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'Firebird' is a prolific bloomer, covered with deep orange red flowers from mid summer until frost. It is a cross between A. coccinea and A. rupestris, hybridized by Richard Dufresne of North Carolina. An excellent choice for containers, raised beds and rock gardens. A favorite of butterflies and hummingbirds. For us this has been a very reliable returner when given good drainage.

Licorice Plant, so nicknamed by Dr. Allan Armitage, of the University of Georgia for the deliciously scented foliage - mmmm - let your customers rub it! Striking warm rosy orange verticillate flowers with silvery foliage sets this plant apart. It is upright, somewhat shrubby and quite cold tolerant. This is an outstanding plant, in flower from June until killing frost. Championed by Panayoti Kelaidis of the Denver Botanic Gardens.

This long-blooming, compact Amsonia selected from A. tabernaemontana seedlings at White Flower Farm is possibly a hybrid with the taxonomically challenged A. montana or perhaps with the Asian Rhazya orientale. Whatever its parentage, Blue Ice blooms longer and stronger than the species and forms a dense, compact mound of dark green leaves that turn brilliant yellow in the fall. Looks fantastic in a gallon!

From the garden of Virginia's Nancy Swell comes this stunning Lady Fern with silver-white fronds and a decidedly upright habit. Leaves age to light green with new fronds appearing throughout the season. Upright with a beautiful formal appearance that really stands out in the shady garden. This fern really prefers shade and will stand up with all fronds perpendicular to the ground in full sun.

Blue spikes of pea-shaped flowers resemble the tall racemes of lupines in May and early June. A slow to mature, but very rewarding native garden perennial. Found in open woods, river banks and sandy floodplains, New York to Nebraska to Georgia.

Hundreds of soft pink daisies top fine-textured silver blue foliage in late summer. Butterflies love this plant! This undemanding native plant is long lived and easy to grow.

Zillions of lacy white daisies top long stems of fine-textured silver blue foliage in late summer and early fall. An undemanding native plant that is surprisingly tolerant of drought and flood.

Bright white flowers are larger and showier than the species. It is a longer-lived and better smelling substitute for baby's breath! June-October bloom in an average to dry location.

Dianthus allwoodii 'Frosty Fire' grows low mounds of sprawling, blue grey, linear, grass-like foliage that bears colorful, fragrant, double red flowers that continuously bloom throughout the summer, especially when the old blossoms are removed.  D. plumarius x caryophyllus.

Another in the Big Sky™ series from Itsaul Plants, Summer Sky™ ('Katie Saul') has large flat-topped flowers with orange cones and ray flowers that fade in pastel shades from orange to pink like a summer sky at the end of a long hot day. Though delicate in color and fragrance, these strong plants hold up very well and produce long sturdy stems that last as cut flowers.

Bright pink flowers are held aloft above creamy white variegated foliage, very compact habit. The stems culminate in racemes of orchid like flowers that open a few at a time giving the plant the added bonus of a long blooming period. A note concerning the nomenclature of this Gaura: The proper name of this Gaura is Gaura 'Colso'. The trademarked name is Sunny Butterflies. Oregon State website has an explination we like:A cultivar name is considered descriptive of the plant, and it may registered with the International Code of Nomenclature. A trademark name cannot be used in the Code of Nomenclature. Thus, a unique or novel name must be created in addition to the cultivar name to establish a trademark. Trademark names are considered "brand names", similar to Air Jordan being a brand of athletic shoes, and have no taxonomic validity. Furthermore, if a trademark name is used in international registers or printed matter as a cultivar name, the name becomes generic and losses the protection status for the inventor (breeder). Thus, a trademarked plant often may have a trademark name and a cultivar name. In this case, the cultivar name is sometimes considered a "nonsense" name in that it is rarely used in commerce. The trademark name is the name promoted commercially. However, the so-called nonsense cultivar name is the name used in the Code of Nomenclature.

A free-flowering plant to brighten up the mid and late summer garden. Covered in intense light yellow single 2-3" flowers from July to September. An irresistible butterfly plant.

