I'd probably have to consider one of any of the numerous cultivars of Martin's spurge, Euphorbia x martinii, as my 'go-to' plant. I have never been without at least one (and usually several) in my own gardens and almost always include them in client designs. Fully evergreen, it is more like a compact subshrub rather than an herbaceous perennial and goes through a range of coloration during the growing season. Right now, all new growth is tinted red and soon it will be developing buds for early spring flowers/bracts in shades of lime green, chartreuse or yellow.

Tolerates both sun and light shade, a lot of heat and is drought tolerant. And deer and rabbits avoid it like the plague!! Even slugs and snails leave it alone.

mazerolm, I also appreciate the gold leaved spiraeas but since no pink passes in my gardens, I just clip off the flower buds as soon as they form :-) It may be worth looking at some of the newer cultivars with wiite flowers......'Ogon' is a standby but also Glow Girl ('Tor Gold') or 'White Gold'.

@gardengal: euphorbia x martini sounds like a dream plant! What do you pair it with?

I have a wooded lot..2 plants that I CAN'T imagine gardening without - hostas and ferns..they survive here and add so much beauty with very little care on my part..when we moved in the lot had been neglected..with A LOT of work it's been transformed (if I must say so myself..Lol)

Frozebud, I remember your post about golden oregano and I have been meaning to try it (adds again to mental list).

Nicholsworth your garden is the dream of many woodland gardens. I wish I didn't have such a deer problem and could have kept my hosta. They are amazing plants!

I'm afraid I repeat many plants around the garden but I can't commit to one. The one plant I must have and is literally everywhere is daffodils, but they don't stay, do they?

posierosie..thanks!..knock on wood..I don't have big problems with wildlife surprisingly..I've heard others (along with FrozeBudd) say what a great plant that golden oregano is..but I don't have it either! Lol..I love daffodils too..enjoy them as long as they last!..in my opinion spring would be sad without them..pic#1..the back (blurry..taking new pics this year..deleting the duds)..#2 the front..now HOW?? could I ever grow roses..grass..sunflowers etc..so it's shade plants for me..but it's ok I love them..

Well being as I'm a plant species hoarder, or maybe a pokemon collector (must catch them all), I typically don't have the same plants in any duplicate places.

I'm going to reinterpret the question as plants you can't live without.

Well I can think of two of those, both natives, that I would always try to have in my garden. They're basically care free, and don't seed everywhere (at least for me).

One is Shining Blue Star, amsonia illustris, which grows in creek beds here and along the banks of rivers. This is only a young plant in my field. It expanded into a six by six mound in a couple of years (don't believe them when they say height of 2-3 feet at least not in black prairie soils). It flowers twice for me, a primary flowering in mass, then about a 60% reflowering three weeks after the primary and looks like a shrub when not in flower, with attractive leaves. It usually has a nice yellow fall foliage too.

The other is false sunflower, heliopsis helianthoides, which produces flowers for me from June through frost (really). It is tough as nails wanting only sun and fair drainage. Pretty much nothing would stop it...but being flooded. It will take a moist exposure, I've seen it growing in shady roadsides that also grow impatiens capensis.

This photo is not mine, but was purloined from Prairie Nursery, I only had bloom closeups. Hopefully they don't cart me off to jail for stealing it.

O, I love heliopsis...but have never managed to germinate any (have mainly tried the single Summer Nights) - might have to bite the bullet and buy a handful when I do my dahlia order.

But, going along with plants I cannot bear to live without, the obvious choice, for me, would be a rose...but which? There are many of these 'favourite rose' threads over on the antique rose forum - no-one manages any sort of consistency...and no-one ever stays within the self-imposed numerical limits either...but nevertheless, I would have to choose one of my beloved species and make the difficult choice between rosa moyesii or alba semi-plena. Although the alba has the most extraordinary fragrance, moyesii, along with the equally vivid Scharlachglut, top and tail my allotment, and adorn the entrance to my woodland (along with my favourite flowering cherry - p.subhirtella autumnalis).

like Burning Hearts, which I will try this year.

It was Frozebudd that first made me aware of this flower. I have two clumps of it and just as your picture shows dbarron the flower itself is so pretty.

One perennial I use pretty much more than most others is the Golden Oregano,

Frozebudd, there are several flowers I have in my garden because of your recommendations. The only reason I held off on GO is that I am still not sure which specific variety you are touting as there are many. Do you know?

Nicholsworth, yes, what a very beautiful natural woodland park like setting you have there, just perfect for hostas, ferns and other shade lovers!

I'm always anxious to come across new heliopsis selections, most bloom relatively early in the season and generally being very winter hardy. I collected seed from 'Burning Hearts' and hope to see some interesting seedlings.

