Are you tired of seeing the same plants over and over in nearly every garden you visit? Or perhaps you love the fall color of a certain shrub-but it's horribly invasive, so you can't in good conscious plant it. What you're looking for are reliable replacements for overused-or incredibly aggressive-plants. It's time to broaden your plant palette and ditch some of those classic staples (we're talking to you Miscanthus) for some new, soon-to-be favorites.

Expert Mae Lin Plummer, garden director for The Duke Mansion in Charlotte, North Carolina.