Dramatic globe-shaped heads on tall stems. Architectural and deer-proof.
Inconspicuous flowers give way to stunning clusters of magenta-purple berries in fall. The berries are the show.
Large flat clusters of creamy flowers in early summer give way to dark berries for jams and wildlife.
Chartreuse needle-like foliage turns golden orange in fall. Tiny yellow flowers are a bonus.
Enormous snowball blooms on a native species. Blooms on new wood, so prune hard in spring.
Upward-facing blooms in a wide range of vivid colors. Easy to grow and brilliant in the summer border.
Feathery plumes that light up shady, moist spots like nothing else can.
Shaggy, crown-shaped flowers that hummingbirds fight over.
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.
Fiery bicolor pinwheels that bloom nonstop in the worst heat and soil.
Arching sprays of heart-shaped flowers for shady woodland gardens.
Repeat-blooming azalea with waves of color spring through fall. Evergreen in mild climates.
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.
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.
Massive suckering shrub with foot-long white flower candles. Showpiece for large shade gardens.
Hot pink outer petals cup a creamy center of narrow petaloids. Dramatic and unmistakable.
Graceful cascading white plumes on dark stems. Luminous in a shady corner.
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.
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.
Open, nodding bells in clear blue on tall graceful stems. Self-sows into refined cottage garden drifts.
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.
Flame-shaped or crested flowers in electric colors that dry beautifully. Heat lovers that thrive in summer.
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.
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.
Cheerful purple pom-pom flowers on a kitchen staple. Edible blooms make any salad Instagram-worthy.
The queen of flowering vines. Over 300 species, something for every spot.
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.
Slow to start but spectacular once established, covering shady walls with flat-topped white lacecap flowers and exfoliating bark.
Delicate, spurred flowers that dance on wiry stems. Hummingbird favorite.
Tough prairie native with long bloom season and medicinal history.
Bold spikes of tubular red flowers in spring attract hummingbirds before bean pods form.
Grown mostly for dramatic foliage, but the tiny bell flowers are a bonus.
Non-invasive native honeysuckle with brilliant coral-red tubular flowers that hummingbirds hover at for months.
Airy, dancing flowers on thread-thin stems. Effortless cottage garden charm.
The tree of the South. Months of crinkled blooms and gorgeous peeling bark.
Fragrant, walkable ground cover. Bees love it, foot traffic can't kill it.
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.
Towering spires of true blue. The tallest, most dramatic back-of-border plant.
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.
Deep velvety red climber with classic rose fragrance. Repeats reliably on a strong, vigorous plant.
Creamy white petals blush to strawberry red at the edges. Knockout fragrance matches the looks.
Fuller, double-petaled version of the Knock Out. Same bulletproof performance with more petal count.
Fully double coral blooms like a small peony on a daylily, lush and completely unexpected.
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.
Reblooms on old and new wood, so you get flowers even after a harsh winter. Color shifts with soil pH.
Magenta-red flowers with brown anthers that bloom late when others have faded. A solid, underappreciated red clematis.
Cheerful golden-yellow daisies that bloom for months on a tough native perennial. The sunniest, most reliable workhorse in the border.
The deepest garnet-red of any astilbe. Dark bronze foliage makes those plumes glow.
Pure white double blooms flecked with crimson at the center. Beloved since 1851 and still unmatched.
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.
Outrageous blooms in hot orange, red, and yellow on a deciduous native azalea that stops people in their tracks.
Tubular flowers that release sweet fragrance at dusk. A cottage garden classic that attracts moths and hummingbirds.
Stately spires of spotted, bell-shaped flowers. Cottage garden royalty.
Clouds of white fringed petals dripping from branches in late spring. Fragrant and underused native.
Glossy evergreen foliage frames intensely fragrant white flowers from late spring into summer.
Bold silvery foliage and large thistle-like buds are both decorative and edible.
Showers of small yellow flowers followed by papery lantern-like seed pods. Tolerates tough urban conditions.
Rich golden-yellow cups with an intense tea rose fragrance. David Austin's most famous creation.
Bright yellow star flowers appear for months above mat-forming foliage. The best spring ground cover for the Southeast.
Soft shell-pink flowers with a hint of mauve that fade beautifully in part shade and bloom reliably all summer.
