Hellebores seem to be all the rage - and with good reason. There's no more welcome sight
in February than their umbrella-shaped clumps of evergreen, leathery foliage sticking through the snow. The flowers of H. 'Royal Heritage™' have a wide range of colors (purple, pale-green, white, red, rose, pink, and near black) and appear from late winter to mid-spring. Enjoys moist woodland soil and will re-sow if happy. Lends great structure to the Hosta garden.
Z4-8 
doesn't do this plant any justice whatsoever. The wiry stems have glossy, evergreen leaves that develop a bronze-rosy tint in fall. The clusters of small pinkish flowers dance like delicate fairies above the foliage in spring. This variety is slightly hardier than E. 'Sulphureum' which it replaces. One of the many attributes of E. rubrum is that it grows happily in dry shade amongst tree roots. A slow-spreading groundcover. I love to see it in drifts amongst Hosta spp.
Eryngium from S &G Flowers. Bright blue flowers are held on silvery blue stems. The leaves are blue-green and don't have any of the pesky spines that E. 'Rattlesnake Master' has. A nice silver-blue addition to the front of the perennial border. 
hardy cushion spurge introduced by PlantHaven®,Inc. Light green leaves have creamy wide rose-pink margins. Yellow flower bracts surround pinkish flower buds in spring. The pretty 'blush' of the leaves begins in early spring and lasts well into summer. Plants form low, compact mounds. Great for the front of the perennial border. 
from PlantHaven®,Inc. In warmer weather the green yellow-tinged leaves of Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow' develop bright pink and orange tones. Variegated bracts appear in clusters in the spring. I can't wait to try this one. 
color! Leaves are deep purple with tinges of red, orange and chartreuse. Simply beautiful cool weather color. Shocking sulphur yellow bracts appear in spring. Plants form a nice rounded mound. From Blooms of Bressingham®. 
frons have tightly rolled pinnae that are regularly spaced and resemble Granny's crochet-work. Like most ferns, A. 'Frizelliae' benefits from rich slightly moist soil. A nice addition to anyone's fern collection.
between the native Lady Fern and A. 'Pictum'. It derives its name from the ghostly white light it seems to emit in shade. The stems are actually a dark purple and the fronds are held stiffly upright. I don't know about you, but I'm always trying to find ways to bring light and color into shade in the right spots, and I think A. 'Ghost' is a dramatic way to do just that.
a clump in dry shade amongst tree-roots (the abso-toot-a-lootly - positively worst place for a fern) for about three years now, that I just haven't gotten around to moving. I'm pleased to report that it's doing quite well (although I'm ashamed of my apathy). The Japanese Painted Fern is the predecessor to all the new cultivars, and in my opinion it's still hard to beat. The silvery-grey fronds have purple veining and stems with purple extending towards the center of the frond. Forms a low mound and spreads by rhizomes. 2004 Perennial Plant Association Plant of the Year ! 
parsley. This is a robust grower that matures quickly compared to other ferns. (Won't that be a commendable feature in a fern!) It is purportedly drought-tolerant once established. What a fun, unique foliage plant!
of Gaillardia for the front of the border. And talk about flower power! Huge three-inch blooms of a fierce orange-red ringed by yellow. Blooms over a long period from early summer to early fall. 
for the middle to the back of the border. Gaillardia 'Burgundy' has large, three-inch wine-red blooms on a midsize plant. I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for flowering plants to carry me through that late season lull, especially something that blooms in any color other than yellow. 
they've seen in years, and with that high praise from the good folks at Walters, I simply must try it. G. 'Fanfare' has raucous blooms with each petal forming a yellow-tipped, upward-facing blossom. The trumpet-shape must certainly be the source of its name. Blooms continuously from early summer to late fall on a compact mounded plant. 
Gaillardia 'Goblin' sports scarlet-red petals with bright yellow tips. Centers are reddish brown. G. 'Goblin' provides the perfect mid- to late-season color punch to the front of the perennial border. . . Boo! 
that's hardy! Gaillardia 'The Sun' has solid golden yellow flowers with yellow to orange centers. Makes a great cut flower, so it's a sure way to brighten up your midsummer bouquets. 
be able to offer this exciting new plant. As I've mentioned, I'm a sucker for blue, and blue doesn't come any truer than gentian. A floriferous selection from Darrell Probst, G. 'True Blue' has two inch tubular flowers which open all the way up and down the stems. Blooms midsummer to early fall. 
foliage. A truly prolific bloomer (late spring through mid-fall). G. 'Rozanne' has the loose, sprawling habit that I love, spreading 2-3 ft. in a single season. Let G.' Rozanne' ramble through your perennial bed and let it poke through the yellow or chartreuse-hued foliage plants like Tanacetum 'Isla Gold', Alchemilla mollis, Veronica 'Aztec Gold', Heuchera 'Lime Rickey', or through your Threadleaf Coreopsis. 
for such a low-maintenance plant. Large, 5" true-pink, fragrant flowers on sturdy scapes with excellent branching and bud count. Each ephemeral ruffled bloom has a soft yellow halo with a green throat. A midseason (July) bloomer. H. 'Country Melody has received numerous awards and has been chosen as a Designer Daylily™ by Arthur and Ruth Kroll, gurus of the daylily community. 
