Creative Containers
Containers are a great way to add color to any area--including late season borders. Consider something unusual, like small shrubs and trees that can later be used in a permanent location.
Annuals (8)
Butterfly Attracting (81)
Creative Containers (52)
Drought-Defiant (87)
Midwest Native (84)
Salt-Tolerant Plants (26)
Shade-tolerant (54)
Trees & Shrubs (74)
Abies lasiocarpa var. arizonica 'Compacta'
Common Name: Dwarf Rocky Mountain Fir
Dwarf Rocky Mountain Fir is a slow-growing variety of the Blue Alpine Fir. Needles are a striking silver-blue, bark is white and corky at maturity. Use as small landscape feature, in a container or raised bed, or in a larger rock garden....
[ More Info ]
Ajuga reptans 'Black Scallop, Caitlin's Giant, Chocolate Chip'
Common Name: Ajuga
Black Scallop, Caitlin's Giant, Chocolate Chip are three of our favorite ajuga varieties. Ajuga is one of the best known and most useful ground covers, suiting many different situations and color schemes.Depending on the variety, the flowers may be r...
[ More Info ]
Allium schubertii
Common Name: Tumbleweed Onion
Fantastic, beautiful pink fireworks, very striking and rather alien-looking: a real show stopper! The whole flower ball rolls in the wind, eventually scattering the seed over a wide area....
[ More Info ]
Armeria splendens
Common Name: Sea Thrift
Low tufted foliage and globe-shaped flowers of Sea Thrift make it perfect for container plantings, the rock garden, border, or as a ground cover....
[ More Info ]
Artemisia schmidtiana
Common Name: Silver Mound Artemisia
Soft, feathery foliage of Silver Mound Artemisia forms a compact, silky, cushion-like mound. It has many applications in the landscape including edging, rock gardens or a filler plant for hot, dry areas. It has long been one of the most popular silve...
[ More Info ]
Asclepias curassavica
Common Name: Blood Flower
Blood flower is a South American evergreen perennial in the milkweed family with a much longer flowering period than the Midwest native perennial milkweeds. Glossy, strap-like leaves are medium green, sometimes with white midribs. Showy flowers with ...
[ More Info ]
Aster oblongifolius var. angustatus 'Raydon's Favorite'
Common Name: Raydon's Favorite Aromatic Aster
Purple, fine textured single ray flowers in September and October, with aromatic foliage. A butterfly magnet and terrific color and texture addition to the fall border. ...
[ More Info ]
Buxus microphylla ''Winter Gem''
Common Name: Winter Gem Boxwood
Very cold hardy and densely branched, Winter Gem Boxwood is a great evergreen shrub for small topiaries and trimmed hedges in the landscape. Different cultivars offer broad variety of mature heights, all with moderate growth. Salt-...
[ More Info ]
Calamagrostis acutiflora ''Karl Foerster''
Common Name: Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass
Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass is a stately, upright ornamental grass that makes a great addition to any landscape. Can be used informally with naturalized landscapes or in formal mass plantings....
[ More Info ]
Calamagrostis brachytricha
Common Name: Korean Feather-reed Grass
Korean Feather-reed Grass is a clump-forming, warm season grass with bright green leaves. Pink-tinted late summer blooms fade to cream in fall and finish a straw color in winter. A graceful addition to the shade or part shade garden! One of the few f...
[ More Info ]
Canna 'Orange Punch'
Common Name: Orange Punch Canna
'Orange Punch' Canna has large, open, rich orange flowers with bright yellow at the throat. Blooms almost continuously. Bright green foliage. Shorter medium height works well in borders or containers....
[ More Info ]
Carex caryophyllea ''The Beatles''
Common Name: Spring or Vernal Sedge
Spring or Vernal Sedge has soft, dark green mop-heads that create interesting ground cover....
[ More Info ]
Carex comans ''Bronze''
Common Name: Bronze New Zealand Hair Sedge
Dense, swirling clumps of hairlike, copper-bronze foliage are characteristic of Bronze New Zealand Hair Sedge. Prefers full sun in moist, well-drained soil....
