Grown at our Chalet Farm in WI, Francee Hosta features dainty spikes of lilac purple bell-shaped flowers rising above the foliage in mid summer. Its attractive textured heart-shaped leaves remain forest green in color with distinctive white edges throughout the season. A dense herbaceous perennial with tall flower stalks held atop a low mound of foliage, the medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

A rock star among perennials, blooming with abandon from June until frost with very little attention. Prolific, lavender blue saucer-shaped flowers with a lighter center top attractive, deeply lobed foliage. The plant is compact and doesn't get leggy or rangy, but still manages to meander through and around other plants in a most beautiful way. Lovely planted with yellow and orange flowers like Yarrow (Achillea) and Daylily (Hemerocallis).

Beauty, functionality and ease of growth combine to make this ornamental grass a best-seller! Tall stems of wheat-like flowers rise in June above the clump of leaves and remain attractive well into the winter. Upright form makes it ideal for narrow spaces, but it also looks terrific when planted in mass. Mingles well with just about anything including Butterfly Bush (Buddleia), Blue Mist Spirea (Caryopteris), Coneflower (Echinacea), Cranesbill (Geranium), Daylily (Hemerocallis), and Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum). Cut back old foliage to a few inches in early spring.

Cold-hardy, versatile geranium variety makes an excellent flowering groundcover, rock garden plant and container plant. Magenta pink flowers bloom heavily in May, then sporadically for the rest of the summer on dense mounds of foliage. The small, dark green, deeply lobed leaves turn amazing shades of red in the fall.

Cheerful, long-blooming daisies brighten sunny beds and borders and also make excellent fresh cut flowers. Becky is a sturdy variety with strong stems that support masses of bright white, 3-4" flowers with yellow centers in June and July. Removing the faded flowers really helps to extend the bloom. Looks great with Tickseed (Coreopsis), Dianthus, Salvia and ornamental grasses. Avoid heavy, wet clay soil.

The brilliant red flowers of Cardinal Flower are a hummingbird and butterfly magnet! This native plant is happiest in consistently moist soil and will tolerate brief flooding; perfect for rain gardens and naturalizing near ponds and streams. Scarlet red, tubular flowers open in August at the top of the unbranched stems, blooming for several weeks. In favorable situations it may seed about.

Pixie Meadowbrite Coneflower has masses of beautiful lightly-scented hot pink daisy flowers with burgundy eyes 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. This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Cool, gray-green leaves on arching burgundy stems add soft texture and unique color to shady areas and woodland gardens. Easy to grow in moist, compost-rich soil. For brightest leaf color avoid heavy shade.

Delicate, fine-textured bright green leaves carried by slender black stems make this plant a lovely textural accent in the soft, dappled sun of a woodland garden or in shady annual containers. Really appreciates an organically rich, moist soil that also drains well.

Blooming for a good part of the summer the prolific, the deep yellow flowers of Zagreb are a cheerful addition to sunny gardens or walkways. Fine-textured, thread-like leaves form a compact, bushy mound that complements other coarser leaved plants. Plant 2 or 3 together for best effect and shear after flowering to get an autumn flush of bloom.

The narrow, upright stems of this Liatris, also know as Blazing Star and Spike Gayfeather, are great for adding a vertical element to garden beds and sunny native meadows. Stunning when planted in groups. Kobold is a short variety that does not need staking. Dense spikes of small lilac-mauve flowers in July and August open from the tip of the stem downward. Excellent, very long-lasting fresh cut flower.

This tough yet pretty plant is great for beginners—just give it a sunny location and soil that drains well. Ferny, grayish foliage is topped by clusters of 2” diameter, flat-topped flowers in a sulfur-yellow color in June and July—the color combining well with pinks and blues such as Coneflower (Echinacea) and Salvia. The flowers are super for cutting and drying. Another big plus is that butterflies will flock to this plant, but the deer won't!