Common name:Dwarf Globe Blue Spruce
Botanical name:Picea pungens 'Globosa'

Globe-shaped evergreen shrub is is flat-topped, densely branched, and dwarf, making it a nice evergreen for small spaces or in a mixed border. Bright blue needles hold their color all year ut are brighter in summer. Full sun to light shade. Slow grower to 3 to 5 feet tall and 5 to 6 feet wide.

Common name:Blue Fescue
Botanical name:Festuca ovina glauca

This group of ornamental grasses generally grow less than a foot tall and have fine, green to blue-green, evergreen leaves that are very thin and hair-like. Flowers appear in the summer and have an airy and open appearance. Prefers full sun but will tolerate afternoon shade if not over-watered. It needs well draining soil and is drought tolerant once it's established. An evergreen, it may need tidying up in the spring; trim out dead foliage and seed heads.

Common name:Pineleaf Penstemon
Botanical name:Penstemon pinifolius

Native in Arizona and New Mexico. This penstemon is a woody sub-shrub that grows about 2 feet tall and wide, and has short needle-like foliage that is evergreen. The flowers are red, narrow tubes, blooming in summer. There are a number of other forms available, including yellow and orange, and more compact or taller. It has a long bloom season and good foliage. Is attractive to hummingbirds; not so to rabbits.

Common name:English Lavender
Botanical name:Lavandula angustifolia

English lavender is a dependably hardy, heat tolerant, drought resistant perennial, well suited to our arid, cold climate. Aromatic, green to grey-green foliage has a rich, resin scent, and grows in tight clumps 1 to 2 feet in height and width, depending on variety. Flowers form at the ends of stiff stems, in whorls of blue to lavender to purple, again, depending on variety. Flowers may add another 6 to 12 inches of height. Use in any sunny spot, such as perennial border, herb garden, parkstrip, lining a pathway.

Common name:Blue Spire Russian Sage
Botanical name:Perovskia 'Blue Spire'

'Blue Spire' is a selection of perovskia that grows about 3 to 4 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide (though it will grow larger if over-watered). New wood is white and fuzzy; leaves are a soft green to grey-green and finely cut, giving it an airy appearance. Flower spires of fuzzy, lavender blue flowers begin in June and continue through the summer months. Useful in the perennial or shrub border, with ornamental grasses, and as a cut flower.

Common name:Thundercloud Purple-leaf Plum
Botanical name:Prunus cerasifera 'Thundercloud'

'Thundercloud' is a deciduous, small tree useful as an accent due to its coppery red foliage. It hasa rounded, dense crown and grows about 20 feet tall and wide. Pale pink to white flowers bloom in early spring before leaves emerge. The red foliage holds its color well throughout the heat of the summer. Fall color is a coppery orange. Useful at entries, patios, or as an accent.

Common name:Meadow Salvia
Botanical name:Salvia nemorosa

Meadow salvia is a perennial with thick, crinkled, deep green leaves with undersides that are slightly pubescent. Basal foliage is dense and semi-evergreen. Stems are erect and stiff, and possess the mint-squareness. Violet-blue flowers form in racemes along the flower spike from May through July; cutting back spent flowers may prolong blooms into the fall. Spreads through crown growth and seeding. Great cut flower. Grows 2 feet tall and wide.

Common name:Dorr Sage
Botanical name:Salvia dorrii

A wonderful small sub-shrub for the urban garden. It forms a tight, rounded mound, about 1 to 2 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. Foliage is silver-grey, long and oval, and aromatic when crushed or bumped. Pale blue to purple flowers form clusters at the ends of branches during the summer months. Attracts bees and butterflies. semi-evergreen. A Utah native.

Common name:Snow-In-Summer
Botanical name:Cerastium tomentosum

Masses of snow white flowers cover this plant from late spring to early summer. Fine textured foliage is silvery grey. After flowering, shear back plant to encourage new foliage and for a tidy appearance. Over-head watering may cause the plant to "melt-out" in the center; over-watering, in general, causes the plant to die out over time. An attractive filler among other plants and rocks, and nice ground cover for areas that receive little foot traffic. Plant at edges of walks to soften paths. I saw a lovely planting where cerastium was used to represent water in a "dry creek" design-Brilliant. Grows 4 to 5 inches tall and 15 to 18 inches wide.