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:Rose-of-Sharon
Botanical name:Hibiscus syriacus

Rose of Sharon is a deciduous shrub that grows 8 to 15 feet tall and 8 to 12 feet wide. Its leaves are lobed and coarsely toothed, and of a medium green. Flowers appear July through September, and may be simple, single petaled, or multi-petaled like a rose or camellia. Flower colors range through the pinks, mauves, reddish purples, and white. Some flowers have "eyes" making the flower appear bicolored.

Common name:Bearded Iris
Botanical name:Iris Bearded Hybrids

Bearded iris are a garden staple, and for good cause. They are available in every conceivable color, and combinations of colors, and their erect, vertical nature makes them distinctive in the garden. Leaves tend to be strap-like, and green, blue-green, or grey-green, depending on the cultivar. Flowers bloom early summer for about a month or so. Some have fragrant flowers. They make excellent cut flowers, and seem to fit well into either informal or formal designs. Also called German Iris.

Common name:Little Princess Spirea
Botanical name:Spiraea japonica 'Little Princess'

'Little Princess' spirea is a tidy mounding shrub growing about 3 feet tall but up to 6 feet wide. It has small, finely texture leaves of mint green that turn a pleasing yellow in the fall. Clusters of tiny pink flowers bloom from June to August. Use in a perennial, shrub, or foundation border; its small scale makes it nice in front of taller shrubs. Attracts butterflies.

Common name:Red-leaf Japanese Barberry
Botanical name:Berberis thunbergii 'Atropurpurea'

A thorny, deciduous shrub growing 4 to 6 feet tall and as wide. Foliage emerges in spring a bright red, and matures to a dark purplish red. Bell-shaped spring flowers are followed by shiny red, torpedo-shaped fruit that persists into winter. Its purplish-red leaves contrast beautifully against a dark green background. It prefers full sun and regular watering, more in hot summer months. This is a great barrier plant.

Common name:Quaking Aspen
Botanical name:Populus tremuloides

Though iconic to the Rocky Mountains, Aspen aren't well suited to our urban and valley landscapes. They resent the summer heat and the lack of snow, and as such are prone to a host of disease and pest issues. And if that's not enough, their tendency to sucker can create a maintenance nightmare. Consider instead Serviceberry or Manchurian Ash for a similar appearance.