[ More Info ]
Carex elata 'Aurea'
Common Name: Bowles Golden Sedge
Bowles' Golden Sedge has vivid foliage that adds bright color to the sunny or part shade garden. The yellow seems to glow in partial shade. Use this dramatic clump of foliage near water or in shallow water, or in another moist location....
[ More Info ]
Carex flagellifera
Common Name: Toffee Twist Sedge
The slender, iridescent leaves of Toffee Twist Sedge offer an elegant sweeping, trailing habit. This cool season grass is a perfect complement plant that adds movement and texture to any container....
[ More Info ]
Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance'
Common Name:
Ice Dance' has strap-like leaves striped with a clean white edge. 'Ice Dance' is evergreen and adds a sense of permanence to the winter shade garden....
[ More Info ]
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana Lutea'
Common Name: Golden Dwarf Hinoki Cypress
Golden Dwarf Hinoki Cypress is a compact, slow-growing, golden yellow selection. It is the yellow counterpart to `Nana Gracilis'. A great specimen that provides color and textural contrast in borders and containers....
[ More Info ]
Coreopsis lanceolata ''Jethro Tull''
Common Name: Jethro Tull Coreopsis
Jethro Tull Coreopsis is an exceptional Coreopsis cultivar with that large, golden-orange flowers from early to mid-summer. The unique flowers have fluted petals that surround a darker button-like center. It has a wonderful compact habit and is extre...
[ More Info ]
Coreopsis verticillata ''Moonbeam''
Common Name: Moonbeam Coreopsis
Sun-loving plant with fernlike foliage and loads of creamy yellow blooms....
[ More Info ]
Coreopsis verticillata ''Zagreb''
Common Name: Zagreb Threadleaf Coreopsis
Zagreb Threadleaf Coreopsis is a sun-loving plant with fernlike foliage and loads of bright yellow blooms that brighten any border. Wonderful compact form, ideal for bed edges....
[ More Info ]
Dianthus gratianopolitanus ''Firewitch''
Common Name: Firewitch Dianthus
Maximum color impact from Firewitch Dianthus, a German cultivar. Firewitch Dianthus offers one of the bluest-foliaged, most heat-tolerant and most tolerant of varying soil conditions of the many types of Dianthus. Prolific blooms extend throughout th...
[ More Info ]
Echinacea purpurea ''Kim's Knee High''
Common Name: Kim's Knee High Purple Coneflower
Kim's Knee High Coneflower has big, bright flowers that first appear in late June and keep coming into September. Plants thrive in average soils or hot, dry conditions; shrug off cold; and are equally at home in full sun or partial shade....
[ More Info ]
Euphorbia polychroma ''Bonfire''
Common Name: Bonfire Euphorbia
'Bonfire' Euphorbia is a great spurge cultivar with striking mahogany red foliage. Unlike other Euphorbias that may turn red in the fall, 'Bonfire' displays its smoldering red foliage all summer. Bright yellow flower bracts contrast well with the dee...
[ More Info ]
Festuca cinerea ''Elijah Blue''
Common Name: Elijah Blue Fescue
Elijah Blue Fescue is a clumping ornamental grass with outstanding icy-blue leaf color. Heat tolerance, evergreen quality and unique foliage color makes it perfect for edging borders or mass planting as a ground cover. Buff colored flowers rise above...
[ More Info ]
Heuchera 'Citronelle'
Common Name: Coral Bells
Large, rounded, lobed leaves are neon-bright shade of chartreuse. Topped by small creamy-white bells in mid- to late-summer are showy season after season on compact plants....
[ More Info ]
Heuchera X villosa 'Caramel'
Common Name:
'Caramel' is a vigorous, clump-forming coral bells cultivar that features unique apricot foliage and light pink flowers. Its lobed, rounded leaves form a basal mound. Plants spread nicely to fill areas fully. Leaves emerge gray-red in spring and matu...
