Have you checked Bluestone Perennials or Santa Rosa Gardens' websites? I know Bluestone has pre-planned gardens with plant suggestions, many of which mirror pitimpinai's list above. As pitimpinai pointed out, few perennials have the extended bloom habit of annuals such as marigolds and zinnias. I created a chart on which I identified various perennials by bloom period and now my garden starts blooming in March (Hellebores/Lenten roses) and continues into October (Tricyrtis/toad lily). An ornamental grass, perhaps less impressive size-wise than Miscanthus, is Calamagrostis/feather reed grass 'Karl Foerster.' It has a tidy, upright habit and doesn't take up as much real estate as Miscanthus. Dwarf fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides) 'Hameln' is an elegant, low-growing (2 1/2 ft.) grass that requires nothing more than a haircut in Spring. Deer have never bothered either grass in my garden. You might also consider checking out a book or two on perennials from your local library as an additional resource. I found it to be an excellent source of information when I was planning my garden beds. It's been my experience that most of the items listed above are not on a deer's menu. I have all but a few of them growing in my garden beds and the deer prefer my sacrificial hosta to any of the listed plants. Platycodon grandiflora/balloon flower is available in blue/lavender, white & pale pink. Dicentra spectabilis/Bleeding Heart is available in a white ('Alba') variety. Geranium 'Rozanne' blooms until frost sometime in October and is a blooming machine. The flowers are pinkish/lavender. Hemerocallis/daylilies bloom in a rainbow of colors that include cream and white. I have a lovely creamy white one called 'New Falling Stars.' Some others you might want to consider: Agastache/anise hyssop blooms most of the growing season in feathery plumes of lavender. Caryopteris x clandonensis/blue mist shrub blooms late (September) in lovely, feathery plumes of blue that attract pollinators. Cimicifuga racemosa/black snakeroot has white plumes in August. Check out Aquilegia/Columbine for both white and blue varieties. It's a spring bloomer. Gaura lindheimeri/wandflower is a delicate and elegant bloom on thin stems that wave in the breeze. Mine is blooming now and will continue until frost. The bees love it. Liatris spicata/gay feather/blazing star blooms purple or white and is another favorite of pollinators. Lobelia siphilitica/great blue lobelia is another that's popular with pollinators. Perovskia atriplicifolia/Russian sage is a maintenance-free perennial that blooms mid- to late-season in both purple & blue. Nepeta faassinii 'Walkers Low'/catmint blooms early and continues all season with zero care. Stokesia laevis/Stokes’ aster blooms mid-summer with large, frilly blue/lavender flowers that attract pollinators. It's also low-maintenance. Veronica spicata/spike veronica/speedwell also blooms mid-summer, has a long bloom period and attracts pollinators. FYI--none of the plants identified above require any help from me to thrive--once established, they're all self-sufficient in healthy garden soil.

Laurie, I mostly get the lemon or rose scented geraniums as they are two of my favorite fragrances. For me in zone 7/8 they are treated as annuals. I have yet to be able to winter one over in my garden no matter how much I protect them. I sometimes do pot them up and bring them inside for the winter. I hope to do that with the ones in my garden now. I will have to trim the root ball and entire plant because they have gotten huge. My favorites are; Attar of Rose, Lemon Crispum, Rober's Lemon Rose and Nutmeg. The flowers are usually small but pretty. The main reason most people grow them is for the fragrant leaves. You can put them into tea and other drinks, I like to add them to sugar to make a flavored sugar to roll cookies in before baking and sometime put the cleaned leaves into the bottom of the cake pan before pouring in the batter. Sort of like an upside down cake. I am adding a link here to a nursery that stocks quite an assortment. Hope this is helpful. Kat Here is a link that might be useful: Scented Geraniums

Just got the latest Katsura Gardens eNewsletter: Many New Items Increased To 50% OFF All sales cash and carry Including Azaleas and Rhododendrons Open Columbus Day Weekend New Fall Hours: Friday, Saturday, Monday 9am-5pm, Sunday 10am-2pm Closed Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (open Tues-Thurs by chance or by appointment) I like that note open Tues-Thurs by chance or by appointment. I once drove by and stopped in, not realizing they were closed. By chance I ended buying a Pinus strobus 'Louie'. Of course, it's easy to stop by and take a chance when you live close by. Claire

Winter Seed Sowing/Hardwood Cuttings Saturday January 7, 2012, 10 AM to Noon (indoors) Right after the holidays in the cold dark of winter, we get together with our treasure troves of seeds, and dirt and pots and labels, to winter-sow perennials, trees, shrubs. These pots of seeds then go outside for cold treatment which breaks the seeds' dormancy. You won't believe the great results! Come spring they germinate in profusion. For this event, potting soil is provided. Bring your pots, seeds, labels to share. This year we will propagate hardwood cuttings of various native and ornamental shrubs. You can also divide and repot houseplants at this event. Directions and Details The Green Elephant Plant Swap is hosted in North Redmond, WA, at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross; The site offers parking, covered areas, indoor facilities, kitchen, memorial garden, grass labyrinth and playground. It is five minutes from I-405 and I-520. Directions and Maps to the Church of the Holy Cross. Contact: Jim Eichner, cell phone: 425-223-7249 Street address: 11526 162nd Ave NE Redmond, WA 98052 How it works: No sales, just exchanges and freebies, please. Tailgating Encouraged. The format for the trade is like a tailgate party. Traders exchange expert gardening information as well as plant materials. In two hours all the deals are sealed. We have plenty of new parking. Free Stuff. Many gardeners generously share plants from the abundance of their gardens. An excellent way to begin your garden. Also an excellent way to thin out that giant patch of shasta daisies, etc. There is always a pile of plants free for the sharing at the swap. What if I have nothing to trade? Cookies and chocolate work like money at the Green Elephant! Here is a link that might be useful: Green Elephant Swap