Baptisia Australis....A

Brunnera Jack Frost or Looking Glass...A on the 'Jack Frost', I don't have LG

Geranium Karmina...A, also 'Biokovo', 'Mac.Bevan's Variety' and 'Macrorrhizum.' These are all excellent choices.

Liatris Kobold...A

Brunnera Jack Frost - fabulous plant. Just love it!

Geranium Karmina - liked it the first year, now it seems kind of boring.

Calamintha Nepetoides - nice demure filler plant that adds a bit of white sparkle to the late summer garden

Scabiosa Butterfly Blue - great edger plant, low growing, will bloom all summer if deadheaded. Unbothered by insects or disease

Baptisia Australis - blooms at the same time as late iris, but then is kind of boring for the rest of the year. Not crazy about it

Love the Baptisia,the seedpods are turning a nice chocolate brown now. Give it plenty of room. Go easy on the fertilizer.
Love the brunneras.
Euphorbia, I don't have First Blush but love Polychroma. Does reseed, I cut it back to the ground after the bracts fade and it regrows a nice neat mound of foliage, No pest problems.
Liatris, Kobold , love them all
Scabiosa pretty, can be short-lived
Sedum. Purple Emperor, Like this one a lot. I have had to remove two stems that reverted to Matrona in the last 4 years.
Haven't grown the others

Whaas, I am gardening is a somewhat heavier clay soil and have given up planting perennials in the fall. The failure rate has been high. Anything that needs well drained soil just doesn't make it when planted late in the growing season for me. Bluestone (most of my plants have come from there) plants are small, but will take off quickly if planted in the spring with much less chance of loss.

Agastache..haven't grown either of your choices, but have had others. None have overwintered in my clayish soil. I have learned to grow it as an annual.

Baptisia..good strong grower. Give plenty of room. Takes about 3 years to come to full size and will flop in rich soil. Cut back after bloom to avoid flopping, but then you loose the attractive seed pods.

Brunnera Jack Frost..New this year for me. Takes a lot of moisture to keep it from drooping as it is getting established.

Calamintha Nepetoides.. I like this a lot. Great filler. Attracts lots of bees.

Dianthus Raspberry Surprise..I have it's relative 'coconut surprise' It is not the prolific bloomer as was claimed. I highly recommend 'Fire Witch' for heavy bloom and rebloom if deadheaded.

Euphorbia polychroma..A favorite. I cut mine back by half after bloom. Plant it with spring bulbs for a fantastic show.

Geranium Karmina (and Biokovo) Another favorite of mine. Spreads well for weed inhibiting ground cover, full sun to half shade. Blooms in late spring for only about 2 weeks, but the foilage is nice surrounding other later bloomers.

Liatris..nice vertical accent. Reseeds, but easy to pull up and replant if you like.

Monarda..Keep in mind that mildew resistant does not mean that it won't mildew. Drier conditions will bring it on, so take steps to combat mildew even when it says 'mildew resistant' on Monarda.

Nepeta..havent grown your pick, but I think all Nepeta are worthy. If you can use the height, try N. subsessillis. It is a sturdy upright 4' plant (mine is closer to 5')that blooms early and long. Loved by the bees and hummingbirds, plus if left to go to seed, the Gold Finches swarm all over it. And it will do well in your heavier soil.

Sedum Purple Empereror.. As with all the dark leaved sedums, nice color, but weak grower for me.

If you don't have it, get yourself a copy of Tracey di Sabato's book "The Well Tended Perennial Garden" It will be money well spent.

You have to be careful with the Agastaches in Wisconsin. They're mostly marginal and need good drainage to survive the winter. I'd recommend waiting until spring to plant them too - it helps to get them established. Purple Pygmy does well for me.

Coreopsis Sweet Dreams only lasted two years for me. It was great during those two years but I replaced with a different coreopsis.

Scabiosa Butterfly Blue is one of my favorite plants. It blooms all summer and always looks good without deadheading.

The rabbits ate my dianthus from Bluestone so I can't say much about it.

