Bronze-purple foliage with blue spikes. Fills bare shade in one season.
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.
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.
Golden prairie workhorse that lights up late summer meadows.
Fiery bicolor pinwheels that bloom nonstop in the worst heat and soil.
Massive blue-gray leaves up to 18 inches long. One of the largest and most slug-resistant hostas.
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.
Dwarf paniculata smothered in blooms. Perfect front-of-border plant that needs almost no care.
Explosive cascades of papery bracts. Covers walls and fences in color.
Clouds of tiny forget-me-not blue flowers over heart-shaped leaves. Thrives in dry shade once established.
Long, arching flower wands that butterflies absolutely lose their minds over.
Mini petunias that bloom nonstop in hanging baskets. Dozens of color options and no deadheading needed.
Low mounds of gray foliage are covered in tubular red-orange flowers in late summer.
Golden cups that carpet hillsides across the state. Closes at night and on cloudy days.
Tall spikes of starry flowers rise above strappy foliage in late spring.
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.
Scarlet red with a velvety texture. One of the best true red daylilies available.
The fall icon. Mounds of color when everything else is fading.
Grown for kaleidoscopic foliage, not flowers. Pinch blooms to keep energy in the leaves.
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.
Grown mostly for dramatic foliage, but the tiny bell flowers are a bonus.
Airy, dancing flowers on thread-thin stems. Effortless cottage garden charm.
The tree of the South. Months of crinkled blooms and gorgeous peeling bark.
Cascading sheets of spring color over walls and slopes. Evergreen mat.
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.
Cheerful trumpets that naturalize beautifully and return stronger each year.
Virtually indestructible perennial with trumpet blooms in every warm hue.
Cheerful desert wildflower that blooms almost year-round in warm climates. Thrives on neglect.
Fuller, double-petaled version of the Knock Out. Same bulletproof performance with more petal count.
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.
Groundcover rose that stays low and spreads wide. Tough, disease-resistant, and constantly in bloom.
Slender stems bear elegant iris blooms in late spring to early summer.
Perfect rosettes in blue, green, pink, and purple. Bell-shaped flowers on arching stems. Frost-tender.
The world's largest hosta. Individual leaves can exceed two feet. A bold statement in any shade garden.
Delicate fairy-wing flowers above leathery foliage. One of the toughest dry shade groundcovers.
A wall of golden yellow on bare branches. Spring's loudest announcement.
Arching, bottlebrush plumes that catch the light. Movement in the garden.
Star-shaped blooms that appear as snow melts. Naturalizes into drifts.
Giant creamy plumes like an astilbe on steroids. Native woodland giant that anchors a shade border.
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.
The bluest hosta you can grow. Thick, heavily textured leaves resist slugs better than most.
Lemon-yellow rebloomer with light fragrance. A bit taller than Stella with softer color.
The Lenten Rose. Elegant nodding blooms that thrive in deep shade.
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.
The undisputed queen of shade gardening. Foliage in every green and blue.
White petals frame a wide, ruffled cup that opens yellow and fades to cream. Multiplies fast.
Neon-bright daisy flowers that shimmer in the sun over succulent foliage. Thrives in hot, dry rock gardens.
The shade annual champion. Flowers prolifically where nothing else will.
Graceful, swaying blooms on tall stems. Elegant in partial shade.
Arching variegated leaves form graceful cascades and brighten shady spots.
Silver and burgundy fronds unlike any other fern. Foliage plant that earns its keep on color alone.
Gold center streaked with blue-green margins. Color shifts through the season. A collector's favorite.
Strong vertical plumes emerge in early summer and persist as tawny stems through winter.
The classic golden trumpet daffodil. Naturalizes into massive sweeps that return for decades.
The rose that changed everything. Disease-resistant, self-cleaning, and blooms nonstop from spring to frost.
Multi-colored flower clusters that bloom relentlessly in brutal heat.
Fragrant silver-green mounds beloved by bees and humans alike.