Lemon-yellow rebloomer with light fragrance. A bit taller than Stella with softer color.
Large, pure white flowers with dark brown anthers rebloom in fall. Elegant, classic, and undeniably refined.
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.
Tubular, nectar-rich flowers with a fragrance that defines summer evenings.
Dramatic burgundy-red foliage all season with white tubular flowers in late spring. The most striking native penstemon for gardens.
Massive mophead blooms that shift color with soil pH. Showstoppers.
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.
The shade annual champion. Flowers prolifically where nothing else will.
Annabelle's bigger sibling with stronger stems that don't flop. Blooms the size of basketballs.
Bright red to orange bracts surround small flowers and glow across spring prairies.
Elegant sword-leaved perennials with intricate, ruffled blooms.
The classic large-flowered clematis since 1858. Deep violet-purple blooms cover the vine midsummer.
Huge, flat, ruffled blooms up to 10 inches across. Needs consistent moisture, especially during bloom.
Silver and burgundy fronds unlike any other fern. Foliage plant that earns its keep on color alone.
A vigorous twining vine with intensely sweet-scented white or yellow star-shaped flowers, the scent of warm southern evenings.
Strong vertical plumes emerge in early summer and persist as tawny stems through winter.
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.
Succulent rosettes with brilliant striped flowers in hot sunset colors. Must have perfect drainage or it rots.
Dramatic spikes in every color. Short-lived but self-seeds generously.
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.
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.
Fluffy puffs of bloom on tall, airy stems above columbine-like foliage. Light and ethereal.
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.
Compact lilac with pale lavender blooms and outstanding fragrance. Burgundy fall foliage as a bonus.
Arching stems carry orange-blossom-scented white flowers in late spring.
Fast-climbing vine with trumpets that open fresh every morning.
Exquisite geometric buds open to cupped flowers. A native evergreen gem.
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.
Pale pink petals with a darker pink bar down the center. Prefers some shade to prevent color fading.
The world's most popular climbing rose. Soft blush pink, sweetly fragrant, and remarkably vigorous.
The classic blue mophead. Rich, true blue in acidic soil. A cottage garden essential.
Peeling bark, burgundy foliage, and white puffs. A native multitasker.
Single, apple-pink blooms followed by large rose hips that persist through winter on a vigorous Pacific Northwest native.
A four-season native flowering shrub with oak-shaped leaves that turn burgundy in fall, exfoliating cinnamon bark in winter, and foot-long white cone blooms in summer that age to dusty pink.
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.
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.
Tubular flowers on upright stems. Native hummingbird magnet for dry gardens.
Lush, ruffled blooms with intoxicating fragrance. Lives for decades.
Cascading color for containers and beds. Blooms nonstop until frost.
Survives humidity and cold that kills other lavenders. Silver foliage stays tight and full.
Spikes of violet-blue flowers above glossy arrow-shaped leaves. Native pond and stream bank staple.
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.
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.
Blooms a full month before other paniculatas. White cones age to deep rosy pink by fall.
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.
Flat clusters of white flowers and berries give way to vivid red stems that shine in winter.
Big, bold trusses of bloom over glossy evergreen foliage.
Huge leaves and thick red stalks give a lush look while supplying tart harvests.
Large blue-and-white spurred flowers bloom in late spring above lacy foliage.
Spikes of deep blue tubular flowers rise above glossy evergreen foliage in early summer.
The queen of the garden. Modern varieties are surprisingly low-maintenance.
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.
Leathery evergreen groundcover of Pacific Northwest forests. Urn-shaped flowers lead to edible berries.
Vertical flower spikes that hummingbirds and bees cannot resist.
Fully double, apple-blossom pink blooms so heavy they nod on their stems. The most planted peony in history.
Tubular red trumpets on a wiry biennial that hummingbirds adore across the Mountain West. Blooms its second year, then self-sows.
Electric red spikes that hummingbirds zero in on. Common bedding plant that earns its spot every year.
Grassy tufts topped with round pink pom-poms. Loves lean soil and coastal conditions.
Classic white-and-gold daisies that look fresh from a meadow painting.
Nodding flowers with swept-back petals resemble tiny shooting stars in spring meadows.
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.
Vertical flower spikes with squeeze-open blooms. Kids love them.