[ More Info ]
Hypericum inodorum 'Kolmred'
Common Name: Mystical Red Star
Mystical Red Star is a St. John's Wort cultivar with beautifully colored fruits on perfectly-shaped branches. A large red-berried form, Mystical™ Red Star will fill your fall garden with interest and your floral arrangements with lovely colore...
[ More Info ]
Imperata cylindrica var. koenigii ''Red Baron''
Common Name: Japanese Blood Grass
Japanese Blood Grass is a slow-spreading clump grass. Tall upright leaves emerge green with red tips in spring, turn completely red by late summer and fall, then copper in winter. Plant in full sun for best color with evenly moist, well-drained soil....
[ More Info ]
Liatris spicata ''Kobold''
Common Name: Kobold Blazing Star
Kobold Blazing Star is a compact selection of the prairie native is a welcome addition to the mid-summer landscape. 'Kobold' almost qualifies as a dwarf, and definitely belongs near the front of the border....
[ More Info ]
Ligularia dentata 'Britt-Marie Crawford'
Common Name: Britt-Marie Crawford Elephant Ears
This selection of Ligularia, or Elephant Ears, is a bold specimen perennial that needs a moist location. It forms a clump of large, rounded maroon-black leaves. Taller stems appear in midsummer, bearing clusters of bright golden orange daisy flowers....
[ More Info ]
Oenothera macrocarpa
Common Name: Missouri Primrose
Missouri Primrose is a showy, trailing plant with large, yellow, fragrant flowers up to 4" across. Plants bloom for a long period from spring through summer and make an excellent front of border or rock garden plant. Foliage stays green much of the y...
[ More Info ]
Ophiopogon japonicus ''Nanus''
Common Name: Dwarf Mondo Grass
Dwarf Mondo Grass creates a lush ground cover of dense, dark green grass-like clumps. Dwarf Mondo Grass is an evergreen dwarf form that is only half the size of the species. Excellent as an edging plant or tucked into rocks for a pleasing contrast. F...
[ More Info ]
Panicum virgatum ''Heavy Metal''
Common Name: Heavy Metal Switch Grass
Native Switch Grass and taller Switch Grass cultivars can become floppy, but 'Heavy Metal' is shorter and the steely blue-green foliage is very upright. Next to the cultivar, 'Dallas Blues,' 'Heavy Metal' looks petite. It is well-suited to the border...
[ More Info ]
Paonia obovata
Common Name: Woodland Peony
Woodland Peony has spectacular white flowers with purple filaments. In spring, purple divided leaves push through the soil, rapidly unfurling and turning green. The bloom colors vary, and range from white or light pink to magenta and red. ...
[ More Info ]
Patrinia scabiosifolia 'Nagoya'
Common Name: Patrinia
Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun. Prefers rich, humusy soils. Tolerant of hot and humid summers. This Patrinia cultivar is clump-forming and almost identical to the species, except it is lower growing. ...
[ More Info ]
Pennisetum 'Prince'
Common Name:
'Prince' is a breakthrough in ornamental grasses. The purple foliage becomes even more purple as the summer gets hotter, quite a change to most plants that fade in summer heat. The habit is much fuller than other purple grasses and the growth is far...
[ More Info ]
Pennisetum ''Princess''
Common Name: Princess Napiergrass
Pennisetum 'Princess' is an exotic grass from South America. It is hardy to zone 8 but looks spectacular when planted as an accent or container plant in Northern gardens. The saber-shaped leaves emerge narrow, dappled green and purple and become prog...
[ More Info ]
Pennisetum alopecuroides ''Hameln''
Common Name: Dwarf Fountain Grass
In late summer, buff-colored flower heads of Dwarf Fountain Grass pop up in profusion on 12" spikes. The graceful fountain-like plumes slowly change color from buff to soft pinks and light-colored maroons. One to three plants are effective in small g...
[ More Info ]
Physocarpus opulifolia ''Mindia''
Common Name: Coppertina Ninebark
Coppertina Ninebark is a great new addition to the Ninebark family of native shrubs. Coppertina is a new cross between the golden ninebark 'Darks Gold' and the purple leafed ninebark Diabolo ('Monlo'). Plants have orange-copper foliage in the spring ...