Nepeta Snowflake has done very well for me. It started blooming early before the blue nepetas and has been blooming on and off all summer.

Baptisia is one of my favorite plants. It does take about 3 years before it becomes full size. It has about a 3 week bloom season early, but this plant requires so little. It hasn't shown one sign of being bothered by anything, not drought or too much rain, or insects or mildew. Nothing. It comes up faithfully every year. I put a hoop around mine because it is in only 4 hrs of sun and it stays upright with a little gentle bending along the edge that is attractive. The foliage is attractive when out of bloom and never looks messy. I like the seedpods as they develop and turn brown. Mine look black sometimes. I never do anything to it, no fertilizer, very little watering. It's so big it looks like a shrub.

I have Purple Emperor Sedum and it does flop some. This year we had so little rain, the bottom of the stems bleached out to a cream color. Very odd, but I don't remember seeing it do that before. I wish they would come out with a better dark sedum, but from what I've read, not so far.

I have Karmina and I thought mine bloomed for about a month. I have mine with Biovoko which is a pale pink that contrasts nicely. Not the most exciting plant but another dependable edger that requires no care. OH, and the foliage turns bright red in the fall.

Two that I heard can bet out of hand are Anemone and Campanula Portenschlagiana. You might want to do a little more investigation on those two before deciding.

Agastache - B/grow as annual in pots
Blue Fortune is the only one that will tolerate my normal heavy garden soil & cold zone 5 winters.
Other varieties will grow in my raised gravel garden, but get too big or try to take over.

Penstemons - B
Husker Red is the only one I grow in my regular gardens.
Lots of varieties will grow in my gravel bed. One favorite is Alba, a pretty white as name implies.

Campanulas - mostly B
Not as difficult as two above, but do not really like my normal beds. Plant high & add gravel to hole & mulch with gravel. Easiest ones for me are Peach Leaved & Milky, even Glomerata (notorious spreader) will die out on me in some spots & take over good spots I want for something else. Port... probably pretty good one - have not tried.

Coreopsis Sweet Dreams & Scabiosa Butterfly Blue - B
Nice bloomers, strictly annuals. Lots of people have had problems with both of these.

Dianthus - mostly B
I second Firewitch as a replacement, only one I currently grow & have tried many. Most of the rest are very iffy, usually short lived, max 3 seasons. I've had better luck with the biennial varieties than most of the so called perennials.

Sedums - A/B depending on variety
Most sedums will grow in any reasonably draining bed for me, but red/purple ones are touchier. Matrona, somewhat purplish, died out on me twice. Maestro, a sport of Matrona, however, is doing fine for me, as is Vera Jamison & Bertram Anderson. The last two and a newer small reddish one I bought from Bluestone are in the gravel bed, mostly because of their size.
Advantage of small sedums is that they do not need cutbacks to prevent flopping, which many sedums do need in rich clay soils.

Baptisia australis - A
I grow my Purple Smoke as a cutback shrub. After bloom I chop it down to 15 inches and let it grow back (mostly for space reasons). Some opening up from center after bloom. Other than cutback (which can be done standing as opposed to sedums) no care plant. Long-lived.

Euphorbias - A/B depending on variety
Most aren't hardy here. Those that are like it on the dry side. Polychroma does well for me. Just don't plant it in a low spot. Haven't tried First Blush. Myrsinites (very small) is great in the gravel garden - would probably grow lots of places in my garden, but would get lost in the mess!

Boltonia - A
I grow a white variety, long-lived, almost no care needed. I keep mine in a semi-dry spot (which means normal for most people) so it does not over spread. Have not tried Pink.

Brunnera - A
Have Jack Frost in lots of spots. Have not tried Looking Glass (whiter than JF, might be a bit touchier about sun/shade conditions).

Anemone - A** But wait for spring planting for fall blooming types
Lots of varieties available, wasn't sure what type your selections are - the only drawback I found to the fall blooming type (I have Honorine Jobert) is Fall planting. It took me a long time to get her established because they were only available in nurseries here when in bloom.
Other varieties (bulb/corm type) that can be planted now & grow very well for me are Anemone Blanda & Coronaria. Love them both. Blanda has short daisy flowers in spring, followed by Coronaria with blooms just like Honorine J, but smaller, a bit later in spring. Coronaria also reblooms significantly in the fall. These both are great around shrubs & plants like hostas (that don't get moved often) and start a bit late in the season.