Arching stems hung with dangling white bells. Pairs of leaves create graceful, layered architecture.
Huge glossy-leaved tree bearing enormous lemon-scented white flowers. The quintessential symbol of the Deep South's summer.
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.
Camellia-like white flowers, exfoliating bark, and crimson fall color. The four-season tree professionals love.
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.
Bright yellow cups that open in daylight on a cheerful, drought-tolerant native that spreads into informal drifts.
Clear pink single blooms on a native rose that thrives in wet spots, ditch edges, and rain gardens where other roses would drown.
Honey-scented carpet of tiny flowers. The best living edging plant.
Ruffled, intensely fragrant climbing flowers in every pastel shade. Cool-season annual that hates heat.
Wiry stems topped with purple clusters that butterflies can't resist. See-through plant for layering.
Big, rich violet-blue flowers with silvery reverse petals rebloom through the season on a vigorous, reliable plant.
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.
Spotted orange-yellow turk's cap blooms on tall stems. The fire-bright wildflower of Pacific Northwest meadows and open forests.
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.
Fragrant snowball clusters in spring, then berries for birds in fall.
Evergreen mat with periwinkle-blue flowers. Tough shade ground cover.
Fragrant white bottlebrush flowers followed by brilliant orange-red fall color on a shade-tolerant, deer-resistant native.
Perennial Plant of the Year. Billowy lavender-blue spikes that rebloom hard after a shear.
Floating jewels that transform any pond. Pads provide shade for fish while flowers dazzle above.
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.
Scarlet and yellow spurred flowers that hummingbirds follow through the Pacific Northwest's mountain meadows.
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.
Loose clusters of sky-blue flowers float above woodland floors in spring on a fragrant, mat-forming native.
Nodding red-and-yellow spurred flowers that hummingbirds love on a self-sowing native that naturalizes along woodland edges.
Soft pink blooms over deeply-cut foliage. A woodland edge staple.
Inconspicuous blooms, but covered in brilliant red berries all winter long.
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.
Licorice-scented foliage and tubular orange-pink flowers that hummingbirds and butterflies find irresistible. Thrives on neglect.
Narrow, fuzzy foliage resists the leaf spot that plagues Goldsturm. A worthy upgrade.
Lavender-blue spikes with licorice-scented foliage. A pollinator powerhouse that blooms for months.
Glowing gold foliage all season, and one of the best hostas for brighter spots with some morning sun.
Golden prairie workhorse that lights up late summer meadows.
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.
Short clumping grass with distinctive eyebrow-shaped seed heads thrives in dry soils.
Dwarf paniculata smothered in blooms. Perfect front-of-border plant that needs almost no care.
Weird and wonderful pincushion flowers like tiny white globes on a tough native that thrives in wet conditions.
Screaming scarlet spikes. The most vivid red in the native plant world.
Long lavender-blue spikes cover this heat-loving shrub all summer. One of the few shrubs that actually blooms in August.
Tall stems with large yellow daisies tower over deeply cut basal leaves that align north-south.
Arching sprays of fiery red-orange that hummingbirds go crazy for. Sword-like foliage adds structure.
Tall tapering spires of tiny white flowers that bees mob. Vertical and elegant at the back of the border.
Endless forms from dinner-plate to pompom. The obsession of flower farmers.
Creeping mat of burgundy-tinged foliage with starry red flowers. Turns deep red in fall.
Bold orange blooms with red throats appear on graceful arching stems in late summer.
The world's largest hosta. Individual leaves can exceed two feet. A bold statement in any shade garden.
Stark white centers with deep green margins, high contrast that jumps out from a shady border.
Classic blue-green heart-shaped leaves with wide gold margins that make this one of the all-time great hostas.
Billowing clusters of fragrant summer color. A butterfly magnet.
Towering stems with dramatically elongated cones rise above huge blue-green paddle leaves. An architectural native that commands attention.
Perfectly spherical steel-blue globes on white stems that dry to perfection. Bees are absolutely obsessed.
Small, fast-spreading mound with chartreuse-gold margins and one of the easiest hostas you can grow.
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.
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.
Dinner-plate blooms up to 12 inches across on a native perennial that dies to the ground and returns bigger each year.
The undisputed queen of shade gardening. Foliage in every green and blue.
