassy tufts topped with round pink pom-poms. Loves lean soil and coastal conditions.
Succulent leaves, tough as nails. Ages to deep crimson in autumn.
Unique bicolor blooms with purple petals edged in white. A head-turner in any spring garden.
Compact selection that turns vivid burgundy-red in late summer earlier than any other switchgrass.
Upright spikes of bright yellow flowers feed late-season pollinators on dry prairies.
Seed heads hang like tiny flags along one side of the stem on this graceful, drought-tolerant prairie native.
Tiny pastel pink blooms on a miniature plant, perfect for container gardens and tight spaces.
Airy pink flower plumes create a smoke-like haze around the canopy. 'Royal Purple' has burgundy foliage.
The most planted perennial in America. Compact, reblooming, and basically indestructible.
Sulfur-yellow flower clusters on a silvery-leaved cushion plant. One of the toughest and prettiest natives of the Mountain West.
Bright yellow cups that open in daylight on a cheerful, drought-tolerant native that spreads into informal drifts.
Upright native grass with airy seed heads. Gold and red fall color.
Wiry stems topped with purple clusters that butterflies can't resist. See-through plant for layering.
Fine foliage and pale blue starry flowers are followed by golden fall color.
Thread-fine foliage and masses of tiny yellow stars bloom for months with zero effort. A perennial you can actually neglect.
Cheerful native daisy that blooms for months with almost no care.
Aggressive native vine with fiery trumpets. Hummingbird highway.
Evergreen mat with periwinkle-blue flowers. Tough shade ground cover.
Wine-purple petals that age to rose on a robust, well-branched plant. One of the most floriferous echinacea you can grow.
Perennial Plant of the Year. Billowy lavender-blue spikes that rebloom hard after a shear.
Cylindrical white flower spikes with orange anthers on a delicate, drought-proof prairie native that feeds bees all summer.
Pure white drooping petals around a bronze-orange cone. Elegant and underused.
Luminous white lupin-like spikes on a structural native that's practically indestructible and improves with every year.
The wild cousin of bee balm. Lavender puffs alive with pollinators. Tougher and more mildew-resistant.
Reliable cultivar bearing large red fruits and vivid orange flowers.
Flat-topped clusters on ferny foliage. Thrives on neglect in poor soil.
Sword-like evergreen foliage sends up dramatic stalks of white bells. Tough, architectural, underrated.
Horizontal yellow bands cross the blades in a pattern unique among ornamental grasses. Bold and architectural.