Profuse, large, overlapping, blush pink, flower-like bracts cover this small but vigorous tree in early spring. The fully branched habit provides layers of lush green foliage from bottom to top. A magnificent landscape specimen for small gardens or woodland settings. A sterile cultivar that produces no fruit. Deciduous.

Sombrero Poco™ Hot Coral Coneflower has masses of beautiful lightly-scented coral-pink daisy flowers with coppery-bronze eyes and orange tips at the ends of the stems from mid summer to mid fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Leading Lady Razz Berry Bee Balm delivers an all-season performance in the sunny border, with vivid raspberry-red flower heads that open in summer and keep coming into fall, drawing butterflies, hummingbirds, and birds in remarkable abundance. A Great Lakes native, it brings genuine ecological value alongside its dazzling good looks, supporting pollinators and wildlife throughout its long season. Growing 24 to 36 inches tall with an upright, clumping habit, it holds its own at mid-border without the flopping and spreading tendencies of older bee balm varieties. The aromatic foliage adds a pleasant herbal note to the garden and deters deer and rabbits, making it a solid choice for challenging landscape conditions. It blooms best with a bit of afternoon air circulation, which also helps keep the foliage looking clean through the heat of summer. Mass plant it for a bold, pollinator-rich sweep, or use it as a focal accent where you want summer-to-fall color that never quits.

Large frilly double flowers top long stems through summer and fall. The tall, narrow habit is perfect for tucking into perennial borders among other flowering perennials and ornamental grasses. Loved by pollinators. Herbaceous perennial.

Bergeson Compact Dogwood features showy clusters of white star-shaped flowers at the ends of the branches from mid to late spring. It has dark green deciduous foliage which emerges chartreuse in spring. The pointy leaves turn an outstanding burgundy in the fall. It produces white berries with powder blue overtones from mid to late summer. The scarlet branches are extremely showy and add significant winter interest.

A male deciduous holly with an upright and dense growth habit, ideal for pollinating female fruit-bearing varieties; suckers into colonies; prefers moist to wet highly acidic soils, good for problem areas; excellent when massed

Jim Dandy Winterberry has dark green foliage throughout the season. The pointy leaves do not develop any appreciable fall color. Neither the flowers nor the fruit are ornamentally significant.

Jim Dandy Winterberry is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a shapely oval form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Jim Dandy Winterberry is recommended for the following landscape applications;

For the shaded garden, few perennials bring the quiet drama of Black Cohosh. Tall, slender wands of fragrant, creamy-white flowers rise like candles above a mound of deeply cut, dark green leaves through summer, illuminating dim corners and woodland edges. Reaching three to five feet, it makes a graceful vertical exclamation point at the back of a border or naturalized beneath a canopy of trees. A woodland native of eastern North America, it feels right at home in our Midwestern shade and mingles beautifully with hostas, ferns, and astilbe. Give it steady, moderate moisture in part to full shade and it settles in with very little fuss — and as a bonus, browsing deer and rabbits show no interest. It’s a memorable way to layer height, fragrance, and a touch of the wild into shady spaces.

The 1” single round flowers are a lovely shade of orange with just a hint of red. Beautifully compact, it forms a rounded shrub reaching only 2-3’ in height and spread, making it perfect for the foundation. Deer resistant.

Switch Grass is a prairie native from the Great Lakes region that brings easy, four-season beauty to the sunny garden—and genuine ecological value along with it. From summer into fall, its upright clumps of dark green blades support airy clouds of fine-textured flower panicles that catch the light and move beautifully in a breeze. Come autumn, the foliage transitions through warm shades of yellow-gold and copper-bronze before settling into tawny buff tones that persist through winter. Birds flock to the seed heads for reliable late-season forage, giving this grass genuine wildlife value beyond its good looks. It forms a tidy, non-spreading clump reaching three to five feet tall and handles challenging conditions with remarkable equanimity—drought, black walnut, deer, and erosion-prone slopes are no match for it. Mass plant it in a meadow-style border or naturalized area for maximum impact with minimum effort.

Arnold Promise Witchhazel is bathed in stunning fragrant yellow strap-like flowers with red calyces along the branches from late winter to early spring before the leaves. It has green deciduous foliage. The serrated round leaves turn an outstanding yellow in the fall.

Buttonbush is covered in stunning clusters of creamy white button flowers with buttery yellow overtones at the ends of the branches from late winter to early summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. The white fruits are held in abundance in spectacular clusters from late summer to late winter. It has light green evergreen foliage. The tiny narrow leaves remain light green throughout the winter.

New Vintage Terra Cotta Yarrow brings warm, earthy richness to the summer and fall border with flat-topped flower clusters in a nuanced blend of orange, amber, and copper tones. The color deepens and mellows beautifully as the season progresses, delivering a sophisticated palette that complements both traditional and contemporary garden designs. Feathery, fragrant foliage forms a sturdy upright clump that holds its shape without staking. This low-water, heat-tolerant perennial is genuinely tough—deer and rabbit resistant, drought tolerant, and happy in challenging, dry soils. Excellent for cutting and drying; butterflies are reliable visitors throughout the season.

Coral Bells, Dolce Toffee Tart is a stunning mounded perennial with foliage that emerges amber-orange and matures to rich gold tones. Delicate creamy white flowers bloom on tall scapes during midsummer, adding elegant height and contrast. Perfect for partially shaded beds, borders, and containers, this variety brings year-round color and texture to your garden. Its compact, mounding habit makes it ideal for mixed plantings and landscape designs.

A highly regarded groundcover evergreen for home landscape use; very attractive and soft light green foliage, low growing and wide spreading with gently arching branches; excellent in massing and groupings or as a groundcover

Calgary Carpet Juniper has lime green foliage. The scale-like leaves remain lime green throughout the winter. The flowers are not ornamentally significant. It produces blue berries from late spring to late winter.