'H. 'Going Bananas' is an improved form of H. 'Happy Returns', which it replaces. The four-inch lemon yellow flowers begin blooming in early summer and continue into early fall. Scapes are loaded with flowers (an amazing 10 - 15 per scape!). One could easily go completely whacko with this great reblooming cultivar. 
of soft-pink with a large raspberry band and green throat. Flowers are borne on strong scapes with excellent bud count and good branching. Blooms early to midsummer with sporadic rebloom through fall. Multiple award winner and one of my favorites.
smaller stature and narrower leaf as H. 'Stella de Oro', H. 'Rosy Returns' consistently reblooms from June until frost. The 4" fragrant rose-pink flowers have a deep rose eyezone and yellow throat. A great addition to the stalwart rebloomers from Dr. Darrel Apps.
self with profuse bloom in early summer and consistent lesser flushes through early fall. Blooms right through the summer doldrums when hardly anything else is in bloom. 
I was stupefied by the vigor of H. 'Caramel', introduced by Thierry Delabroye of France. Astounding copper color and great compact habit. The underside of the leaves is a pinkish purple. I have found that H. 'Caramel' grows best in part shade and is quite tolerant of heat and humidity. A fabulous accent plant of an unusual color and robust growth. You'll love it. 
from the great breeders at Terra Nova Nurseries. The color of the leaves is difficult to describe - somewhere between a cerise and a peach with a light silver overlay. The undersides of the leaves are a distinctive light purple. Growth habit is somewhat more prostrate, but H. 'Georgia Peach' demonstrates the same great vigor and heat and humidity tolerance of the other H. villosa hybrids we've trialed. An incredible color, best combined with H. 'Lime Rickey' for contrast. Creamy white flowers in early summer.
H. 'Hollywood' one of the showiest Heucheras to date. One of the most exceptional things about this cultivar is the quality of its blooms. The dense spikes of red flowers bloom from spring until well into summer. If deadheaded, H. 'Hollywood' gives reliable rebloom. Most of the other villosa hybrids have been bred for foliage display forsaking flowering ability. Not so with H. 'Hollywood'. The hummingbirds in your neighborhood will certainly thank you for planting this one. 
when fully grown H. 'Lime Rickey' looks just like a frilly head of lettuce. Small, white coral bell-type flowers appear in late spring. In fall, some of the leaves have an appealing rosy edge. A vigorous, vigorous grower which does best in part shade. Good in containers or combined with G. 'Rozeanne'. You'll get many compliments on little 'Lime Rickey'.
as it is also more resistant to the scourges of summer heat and humidity. H. 'Miracle' gives an ever-changing display with leaves that emerge chartreuse with red-purple centers and then change at maturity to centers of brick red with chartreuse edges. Pink flowers in midsummer (unusual for a villosa hybrid) and a silver underside to the leaves. At 8-10" H. 'Miracle' is on the small side - but what an impact. Great used as an edger with superb compact form. 
Terra Nova Nurseries, was so popular last year that we couldn't keep up with the demand. The leaves of H. 'Obsidian' are a deep purple-black with an amazing sheen (hence the name, huh?). The plants form nice compact mounds and have creamy flowers in late spring. The luster of the leaf is truly amazing.
rich soil with good drainage. H.'Stoplight' is an extremely popular selection with the foamy white flowers of a Tiarella and the unusual coloration of a Heuchera. The chartreuse leaf sports a fabulous red blotch in the center that fans through the veins. This selection requires afternoon shade to maintain the red 'stoplight'.
purest white imaginable. A taller plant at 4-5 feet that is literally a show-stopper with its whitest of white plate-sized blooms. If you're looking for a nice white to add to the midsummer garden, you can't go wrong with H. 'Blue River II'. Plants are produced via tissue culture to ensure trueness.
from Walters Gardens, Inc. Whereas some of the taller Hibiscus can get quite floppy if not staked or pinched, H. 'Cranberry Crush' is naturally compact and sturdy. Buds of darkest red form scarlet-red 7-8" flowers. Deep green, thick leaves have a purple cast. Blooms up to a month longer than other Hibiscus. 
introduction from Walters Gardens Inc. H. 'Summer Storm' has a longer period of interest in the garden due to its deep purple-colored foliage. Nice compact habit on larger plants with beautiful deep pink-veined pink flowers that can achieve up to 10 inches in diameter. Extended bloom time lasts into early fall. Unusual. 