Nothing new and earth shattering here, but I do love the tricyrtis additions I planted last year. In particular, White Towers has done well.

I also am fond of ornamental grasses, and Miscanthus sinensis Huron Sunrise and Sarabande have fine colour right now.

Epimediums, Corydalis and ferns have become recent delights for me too.

I have tried to locate Gentian scabra for several years...unsuccessfully.

This past summer my absolute favorites were hosta-Stained Glass, lobelia- Ruby Slippers, and anemone-Robustissima. I also put in Hydrangea- Limelight. Little Bluestem- Heavenly Blues, but I didn't put that in until August, will know more about it's performance next year. So far, I've been happy with all of those.

Liked the Eucomis 'Oakhurst'(not new but 1st year I've grown), Acatea 'Black Negligee' (more vigorous than the purple colored cimifugas), heuchera 'peppermint spice'(love dark veins that flow through mint green, reminds a lot of green spice), but the best one had to the agastache 'Apricot Sprite' I planted last year.

Two recent additions stand out: 'Lake Effect' daylily and Geranium x 'Rozanne'. Of course, there's also Pulmonaria 'Benediction', so blue I can hardly believe it.

Alia

I love the 'Jack Frost' Brunnera that I planted as a tiny quart-sized pot this spring. It looked handsome throughout the entire season as it grew to about 8in tall by 12in wide. Can't wait to see it next year!

Heuchera Caramel - planted mid-summer, doubled in size - much more vigorous than Peach Melba that I have had for 3 years that looks similar. Picture taken today of Caramel & its still looking good!

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Picture taken today of dwarf sunflower, Helianthus First Light, planted this spring - a very late bloomer - wonder if it always blooms this late. Doesn't seem bothered by the cold at all. It's been an unusually cold & wet fall here and this one is about the only thing still going strong.

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Sedum alboroseum 'Mediovariegatum' - this is its 2nd year. It's a fairly erect sedum, with very lovely cream yellow center variegation and soft white-pink flowers which do not clash with yellows.

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Very vigorous grower for me, this is 2nd year bloom on Sunrise Echinacea. I've added some other new color echinaceas, that bloomed well the first year, but I'll wait and see how they winter over before recommending them, but this one is a winner.

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Physostegia virginia 'Miss Manners' - a nice mannerly Obedient plant - planted this spring and bloomed in late June! The early bloom on this first year plant really surprised me, but I assume it will settle down and bloom at normal time in mid-late summer next year.

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Anaphalis yedoensis, Pearly Everlasting, a nice white-silver plant that can take some damp, which is nice for us with wettish yards, because most silver things don't do well at all. 2nd year bloom, with a pink mandevilla bloom in center. Kind of odd looking, but this combo (also has dark reddish Knautica macedonica) worked really well.

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Leslie197: Great photos! I planted some 'Sunrise' Echinacea in the middle of August, so they didn't bloom for me this year, but I can't wait to see how they do next year. I was just wondering how many plants it took to create the number of blooms you have in that picture?

My whole garden was planted in August, so I can't say what my favorites will be till next year. Here is what I have planted this year. Maybe they will be on someone else's "Best Perennial of 06" list.

Echinacea: 'Sunrise', 'Sundown', 'Summer Sky', 'Harvest Moon'
Coreopsis: 'Creme Brulee', 'Sunburst' and 'Autumn Blush' (although that one just arrived and doesn't look like it will make it)
Sedum: 'Autumn Joy' and 'Dragon's Blood'
Monarda (the tag just said Red Bee Balm)
Gaillardia 'Goblin'
Achillea 'Terra Cotta' and 'Walter Funke'
Solidago 'Fireworks'
Dianthus Hairy Garden Pinks - yellow
Hibiscus Rose of Sharon 'Freedom'
English Daisy (not sure the name, but they are pinkish red with a yellow center)
and of course there are some mums for fall color. These are actually the only things I've seen bloom so far, and they look great. I hope they will return next year!

