Ground CoverApr-MayAjuga
Bronze-purple foliage with blue spikes. Fills bare shade in one season.
Z3-10
BulbMay-JunAllium
Dramatic globe-shaped heads on tall stems. Architectural and deer-proof.
Z5-9
PerennialJul-SepAnise Hyssop
Lavender-blue spikes with licorice-scented foliage. A pollinator powerhouse that blooms for months.
Z4-9
PerennialAug-NovAster
The grand finale of the garden season. Essential for fall pollinators.
Z3-8
PerennialJun-AugAstilbe
Feathery plumes that light up shady, moist spots like nothing else can.
Z3-8
PerennialApr-MayAubrieta
Purple cascades spilling over walls and rocks in spring. Shear after bloom for a fresh flush of foliage.
Z4-8
ShrubApr-MayAzalea
Explosive spring color in every warm hue. Acid-loving woodland classic.
Z5-10
PerennialJun-AugBee Balm
Shaggy, crown-shaped flowers that hummingbirds fight over.
Z3-10
PerennialJun-AugBela Lugosi Daylily
Deep, near-black purple with a small yellow-green throat, the darkest and most dramatic daylily you can grow.
Z3-9
ShrubApr-SepBloom-a-Thon Azalea
Repeat-blooming azalea with waves of color spring through fall. Evergreen in mild climates.
Z5-9
ShrubMay-SepBloomerang Lilac
Blooms in spring, then reblooms summer through frost. Compact habit with classic lilac fragrance.
Z3-7
PerennialMay-JunBlue False Indigo
Lupine-like spikes on a native that lives forever. Gets better with age.
Z3-10
VineMar-NovBougainvillea
Explosive cascades of papery bracts. Covers walls and fences in color.
Z9-11
ShrubJun-OctButterfly Bush
Long, arching flower wands that butterflies absolutely lose their minds over.
Z5-10
AnnualMay-OctCalibrachoa
Mini petunias that bloom nonstop in hanging baskets. Dozens of color options and no deadheading needed.
Z9-11
PerennialMay-AugCaradonna Salvia
Dark purple stems set this apart from every other salvia. Vertical, architectural, electric.
Z3-9
PerennialMay-SepCat's Meow Catmint
Tidy, dome-shaped habit that never flops open. Stays compact without shearing.
Z3-9
PerennialMay-SepCatmint
Billowy lavender-blue haze that blooms all season if you shear it back.
Z3-10
ShrubJul-SepChaste Tree
Long lavender-blue spikes cover this heat-loving shrub all summer. One of the few shrubs that actually blooms in August.
Z6-9
PerennialJun-SepCheyenne Spirit Coneflower
A rainbow mix of coneflower colors from a single seed strain. Every plant is a surprise.
Z4-10
PerennialMay-JunChives
Cheerful purple pom-pom flowers on a kitchen staple. Edible blooms make any salad Instagram-worthy.
Z3-9
PerennialSep-NovChrysanthemum
The fall icon. Mounds of color when everything else is fading.
Z5-10
VineMay-SepClematis
The queen of flowering vines. Over 300 species, something for every spot.
Z3-10
AnnualJun-SepCleome
Spider-flower with whisker-like stamens and airy blooms. Tall, dramatic annual that self-sows freely.
Z2-11
AnnualJul-AugColeus
Grown for kaleidoscopic foliage, not flowers. Pinch blooms to keep energy in the leaves.
Z10-11
PerennialApr-JunColumbine
Delicate, spurred flowers that dance on wiry stems. Hummingbird favorite.
Z3-8
PerennialJun-SepConeflower
Tough prairie native with long bloom season and medicinal history.
Z3-10
TreeJun-SepCrape Myrtle
The tree of the South. Months of crinkled blooms and gorgeous peeling bark.
Z7-10
Ground CoverApr-MayCreeping Phlox
Cascading sheets of spring color over walls and slopes. Evergreen mat.
Z3-10
Ground CoverJun-JulCreeping Thyme
Fragrant, walkable ground cover. Bees love it, foot traffic can't kill it.
Z3-10
BulbFeb-AprCrocus
One of the first signs of spring, pushing through snow with jewel-toned cups.
Z3-8
PerennialMay-JunCulinary Sage
Spiky purple blooms above silver-green aromatic foliage. A kitchen herb that doubles as an ornamental.
Z4-8
BulbJul-OctDahlia
Endless forms from dinner-plate to pompom. The obsession of flower farmers.
Z3-10
PerennialJun-AugDaylily
Virtually indestructible perennial with trumpet blooms in every warm hue.
Z3-10
PerennialJun-JulDelphinium
Towering spires of true blue. The tallest, most dramatic back-of-border plant.