Fiery double blooms like tiny orange dahlias on a coneflower. A showstopper that earns every bit of the hype.
Towering native with mauve domes that butterflies swarm in late summer.
Gold center streaked with blue-green margins. Color shifts through the season. A collector's favorite.
Blazing star. Spikes that bloom unusually from top to bottom.
Bold, dinner-plate leaves with daisy-like flowers. Loves wet feet and will wilt dramatically if dry.
Cone-shaped blooms open chartreuse, mature to white, then blush pink in fall. Tough as nails.
Compact Limelight. Same color show in a smaller package perfect for borders and containers.
Compact variety with enormous crimson blooms that stays tidy enough for a large container.
Deep burgundy-red with a black eye and yellow throat, smoldering in the summer border.
Flat seed heads dangle from arching stems and dance in the slightest wind. The best native grass for shade.
Spikes of snapdragon-like flowers that can be pushed and stay where moved, earning a very literal common name.
Huge, intensely fragrant blooms in deep pink and white that perfume the entire garden. The lily that defines summer.
Dark green leaves with crisp white margins. Classic variegated hosta that brightens shady spots.
Two-tone blooms with white tips and pink bases. Strong stems hold heavy flower heads upright.
The only azalea that blooms in midsummer, with fiery orange-red flowers that light up the late-season shade garden.
Deep violet-purple flowers cover a vigorous plant from midsummer to fall. Prune hard each spring and stand back.
Huge basal leaves and tall stalks topped with yellow daisies give strong prairie structure.
Enormous pale pink blooms up to 12 inches across on a wetland-loving native. Grow near a pond and you'll never look back.
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.
Airy lavender clouds on silver stems. Thrives in heat and poor soil.
Massive blooms rise above umbrella leaves in shallow water. Seedpods are as ornamental as the flowers.
Huge gray-blue leaves with creamy margins on a stately, vase-shaped plant that wins awards for good reason.
Metallic blue bracts and cones turn the whole plant a vivid silvery-blue. Otherworldly and completely drought-proof.
Seed heads hang like tiny flags along one side of the stem on this graceful, drought-tolerant prairie native.
Glossy gold center with dark green margins, like light through a cathedral window.
Chartreuse giant that can take more sun than most hostas. Heart-shaped leaves grow enormous.
Spikes of intensely sweet-scented white flowers in midsummer, one of the best fragrant natives for shady spots.
Pure joy on a stalk. Birds love the seeds, kids love the spectacle.
Pure white fragrant phlox with the best mildew resistance in the species. A reliable, clean performer for the late-summer garden.
Tall summer spikes of waxy white blooms release powerful evening fragrance.
Wine-purple petals that age to rose on a robust, well-branched plant. One of the most floriferous echinacea you can grow.
Compact and more drought-tolerant than most astilbes. Dense, rosy-pink plumes.
Blue-green leaves with wide creamy-white margins that age to a clean white, a standout performer in any shade garden.
The wild cousin of bee balm. Lavender puffs alive with pollinators. Tougher and more mildew-resistant.
The grand finale of the garden season. Essential for fall pollinators.
Broccoli-like heads open pink and age to copper-bronze. Four-season interest, zero maintenance.
The signature grass of the tallgrass prairie, turning copper-bronze in fall with distinctive turkey-foot seed heads.
Low mounds of gray foliage are covered in tubular red-orange flowers in late summer.
Arching, bottlebrush plumes that catch the light. Movement in the garden.
Wrongly blamed for allergies. A vital late-season pollinator magnet.
Intense blue flower spikes that hummingbirds and bumblebees fight over in late summer. The bolder, taller cousin of cardinal flower.
Warm-toned daisy-like flowers with raised centers bloom as summer turns to fall. Loves moist soil.
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.
Upright clumps turn coppery orange in fall and stand well through winter.
Stiffly upright blue-green foliage that never flops. The most architectural switchgrass available.
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.
Succulent leaves, tough as nails. Ages to deep crimson in autumn.
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.
Explosive late-summer bloom of thousands of tiny fragrant white flowers. Vigorous to a fault.
Upright native grass with airy seed heads. Gold and red fall color.
Snapdragon-like flowers shaped exactly like a turtle's head. Loves wet feet.