Rouge, unfortunately, there seems to be several types of Golden Oregano that go by the same name and finding the real McCoy might be a bit challenging. The one I have is a clumping plant growing to about 12 inches tall with slightly pointed oval foliage and sprays of small white bloom that float just about the foliage. Look carefully at the below photo, there's a bit of a bronze color to the upper stems and new growth. Although, this plant is often claimed to be somewhat tender, I say ha! to that! ... anything that easily survives my climate certainly is not tender! Though, not saying that they don't appreciate being covered with snow when it's -30 C and below.

Golden Oregano, photo Farmyard Nurseries (The REAL McCoy!)

Below is NOT what you're looking for, notice the difference in the foliage shape, color and texture. I tried this one and the foliage burns off in full sun dry conditions, while the above plant remains looking great!

Photo from Daves Garden

FrozeBudd..thanks!..I took a screenshot of the Farmyard Nurseries photo of Golden Oregano..I can see why you love it..it's gorgeous..adding this to my garden notes..if I can find one I'll patrol every inch of my land to find some light for it..

Beautiful plants! I've also been on the lookout for that yellow oregano. Someone pressed a few cuttings of the regular one into my hand during a garden tour and said it was unkillable and I have to agree since just covering the end with a little dirt was all it took to grow in my garden. I'm of the general opinion that any plant is better with yellow foliage ;)

I've been trying to get rosa moyesii seeds to grow for years. I keep trying but still no luck, and of course I'm too cheap to order one from a specialist. Heliopsis are awesome as well. I'd grow more but they always seem to get covered with red aphids which I just can't control. It doesn't seem to bug the plants at all but I can't stand looking at their awful red swarms. A few years ago I visited a park where they covered acres of land, what a golden show!

My go-to plant (aka backup plan) is verbena bonariensis. Any bit of unmulched full-sun ground sprouts a forest of them and they're always perfect for filling in for the lost or spreading into any gaps.

Can I just say that hens and chicks just won't grow for me? If they do they just sit there and never spread, if they don't they just quickly fade away.

Golden oregano is probably my biggest “go-to” plant, also. :) It’s wonderful. Picked mine up on a whim at a local Amish nursery, and then realized it’s tremendous ornamental potential! Add in the fact that it’s crazy drought tolerant, easy as anything to propagate, can be sheared back, stepped on, harvested for eating, and the chartreuse color makes every other color pop, and it’s just amazing. Lol :) I use it everywhere.

My second would probably be a tie between Artemisia silver mound and nepeta.

Well after reading the comments, I’m definitely going to look for Golden oregano!

My go-to plant (aka backup plan) is verbena bonariensis.

I am trying to establish VB. Hopefully I will see a few seedlings this season.

So do we think that GOLDEN OREGANO is AKA Origanum vulgare 'Aureum' ?

Hee, and sempervivums and VB are like weeds here...hard to kill.

But every gardener has their kryptonite plant which simply won't grow for them. Sometimes I blame it on the capriciousness of some evil garden fairy.

VB is beyond weed status here!! It is on the 'monitor' list for being an invasive species.

I am a bit late returning to this party but wanted to answer the question posed to me by mazelrom. The euphorbia can be paired with just about anything :-) The green forms usually have a bit of a bluish tint to the foliage as well as the more seasonal reddish new growth, so I tend to pair them with plants that will pick up or accent these colors The variegated one - 'Ascot Rainbow' - is predominately yellow so I usually pair this with a yellow foliaged shrub or conifer or with perennials that bloom yellow. I really like it with the dwarf rudbeckia 'Little Gold Star'.

And both pair beautifully with the colored culitvars of Japanese barberry. I know this is a plant that most love to hate, but it is not invasive here and the newer, very dwarf cultivars on the market eliminate any need for pruning.

I saw Ascot Rainbow at the local botanical gardens a couple of years ago. It was very striking, but I don't have the drainage for it.

@gardengal: Thanks! Barberry is not listed as invasive in my area either (too darn cold!), I have Concorde and Sunsation and love them both. If it weren’t for its needles. I would plant even more. I find that they pair really well with conifers, of which I have quite a few.

I am very fond of 'Concorde' as well - great, rich coloring and a tight, low, compact habit. Ditto 'Bagatelle' and 'Admiration'. I also really like 'Orange Rocket' :-)

I use a lot of evergreens in my designs and that includes evergreen perennials, like the euhorbia. There are quite a lot of perennials that hold their foliage year round, perhaps more so in my climate than in colder areas but still more than most would think. Since 95% of my design clients are not real gardeners and want low maintenance above almost any other considerations, I tend not use a lot of perennials unless they are evergreen. Most cannot even be bothered with anything more than an annual garden clean up so anything that requires staking, deadheading, dividing or curbing of spread or cutting back periodically tends to be a very low on the totem pole inclusion, if at all :-)

Rudbeckia "Little Goldstar", in bloom by late July, lasting 4 or 5 weeks; compact, well-behaved, not too large (18" tall) and pest free. An excellent perennial in my opinion.