Liatris, Nepeta, & Geranium - A
All varieties do just fine and are easy care - long lived plants. Good spreaders, but not problematic. Grow all your varieties.
N. Snowflake is a bit pale for my taste, but I never removed it. I prefer the blues. Use a lot of Walker's Low because it is one of the few grey/green/blue foliaged plants that do well in my garden. It does need summer cutback (and I have a lot of them to cutback), however Snowflake has been daintier for me, & I give it no haircut, or any care whatsoever.

Monarda - A
For me all varieties seem long-lived, easy care plants, needing only a cutback after bloom mostly for neatness - and I like the regrowth, which makes a nice green groundcover for the rest of the season.
Only real drawback to monardas is mildew. I don't have much trouble with that in my gardens on any plant, so I don't really know if Pink Supreme is a good selection for you. I do grow one semi-dwarf called Grand Marshall, a fushcia pink variety that is great. Big flowers, hold for a long time, stays erect very well, & no mildew (at least for me).

Have not grown the calaminth on your list. Would think it would grow well for you. Again a bit pale for my taste, but I have heard some people rave about this plant, and may give it a try myself this year.

Here's my experience:

As many have said, ahastache can be hard to overwinre if you have clay. I do have clay and mine does return, but I plant in half sand and first add a layer of pea gravel to the planting hole. Also, I don't cut it back in the fall.

I grow Campanula 'Kent Belle' which is a great plant. Love it. I also planted Campanula Birch Hybrid this year but due to the extreme drought, I didn't getmany blooms, so we'll see next year how it does.

Dianthus also needs good drainage. Mulch with pea gravel. I grow Bath's pink which is more forgiving of clay and Arctic Fire which is spreading nicely.

Any geranium is a great plant imo. I've been growing Johnson's Blue for year with no division, looks great (although it's a sprawler). Planted Patricia this year, it should take off next year.

I grow Monarda 'Raspberry Wine' and I've never had any mildew. This year, I did water it which I normally don't do, but due to the drought, I had to. I find it a very easy care plant overall.

Penstemon 'Dark Towers' is a gorgeous plant and handles clay with no problem.

Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue' - I cannot get this to overwinter no matter what I do. Att his point, I treat it as an annual. I do still plant it because it's such a heavy, continuous bloomer.

Sedum 'Purple Emperor' - love this plant, great performer for me. Some people have problems with root rot, I nevr have. The more sun, the darker the leaves.

If you'd like to see pictures of any of these in my gardens, just say the word.

I've had good luck with Siberian Blues Dianthus and get a pretty long bloom period with deadheading. I find Dianthus so easy and reliable to start from seed by winter sowing and collecting the seed is a snap too, so they are easy to replace if your patch is getting scraggly.

"A" for Agastache 'Purple Pygmy' if for nothing other than the gorgeous scent. Really does smell like bubblegum to me. Not as "blanketed" with flowers as all the pictures suggest but enough so you appreciate the pretty bloom color. I don't have a place to give it all the sun it needs so if yours is going full sun it may likely have more blooms. Mine are only in their second year from seed and I'm already happy with it. Deer, rabbits and groundhogs have not eaten them so they're just dandy by me. :)

You can get the following cheaper locally, so why mailorder at all?

Baptisia australis - definitely worth growing, but requires patience. Twilite Prairie Blues is much faster growing, but darker flowered.

Brunnera Jack Frost is in my opinion better than looking glass. I also highly recommend Emerald Mist.

Calamintha nepeta Montrose White is on the top of my list for long season color in a compact plant and is highly underused.

Euphorbia polychroma is a much stronger grower than First Blush (a side note- First Blush was selected in Germantown, WI) First Blush needs well drained soil to thrive, straight polychroma is more forgiving. Interesting that Bluestone lists polychroma and epithymoides seperately, they're synonymous.