Nodding flowers in late winter when nothing else is blooming. Evergreen foliage adds year-round structure to shade gardens.
Cone-shaped blooms open chartreuse, mature to white, then blush pink in fall. Tough as nails.
Upright clumps turn coppery orange in fall and stand well through winter.
Compact Limelight. Same color show in a smaller package perfect for borders and containers.
Flowers open pink and turn blue on the same stem. Silver-spotted foliage looks great all season.
The gold standard coneflower. Flat, non-drooping petals around a bold copper cone. Perennial Plant of the Year.
Bulletproof color all season long. The workhorse of warm-toned borders.
Perennial Plant of the Year. Dense indigo-violet spikes that rebloom if deadheaded.
Distinctive sombrero-like flowers sway on wiry stems in summer prairies.
Tall, graceful plumes that persist through winter. Living architecture.
Fast-climbing vine with trumpets that open fresh every morning.
Earlier blooming and slightly softer purple than Hidcote. Gertrude Jekyll's favorite for a reason.
Peeling bark, burgundy foliage, and white puffs. A native multitasker.
Tall vase-shaped fronds that unfurl from fiddleheads in spring. Spreads to form dramatic colonies.
Western native that blooms much longer than its eastern cousin. Ferny foliage all season.
Dark green leaves with crisp white margins. Classic variegated hosta that brightens shady spots.
Cascading color for containers and beds. Blooms nonstop until frost.
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.
Brilliant orange-red blossoms in late spring and summer are followed by decorative, edible fruits.
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.
Deep purple-red blooms on a compact Stella-sized plant. Brings rich color to the front of the border.
Brushy purple flower spikes rise over fine foliage and feed prairie pollinators.
Huge leaves and thick red stalks give a lush look while supplying tart harvests.
Huge textured leaves resembling horse chestnuts with fluffy plumes. Architectural shade statement.
Tropical-looking hibiscus flowers on a cold-hardy shrub. Blooms late.
Airy lavender clouds on silver stems. Thrives in heat and poor soil.
Vertical flower spikes that hummingbirds and bees cannot resist.
Carpets of brilliant blue that naturalize under trees with zero effort.
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.
Classic white-and-gold daisies that look fresh from a meadow painting.
Upright spikes of bright yellow flowers feed late-season pollinators on dry prairies.
Airy pink flower plumes create a smoke-like haze around the canopy. 'Royal Purple' has burgundy foliage.
Delicate nodding bells that bloom fearlessly in late winter cold.
Arching stems hung with dangling white bells. Pairs of leaves create graceful, layered architecture.
Tidy spikes of blue that add vertical punch to the front of the border.
Flat-topped flower clusters on tidy mounds. The easiest flowering shrub.
The most planted perennial in America. Compact, reblooming, and basically indestructible.
Chartreuse giant that can take more sun than most hostas. Heart-shaped leaves grow enormous.
Honey-scented carpet of tiny flowers. The best living edging plant.
Small clustered flowers perfume the garden with an apricot-like scent over a long season.
Upright native grass with airy seed heads. Gold and red fall color.
Fine foliage and pale blue starry flowers are followed by golden fall color.
Cheerful native daisy that blooms for months with almost no care.
Orchid-like spotted flowers when everything else is done. A late-season shade garden gem.
Aggressive native vine with fiery trumpets. Hummingbird highway.
Evergreen mat with periwinkle-blue flowers. Tough shade ground cover.
Compact and more drought-tolerant than most astilbes. Dense, rosy-pink plumes.
Perennial Plant of the Year. Billowy lavender-blue spikes that rebloom hard after a shear.
Glossy leaves and nonstop flowers in sun or shade. One of the most reliable bedding plants anywhere.
Tubular blooms smother arching branches in late spring. Hummingbird haven.
Soft pink blooms over deeply-cut foliage. A woodland edge staple.
Buttercup-yellow blooms that push through frozen ground before the crocuses.
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.
Easy-grow annual with electric colors. Cut-and-come-again champion.