Common name:Black-eyed Susan
Botanical name:Rudbeckia fulgida

Golden yellow daisy-like flowers borne in abundance and over the heat of the summer makes Black-eyed Susan a garden mainstay. Blooms typically occur mid summer and continue into early fall. Petals are flat to recurved, and the central discs are prominent and reddish brown to purple. Makes an excellent cut flower, though the seeds are highly enjoyed by birds. Leaves are lance-shaped to oval and a deep green. Grows about 30 to 36 inches tall and wide. Not common in the trade as there are so many named cultivars available, such as 'Goldsturm' and 'Viette's Little Suzy.'

Common name:Helene von Stein Lamb's Ear
Botanical name:Stachys byzantina 'Helene von Stein'

'Helene von Stein' is a cultivar or S. byzantina, and is a dense, mat-forming perennial with velvety, soft, grayish white leaves. This cultivar has larger leaves than others and is more heat and humidity resistant. Though reported to not have flowers, eventually, in time, some may begin to appear. The foliage grows to about 8 to 12 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide. Use in rock gardens, sunny borders, along walks, and in parkstrips.

Common name:Bull Grass
Botanical name:Muhlenbergia emersleyi

This Muhlenbergia is a cool season, clumping grass with blue-green, course foliage. It grows about 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. Its plume emerges late summer and is purple, though it turns a silvery white as the season progresses. The whole plant turns tan with the first hard frost. A southwest native, it is very heat and drought tolerant once established.

Common name:Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass
Botanical name:Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'

Karl Foerster feather reed grass is a garden favorite, and for good reason. Its green, fine-textured foliage is gently arching and grows to about 2 feet tall and wide. Oat-like plumes stand very erect over the foliage, growing as tall as 5 to 6 feet. Plumes open whiteish green, later turning a dusky rose, and then tawny colored by winter. Blooms early summer with the plumes lasting into autumn. Holds its presence well into winter. Excellent in mixed perennial or shrub borders, or massed.