Z3-8
BulbMay-JunDutch Iris
Slender stems bear elegant iris blooms in late spring to early summer.
Z5-9
TreeMar-AprEastern Redbud
Magenta flowers erupt directly from bare branches. Spring showstopper tree.
Z4-9
ShrubApr-OctEncore Autumn Azalea
Spring blooms plus a full fall encore. Multiple color options in the Encore series.
Z6-10
ShrubJun-SepEndless Summer Hydrangea
Reblooms on old and new wood, so you get flowers even after a harsh winter. Color shifts with soil pH.
Z4-9
PerennialMay-JulFoxglove
Stately spires of spotted, bell-shaped flowers. Cottage garden royalty.
Z3-8
BulbApr-MayFritillaria
Checkered, nodding bells with an otherworldly pattern. A collector's favorite.
Z3-8
PerennialJul-SepGarden Phlox
Billowing clusters of fragrant summer color. A butterfly magnet.
Z3-8
PerennialJun-AugGlobe Artichoke
Bold silvery foliage and large thistle-like buds are both decorative and edible.
Z7-11
PerennialJul-AugGlobe Thistle
Perfectly spherical steel-blue globes on white stems that dry to perfection. Bees are absolutely obsessed.
Z3-9
PerennialJul-AugGolden Tiara Hosta
Small, fast-spreading mound with chartreuse-gold margins and one of the easiest hostas you can grow.
Z3-8
BulbMar-MayGrape Hyacinth
Tiny grape-like clusters that spread into rivers of blue over time.
Z3-8
PerennialJan-AprHellebore
The Lenten Rose. Elegant nodding blooms that thrive in deep shade.
Z3-10
PerennialJun-AugHidcote Lavender
Compact and intensely dark purple. The standard against which all other lavenders are measured.
Z5-9
BulbMar-AprHyacinth
Dense, intensely fragrant spikes. One bulb can perfume an entire room.
Z3-8
ShrubJun-SepHydrangea
Massive mophead blooms that shift color with soil pH. Showstoppers.
Z5-10
PerennialJun-SepIce Plant
Neon-bright daisy flowers that shimmer in the sun over succulent foliage. Thrives in hot, dry rock gardens.
Z5-10
AnnualMay-OctImpatiens
The shade annual champion. Flowers prolifically where nothing else will.
Z3-10
PerennialMay-JunIris
Elegant sword-leaved perennials with intricate, ruffled blooms.
Z3-10
VineJun-SepJackmanii Clematis
The classic large-flowered clematis since 1858. Deep violet-purple blooms cover the vine midsummer.
Z4-8
PerennialJun-JulJapanese Iris
Huge, flat, ruffled blooms up to 10 inches across. Needs consistent moisture, especially during bloom.
Z4-9
PerennialJul-SepJoe-Pye Weed
Towering native with mauve domes that butterflies swarm in late summer.
Z3-8
PerennialMay-NovLantana
Multi-colored flower clusters that bloom relentlessly in brutal heat.
Z7-10
PerennialJun-AugLavender
Fragrant silver-green mounds beloved by bees and humans alike.
Z5-10
PerennialFeb-AprLenten Rose
Nodding flowers in late winter when nothing else is blooming. Evergreen foliage adds year-round structure to shade gardens.
Z4-9
PerennialJul-SepLiatris
Blazing star. Spikes that bloom unusually from top to bottom.
Z3-10
ShrubApr-MayLilac
Intensely fragrant clusters that define spring in northern gardens.
Z3-8
PerennialMay-JunLupine
Dramatic spikes in every color. Short-lived but self-seeds generously.
Z3-8
TreeMar-MayMagnolia
Goblet-shaped blooms on bare branches. One of spring's most dramatic moments.
Z5-9
PerennialMay-AugMay Night Salvia
Perennial Plant of the Year. Dense indigo-violet spikes that rebloom if deadheaded.
Z3-9
PerennialMay-JunMeadow Rue
Fluffy puffs of bloom on tall, airy stems above columbine-like foliage. Light and ethereal.
Z5-8
PerennialAug-SepMonkshood
Deep indigo-blue hooded flowers on tall spikes in late summer. One of the few genuinely blue flowers that grows in shade.
Z3-7
AnnualJun-OctMorning Glory
Fast-climbing vine with trumpets that open fresh every morning.
Z3-10
PerennialMay-JulNative Spiderwort
Three-petaled flowers in blue-purple open fresh each morning on a tough native that blooms for weeks and seeds freely.
Z4-9
PerennialJul-AugNight Embers Daylily
Deep burgundy-red with a black eye and yellow throat, smoldering in the summer border.
