Ten fabulous summer perennials

EDITOR'S NOTE: Third in a 10-part series of useful tips from our Northwest Gardens writers. Watch for a new list each Thursday on the Life and Arts cover. Find the rest of our regular garden coverage inside.

Next week: Ann Lovejoy on going organic

1. Blue star willow (Amsonia tabernaemontana)

This pleasing, billowing mound of a plant grows about 3 feet high and wide and has sky-blue flowers. The foliage is narrow and willowlike (more so in the variety salicifolia). In the fall, the foliage turns a straw color. Grow in full sun and provide regular water until well established.

2. Phlox paniculata 'David'

Phlox are tall, fragrant single stems, each topped with a dome of flowers and can grow to 4 feet high. Unfortunately, phlox are often affected by powdery mildew.This award-winning cultivar, however, is disease-resistant. The flowers are pure white. Grow in full sun and water regularly.

3. Agastache rupestris

One of the licorice mints, this airy plant has fragrant grayish small leaves and clusters of small, eye-catching bicolored flowers (lavender and orange). Use in a pot or at the edge of a border. Hummingbirds love the flowers. Grow in full sun and provide regular water.

4. Anemone 'Honorine Jobert'

'Honorine Jobert' blooms with single white flowers that have a noticeable cluster of orange stamen in the middle. The flowers are held on 3-foot stems, rising above most of the foliage below. This carefree plant blooms without fail and doesn't flop over. It will take dry summer soil if planted in shade.

5. Crocosmia 'Citronella' ('Golden Fleece')

With its swordlike foliage and sunny hue, golden yellow Crocosmia looks stunning next to a mound of the blue-flowered Aster x frikartii 'Monch,' which itself has a long bloom period, from midsummer into fall. Grow in full sun to a little shade.

6. Pinks (Dianthus)

The spicy fragrance of cultivars such as 'Gold Dust' and 'Unique' are intoxicating. The needlelike, blue-green foliage is hummocky. Pinks are long-lived and are used to tough conditions (as long as they don't drown). Grow in full sun and provide excellent drainage. Pinks like a slightly alkaline soil; beside a concrete pathway or in a rockery pocket is fine.

7. Angel's fishing rod (Dierama pulcherrimum)

The grassy foliage grows to about 3 feet, and in summer, tall and ever-so-thin flower stems emerge. Dangling along elegantly arching stems are pink bell-shaped flowers. The wiry stems sway slightly in a breeze and look beautiful hanging over a pond. Grow in full sun and provide regular water.

8. Joe pye weed (Eupatorium)

Rising above it all are the stems of 6-foot-tall joe pye weed. Many species and cultivars grow quite tall. E. 'Gateway,' for example, has a dome of tiny pink flowers atop 5-foot stems. But there are smaller selections, such as E. cannabinum 'Plenum,' which grows to 3 feet, and E. rugosum 'Chocolate,' which grows to 4 feet. Grow in full sun and provide regular water.

9. Hosta plantaginea

This species has glossy green, heart-shaped leaves that are slightly puckered. The flower stalk rises a foot or more above the foliage; the blooms are white, bell-shaped and fabulously fragrant. Plant in part shade (morning sun is best) and provide regular water.

10. Variegated archangel (Lamium 'Hermann's Pride')

'Hermann's Pride' is a clump-forming plant with foliage heavily marked with silver and beautiful enough that it wouldn't matter if flowers never appeared, but they do and are lovely. Lemon-yellow flowers, which appear in the leaf axils, look electric. A great plant for dry shade.

-- Marty Wingate

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