Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Duke Gardens'

Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Duke Gardens' has dark evergreen foliage and a tight, compact form. 'Duke Gardens' Plum Yew is excellent in shade but will tolerate sun as well. Originally found at The Sarah P. Duke Gardens in North Carolina, as a branch sport of C. Fastigiata.

H: 3 Feet  ·   S: 4 Feet  ·   Zone: 6

Darmera peltata

Delicate pink flower clusters above very large round green leaves, blooms in April. An excellent stream and pond edge stabilizer.

H: 36 Inches  ·   S: 36 Inches  ·   Zone: 5

Delosperma cooperi

Cooper Hardy Ice Plant has magenta flowers over silvery evergreen succulent foliage. Delosperma cooperi needs full sun and a dry site. We are impresses with its cold hardiness in our display beds, and it blooms throughout the summer starting in late June into fall.

H: 4 Inches  ·   S: 8 Inches  ·   Zone: 6

Delosperma dyeri Fire Spinner™

Fire Spinner™ Ice Plant has truly amazing flowers, with multiple flat petals that start orange at the outer edges and end up magenta at the base. Starting in early June, Fire Spinner™ blooms for a month on every sunny day over the attractive fleshy green succulent foliage. Found at high altitudes in southern South Africa, Delosperma dyeri Fire Spinner™ was brought to the US by Panayoti Kelaidis of the Denver Botanic Garden. Rock gardens and green roofs are great places to use this eye opener.

H: 2 Inches  ·   S: 12 Inches  ·   Zone: 5

Dictamnus albus 'Purpureus'

Gas Plant is a beautiful long-lived perennial for well-drained sites; sporting many showy, mauve pink flowers on tall spikes in June for an extended show. Dictamnus is slow to become established, but once started it becomes a large mound which puts out increasing numbers of flower-topped shoots every year. It has zero tolerance for transplanting, so pick your site well. The common name refers to the theory that it contains enough volatile oils to be lit by matches; but, as Dr. Alan Armitage so eloquently comments, this is not an achievable activity.

H: 36 Inches  ·   S: 24 Inches  ·   Zone: 3

Juniperus virginiana 'Grey Owl'

'Grey Owl' was selected in 1938 for its unusual habit and foliage color. This unusual form of Eastern Redcedar is a broad low shrub, bearing silver gray needles thickly on its horizontal branches. A female form, it will often have lillle round "berries" (cones) when mature. Juniperus virginiana 'Grey Owl' is an attractive addition the native conifer groundcover field, showing its rugged adaptability over many years.

H: 3 Feet  ·   S: 6 Feet  ·   Zone: 4

Kalmia latifolia 'Carousel'

'Carousel' Mountain Laurel blooms in May and June, with pink buds opening to white flowers accented by burgundy splotches and stripes. The habit is upright and dense, making Kalmia 'Carousel' an excellent candidate for an evergreen natural looking hedge or screen. Kalmia latifolia does well in acidic soils. The evergreen foliage is attractive all year because of its lustrous dark green appearance.

H: 8 Feet  ·   S: 8 Feet  ·   Zone: 5

Physostegia virginiana

Physostegia virginiana 'Miss Manners' PP12637

White spikes of Snapdragon-like flowers above narrow glossy green foliage from June to September. Good food source for pollinators and hummingbirds.

H: 24 Inches  ·   S: 12 Inches  ·   Zone: 3

Physostegia virginiana 'Pink Manners' PP23482

Lavender pink flowers spikes are held on sturdy stems over glossy green foliage from late June to September. Good choice for sunny rain gardens and pond edges.

H: 36 Inches  ·   S: 20 Inches  ·   Zone: 4

Ratibida columnifera 'Red Midget'

'Red Midget' Mexican Hat Plant has unusual flowers with drooping orange red petals surrounding the 2" elongated green brown central cones. The habit is open and airy, with fine green leaves. The bloom period is mid to late summer, blooming often into fall. Butterflies love Ratibida, and it is especially effective planted in masses. 'Red Midget' is dry site tolerant and occurs naturally in prairies and meadows.

H: 18 Inches  ·   S: 16 Inches  ·   Zone: 3

Schizachyrium scoparium 'Carousel' PP20948

'Carousel' Little Bluestem is a more compact version of our lovely native grass, with beautiful blue-green summer foliage which turns amazing shades of purple and bronze in fall. The delicate seedheads appear in August and September, and are especially showy when backlit by evening sunlight. Plant in excellent drainage for the best performance. Found by Donald Boehm of Illinois, and introduced by Chicagoland Grows®, so you know it's cold tolerant. All Little Bluestems attract butterflies when in bloom and songbirds when in seed.

