Licorice-scented foliage and tubular orange-pink flowers that hummingbirds and butterflies find irresistible. Thrives on neglect.
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.
Glowing gold foliage all season, and one of the best hostas for brighter spots with some morning sun.
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.
Bold rubbery leaves provide year-round structure and turn burgundy in winter. Early pink flowers arrive with the hellebores.
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.
A mammoth shade-garden hosta with thick, corrugated blue-gray leaves up to 18 inches long that slugs leave alone, topped by fragrant lavender flower spikes in midsummer.
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 magenta, hot pink, or coral bracts that smother walls, fences, and pergolas with nonstop color from spring through fall in zones 9 to 11.
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.
Vivid orange-red flat-topped clusters that monarchs and swallowtails cannot resist. Drought-proof once established.
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.
Long lavender-blue spikes cover this heat-loving shrub all summer. One of the few shrubs that actually blooms in August.
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.
Creamy white rose-like flowers with sweet fragrance and feathery seed plumes on a tough Rocky Mountain native.
Slow to start but spectacular once established, covering shady walls with flat-topped white lacecap flowers and exfoliating bark.
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.
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.
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.
Finely cut foliage and clusters of puffy white pantaloon-shaped flowers in early spring. A charming ephemeral that disappears by summer.
Tiny lavender-blue iris flowers with gold crests on a spreading native ground cover. A spring woodland treasure.
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.
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.
Cheerful golden-yellow daisies that bloom for months on a tough native perennial. The sunniest, most reliable workhorse in the border.
Mottled leaves and nodding white flowers with swept-back petals emerge in early spring from Pacific Northwest woodlands.
Stark white centers with deep green margins, high contrast that jumps out from a shady border.
A wall of golden yellow on bare branches. Spring's loudest announcement.
Arching, bottlebrush plumes that catch the light. Movement in the garden.
Classic blue-green heart-shaped leaves with wide gold margins that make this one of the all-time great hostas.
Perfectly spherical steel-blue globes on white stems that dry to perfection. Bees are absolutely obsessed.
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.
Small, fast-spreading mound with chartreuse-gold margins and one of the easiest hostas you can grow.
Wrongly blamed for allergies. A vital late-season pollinator magnet.
The gold standard rudbeckia. Uniform, floriferous, and utterly reliable in any soil.
Gracefully arching white flower spikes that curve at the tips like a goose neck. Spreads vigorously in moist soil.
Tiny grape-like clusters that spread into rivers of blue over time.
Bright yellow star flowers appear for months above mat-forming foliage. The best spring ground cover for the Southeast.
Chartreuse-gold leaves with dark green margins and sweetly fragrant white flowers that perfume the shade garden.
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.
Tall, pale lemon-yellow, sweetly fragrant blooms on an heirloom variety that's been cherished since 1925.
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.
Golden-orange fall color and shimmering flower spikes make this tall prairie native one of autumn's best performers.
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.
Cheerful golden-yellow pompoms on bright green stems that stay vivid green all winter. One of the easiest shade-tolerant shrubs.
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.
Chartreuse frothy flowers and pleated blue-green leaves that hold water droplets like mercury. The ultimate filler plant.
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.
Tiny bell-shaped flowers with one of the most intoxicating fragrances in the plant world. Spreads into lush carpets under trees.
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.
Narrow arching foliage creates elegant vase shapes topped with coppery pink plumes in fall.
Bulletproof color all season long. The workhorse of warm-toned borders.
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.
Fast-climbing vine with trumpets that open fresh every morning.
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.
Three-petaled flowers in blue-purple open fresh each morning on a tough native that blooms for weeks and seeds freely.
Peeling bark, burgundy foliage, and white puffs. A native multitasker.
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.
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.
Compact cranberry-red with a yellow-green throat and one of the best reblooming habits in the entire family.
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.
Chains of lily-of-the-valley flowers dangle over colorful new growth. Year-round structure for shady borders.
Billowing pink seed clouds float over fine foliage in autumn and remain attractive dried.
Deep violet-purple flowers cover a vigorous plant from midsummer to fall. Prune hard each spring and stand back.
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.
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.
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.
A cold-hardy hibiscus shrub (Hibiscus syriacus) with big tropical-looking blooms in lavender, pink, blue, white, or wine, opening late summer when most flowering shrubs are done.
Soft rose-pink blooms with a cream throat that keep coming from late spring to frost, absolutely tireless.
Violet-blue saucer flowers on a sprawling mound that blooms from late spring until frost. The most awarded perennial geranium in history.
Airy lavender clouds on silver stems. Thrives in heat and poor soil.
Huge gray-blue leaves with creamy margins on a stately, vase-shaped plant that wins awards for good reason.
Vertical flower spikes that hummingbirds and bees cannot resist.
Carpets of brilliant blue that naturalize under trees with zero effort.
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.
Classic white-and-gold daisies that look fresh from a meadow painting.
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.
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.
Glossy gold center with dark green margins, like light through a cathedral window.
The most planted perennial in America. Compact, reblooming, and basically indestructible.
Fringed, shaggy-petaled flowers in shades of cornflower blue that bloom for weeks on a tough Southern native.
Sulfur-yellow flower clusters on a silvery-leaved cushion plant. One of the toughest and prettiest natives of the Mountain West.
Chartreuse giant that can take more sun than most hostas. Heart-shaped leaves grow enormous.
Bright yellow cups that open in daylight on a cheerful, drought-tolerant native that spreads into informal drifts.
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.
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.
Orchid-like spotted flowers when everything else is done. A late-season shade garden gem.
Aggressive native vine with fiery trumpets. Hummingbird highway.
Airy gold-green flower clouds hover above dark evergreen tufts. One of the few grasses that thrives in moist shade.
Nodding red hibiscus flowers that never fully open are pure hummingbird candy across the Gulf South.
Warm amber-caramel foliage that glows in the shade garden all season. The flowers are just a bonus.
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.
Cylindrical white flower spikes with orange anthers on a delicate, drought-proof prairie native that feeds bees all summer.
Luminous white lupin-like spikes on a structural native that's practically indestructible and improves with every year.
Blue-green leaves with wide creamy-white margins that age to a clean white, a standout performer in any shade garden.
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.
Horizontal yellow bands cross the blades in a pattern unique among ornamental grasses. Bold and architectural.
Easy-grow annual with electric colors. Cut-and-come-again champion.