Fuzzy, chartreuse to lime green, nearly evergreen foliage erupts in September, with white fountains of pure white flowers, continues until frost. A very easy care plant tolerant of dry shade and a wide variety of conditions. A good, tough exciting meat and potatoes groundcover that doubles as a cut flower! Great for moist shade. Named and introduced by Bluemount Nurseries, Monkton, MD.

The sweetly scented tubular orange flowers of this native honeysuckle often attract hummingbirds to the garden throughout the summer. Flowers are followed by bright red fruit, attractive to birds. Unlike its Japanese cousin, it is a well-behaved member of the border. A twining vine, it needs a trellis or fence for support.

An easy-to-grow native with hundreds of salmon pink flowers in mid summer. A long-blooming and clean selection, Coral Reef attracts butterflies and hummingbirds with its sweetly scented flowers. Spreads enthusiastically in moist soil, but is more restrained in the average garden.

Brilliant green lacy fronds gracefully arch outward in stately vase-shaped clumps. In early summer narrow fronds emerge as vertical spikes of cinnamon red brown in the center. Especially striking when planted in groups. Prefers a moist shady site, but tolerates more sun in cooler zones.

With the same silvery texture and excellent drought tolerance of the others, Little Spire rarely exceeds two feet tall and falls over only when trampled by your dog. The work of Dutch breeder Herbert Oudshoorn is responsible for this excellent, compact, long-blooming, low-maintenance landscape plant. Patent administered by Future Plants.

A compact selection, like 'Marcus', 'Sensation Rose' has brilliant rose pink flowers on its plentiful spikes. It is naturally free with its branching for a sensational show in early summer. Great pot crop topping out at 10-12". From the Florensis Breeding Project. Tags will ship unless otherwise requested.

Silver blue scalloped foliage with clusters of star shaped, bright pink flowers in late September and October. Unique arching habit with the best winter resistance. Great groundcover for Daylilies. Also makes a great container plant. The entire plant turns light to deep pink with colder temperatures.

By whatever name, a hardy native orchid that is adaptable for garden and landscape use in most of the eastern US. Silvery-green ground-hugging rosettes slowly form colonies in moist soils, bogs or swamps. Fragrant white flowers spiral upward in August and September. Often sold as an emergent plant for water gardens.

Japanese Beech Fern is one of the best landscape ferns we've tried over the years. It also behaves very well in pot culture and it travels well with minimal breakage. It has been in the trade for some time, but is still underutilized since it hasn't been readily available. No more! Thelypteris decursive-pinnata is a vigorous spreader and an excellent choice for a groundcover. Beautiful, with graceful fronds, it produces large colonies in moist or average shade. Its vigorous growth is produced on short runners so it is easily controlled if necessary. Arching fronds are a lustrous dark green and have a lighter green underside for a unique display. Like the other Thelypteris, Japanese Beech Fern appreciates a little extra moisture in the soil to perform best, although it is not necessary for plant health and appearance. It may be evergreen in warmer zones and is fully perennial to zone 4.

Synonym: Phegopteris decursive-pinnata

A vigorous running groundcover with red speckled, deeply dissected heart shaped foliage, Tirella Running Tapestry produces a plethora of white flower spikes in Spring. Discovered by Jim Plyler of Natural Landscapes Nursery, West Grove. PA, the irrepressible grower of native trees and shrubs. A Cornell University All Star Groundcover!

This toad Lily is one of the few varieties of Tricyrtis with varegated leaves that is a good, tough garden plant with clean foliage! Green leaves with creamy, almost gold edges are topped in fall with lily-like flowers of purple with dark purple spotting with yellow throats. Best admired from close by, it is lovely planted near a patio or sitting area mixed with other shade perennials.

Spikes of deep rose to pink flowers cover low growing, dense foliage in early summer and continue to appear until frost. Great at the front of the border. Flowers are long-lasting cuts and work well in diminutive arrangements.

A lovely large-flowered pansy with lemon yellow flowers rimmed in deep lavender. Easy to grow and perennial in many locations. They create a subtly beautiful color impact in the spring garden, especially when combined with peach or white tulips. Though this variety blooms the heaviest from late spring to early summer, it will continue to send up flowers sporadically throughout the summer in cooler zones.