H: 30 Inches  ·   S: 30 Inches  ·   Zone: 3

Acer griseum

Few trees are as showy as the Paperbark Maple, with its cinnamon colored exfoliating bark. The fine-textured leaves have 3 leaflets and change from dark green with silvery undersides in summer to shades of red and bronze in fall. Acer griseum makes a neat oval-shaped small tree which fits into both small and large scale landscapes well.

H: 30 Feet  ·   S: 20 Feet  ·   Zone: 5

Actaea simplex 'Hillside Black Beauty' PP9988

'Hillside Black Beauty' Kamchatka Bugbane has white fragrant flowers in late summer that tower over dark purple foliage. A great source of nectar and pollen for insects. The leaf color is particularly intense in early summer before bloom time.

H: 48 Inches  ·   S: 36 Inches  ·   Zone: 4

Aesculus parviflora

Creamy white flowers on Aesculus parviflora appear in summer on long panicles. Bottlebrush Buckeye offers golden yellow fall color. Aesculus parviflora is a wonderful addition to the landscape to attract hummingbirds. Our neighbor nurseryman Dick Karkalits says it is an absolutely foolproof plant for just about any location, and we agree.

H: 10 Feet  ·   S: 10 Feet  ·   Zone: 4

Agastache x 'Blue Fortune'

'Blue Fortune' Anise Hyssop has blue flowers mid summer to fall, and fragrant foliage. From the Trompenberg Arboretum in Holland. Agastache bloom time is prolonged by dead heading. Loved by butterflies and other insects.

H: 36 Inches  ·   S: 24 Inches  ·   Zone: 6

Allium 'Millenium'

'Millenium' Ornamental Onion blooms in July and August, producing lots of 2" purplish lavender round clusters of flowers like drumsticks on 15" stems. The onion scented leaves are glossy and strap-like, making a thick clump from which the long lasting blooms arise. Many insects and butterflies feed off them but deer and rabbits will not touch them. All Ornamental Onions do well under Black Walnuts. Allium 'Millenium' is the product of Mark McDonough's hard work with Ornamental Onions. 2018 Perennial Plant of the Year.

H: 18 Inches  ·   S: 12 Inches  ·   Zone: 5

Allium x lusitanicum 'Summer Beauty'

'Summer Beauty' Ornamental Onion produces a quantity of flat refined strap-like leaves in spring, topped by soft pink round umbels on long stalks starting in June. Allium x lusitanicum 'Summer Beauty' continues blooming almost all summer, and the dried round seedheads add interest to the winter landscape as well. Try them spray painted cool colors (as our good friend Simple does), or added to dried arrangements. Roy Diblik of Northwind Perennial Farm loves using 'Summer Beauty', and told us he had first seen it thriving in someone's driveway.

H: 24 Inches  ·   S: 12 Inches  ·   Zone: 4

Amsonia hubrichtii

The delicate light blue flowers of Arkansas Amsonia appear in May. It also has stunning orange and yellow fall foliage. This tough multi-season plant can handle a broad range of site conditions. 2011 Perennial Plant of the Year, and Dr. J.C. Raulston's favorite perennial.

H: 36 Inches  ·   S: 36 Inches  ·   Zone: 5

Anemone x 'Honorine Jobert'

Anemone x 'Honorine Jobert' is a Japanese Anemone with tall single white flowers, fall blooming. It prefers moist, humus-rich sites, and will make a large clump in time. 2016 Perennial Plant of the Year.

H: 36 Inches  ·   S: 36 Inches  ·   Zone: 5

Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima'

Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima' is a deciduous shrub with white flowers in May. The bright red fruit of this Red Chokeberry ripens in late summer and persists into winter. The glossy foliage turns brilliant red in fall. This cultivar forms a suckering colony and is wet site and salt tolerant.

H: 8 Feet  ·   S: 4 Feet  ·   Zone: 4

Aronia melanocarpa 'Viking'

'Viking' Black Chokeberry has glossy dark green leaves which turn a striking red in fall. The white, spring flowers are followed by large purplish black fruit, which birds love (and they are full of anti-oxidants). The site adaptability (Aronia melanocarpa 'Viking' likes both wet and dry conditions) and the suckering habit make it an excellent shrub for reclamation use, as well as an attractive landscape plant. Dr. Mark Brand of Connecticut found this native beauty.

H: 6 Feet  ·   S: 6 Feet  ·   Zone: 4

Aster oblongifolius 'October Skies'

'October Skies' Aromatic Aster has medium blue flowers in September and October. 'October Skies' is tolerant of dry, poor soil sites. A Primrose Path introduction (New name is Symphyotricum oblongifolium).

H: 24 Inches  ·   S: 24 Inches  ·   Zone: 5

Athyrium nipponicum 'Pictum'

Japanese Painted Fern has showy silver, purple and green foliage. It is a deciduous creeper. Athyrium nipponicum 'Pictum' was the 2004 Perennial Plant of the Year.

H: 18 Inches  ·   S: 24 Inches  ·   Zone: 3