Top plant selections from Better Homes and Gardens

Better Homes and Gardens

Every plant deserves its place in the Better Homes & Gardens Test Garden. Pretty flowers are plentiful, but long-lasting blooms, flowers with decorative seed heads, plants with nice-looking foliage, plants that thrive with little fuss, and pollinators are favorites of Test Garden Manager Sandra Kertesz. . She prefers hardy, drought-tolerant plants with colorful foliage and plants that deer and rabbits will leave alone. Perennials and shrubs are the backbone of the Test Garden. For the garden's 25th anniversary, Kertesz selects varieties that have truly stood out from the crowd over the years.

1. ‘Sugar Tip’ Rose of Sharon

Rose of Sharon can be a self-seeder that spreads aggressively in the garden. 'Sugar dip' is not a genre. Green leaves splashed with creamy white give the plant star status even when not in bloom. Heat and drought tolerant, this plant requires full sun for best blooms. It grows to about 6 feet tall and wide, but can be pruned easily. This hardy Hibiscus makes an excellent screening plant, according to Gerdes. Zones 5-9.

2. ‘Shrimps on the Barbie’ Lungwort

One look at the lush pink flowers with silver spots and you'll see that 'Shrimps on the Barbie' is aptly named. This lung bug (Pulmonaria spp.) attracts large numbers of flower pollinators. "It blends well with hostas and looks good all summer long," Gerdes says. Bunches grow about 10 inches tall and 2 feet wide. Lungworts prefer slightly moist soil. Zones 4-9.

3. Pasque Flower

Delightful purple flowers appear in spring amid 12-inch ferny foliage. "Little feather mounds are so delicate, and then you have tons of flowers," Kertesz says. She likes Basque flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) for its brilliant seed heads, which are allowed to self-sow in the test garden's lawn. Cut the flower heads when they fade, says Kertesz, to keep good-looking foliage all summer long. Grow in well-drained soil in full sun. Zones 4-8.

4. ‘Ice n’ Roses Red' Hellebore

Hellebores are hardy perennials that can withstand the last frosts of the winter-hardy flowering season. 'Eyes An' Roses Red' is prized for its unusually early, dark red flowers. The flowers are out and up, so you can enjoy them without getting down on your knees. Hellebores thrive in well-drained soil in shade or partial shade. Plants grow 1-2 feet tall and wide. Hardy in zones 5-9.

5. ‘Cordial Canary’ Bugelweed

"Who doesn't love an electric neon green cover?" Gerdes says of 'Cordial Canary' bugleweed, one of the evergreen perennial bugleweeds (Ajuca reptans) in the 'Feathered Friends' series. Bright foliage forms a dense carpet; 6-inch tall blue flower spikes grow between the leaves in spring and summer. Plant in shade or partial shade, for example, along the edges of a shady flower bed or in areas where grass does not grow. Bugleweed is rabbit and deer resistant. Zones 4-9.

6. ‘American Gold Rush’ Black-Eyed Susan

From mid-summer to early fall, golden-yellow flowers rise up to 3 feet tall above dark green, ridged, mildew-resistant foliage. Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp.) are hard-working mainstays in native plant gardens. Goldfinches and other birds eagerly devour the seeds as the flowers fade. These drought tolerant plants thrive in sun or partial shade. Deer do not like rough leaves. Zones 3-9.

7. ‘Rocketman’ Russian Sage

Drought-tolerant plants are the future of horticulture, Gerdes says. Once established, 'Rocketman' Russian sage (Perovskia atriplisifolia) doesn't need extra water during hot summers—or any pampering—and its fragrant flowers on strong, upright stems attract hummingbirds and insect pollinators. 'Rocketman' is also deer resistant. It grows to about 3 feet tall in bright sunny locations and blooms from mid-summer to frost. Zones 4-9.

8. 'Sombrero Adobe Orange' Coneflower

Breeders have introduced dozens of coneflowers (Echinacea spp.) in recent years, but, Gerdes says, "For me, the 'Sombrero' series is the best performer." Adobe Orange is her favorite for its intense color and abundant, three-inch flowers. Cut off the flowers when they fade, and the plants will continue to bloom through the summer. Kertesz recommends planting adobe orange next to catmints like 'Kate's Pajamas' (another favorite of hers), a mix of orange and purple flowers. Drought-tolerant plants grow to about 20 inches tall in well-drained soil in full sun. Zones 4-9.

9. ‘Cat’s Pajamas’ Catmint

A compact, long-blooming catmint (Nepeta spp.) is perfect for edging a flower bed, with its feathery silver leaves releasing fragrance when you brush it. 'Cat's Pajamas' is an elegant plant that begins to flower in early summer and attracts many pollinators. Gerdes uses grass shears to cut back the flowers when they fade, which encourages another bloom. Plants grow about 1 foot tall and 20 inches wide. Grow them in full sun. Zones 3-8.

10. ‘Maestro’ Sedum

Plants that contribute to the beauty of the garden throughout the year are especially valued in the Test Garden. 'Maestro' fits the Sedum bill, Kertesz says. Its beautiful blue-green leaves, with a purple blush, stay in the garden effortlessly all summer, before the plants send up magnificent flower heads on purple stems in fall. Butterflies cover dark pink flowers on sturdy, 30-inch stems. In winter, the spent flower heads "look like little snow umbrellas," Gerdes says. Plant in full sun. Zones 3-8.

11. ‘Gravetye Giant’ Summer Snowflake

'Gravetty Giant' Summer Snowflake (Leucojum aestivum) is a rare bulb that thrives in poorly drained areas. Beautiful white flowers appear in mid-spring on stems up to 24 inches tall. Deer and rabbits ignore them. The leaves die back after the flowers fade, but Summer Snowflake returns each spring, producing more and more flowers as the bulbs naturalize. Summer Snowflakes is back for 25 years at the Test Garden. Plant the bulbs in a sunny or partially shaded location in the fall. Zones 4-8.

12. 'Blue Danube' Camassia

This North American native bulb tolerates moist soil and thrives in sun or partial shade. 'Blue Danube' is a variety of Camassia lechtlinii that bears numerous true-blue, star-shaped flowers in late spring on stems 24-30 inches tall. Flowers open from the base of the stem to the top, making the show last for weeks and even longer. Plant bulbs in fall. Flowers and foliage die to the ground in summer and come back in spring. Zones 5-9.

13. ‘Summer Romance’ Betony

Bright pink flowers on the 'Summer Romance' petony (Stachys spp.) last for weeks in the summer garden. After they fade, the seersucker-leaves of these robust plants hold their own among busy perennials. Flower clusters are 4 inches long, rising on stems 3 feet tall. It does best in full sun or light afternoon shade in hot weather. Butterflies and other pollinators are attracted to it, but deer are not. Zones 4-9.