Liatris Kobold. Do try to find 'Kobold Original' as it will be dwarf clonal material, not a tall seed grown strain like regular 'Kobold'.

Penstemon Dark Towers is (believe it or not) stronger growing than Husker's Red and has much better dark color to the foliage and seed heads. Like Husker's Red, no problem with clay soil.

Scabiosa Butterfly Blue has rarely overwintered for me. Alpine plant that blooms its head off. Needs great drainage. Ultraviolet and Vivid Violet have overwintered more reliably, but steel need excellent drainage.

Sedum Purple Emperor is one of the better purple-foliaged sedums available. Chocolate Drop is even better for habit and color.

Sub. varieties locally available to consider:

Agastache Heatwave or Pule Pygmy- A. rupestris 30" tall hardy in well drained soils. Solid performer with orangey-coral flowers.

Anemone Alice or Price Henry- Pamina or September Charm are both nice pinks. Almost All fall-blooming Anemone are colony formers and need some management to stay in bounds.

Boltonia Pink- Jim Crockett is a nice dwarf lavender Boltonia.

Campanula Portenschlagiana- C. posharskyana Blue Waterfall is well behaved groundcover campanula. My fav. campanula next to C. summertime blues.

Coreopsis Sweet Dreams- all coreopsis need great drainage to get through our winters. Sweet Dreams has been difficult here and quite a bit leggy. I think the only one on your list I would truly skip.

Dianthu Raspberry Surprise or First Love- all Dianthus do fairly well here as long as they aren't too wet in winter and early spring. Firewitch is similar to First love.

Geranium Karmina- Nice variety will do well.

Dwarf Monarda Pink Supreme - Had this once, seemed nice enough. Very similar to Grand Marshall which has been a solid performer with virtually no mildew. Skip the new pink Grand Mum. Worst mildew in my monardas this year. Worse even than M. fistulosa.

Nepta Snowflake- somewhat weaker growing than other nepetas, but when sited well that isn't a negative in my opinion. Personally I would just plant another Calaminta nepeta montrose white.

The Plant Geek
www.confessionsofaplantgeek.blogspot.com

In my area I can't seem to find alot of these plants...maybe I'm not going to the right spots.

If I do, they aren't much cheaper...$5 for a quart and $10 for a gallon pot is typical.

az2zmom, yes please! If you or anyone else have pictures please share!

All the info shared is extremely informative...it will help weed out the bad ones!

Monarda Pink Supreme is a medium height true pink, nearly mildew free. It does need moisture, as do all monardas. I have to water mine if there is no rain. Geranium cantabrigiense Karmina is a small groundcover type, with attractive shiny green leaves, excellent for a dry part shade area. I would not grow it for its bloom, which is rather short. Also, being a true groundcover, it will spread outwards at a moderate rate, which can be annoying if it impinges upon the growing space of other desirable plants. Great in the right place, however. I agree with the comments about specific plants that others have made, since I have grown or currently grow many of these.

$5/qt and $10/gal is typical yes, and you're looking at paying someting like $5-$15+shipping from bluestone.

Anyway, I carry (or can special order) all the plants listed in my post, we're in Germantown. But seeing as mentioning our name would be considered advertising which would get me banned, I can't tell you who we are. (as an aside, is this really fair? I mean as a gardener I can tell you to go to whatever mailorder or walk-in garden center I want, as long as it isn't mine)

The Plant Geek
www.confessionsofaplantgeek.blogspot.com

I don't know the Milwaukee area nurseries, but if you're willing to take a trip then go to the Flower Factory near Stoughton. They've got almost every plant that does well in Wisconsin, although their inventory is a down a bit in the fall they still have a lot of nice plants.

I'll check the FS in spring...nice spreadsheet btw!

Scabiosa Butterfly Blue - planted four this year, One is short lived due to mildew (got >5 hr afternoon sun), 3 of them survived in a more sunnier location, but rabbits love to eat the flowers and bud. so did not get too much of them. Would not plant them any more.