Z3-9
PerennialJun-AugOregano
Tiny flowers are a pollinator magnet when allowed to bloom. Let a patch go to flower for the bees.
Z4-9
PerennialApr-MayOregon Iris
Small purple iris flowers with yellow signals on wiry stems. A tough, underappreciated Pacific Northwest native.
Z6-8
PerennialMay-JulPenstemon
Tubular flowers on upright stems. Native hummingbird magnet for dry gardens.
Z3-8
AnnualMay-OctPetunia
Cascading color for containers and beds. Blooms nonstop until frost.
Z3-10
PerennialJun-AugPhenomenal Lavender
Survives humidity and cold that kills other lavenders. Silver foliage stays tight and full.
Z5-9
PerennialJun-SepPickerelweed
Spikes of violet-blue flowers above glossy arrow-shaped leaves. Native pond and stream bank staple.
Z3-10
VineJul-SepPolish Spirit Clematis
Deep violet-purple flowers cover a vigorous plant from midsummer to fall. Prune hard each spring and stand back.
Z4-9
PerennialJun-SepPowwow Wild Berry Coneflower
Deep rose-purple petals and a bronzy cone on a compact reblooming plant that won't sprawl.
Z3-9
PerennialJun-SepPowWow Wild Berry Coneflower
Compact, heavily branched, and smothered in deep rose-purple blooms. Reblooms without deadheading.
Z3-8
PerennialJun-AugPurple de Oro Daylily
Deep purple-red blooms on a compact Stella-sized plant. Brings rich color to the front of the border.
Z3-9
PerennialJun-AugPurple Prairie Clover
Brushy purple flower spikes rise over fine foliage and feed prairie pollinators.
Z3-8
BulbApr-MayQueen of Night Tulip
The darkest tulip. Satiny, near-black maroon blooms that look almost unreal in late spring.
Z3-8
ShrubMay-JunRhododendron
Big, bold trusses of bloom over glossy evergreen foliage.
Z3-8
PerennialMay-JulRocky Mountain Penstemon
Spikes of deep blue tubular flowers rise above glossy evergreen foliage in early summer.
Z3-8
ShrubJul-OctRose of Sharon
Tropical-looking hibiscus flowers on a cold-hardy shrub. Blooms late.
Z5-10
PerennialMay-OctRozanne Geranium
Violet-blue saucer flowers on a sprawling mound that blooms from late spring until frost. The most awarded perennial geranium in history.
Z5-8
PerennialMay-SepSalvia
Vertical flower spikes that hummingbirds and bees cannot resist.
Z3-10
PerennialJul-SepSea Holly
Metallic blue bracts and cones turn the whole plant a vivid silvery-blue. Otherworldly and completely drought-proof.
Z4-8
ShrubMay-MaySensation Lilac
Unique bicolor blooms with purple petals edged in white. A head-turner in any spring garden.
Z3-7
AnnualApr-SepSnapdragon
Vertical flower spikes with squeeze-open blooms. Kids love them.
Z3-10
PerennialMay-AugSpeedwell
Tidy spikes of blue that add vertical punch to the front of the border.
Z3-8
AnnualApr-OctSweet Alyssum
Honey-scented carpet of tiny flowers. The best living edging plant.
Z3-10
AnnualApr-JunSweet Pea
Ruffled, intensely fragrant climbing flowers in every pastel shade. Cool-season annual that hates heat.
Z2-11
AnnualJun-OctTall Verbena
Wiry stems topped with purple clusters that butterflies can't resist. See-through plant for layering.
Z7-11
VineMay-SepThe President Clematis
Big, rich violet-blue flowers with silvery reverse petals rebloom through the season on a vigorous, reliable plant.
Z4-9
PerennialSep-OctToad Lily
Orchid-like spotted flowers when everything else is done. A late-season shade garden gem.
Z4-8
BulbMar-MayTulip
The classic spring icon in almost every color imaginable.
Z3-8
Ground CoverApr-JunVinca
Evergreen mat with periwinkle-blue flowers. Tough shade ground cover.
Z3-10
PerennialJul-SepVintage Wine Coneflower
Wine-purple petals that age to rose on a robust, well-branched plant. One of the most floriferous echinacea you can grow.
Z3-9
PerennialJul-AugWild Bergamot
The wild cousin of bee balm. Lavender puffs alive with pollinators. Tougher and more mildew-resistant.
Z3-9
PerennialApr-JunWild Geranium
Soft pink blooms over deeply-cut foliage. A woodland edge staple.
Z3-8
VineApr-MayWisteria
Cascading, fragrant racemes that create a dreamy canopy. Needs structure.
Z5-10
AnnualJun-OctZinnia
Easy-grow annual with electric colors. Cut-and-come-again champion.
Z3-10