Common name:Purple Smoketree
Botanical name:Cotinus coggygria 'Purpureus'

Purple Smoketree is a deciduous shrub with a multi-stemmed, upright habit, growing about 12 to 15 feet tall and wide. Can be pruned to be a small tree. Leaves emerge a deep maroon purple and fade to dark green; fall color is orange to purple. Panicles of wispy dark pink appear in the summer after spring flowering, creating a billowing, soft effect.

Common name:Blue Oat Grass
Botanical name:Helictotrichon sempervirens

Blue oat grass is a striking ornamental grass with blue foliage and a clumping habit. It grows 12 to 18 inches tall and wide. Its showy flowers are 1 to 2 feet above the foliage. Is evergreen in mild winters. This plant looks good alone as well as in mass plantings. The blue oat grass likes dry hill sides and is drought tolerant.

Common name:Japanese Silver Grass, Maiden grass
Botanical name:Miscanthus sinensis

Miscanthus is a large group of ornamental grasses ranging from a few feet to over 7 or 8 feet tall. Blade colors range from solid green, to green with silver mid-ribs, to variegated forms. Plumes are generally held well above foliage clumps, appearing in late summer to early fall, depending on the variety, and may be cut for fresh or dry arrangements.

Common name:Blanket Flower
Botanical name:Gaillardia x grandiflora

Blanket flowers are a long-time favorite for hot, dry perennial gardens and meadows. The flowers are daisy-like, with an ombre-like color arrangement from yellow to orange to maroon, though many modern cultivars are single-colored. Eyes range from brown, to maroon, to yellow, depending on the cultivar. Leaves are green to grey green, and either oval to oblong, slightly toothed to deeply lobed. Size varies with cultivars, between 12 to 36 inches tall and 18 to 30 inches wide. Companions well with salvia, agastache, and lavender.

Common name:Purple Coneflower
Botanical name:Echinacea purpurea

The Purple Coneflower is a long-lived, reliable standby for the perennial garden. And while not xeric, it manages quite well with just weekly watering. Rosy purple petals fall below the prominent orange-tinged cone and blooms in late June to September. Foliage is large, with a rounded lance shape. An excellent cut flower, they provide nectar for bumblebees and butterflies, and the seeds provide forage for migrating song birds, so don't cut them all!

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:Goldenrod
Botanical name:Solidago hybrids

Goldenrod is a wonderful group of perennials that bring bright, cheery color to the fall garden. It is clump-forming and has tiny, bright yellow flowers borne in dense, horizontal, plume-like panicles on the ends of upright, stiff, alternate-leaved stems. Heights range from 12 to 5 to 6 feet tall, with spreads usually equal to its height (though the very tallest ones are generally narrower than tall). Blooms mid summer to early fall, and is an excellent choice for perennial or shrub borders, meadow-styled landscapes, or pairing with ornamental grasses. Attracts birds and butterflies.