The tallest longest-lasting pale pink tulip. You can't go wrong with it and in my garden, it matches perfectly with the magnolia tree.

This mix of blues: Lord Lieutenant and Mr. Fokker have the best chance of being beautiful if you SOAK THE TUBERS overnight. Sadly they are not hardy for me in Zone 6b/7a

This tulip is called 'Bright Parrot' and it has the thickest leaves of any tulip making it the most lush. It's huge--almost twice the size of most tulips that bloom late.

The glaucous blue leaves of this short allium make it fabulous for the border's edge. Seen here in front of Geranium Phaeum Longhorne Blue. With its baseball-size blooms, it is the only short Allium that has real presence.

Bicolor Japanese Maple behind breath-taking lavender edged Chinese Wisteria. The bi-color maple was created by twisting two cut-leaf saplings and training them to grow as one.

From sweet fragrant yellow flowers in winter come these fat cobalt blue berries in spring. The yellow blooms grow in great sprays and you have to nestle your nose in the center to find the sweet smell.

The vibrant fresh growth on perennials like Solomon’s Seal, Dicentra, Lamium ‘White Nancy’ and red-edged Epimedium cannot be duplicated by man.

My favorite fritillary, meliagris, paired with H. Merlin looks especially great against the fabulous multi-colored bark of Crape myrtle ‘Natchez’.

Like no other flower, tulip colors seem to all complement one another, especially if you avoid bright yellow!