ALLIUM Millenium

Often called an ornamental onion, Allium Millenium is a standout performer that was named the 2018 Perennial Plant of the Year for good reason. It forms a neat clump of glossy, grass-like green foliage that looks tidy all season. In mid to late summer, it produces an abundance of two-inch, globe-shaped rosy-purple flowers that float above the leaves on strong stems.

• Unique Features: Unlike many other alliums, its foliage does not die back during bloom time. It’s a pollinator magnet, attracting bees and butterflies, but is resistant to deer and rabbits.
• Landscape Value: Its compact, clumping habit makes it perfect for the front or middle of a border. It pairs wonderfully with summer-blooming perennials like Echinacea and Rudbeckia.
• Care Tips: Plant in full to partial sun in well-drained soil. It is drought-tolerant once established and requires very little maintenance.

ECHINACEA Cheyenne Spirit

Echinacea, or coneflower, is a prairie native beloved for its daisy-like flowers. The Cheyenne Spirit variety is exceptional because it produces a mix of rich colors—including gold, scarlet, orange, purple, and cream—all from a single seed packet or plant. This provides a vibrant, meadow-like feel with minimal effort.

• Unique Features: The stunning color mix is its main draw. The sturdy stems hold up well in wind and rain, and the flowers are excellent for cutting. Leaving the seed heads on in the fall provides food for birds like goldfinches.
• Landscape Value: Perfect for mass plantings, meadow gardens, or mixed perennial borders. Its vibrant colors create a stunning mid-summer to fall display.
• Care Tips: Coneflowers thrive in full sun and tolerate a wide range of soil types, as long as there is good drainage. They are drought-tolerant and deer-resistant.

Grass-LIRIOPE mus. Variegata

Liriope muscari ‘Variegata’, also known as Variegated Lilyturf, is an incredibly tough and versatile grass-like perennial. It forms dense clumps of arching, green leaves elegantly striped with creamy yellow. In late summer, it sends up spikes of lilac-purple flowers, which are often followed by black berries.

• Unique Features: It’s an evergreen groundcover in milder climates, providing year-round interest. Its ability to tolerate shade, drought, and even foot traffic makes it a true problem-solver.
• Landscape Value: It is one of the best choices for edging pathways, defining garden beds, or planting under trees where other plants may struggle. It is also effective for erosion control on slopes.
• Care Tips: Liriope is adaptable to full sun or deep shade. For a tidy appearance, you can cut back the old foliage in late winter or early spring before new growth appears.

HOSTA Patriot

Hostas are the undisputed kings of the shade garden, and ‘Patriot’ is a particularly striking variety. It features large, dark green leaves with a crisp, wide, creamy-white margin. The leaves are slightly puckered, adding texture to the bold foliage. In summer, it produces stalks of pale lavender, bell-shaped flowers.

• Unique Features: The dramatic variegation of ‘Patriot’ brightens up any shady corner. It is a vigorous grower and forms a substantial, eye-catching mound.
• Landscape Value: Use it as a focal point in a shade garden, in mass plantings for a dramatic groundcover, or in containers. It pairs beautifully with ferns, astilbes, and other shade-loving plants.
• Care Tips: Hostas prefer partial to full shade and rich, consistently moist soil. Protect them from slugs and deer, which find them tasty.

LAVANDULA a. Munstead

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Munstead’ is a classic English lavender prized for its compact size and profusion of fragrant, dark purple-blue flowers. It blooms in early summer, and its aromatic silvery-green foliage is a delight in its own right.

• Unique Features: ‘Munstead’ is one of the hardier lavender varieties. Its strong fragrance makes it ideal for cutting for fresh bouquets or drying for sachets.
• Landscape Value: It’s perfect for creating a low hedge, lining a sunny walkway, or planting in a rock garden or herb garden. Its fragrance is a welcome addition near a patio or window.
• Care Tips: Lavender demands full sun and sharply-drained, lean soil. It is very drought-tolerant once established and dislikes “wet feet.” Prune it back by about a third after flowering to maintain a compact shape.