Some of our faves this year have been Euphorbia First Blush, a wonderful variegated euphorbia, Heliopsis Summer Nights which has bloomed since June & is still going strong, the New Millenium delphiniums, & Clematis Princess Diana bloomed almost continually since July.

I am very very happy with Solidago fireworks which I've had for several years now.
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Some of my new favorites are (though not new in the perennial world): Cardinal flower (Lobelia) still blooming! Miscanthus Adagio and Japanese silver grass, Pennisetum 'Moudry', Patricia Ballard Aster, Serbian bellflower (still blooming!) butterfly bush, Bergenia (cool colors in fall too) Penstemon, Ajuga Chocolate Chip and Geranium 'Ballerina.' These have all performed beautifully this year and very reliable.

Jen

Sedum "Autumn Joy" is on my list! This is one strong plant. It survived a weeks-long redesign on my shady porch, in a pot with no water, forgotten behind a huge bag of mulch. When I found the thing, the little flowers had turned pink! I put it in the ground, and it's just taken off. It's an amazing plant. Also on the hit list: Bachelor's buttons! I just discovered them and don't know how I lived without them.

Also have to give a thumbs-up to G. Rozanne. I bought a few of these toward the end of the season (at the suggestion of people in this forum), and have not been disappointed so far. They're still blooming and are starting to spread out a little.

On the not-so-hot list: Coneflower "Ruby"... I got a bloom, and some big leaves on one. The other three, they bloomed out the bloom that was on them, then not much of anything. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.

But Leslie, please tell me more about Caramel... it looks great under that conifer! What does it need? How easy is it?

Perennials new to me, apart from all the tender stuff I've tried this year, are Persicaria amplexicaulis 'Golden Arrow,' which has earned its spot, and also the geranium 'Katherine Adele' a truly lovely new geranium, very long blooming, great leaves, etc. Jury's still out on Salvia 'Golden Delicious' which was cut back repeatedly through the season and made an effective golden mass but was yanked just prior to bloom. Even with the repeated pinching back, it was too massive for its spot. Cuttings were taken and next year it goes into a large pot. However, Salvia Salvia vanhouttei 'Paul' is flat-out wonderful

I tried a "Chocolate" Eupatorium Rugosum. What a great plant. My local nursery had it in with the Joe-Pye Weeds but it is a completely different plant. It sat quietly all summer with its handsome dark foliage contrasting nicely with the summer-blooming plants. Then around October 1, when almost everything else had already died back, it exploded with pretty white flower clusters. The flowers are just starting to fade now, almost a month later. I noticed some wildflowers growing around that had identical flowers but green foliage, and a web search confirmed that I had a different-colored strain of this wildflower. So I know it will be hardy!

Leslie~ I just have to say that I'm from MI (Southeast) and have the clay soil too. Your garden gives me so much hope! It's gorgeous! How long did it take you to get it looking that great? Thanks so much for sharing those pictures with us. I've added Sunrise and Helianthus First Light to my wish list!

New introductions I've been very impressed with (first year so no feedback on overwintering yet) are Coreopsis 'Autumn Blush', Sedum 'Black Jack', Euphorbias 'Shorty', 'Glacier Blue' and 'Blackbird' and Heuchera 'Ginger Ale'. Euphorbia 'Rudolph' in its second year is also stunning and offers intense red new growth in winter. Also new to me and a pretty impressive evergreen groundcover is Potentilla tridentata - produced a profusion of white flowers over a very long season.

I've really liked Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus' - probably not new, but it's blooming here for the first year.
Hosta 'Stained Glass' absolutely blew me away. A new favourite. Slug proof and utterly irresistible. It really glows.
Not new, but Persicaria amplexicaulis 'Firetail' is still putting on such a lovely show, even after our nasty snows of the past week, it deserves a mention. And so does Buddleia 'Honeycomb' which consistently blooms here in July, and then again in August. And one final mention for Gaillardia 'Oranges & Lemons." Lovely colour and it never seems to go out of bloom.