[LITTLE GOLDSTAR[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/little-goldstar-is-just-what-some-of-us-want-dsvw-vd~3264487?n=10)

I use 'Concorde' liberally around the place, the number of specimens is approaching twenty and I'm always layering branches and adding yet more! Love the compact form and dark foliage that glows when back lite and the long lasting fiery autumn display stands out for weeks on end! Also, have 'Sunsation' and really need to try other compact forms.

" So do we think that GOLDEN OREGANO is AKA Origanum vulgare 'Aureum' ? "

Yes, though unfortunately, there appears to be several forms that go by this same name. What I have is a non creeping type that builds to a tight mound of foliage with flowers that float just above. Some other photos show taller looser growing plants with flowers higher above the foliage and then there's also a ground hugging type, it's confusing and maybe someone has the answer?

Geranium macrorhizum. It’s just so tidy! Turns any patch into a coherent weedfree sweep and finishes any edge with no need to trench or trim. The color of the flowers - dusty rose? - clashes with nothing I know of.

I have a few such as any of the perennial Geranium and Salvia for their long bloom time. Iris sibirica and Ornamental grasses are used often in combination with them for their upright form (in some cases). The winter interest and fall foliage plays into it for some of the Ornamental grasses.

Like Katob Heliopsis h. used to be before the aphids hit. It was so reliable for years then miles away I saw some with powdery mildew. A few weeks later the PM reached mine. After being weakened the aphids moved in.

dbarron you can almost set your calendar by them here. They start blooming July 1st. I have twice in decades seen them bloom one day on either side of that date.

I do wish more Euphobia were hardy here, notably Euphorbia x martinii, usually listed as zone 6 or 7. I grow a few but may add an E. griffithii 'Fireglow' or 'Dixter'. E. myrsinites is a favorite.

And here, E. myrsinites is an invasive species :-) But the griffithiis are great (but do spread) and even better if you are a fan of orange!

I have never had a garden that didn't have at least one and usually several species of euphorbia. I am a bit of a fan :-))

gg I adore orange and would welcome more of it in my garden. E. myrsinites is not invasive here but I do make sure to remove most spent flower stems to avoid too many seedlings.

I have grown E. dulcis 'Chameleon', polychroma & p. 'First Blush' and E. myrsinites for years. Apart from E. g. I would like to try corollata.

I could not imagine a garden of mine without iris or peonies. Neither have a particularly long bloom season but both were in my grandma’s garden and will always be in mine.

@oursteelers: I’d like to add peonies to my garden this year, do you have a favourite?

Mazerolm, I have always preferred the really full double ones but I think I’m gonna add a couple singles this year to see what I think.

I can‘t pick a favorite, I love them all!

Here are a few I had pics of

Bowl of Cream

Do Tell

Charlie’s White

I’m going to try and do better with taking pictures this year.

I had no peonies..last summer on impulse at Home Depot I bought a White Wings and a Krinkled White..I picked the prettiest biggest plants which were white..someone beat me to the other colors..I'm excited to see how they do..

Ooh, Krinkled White is one of the ones I want to try!

it's my goal to do a better job with pics too..I hope I can show you great pics of my new peonies..

Dahlias!

I also use 'Concorde' liberally around my place.

Frank

I have several plants that are repeated in my own garden and the public gardens where I work. My go-to plants must be highly deer resistant and must endure hot, dry summers (the historic site garden is not irrigated). My list is as follows: Walker's Low nepeta, Siberian iris, bearded iris, peonies, Sheffield chrysanthemum, artemesia, stachys and daffodils. This year, I'm going to give geraniums another try: in the past they were eaten. A group of archers has been conducting winter hunts in the green space near my home for several winters and the deer population is slowly beginning to drop.

As long as it doesn’t need to be a particular cultivar, Clematis is in almost every bed I have.

Frank..your property looks huge!..the shrub hedge/edging looks nice..it's pretty to have some color along the side of the road..

Regent and Autumn Brilliance serviceberry. Flowers in early spring, edible berries in June, outstanding fall color.

Walker's Low catmint, May Night Salvia, and lavender are my go-to plants.

But then again, I'll plant anything in that color range.

@noseometer: my jaw literally dropped when I saw your picture! I love catmint and salvias as well! I would love lavender as well if I could grow it! :). And is that a weeping cedrus deodara in the background? Lovely!

Aw, shucks! Thanks! Always a work in progress.

UPDATE June 2026 :

Two clumps of our "Golden Oregano" (bought several years back because of posts in this thread and others in this forum 🙂).

I agree @kitasei ie Geranium macrorhizum is a plant that can be successful in most any location. I thought of this today when I saw one planting of ours underneath an evergreen and covering an unsightly downspout extension.