15/21

Ornamental Onion

Ornamental onions are a large class of plants that includes bulbs, herbs and ornamental perennials. ‘Millenium’ (shown here) is one you’ll find at garden centers right alongside daisies and other flowering perennials from spring into summer.

Perennial ornamental onions form a non-spreading clump of bright green, grass-like foliage and are topped with bright rosy-purple, lollipop-shaped flowers in midsummer in Zones 4 to 8.

Although the leaves do have a faint oniony scent and are technically edible, you’ll enjoy them more for their distinctive blossoms. Pollinating bees and butterflies will be frequent visitors when they are bloom, but thankfully deer and rabbits do not enjoy them.

16/21

Shasta Daisy

Could there be a flowering perennial more iconic than a Shasta daisy? Its bright white blossoms are a pure delight every summer, both in sunny gardens and when cut for fresh bouquets. Many cultivars are available, including those with single or fluffy double flowers, in heights that range from one to five feet tall.

Improved varieties like ‘Highland White Dream’ and ‘Daisy May’ offer larger flowers on strong stems that won’t become top heavy when the plants are in full bloom. Although their hardiness ranges by cultivar, it generally falls between Zones 5 and 9, so read the tag carefully before you buy.

17/21

Joe Pye

If you have a low spot in your landscape where the soil is often soggy, or you’re looking to grow a living screen in Zones 3 to 8, Joe Pye is a perfect choice. This moisture-loving native perennial is ideal for a rain garden and grows vigorously to form a tall, broad mass of rugged green foliage on thick stems that can tower as high as seven feet.

Large, flat-topped clusters of fuzzy, mauve-pink flowers appear at the tips of each stem from midsummer to fall. You’ll often find more than one type of pollinator feeding on the blossoms at once, as this native plant is an important late season food source.