Highalttransplant, I planted 3 of the Sunrise, good-sized plants, but each with only 1 or 2 stems the first year and 1/2 dozen or more each this year. They were planted in a flattened triangle on 9 inch centers and are already crowding each other.

I did have some nice bloom on Creme Brule coreopsis and some other new-color echinaceas planted this year, I sure hope both of ours make it through the winter - winter wet often does my stuff in.

Nice picture of Fireworks Solidago Gardenbug - I'd love to give some a try, if I can find the room - yours looks like a good-sized plant for a great late season show. Can it stand damp clay?

Rosysunnygirl, I didn't do anything special to the heucheras. I garden in rich, but very heavy clay, which generally stays moist. The area is sunny and gets some sprinkler runoff, but I do not need to do much supplemental watering anywhere in my gardens. My problem is usually that plants get too much moisture. I also seldom worry about sun/shade issues since I am "up north" as you are and also have lots of natural moisture.

I dug out some very large Lady's Mantles which had overgrown their location and basically just plopped the heucheras in the holes with bagged topsoil and chopped clay.

I generally use all the organics I can make or buy to make my soil viable (along with grit, gravel, or Profile Clay Conditioner) and since this area had previously been worked over, I just pocket planted them. No additives or fertilizer. This area will be mulched with organic mulch sometime this fall & if the area eventually shows it needs it in the next year or two, I will topdress with composted manure and humus.

Garden Kitten, the garden was built on a completely bare slate about a dozen years ago. (See above for soil conditions.) It started with a grass lawn and a small package of shrubs & a tree in the front of the house put in by a landscape company. After that a very small raised bed for vegetables and a small kidney shaped bed for flowers were added in the back yard.

Because of the virtually unworkable clay soil, the fairly steep slope, severe drainage issues, and the fact that the elevation level cannot be changed, I then designed a shrub & tree border that could be pocket planted and added perennials slowly as I could develop areas.

This was done only after I had tried 5 different landscape companies all of which were unwilling to tackle the project due to access problems and labor problems (all labor, little hardscape). So I researched and studied, dug drainage swales, hauled in rocks, dug out lawn, made beds & created paths, and through trial and error managed to creat a usuable space and garden.

I eventually did have some ornamental trees and some large shrubs planted to my design by a landscape crew, but mostly we did it ourselves. Most of the trees and large shrubs are 6-8 years old now, a couple are older, some of the perennials are originals from 10-12 years ago, split and moved many times, and some were only planted this fall. Much of the lines and bed shapes have been reworked and changed through the years and everything is packed in like sardines in a can!

I'd say it takes 5 years of tinkering to get a garden mostly right and then you change your mind, or find something new you just must have, or your life changes in some way, or the sun disappears because the trees grow - LOL. Have fun with your garden, Garden Kitten, I certainly have had fun with mine.

Ninamarie: I thought that Gaillardia 'Lemons and Oranges' was only hardy to zone 6. Is that an annual for you? I would love to have some, but I haven't bought it because of my zone.

Leslie, really like your pics......I especially like your Helianathus 'First Light'....I've grown the regular helianathus augustifolius and its a big one but would certainly like to try the small First Light....also liked your pics of 'Sunrise', they look like they're doing great.

This year I liked two Euphorbias best....they were new, I've never grown them before but really enjoyed having them in the garden. They were Euphorbia 'Tasmanian Tiger' and Euphorbia characias ssp. wulfenii....Only one year old, here they are below.....The characias is a fast grower, at least for me, the Tiger is slower but it a smaller plant overall anyways.