[ More Info ]
Picea bicolor 'Howell's Dwarf Tigertail'
Common Name: Howell's Dwarf Tigertail Spruce
'Howell's Dwarf Tigertail' is the most colorful of all bicolors. Needles are bright silver-blue on the undersides and green on top. It is an attractive, hardy dwarf conifer that forms a mound. Shape easily maintained by pruning upward growing shoots....
[ More Info ]
Rhus typhina ''Bailtiger''
Common Name: Tiger Eyes Sumac
Tiger Eyes Sumac is a golden-leaved, dwarf, slow-spreading selection that is a valuable addition to the landscape. Tiger Eyes Sumac's striking foliage gives this plant a long season of interest with deeply-cut, almost lacy leaves. The new growth star...
[ More Info ]
Schizachyrum scoparium ''The Blues''
Common Name: The Blues Little Bluestem
The Blues Little Bluestem is one of several outstanding new selections of Little Bluestem grass, each with more intense grayish-blue summer foliage and deeper bronzy-red fall foliage. Sturdy, upright growth habit. The Blues Little Bluestem is nice co...
[ More Info ]
Sedum kamtschaticum ''Rosy Glow''
Common Name: Rosy Glow Sedum
Rosy Glow Sedum is a perfect choice for the front of a sunny border or for edging pathways. It forms a low mound of fleshy blue-grey rounded leaves, and bears clusters of deep pink to reddish flowers from late summer into autumn....
[ More Info ]
Sedum spectabile ''Autumn Joy''
Common Name: Autumn Joy Sedum
Autumn Joy Sedum is one of the best-known and well-used sedums. Super tough for borders of late summer. Flower clusters begin a soft rose and mature to a deep brick red. Autumn Joy Sedum harmonizes well with the late summer colors of ornamental grass...
[ More Info ]
Sedum spectabile ''Black Jack''
Common Name: Black Jack Sedum
Black Jack Sedum is another sturdy sedum for the late summer and early fall border. Black Jack Sedum has robust clumps of deep purple stems with black-purple foliage contrast well with large pink flower heads....
[ More Info ]
Sorghastrum nutans ''Sioux Blue''
Common Name: Sioux Blue Indian Grass
Sioux Blue Indian Grass has upright clumps of distinctly blue-green leaves that turn yellow in fall and tan in winter. Prefers full sun but tolerates light shade. Sioux Blue Indian Grass is most vigorous in moist soil, but drought-tolerant when estab...
[ More Info ]
Sporobolus heterolepis
Common Name: Prairie Dropseed
Prairie Dropseed is one of the most beautiful native grasses. Very thin, emerald green leaves form a dense arching tuft. Seed heads form in August and give off a distinct aroma. The graceful clumps of Prairie Dropseed turn yellow or deep orange in fa...
[ More Info ]
Stachys byzantina ''Countess Helen von Stein''
Common Name: Lambs' Ears
Lambs' Ears describes a large and diverse genus in the Mint family that includes a number of valuable landscape plants. Lambs' Ears' bold leaves are so densely felted with white hairs that they appear gray or silver. This species does flower, throwin...
[ More Info ]
Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard'
Common Name: Color Guard Yucca
Color Guard Yucca is a dramatic architectural plant. Its unique foliage makes it one of the most beautiful variegated yuccas on the market. Its sword-shaped leaves bear bold central stripes of bright canary-yellow against a rich celadon edge. In coo...
[ More Info ]
Zinnia ''Zahara''
Common Name: Zahara Zinnia
'Zahara' Zinnia produces big flowers in a bright, bold color on a disease-resistant, heat-loving plant....
[ More Info ]
Zinnia angustifolia X elegans ''Profusion White''
Common Name: Profusion White Zinnia
The "Profusion Series" comes in a variety of colors. All have vigorous habit and strong basal branching making them an excellent landscape choice. Blooms from early spring to fall and requires no deadheading to maintain blooming. Resists powdery mild...
[ More Info ]