Campanula, asters, nicotiana alata(my favourite, it blooms forever, smells sweet & re-seeds), Japanese anemones, angelica(giga & bonariensis), erigeron, cosmos, agrostemma, cranesbill, peonies, ferns & lots more I can't think of right now. Oh yes, lots of foxgloves & delphiniums.

Foxglove and Hollyhocks are technically biannuals. So they grow the first season, flower the second and then set seed. Some reseed better than others. The yellow foxglove is more of a perennial and more readily self sows. There is a new variety of Delphiniums available from a NZ breeder called Dowdswell Delphiniums. Graceful Gardens of NY has a nice selection of various delphiniums including shorter ones that don't need staking that are reasonably priced and very healthy, developed plants.

My favorite coneflower is Southern Belle. The flowers are very romantic and soft looking with a fluffy top. If kept deadheaded it flowers from midsummer through frost. Campanula blue clips is pretty and stays tidy. Geranium Rozanne acts like a mini climber in my z5b garden but can be kept in check by pruning it into a mound. It flowers from mid June through frost with pretty medium purple flowers. I also have good luck with Dicentra Luxuriant or Fringe Leaf Bleeding Heart. Unlike the old fashion bleeding heart this doesn't' go dormant, has beautiful lacey gray green foliage and mauve flowers and flowers from spring till fall.

Sharon

In addition to what you mentioned, here are some of my favorites, many of which can be seed grown:

Gaura - a mix of pink and white varieties

Lavender - Ellagance Sky, Ellagance Purple, Ellagance Pink (which is almost white), and some larger Phenomenal.

Penstemon - Mystica and Blackbeard

Also check out some different catmint varieties if you haven't alreafy - its a very diverse group. My favorite is Grandview, a seed grown varity that flowers the first year with huge tubular shaped blossoms in a range of pinks, lavenders, and pale blues, and in its second year here in my zone 6 garden flowered absolutely continuously and profusely from the second week of May until mid/late August.

DizzyLizzy,

Do you have the innumerable varieties of Phlox paniculata? They come in almost all colors (white, red, blue, orange, lavender, purple, except yellow). There are double bloomed as well as single bloomed Phlox, mostly single. Heights go from 18" to 40". Their fragrance speaks summertime. They're easy to grow, and clumps can be divided every year. Every three years clumps must be divided. They are so robust, and give so much for so little effort.

Moses

BenT, I love your Thunbergia Battescombei! It looks like it would do well for me here in So CA. Did you mail order it, or purchase locally? Do you know if it's easy from seed? I think I need it:) Lisa

I like browallia, sweet willimiam and other dianthus and stachys and balloon flower. I just planted some foxglove and monkshood. someone posted a charming small ruellia that I'd love. With the exception of stachys, all of the above stay within bounds and even it is easy to contain in my garden. Most don't need much water. Browallia will appreciate a little dappled shade.

I love the browallia too, Vap! It needs quite a bit of shade here, but I bought one plant a year or two ago, and it self seeds nicely. It's not an aggressive reseeder, just politely. It's such a nice blue in mixed beds. Lisa

Hello Lisa,

I got my Thunbergia Battescombei on EBay. It's such a wonderful plant yet so hard to find. It absolutely flourishes during the hottest, most miserable days of summer.

Once it gets big , you can propagate by sticking one of its rambling stems into the ground while still attached to the mothership...when it roots, you sever the ties and get another plant! An older plant can also be easily divided...like the pips of Lily of the Valley, they separate with no effort, as if they were waiting for a human to dig them up and make more.

Thanks everyone, I have alot of great suggestions! I would love for you to post more pictures of your gardens!

Just thought I'd post a pic of one of my Sweet Williams and also Torenia. I'll try to find one from last year of the Browallia. You can also see the stachys in the background of the second pic.

Back of border, nothing beats these for mid summer color to fall. pic date 9/6

Back of border, nothing beats these for mid summer color to fall. pic date 8/11

guy ground- beautiful hydrangeas!! What are the varieties?

Sharon

I'll be interested to know that, too. They remind me of 'tickled Pink' which do really well for me.

Same variety both pictures are a paniculata hydrangea known as Vanilla strawberry.

thanks guy.

Campanula Birch: