perennials where their foliage is as good or better than their flowers:
phlox nora leigh
kirengeshoma
dienanthe bifida
variegated solomons seal
all persicarias
all polygonums
all heuchera
tiarella
leucoseptrum
most hosta
sedum
hens and chicks
purple perilla
cryptotaenia
lamium and lamiastrum
brunnera
canna
symphitum
rodgersia
variegated falopia
umbrella leaf

I love so many perennials for both their blooms & foliage. Unlike some folks, I think daylily foliage is elegant right through the season. Coral bell flowers may appear insignificant but I see bees on them nearly as often as I see them on sedum and they last just as long, if not longer. My several H. 'Palace Purple' are presently loaded with flowers.

Stokesia doesn't have a very extended bloom period but the foliage remains elegantly arched right through the growing season, as does Penstemon foliage. Rose campion & St. John's wort fall into a similar category.

Baptisia/false indigo has elegant foliage that's not bothered by either pests or disease throughout the growing season. My latest-to-bloom perennial with elegant foliage throughout the season and well into October is toad lily.

Hosta:
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green, beautiful hosta! What's its name? Is it fragrant? Is it snail resistant? Gorgeous!

Also, a variegated euphorbia:
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and variegated iris:
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Bears Britches ( Acanthus molis) All those Manfredas and X mangaves.

Dicentra
Senecio (foliage generally much more attractive than flowers)
Lobelia cardinalis (red form)
Sambucus

I have gradually added large bold plants to my garden because I was getting tired of small, frilly busy looking leaves. Those bold plants do make a statement from spring until fall. I am especially happy with my garden this year:
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I hold Hosta, Hydrangea paniculata, Oak leaf Hydrangea, Mayapple, Bloodroot, and Rodgesia dear to my heart. All hosta flowers are also attractive to bees. Beautiful, large white fragrant blooms on Hosta plantaginea are a fantastic bonus.

Sedum spectabile offers the longest interest in the garden, from spring until late winter .

Geranium Rozanne keeps blooming from spring until November or until hard frost.
The bulb that gives you the most bang for the buck is Allium albopilosum/cristophii. The flowerhead is stunning and stays beautiful until the wind blows it away in the fall.
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I especially love rain drops on Alchemilla mollis (LadyâÂÂs mantle).
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There are so many beautiful plants to choose from. You will have to experiment and find out what suits you best.

river_crossroads ,
this is hosta 'Golden Tiara'.
Slugs don't seem to bother it at all - but this maybe because it grows in almost full sun and doesn't seem to mind the sunlight as long as the soil is moist (I have a thick layer of mulch there).
Flowers are not fragrant.

Pitimpinai, wonderful pictures!

May I ask the names of the hostas in your 1st and 2nd pics in your most recent post? I'd like to know what the bright green variegated ones are. Is that Liberty in the 2nd pic?

Love them!

piti, i think the success of your large leaf mingling- is considerable. Likewise, your use of variegated plants. To continue in this vein,you might want to consider using more purple leaved and yellow leaved plants, and vertical spikes
that create counterpoint and keep the eye moving. Lilies and tall alliums, are examples of helpful verticals and there are many examples of yellow or ppl vertical perennials.
best,
mindy
is that Hosta Fluctuans Variegata/Sagae in the foreground of the 5th to last photo?Really lovely.

Here is a link that might be useful: cotton-arbo retum; free; open to the public

Amsonia hubrichtii has pale blue flowers for a couple of weeks in spring.
{{gwi:272946}}From June 9-10, 2014

It retains its feathery foliage in good condition until fall when it turns either a bright gold or this fiery combination.
{{gwi:272947}}From October, 2013

those amsonia shots are stunning. Mine, located in full sun, usually turns gold amaziingly/frustratingly late, after the Pennisetum Moudry had had its black seed heads for a month or more (this foils my best laid plans for those 2 together in fall.phooey) Mine has never had any red tinges. Yours mimics the red/orange/yellows of tiger eye sumac.
mindy

I have two more natives to throw into the pot...one is Polemonium reptans (Jacob's Ladder) (nice neat fernlike foliage that keeps getting renewed for me all season):
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Anemone canadensis (neat foliage and really neat fall colors of red, yellow and purple..don't think I have a photo of the fall color...I'll look later and edit post if I find them), flowers for a very long period.
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Both of these will go dormant if you don't keep them well-watered in hot/dry conditions.

This post was edited by dbarron on Wed, Sep 10, 14 at 0:24

green_go,
Thanks for info on your Golden Tiara hostas. Pretty. Thanks to everyone for wonderful pics and plants. Learning a lot.

Thank you, everyone. I wish I had a larger garden so I can include all of those beauties in my garden. I always wanted Amsonia and Baptisa australis, but had to plant them in someone else's garden instead. My Hosta Goden Tiara does not look like that!

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Hi Karin_MT. Thank you. Hosta 1 is Sum and Substance. It is about 14 years old and 7 ý ft. wide.
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Hosta 2 is Regal Spendor. It is about 6 years old. From this angle, it does resemble Sagae, doesn't it? I will have to look closely again.

Hosta 3 is June. She is 3 years old. She gets afternoon sun.
I do not have Liberty. I have no more room for large hosta. :-D

Mindy \- My only Hosta Sagae is mostly hidden from view. It is to the right of the largest swatch of purple in the picture just above Hosta Blue Angel. It is only 2 years old. I added 3 more shoots to the clump this year. I hope the new shoots will catch up with the rest of the clump next year. Thank you for the suggestion. I have plenty of purple, blue, yellow, grey, chartreuse, variegated, tall spikes and everything in between, including a large variety of lilies, Allium and a large clump of Miscanthus sinensis â Morning Lightâ that is hidden behind the birch in the picture. The look of my garden this year is exactly what I had imagined it would be: a perfect blend of colors, shades, shapes, textures and heights. I donâÂÂt think I want to add anything any more. In fact, I have been thinning the herd and clearing out fuzzy looking ones. But thank you just the same. {{gwi:272952}}

nhbabs
I always considered Amsonia hubrichtii to be the plant for zones 6+.
I am so glad you grow in successfully in your zone 4, I definitely going to find it! :)))))

piti, it is so great that you are satisfied this year; a great place to be, for sure! thx for the i.d.s; i am very un-savvy w/ PCs; is that a MAC program--the yellow circles and numbers overlaid over the photos? I don't have a MAC and i have Picassa for a photo program.
Thx much and big congrats. it's the June H. that made me gasp!
mindy

Nolina microcarpa-- hardy down to zone 6. I like the way the ends of the leaves curl. Mine is still not full grown but its coming along. I planted several from seed that are smaller. Its a 3ft tall evergreen and has white blooms. So far mine hasn't bloomed yet but its a very easy plant.