(Fringed Loosestrife)

Slightly nodding, yellow star-shaped flowers appear in midsummer atop the stems of the fringed loosestrife. This upright herbaceous perennial is pretty but spreads aggressively via fast-growing, far spreading rhizomes (underground rooted stems that spread). This prolific plant is native across much of North America, save a California, Arizona and Nevada, and naturally inhabits moist open woodlands.

The elliptical leaves are medium green and have tapered tips. Tiny white hairs line the stems and...

(Blue Cardinal Flower, Great Blue Lobelia)

A cooling presence in the late-summer landscape, this hardy perennial from damp habitats in central and eastern North America delights gardeners and draws hummingbirds with its spires of blue flowers.

Rosettes of oval to lance-shaped, medium- to dark-green leaves develop in fall and persist through much of winter. Knee- to waist-high stalks terminating in long, spike-like, one-sided racemes arise from the rosettes in late summer. The purplish-blue, often white-blotched, tubular blooms have two...

(Rose Campion)

Rose campion is a biennial or short-lived perennial native to southeastern Europe. It is grown for its old-fashioned, small, flat, magenta to red flowers (pink- and white-flowered forms are also available). The flowers appear in late spring or summer on tall branching stems above basal clumps of downy, silver-gray leaves.

Grow rose campion in full sun to light shade in average, well-drained soil. The leaves — which are most silvery in dry soil and full sun — contrast effectively with darker-leaved...

(Maltese Cross)

There may be no perennial more attractive to hummingbirds than Maltese cross, with its globular clusters of scarlet flowers atop tall, unbranched, hairy stems. A perennial native to European Russia, it has an upright, clumping habit with medium green, oval hairy leaves that form a basal rosette and also clasp the flower stems.

In early to midsummer, the stems are topped by domed clusters of five-petaled, scarlet to red-orange flowers. Each petal is deeply lobed, almost V-shaped. Both butterflies...

(Allwood's Pink, Frosty Fire Pink)

Plants in the Dianthus Allwoodii group are compact, semi-evergreen, cushion-forming perennials resulting from crossing Dianthus plumarius (cottage pink) with perpetual-flowering carnations. The cultivar 'Frosty Fire' bears many clove-scented, ruffled, double, vivid red flowers in late spring and early summer above mounds of grassy, silvery-blue, evergreen leaves. Sporadic rebloom may occur in summer and early fall.

Preferring full sun and well-drained, neutral soil, this pink is well suited...

(Ashy Cranesbill)

The hardy Ashy Cranesbill is a low-growing perennial native to the Pyrenees Mountains, which divide Spain and France. It is a very pretty mound-forming perennial that offers five-petaled purple or lavender-pink flowers from late spring to early summer.

The leaves of this hardy plant are palm-shaped, deeply lobed and soft gray-green. They form a nice mound in spring. Its blooms are cup-shaped and produced just above the foliage singly or in loose groups of three or four. They are commonly pink...

(Bloodroot)

A familiar and beloved wildflower from rich woods of eastern and central North America, this early-blooming perennial is grown for its fleeting white flowers and handsome foliage.

Bloodroot's bold, lobed, blue-green leaves push from the ground in early spring, their parasol-shaped blades folded like a butterfly's wings. The delicate, snowy, eight-petaled blooms open atop short stems that emerge from the folded leaves. The flowers last only a few days, dropping their petals as the leaves unfurl....

(Sargent's Crabapple)

Sargent's crabapple covers itself in spring with red buds that open to white flowers, followed by small dark red fruits that persist into early winter. A deciduous large shrub or small tree native to Japan, it has a spreading, mounded habit. The leaves are oval and dark green with teeth on their edges. In mid-to-late spring the bare branches fill with clusters of red buds that open to fragrant, pure white flowers that attract bees. The leaves emerge as the flowers open. The fruits mature to deep...

(Oswego Tea, Red Bergamot, Scarlet Beebalm)

Distinctive bright red flower clusters glow on the tall stems of scarlet beebalm in summer. This classic eastern North American wildflower is naturally distributed across old-fields, meadows, open woods and prairies, particularly those along the Alleghany Mountains. It has been a longtime garden favorite due to its beautiful blooms, pleasant fragrance and herbal qualities. Two more of its common names are Oswego tea and wild bergamot, names pointing to the fact its leaves make a refreshing tea likened...

(Lemon Beebalm)

The fragrant foliage and showy tiered flowers of lemon beebalm are a real knockout in the summer garden. This upright "annual" may survive as a short-lived perennial for two to three years. It inhabits sandy, rocky soils across the southwestern United States. Unlike many other Monarda, this species does not spread via rhizomes but maintains a neat, upright clump.

Lemon beebalm has narrow green leaves with sparse teeth along the edges. The foliage and stems have a strong lemon spiked...