Calgary Carpet Juniper is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a ground-hugging habit of growth. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which should be used to full effect.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Calgary Carpet Juniper is recommended for the following landscape applications;

Bee Mine Red Bee Balm is a compact, disease-resistant Monarda that delivers bold crimson blooms through the summer without the sprawling or mildew issues that can plague older varieties. The vivid red flower heads have a distinctive, spiky texture that creates an eye-catching display in borders and mass plantings alike. As a Great Lakes native, it draws an impressive range of wildlife—hummingbirds, butterflies, and songbirds all return to it reliably. Growing 24 to 36 inches, it fits comfortably in mid-border positions and makes an excellent cut flower. Juglone tolerant and cold hardy, it’s a dependable, ecologically valuable perennial.

Flowering Spurge is a lovely mounded variety that produces long-lasting, airy flower clusters atop tall green stems. The blueish-green foliage transforms into a stunning crimson red during fall's cooler months, creating eye-catching seasonal appeal. Exceptionally low-maintenance and adaptable, it excels in borders, beds, and cottage garden settings, rewarding gardeners with reliable performance and year-round visual interest.

Creeping Wintergreen features dainty nodding shell pink bell-shaped flowers at the ends of the branches from mid spring to mid summer. It has dark green evergreen foliage. The fragrant oval leaves turn burgundy in the fall, which persists throughout the winter. It produces red berries from early to late fall.

Blue Ice Bog Rosemary features dainty nodding white bell-shaped flowers with shell pink overtones at the ends of the branches from mid to late spring. It has attractive powder blue evergreen foliage. The needles are highly ornamental and remain powder blue throughout the winter.

Evolution Colorific Coneflower earns its name with flowers that transform in color as they age, creating a dynamic, multi-hued display across the same plant throughout summer and fall. A Great Lakes native, it grows in an upright, self-supporting form three to five feet tall, supporting monarchs, swallowtails, hummingbirds, and goldfinches at various stages of its bloom cycle. The large, ray-petaled flowers appear from midsummer onward on strong stems that hold well for cutting, and the dark seed cones that follow provide food for birds into winter. Drought tolerant and deer resistant once established, it thrives in average to dry soil in full sun. Mass it in groups for the most impressive seasonal display, or weave it through the back of a mixed border where its bold scale and long season of interest justify the space. One of the most ecologically productive perennials available for the sunny Midwest garden.

Diabolo Ninebark features showy clusters of white flowers at the ends of the branches from late spring to early summer, which emerge from distinctive pink flower buds. It has attractive deep purple deciduous foliage which emerges burgundy in spring. The serrated lobed leaves are highly ornamental and turn an outstanding red in the fall. It features abundant showy red capsules from early to mid fall. The peeling tan bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Golden Globe Arborvitae is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its ornamental globe-shaped form. It has attractive yellow evergreen foliage which emerges gold in spring. The scale-like sprays of foliage are highly ornamental and turn harvest gold in the fall, which persists throughout the winter.

In early summer, Tufted Hair Grass erupts into a shimmering cloud of fine, airy flower panicles that catch the light and sway with the slightest breeze, lending soft movement to the garden. Below, it forms a neat, fountain-like clump of slender deep-green blades that stays tidy throughout the season. A cool-season grass native to our region’s moist meadows and open woods, it settles easily into local gardens and thrives with steady, moderate moisture. The golden seed heads hold their beauty into fall and feed visiting songbirds, while its fibrous roots make it a fine choice for stabilizing slopes. Deer and rabbits pass it by, so the planting stays full and graceful. Sweep it through a bed as a flowing groundcover, or let a single clump shine as a textural accent.

Meet the 2027 Perennial Plant of the Year: Vernonia 'Summer's Swan Song'

The Perennial Plant Association has named its 2027 pick, and it's rooted in our own backyard in the Chicagoland area — this nativar hybrid ironweed was developed by Dr. Jim Ault, former Director of Ornamental Plant Research at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Deep purple blooms arrive in late summer and carry through fall, creating an eye-catching element in your garden as season transitions.

Compact and well-branched, 'Summer's Swan Song' holds its shape in borders and foundation plantings without flopping. Established plants handle dry conditions with ease and shrug off powdery mildew and rust — a sustainable choice for feeding pollinators all season long.

Cuphea 'Sweet Talk Deep Pink' is a compact, free-branching shrub that produces striking pink tubular flowers with deep purple calyces throughout spring to fall. This heat and drought-tolerant plant thrives in bedding displays, shrub borders, and containers, while its continuous blooms attract pollinators all season long. Perfect for gardeners seeking reliable color and low-maintenance performance.

Sweet Tea Foamy Bells brings warmth to the partly shaded garden with a color story that unfolds through the growing season—white summer flowers rising above lush foliage, then warming into rich tones of red-burgundy, golden yellow, and copper-bronze as fall arrives. The spreading, mounding habit fills in generously, reaching three to five feet across and creating an effective groundcover or bold accent where season-long color is the goal. Slender flower spikes draw butterflies, hummingbirds, and birds from summer through the season, bringing life and movement to shaded corners of the garden. The lacy, deeply lobed foliage has the fine-textured quality characteristic of foamy bells, creating a soft, layered effect that reads beautifully next to bold hostas or glossy ferns. It holds its own in partial sun without the stress that more shade-demanding plants can show, and asks for only moderate moisture to keep it looking sharp. A generous, easy-going performer that earns its space from spring through fall.

This exquisite variety produces threadlike branches with tiny scale like leaves that are bright yellow-green; puts on a dramatic winter show when the outer edges of the plant turn a rusty bronze color; makes a great garden accent or low hedge