Paul

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:276616}}

For me the best new perennial was Astilbe 'ColorFlash'.
Flowers are medium pink and nothing to write home about, but foliage is to die for.
Bright shiny green as emerges, turning to red to burgundy to purple and finally in a fall it is a firework of all of the above plus yellow.
It's very hard to photograph it now to show all its beauty due to fallen leaves, but here it's before bloom in early July
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Here is a link that might be useful: Astilbe ColorFlash

Ohh, that looks like another one to add to "THE LIST".I remember seeing it in magazines last year, but never ran across it. Do you remember where you purchased it?

Ceratostigma willmottianum 'Palmgold'. I've always been a fan of the species for its ease of care and good looks. It also has always been hardy for me down to 0 degrees. Now it's available in chartruese. What more can you ask for? I use alot of chartruese throughout the garden as a unifier (silver's tend to melt out).

Here is a link that might be useful: Ceratostigma willmottianum 'Palmgold'

A couple of new ones for me that I have been happy with are heucherella 'Burnished Bronze' yuccas 'Color Guard' and 'Gold Edge' Heuchera 'Keylime Pie' and 'Snow Angel', calamagrostis 'Eldordo' polemonium 'Stairway to Heaven' of course you get the idea, all foliage plants. Although, gaillarda 'Summer's Kiss' has been a real performer with wonderful color.

Michelle
Michelle

Thanks Leslie for the advice on the heucheras. I've never considered much beyond roses, but when I see these beautiful plants in actual gardens, it makes me want to branch out, which is kind of scary. So many times, I don't even know where to start. I can't even pronounce "heucheras"!

Your garden and pictures of the others I've seen in this forum are an inspiration. All of you are so great and so friendly and so knowledgable. Thanks for passing around the wisdom. I'm going to be so *completely* broke next spring. But my garden is going to look great! :)

Gardengal48 & Sinai,

Would really like to try some of your new Euphorbias - just love them, but most aren't zone hardy for me and certainly not cold wet clay hardy!! Here's a picture of the only one I can grow Euphorbia myrsinites, Myrtle Spurge, with my one and only Lavender. Beige-pink stuff is seedheads from Saxifraga or some other rock/alpine little plant, I forget which one, but like the effect with the smooth pointy leaves of the euphorbia. I do know that E. myrsinites is invasive in some places, but in my yard it is a specimen in my raised gravel bed. For those in cold wet areas, this one is a nice one to try.
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Ego45,

I really like the colors on that Astilbe. Does Color Flash keep its color through the season, early? mid? or late? color. I just replaced some of my pale Astilbe with Glut (awful name for a pretty plant), They have a deep red bloom color with reddish bronze spring foliage that fades out to green before bloomtime. I can already think of some nice color combos for Color Flash, if it holds its foliage color for more than a few weeks.

Those who tried the Persicarias: denisez10 and ninamarie:

Persicaria amplexicaulis 'Golden Arrow,'and
Persicaria amplexicaulis 'Firetail'

How big did they get? I was tempted in a nursery earlier this year, but couldn't get real info on size when full grown. Plus what color are the flowers?

I have Persicaria polymorpha,which has a plain green leaf, and it's enormous. Even with constant cutting back, maybe 5 x 5 feet. I love it but I couldn't introduce something else that grew like that!

Leslie, ColorFlash keeps color the whole season.
Foliage emerges very bright shiny green and then turns into orange-red-burgundy as season progresses. The whole beauty is in a fact that it still produce new foliage till July and you always will see leaves at the different stages of maturity untill fall when they all become riot of the fall colors.
As I said before, bloom is nothing to write home about, undistinct washed peachy pink, but foliage is to die for.
Next year I'll try to shear flower stalks before bloom time on one of them and will see if that will prolong leaf-producing period.
Re: astilbe 'Glut' ('Glow').
It's one of the tallest astilbes I grow, in a well watered location it grow somewhere between 36 to 48". Look striking on its own, but if planted together with "White Glow' it will be a traffic stopper. White Glow could be substituted for equally tall Bridal Veil or White Diamond, but in a first case BV has a different texture and in a second one, WD blooms little bid later than a Glow, so effect will be somewhat muted.
Good luck.