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This is a thornless blackberry with erect canes. It is notable for being resistant to orange rust, which was the deciding factor for me in choosing this cultivar over others. I previously lost my entire blackberry stand to orange rust.

Prune the tips of the new canes when they reach 3-1/2 to 4 feet during the growing period. Wait until after fruiting to do any further pruning. Like any cane fruit, they will benefit from mulching and consistent watering during the fruiting period.

This plant, also known as a Sea Holly, bears strange and spiky purplish blossoms. It thrives even in poor soil and hot, dry conditions. Even when not in bloom, the serrated, wavy leaves arising in a rosette pattern from a central tap root are interesting and can provide a textural contrast in the border.

The blossoms are long-lasting as cut flowers, and a real conversation piece in a bouquet!

May appear to be a single bloom when it first opens, displaying a row of pink florets. As it ages, the crested center will become fuller and more prominent, until it forms a nearly sphere-shaped bloom, with the florets bending downward toward the stem.

Very dramatic and appealing in the border, with good drought resistance once established.

This plant has a very open, airy form, with narrow leaves and a slightly sprawling habit. Each plant produces multiple blooms of dark cherry-red with golden centers.

I saw this striking plant in a hanging pot with the opening at the bottom, so the narrow, blade-like leaves came cascading out of the bottom of the pot. It would also work well in a traditional hanging basket, a window box, or spilling over the edge of a container, to give a textural contrast to other foliage. Very dramatic salmon, hot pink, and burgundy coloration on the leaves!

This diminutive plant was really eye-catching, both when used in a mass planting as a ground cover, and as edging along a shady flower bed. The glossy, dark bronze-green and purple leaves with scarlet veining offered a lot of contrast for other plants with lighter foliage. The blossoms were not particularly showy, but they were an attractive purple color.

The dark blue-green leaves of this hosta are textured, glossy, and look almost waxy. They really stood out in a mass planting on a hillside.

I love the variegated leaves on this variety! The leaves are a dull green, with yellow margins. It would be attractive as a border plant, even when not in bloom. Nice fragrance, too!

Fertilize in spring. Wait until after flowering to shape or prune shrub. Low mounding habit; good for borders, edging, and mass planting. In the autumn, foliage is burgundy-purple.

Blooms are initially white, but soon turn to bright pink. Foliage is green, becoming purplish red in the autumn. Mounding habit with average water needs. Best in moist, well-drained soils. Prune after flowering. Fertilize in spring. May need winter protection in colder climates.

Though this plant does produce white blooms during the summer, it is the fluffy, cloud-like fruit or seed heads that are the main appeal! They appear ivory near the stem and a dusky rose color toward the ends. This native plant is very drought tolerant, and it naturalizes readily.

This plant is low-growing and compact, with tight, spiky little flower heads that look like blue powder puffs. This is a pastel blue, sometimes tending a bit toward lavender. The blooms are long-lasting, not tending to fade or be adversely affected by weather. These look great planted in tight, close succession, and they work well both as edging along the front of a flower bed and in containers.

This variety was bred to tolerate heat better than the basic lobelias available in nurseries. Like other mounding, trailing lobelias, this is popular as a bedding plant, especially for use in hanging baskets and containers. The plants are petite and delicate, and they offer a nice color and texture contrast to more upright or spiky flower forms.

This lantana is a summer workhorse! When other plants are drooping from the heat and humidity, or demanding frequent watering, this lantana just blooms furiously in a riot of flame colors. It works well planted with reds and yellows, or as a strong contrast to an intense purple, such as some dark purple verbenas. My plant grew well beyond the size I'd expected, and bloomed non-stop from late spring right up until frost.

The only downside I can report, other than its tendency to overgrow its allotted space, is that the leaves and stems are prickly and spiny . There are no thorns, per se, but the prickly hairs of the stems make it unpleasant to brush up against. Don't plant it in an area where you'll need to weed or work frequently, or wear gloves and long sleeves when working near it.

The little 1" blooms of this annual plant look similar to zinnias, though the growth habit is much more low and sprawling. They work well in rock gardens and as a low edging in flower beds or along sidewalks. They also fare well in hanging baskets, as long as they aren't allowed to dry out too much. They bloom right through the hottest parts of the summer without fail, and they offer a nice contrast between the dark green of the foliage and the bright, sunny yellow or orange of the blooms.

Though these are easy to start from seed, they do resent transplanting. If starting indoors, plant in peat pots, or use the "hunk o' seedlings" method of starting a whole thick block of them in a milk carton or box and lifting the whole clump to transplant. This reduces transplant shock. Alternately, seed directly where you'd like them to grow.

This is a mounding groundcover. It produces many small, fuzzy leaves, which have a pleasant scent when rubbed or crushed. This little plant doesn't require much care, and it will form a nice mounded shape with little or no pinching. Once established, it is fairly drought-tolerant. It also works well in containers, offering a different shape and texture to complement spiky or flowering plants.

This carnivorous plant produces very specialized leaves, which grow in a tubular form resembling a flower. It produces a nectar-like substance inside the tube, luring insects to climb down inside. Once they are inside, stiff, bristle-like hairs prevent them from climbing or flying back out. Trapped insects fall into a watery liquid in the base of the tube, where they are digested.

Sundews are one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with nearly 200 species, and a range that includes every continent except Antarctica. The plant displays long tentacle-like stalks, which have a threefold purpose, of luring, trapping, and digesting its prey. The stalks produce a sticky substance that attracts insects. The insects become trapped in the mucous-y substance and die of either exhaustion or asphyxiation. The sticky substance also dissolves the insect, making the nutrients available to the plant.

The pitcher plant is a carnivorous plant. It lures an insect down inside its tubular leaves, which may be mistaken for blooms. Once the insect is inside, the downward pointing hairs prevent it from escaping. It falls into the liquid in the base of the tube, where the nutrients are absorbed by the plant.

This bog plant is now endangered in Illinois and found only in the NE parts of the state. Please do not contribute to its decline by collecting wild specimens!

This clematis produces quite large sky-blue blossoms. They may appear to be single blossoms when they initially open, but they then continue to open over a long period of time, until the same bloom is nearly a pom-pom. You may also experience double blooms on the first flush of blooms, and then later a second set of blooms that remain single.

This clematis took a bit longer to get established than some, growing slowly and only producing a few blooms the first couple of years. They appreciate some shade at their base (head in the sun, feet in the shade), if you can plant a low clumping plant at the base.

This is a really spectacular clematis, and well worth the patience it takes to reach that first year of really heavy bloom!