Hi Whaas, I've looked up some native plants that I grow, or hybrids of natives, and these are listed for z5 or WI. Sorry, I don't know about soil. Phlox divaricata Louisiana blue (purplish blue) blooms first in the spring and then phlox pilosa (pink & purple varieties). Princess Diana clematis (hot magenta, large flowering hybrid from crossing with native texensis), Monarda didyma (our native one is a dark mauve purple & listed for z5). I've read about native Viola pedata bird's foot violets and lots of clematis that are purple shades. There was a famous Polish breeder of clematis, Brother Stefan Franczak, so his hybrids would be cold hardy for you. Clematis on the Web lists his large growing "Polish Spirit" as deep purple blue, "General Sikorski" as mauve blue, "Emilia Plater" as blue violet and his pale "Blue Angel." Here is a link that might be useful: Article on Brother Stefan Franczak

OK, I'll give them additional thought. :) the screaming acid chartreuse doesn't bother me. It is the alien form. I have seen them in California gardens looking wonderful but not here. I grew up in Arizona and now that I am in Portland, I like my garden to look like Portland if that makes sense? I LOVE Arizona and would move back in a heartbeat if DH would go but he won't. I LOVE the desert. LOVE tropical/arid plants but think they look funny here out in the landscape for the most part. I think Euphorbias and most succulents look better in gardens South or at least with houses whose architecture is better suited. I've seen some gorgeous stucco cottages with tons of tropical/succulent plants in the PNW that are awesome but my house just doesn't. I did get a small greenhouse for my birthday and am going to fill it with tropical plants so I can go out and putter or sit when it rains here. I'm totally full up on trees, I actually have too many but can't bear to edit, yet. I've got a Prunus x bleiriana that has been nothing but diseased and infested and ice damaged since day one. It was a present from my DH the first birthday after we bought this house (which had no trees at all, or shrubs other than Laurel for that matter) and the first tree we planted. I'm darn near full up on shrubs and subshrubs too. I've ripped out several this year to make way for new favorites. :) I can always squeeze in one more dwarf conifer or Rhodie...or heather or Daphne....:)

I have had lots of problems with S. leucantha also. I dug out a old huge Evergreen sumac that was in the wrong place. It left a huge hole and I enlarged that and added lots of compost and some decomposed granite sand. I also have dug in a homemade ollah for water and since last year, it has been happy ,. It returned and returned larger. I think it likes deep rich soil.

I second the recommendation for the Rozanne cranesbill and coreopsis. Coreopsis come in different flower forms, all long blooming. I have had the best luck with a yellow threadleaf coreopsis called Zagreb. It's supposed to be extra hardy. I have also had bad luck overwintering Gaillardia. I had five Arizona Red Shade plants last year, and all of them died over the past winter. I also second the recommendation about the reblooming daylilies such as Stella D'Oro (golden yellow). They are very long blooming, and they should be fairly easy to find and probably cheaper than some of the fancier daylilies. There are other "Stella" varieties in other colours, too: I have purple and red Stellas. Up here, I see Stella D'Oro daylilies planted in places like shopping mall parking lot medians. That says something about how low-maintenance and useful these plants are. I doubt they get a lot of TLC in places like that, and they probably provide colour more cheaply than annuals that must be replaced every year. Some salvias are relatively long blooming, especially if you cut off the old blooms. Blue Hills salvia and East Friesland salvia have been good for me, but there are probably others that also bloom well. Salvia are pretty tough.