Many years ago, I bought a perennial plant at a nursery, and after I planted it, found that there was a ride-along plant in the pot.

There are few flowers like liatris in the flower world, as the blooms open on top of the stalks first, and the ones on the bottom open last.

Heuchera is the botanical name for coral bells.The one that is most frequently found in our gardens is Heuchera sanguinea -- tiny bell-shaped flowers on 15-inch stems dangle above mounds of deep green leaves. The flowers are bright red, which explains why “sanguinea,” which means blood red, is in the name.

Our native Eupatorium purpureum, commonly known as Joe Pye weed, flowers in late summer and fall, producing tall clusters of fluffy purple flowers. 

Ground cover plants are a bit like area rugs in our homes, as we can mix and match them or plant many of the same type of plant to cover bare patches.

In a cultivated garden, helenium looks best with other yellow or bronze flowers that bloom in the fall, and they light up a flower bed as the growing season draws to a close.

If you especially enjoy delicate, airy types of flowers, then you should grow Gaura to enjoy in your garden and in flower arrangements. 

Coreopsis is from the Greek word koris meaning bug and opsis meaning resemblance to. This is because the seeds of coreopsis took like small ticks. 

Farmers do not care for wild carrots that grow in their fields and on roadsides and produce thousands of seeds that produce more plants. 

Echinacea purpurea flowers well from mid-summer to early fall and combines well with most other flowering perennials.