(Blue Mistflower, Hardy Ageratum)

The fuzzy, lavender-blue flowers of blue mistflower bring much-needed color to the late summer landscape. Native to the eastern United States, this hardy perennial is found naturally in moist, partially shaded woodlands and streambanks, and spreads generously via rhizomes (lateral underground stems). The showy flowers appear from late summer to early autumn atop sturdy, upright, well-branched stems lined with bright green, oblong, pointed leaves. Highly beneficial to wildlife, blue mistflower...

(Blue Mistflower)

The fuzzy, lavender-blue flowers of blue mistflower bring much-needed color to the late summer landscape. Native to the eastern United States, this hardy perennial is found naturally in moist, partially shaded woodlands and streambanks, and spreads generously via rhizomes (lateral underground stems). The showy flowers appear from late summer to early autumn atop sturdy, upright, well-branched stems lined with bright green, oblong, pointed leaves. Highly beneficial to wildlife, blue mistflower...

(Coastal Plain Joe-Pye weed, Little Joe Joe-Pye weed)

‘Little Joe’ adds color and architecture to the summer garden with its large, dome-shaped clusters of lavender-pink flowers borne on tall, sturdy stems. Selected for its compact growth habit, it is a form of eastern Joe Pye weed, native to moist, coastal areas of the eastern United States. Its burgundy-tinted stems are lined with whorls of pointed, elliptical, dark green foliage. In mid- to late summer, many dark salmon-pink buds give way to dense, rounded clouds of softly-colored flowers, which...

(Hollow-Stemmed Joe-Pye weed, Trumpetweed)

Beautiful branched clusters of purplish rose flowers rise from this stately eastern North American native perennial in summer and fall. Hollow-stemmed Joe-Pye weed naturally inhabits moist meadows, thickets and roadside ditches but grows equally well in regular garden loam. Its colorful flowers and bold look make it a favorite cultivated native in large-scale perennial gardens and native gardens alike.

Its smooth, upright stems are bright purplish red and have a hollow interior between the...

(Bartered Bride Joe-pye Weed)

Beautiful branched clusters of purplish rose flowers rise from this stately eastern North American native perennial in summer and fall. Hollow-stemmed Joe-Pye weed naturally inhabits moist meadows, thickets and roadside ditches but grows equally well in regular garden loam. Its colorful flowers and bold look make it a favorite cultivated native in large-scale perennial gardens and native gardens alike.

Its smooth, upright stems are bright purplish red and have a hollow interior between the...

(Gateway Spotted Joe-Pye weed, Spotted Joe-Pye Weed)

Joe Pye weed ‘Gateway’ brings drama and architecture to the late summer garden with its imposing height and magnificent clouds of lavender-pink flowers. Attractive even when not in bloom, its tall, sturdy, burgundy-tinted stems are lined thickly with whorls of deep green, pointed, elliptical foliage. The branched stems are crowned with huge, pale purple, dome-shaped flower clusters in late summer, which are beloved by an array of bees and butterflies.

Native to the eastern United States, Joe...

(Chocolate Snakeroot, White Snakeroot)

Chocolate snakeroot is an upright clumping perennial native to the woodlands of the eastern United States. Its clusters of soft fluffy white flower clusters allure bees and butterflies in the late summer to early fall. Leaves of cultivar 'Chocolate' are colored mainly a deep purple with brown or bronze tints with stems are stiff and brownish purple.

Chocolate snakeroot requires a rich alkaline soil, with plentiful watering and partial shade. Remove wandering rhizomes if a meadering cluster...

(Parsley Leaf Ligularia, Pie Crust Leopard Plant, Wavy-leaved Japanese Farfugium)

Interesting common names such as pie crust ligularia or parsley farfugium reveal the ornate foliage of 'Crispatum'. It is among the prized shade garden foliage plants, with more magnificent foliage than any hosta or woodland wildflower. The Japanese farfugium manages to produce a tall flower stalk that surprises you as being a member of the daisy family. This perennial is native to the forests and moist slopes across Japan and southern China. It develops rhizome roots and its foliage remains evergreen...

(Kakome Meadowsweet, Meadowsweet)

An exceptional hybrid meadowsweet for the garden, ‘Kahome’ is a relatively compact selection with pretty pink summer flowers and lustrous, deeply lobed leaves. It is believed to be a cross between the Japanese species, Filipendula multijuga and possibly F. purpurea, though this is not confirmed.

Deeply lobed, almost maple-like leaves grace this substantial garden from spring to fall. The leaves are coarsely toothed, medium to light green and supported by reddish stems. For several...

(Alpine Dropwort, Dwarf Meadowsweet)

Bright, lime green foliage that looks like those of a maple and fluffy rosy flower clusters in early summer make the dwarf meadosweet a delicious plant for moist garden sites. A clump-forming herbaceous perennial, it is native to the mountains of central and southern Japan. Plants grow from swollen, tuberous rhizomes (underground stems) and can vary in their mature height, from shin-high to nearly waist-high depending on their nativity to a colder alpine elevation.

The hand-like leaves are light...