LEUCANTHEMUM Snowcap

For that classic, cheerful daisy look, Leucanthemum ‘Snowcap’ (Shasta Daisy) is a top choice. This variety is known for its compact and uniform habit, producing a multitude of single, pure-white flowers with bright yellow centers. It blooms heavily from early to mid-summer.

• Unique Features: ‘Snowcap’ is shorter and sturdier than many older Shasta daisy varieties, so it doesn’t require staking. It’s a reliable bloomer and an excellent, long-lasting cut flower.
• Landscape Value: Its tidy habit makes it perfect for the front of a sunny border, in cottage gardens, or in containers. The bright white flowers mix well with any other color.
• Care Tips: Plant in full sun in well-drained soil. Deadheading spent flowers will encourage reblooming later in the season.

LYSIMACHIA num. Goldi

Lysimachia nummularia ‘Goldi’, or Golden Creeping Jenny, is a fast-spreading groundcover valued for its vibrant, chartreuse-to-gold, coin-shaped leaves. In early summer, it produces small, bright yellow, cup-shaped flowers.

• Unique Features: The electric color of its foliage is its main attraction. It can tolerate wet soils, making it a great choice for planting around ponds or in other damp areas.
• Landscape Value: Use it as a “spiller” in containers and hanging baskets where it will trail dramatically. It’s also an effective groundcover in areas where its spread can be contained, as it can be aggressive. It brightens shady spots beautifully.
• Care Tips: It grows in full sun to partial shade. The color is most golden in full sun, but it requires more moisture there. It is very easy to grow and requires little care beyond watering.

NEPETA Walker’s Low

Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’ (Catmint) is an award-winning perennial that is virtually indestructible. It forms a sprawling mound of aromatic, grayish-green foliage and is covered in spikes of lavender-blue flowers from late spring through summer.

• Unique Features: It has an incredibly long bloom time, especially if sheared back after the first flush of flowers. It is drought-tolerant, heat-tolerant, and highly resistant to deer and rabbits.
• Landscape Value: It’s a fantastic informal edger for sunny borders and pathways. Its soft, billowy texture is perfect for softening hardscapes or filling gaps between other perennials.
• Care Tips: Plant in full sun and well-drained soil. It is not fussy and thrives on neglect. Cut it back by half after the initial bloom to encourage a second wave of flowers.

PHLOX sub. Emerald Blue

Phlox subulata, or Creeping Phlox, is the plant that creates breathtaking carpets of color in the spring garden. The ‘Emerald Blue’ variety produces a dense mat of evergreen, needle-like foliage that becomes completely obscured by a blanket of stunning lavender-blue flowers.

• Unique Features: It is one of the earliest perennials to bloom, signaling the true arrival of spring. It is exceptionally tough and can handle heat, drought, and poor soil.
• Landscape Value: It is a premier groundcover for sunny slopes, rock walls, and the edges of borders. Let it spill over a wall or cover a bank for a low-maintenance, high-impact display.
• Care Tips: Creeping phlox requires full sun and good drainage. Shear the plants back lightly after they finish blooming to promote denser growth.

RUDBECKIA f. Goldsturm

Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ (Black-Eyed Susan) is an icon of the late summer garden. This perennial produces a profusion of golden-yellow, daisy-like flowers with a dark brown central cone. It’s a robust and long-blooming plant that provides color when many other perennials are starting to fade.

• Unique Features: ‘Goldsturm’ is celebrated for its uniformity, disease resistance, and exceptionally long bloom period, often flowering from July until frost.
• Landscape Value: It is spectacular when planted in large drifts or masses. It’s a natural choice for prairie-style plantings, cottage gardens, and mixed borders, providing a vibrant finale to the season.
• Care Tips: Grow in full to partial sun in average, well-drained soil. It is relatively drought-tolerant and requires little care once established.