Korean Angelica (Angelica gigas)

Biennial, hardy to zone 4. Full sun to part shade, likes moisture, blooms in July and August. Large dense purple domed flower heads atop 3-6 foot stalks that will stop you dead in your tracks! I lusted after this plant for years and finally decided to start some from seed, since you can’t find it in local nurseries. A bit of patience is required since it’s a biennial, meaning it blooms the second year. But oh is it EVER worth the wait! Self-sows but not prolifically. Help it out by scattering seeds where you want new ones to come up or transplant when small as it does not move well once established.

Terracotta Yarrow (Achillea millefolium ‘Terracotta’)

Perennial, hardy to zone 3, full sun. Multicolored umbels ranging from mustard yellow to burnt orange. Blooms June and July, blooms may be cut off to extend bloom time. This plant will expand to a large clump in no time at all.

Winecups (Callirhoe involucrata)

Perennial, hardy to zone 3, full sun. Continuous upright magenta blooms from early summer to early fall. You can almost imagine a toad drinking wine from these tiny cups. This little workhorse earns its keep and in my experience, it is happiest in thick clay where the primadonnas are miserable! Self-sows a bit, help it out by scattering seed. Moves best when small as it has a thick tap root.

‘Ruby glow’ Sedum (Sedum ‘Ruby glow’)

Perennial, hardy to zone 5, full sun. Neat, compact and mounding; purple succulent foliage and ruby blooms in midsummer. Looks great pre and post bloom. Visitors always asks about this one. As with many other Sedums like ‘Autumn Joy’, cut it back by 1/2 any time in June, otherwise it will flop by the time it blooms.

Japanese Burnet (Sanguisorba tenuifolia ‘Purpurea’)

Perennial, hardy to zone 4. Interesting, hard-to-find plant with multi-season interest. Deep purplish-pink “chenille” looking blooms atop wispy 4 foot stems in August. Highly textured leaves are glossy like Holly and turn a golden color in autumn. Likes moisture. Mine is happily growing in thick clay.

Purple Palace Coral Bells (Heuchera ‘Purple Palace’)

Perennial, hardy to zone 4. Sun or part shade. As you may have gathered, I have a thing for for wine-colored foliage and blooms.  Purple Palace forms a neat mound of highly textured blackish purple maple-shaped leaves which look nice from spring until frost. Spikes of tiny white flowers in early spring. I grow Purple Palace in both full sun and part shade, and it appears just as happy in either location.

‘Husker Red’ Penstemon (Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’)

Perennial, hardy to zone 5. Full sun to part shade. Bronze foliage with white tubular flowers that attract hummingbirds.

Bevan’s Variety Geranium (Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Bevan’s Variety’)

Perennial, hardy to zone 3. Full sun to full shade. A low mounding hardy geranium with fuzzy aromatic leaves. Magenta blooms in early spring, will often rebloom if cut back. The foliage looks lushest in part to full shade. A lovely ground cover.

American Revolution Daylily (Hemerocalis ‘American Revolution’)

Perennial, hardy to zone 3. Deep mahogany colored flowers with golden throat. Blooms in July.

Dominic Daylily (Hemerocalis ‘Dominic’)

Perennial, hardy to zone 3. Deep mahogany colored flowers with golden throat. Blooms in July.

Victor Reiter, Jr. Geranium (Geranium pratense ‘Victor Reiter, Jr.’)

Perennial, hardy to zone 5. Full sun to part shade. A dark purple-leaved hardy geranium with a neat mounding habit whose leaves fade in warm summer temps and darken back up in fall. Pale bluish purple flowers in early summer. Cut back after flowering to maintain neat habit. Sometimes reblooms.

Drumstick Allium (Allium sphaerocephalon)

Perennial, hardy to zone 4 . Egg-shaped red-purple flowers atop slender stalks. Multi-season interest: looks great in spring when green, in summer when in color and in autumn and winter when dried. When planted as a bulb in fall, can be easily dropped into planting holes for day lilies and other perennials since they aren’t large enough to require their own space. Looks great when naturalized. I use Drumstick and other alliums to create continuity in my beds- a very useful genus indeed!

Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea)

Native perennial hardy to zone 3. Full sun, drought tolerant. Tiny warm purple flowers on elongated cone atop wispy foliage. In my experience this plant is happy in heavy clay.

Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata)
Native perennial hardy to zone 3. Full sun, prefers moisture. Spires of tiny purple flowers atop tall slender, erect stalks. This is one of those wildflowers you see on country roads and wonder why more people aren’t growing it in their gardens. Grows 2-4 feet tall depending on the amount of moisture in the soil, self seeds.

Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis)

Native perennial hardy to zone 4. Dense blue spires in early spring. Ever had trouble growing hybrid lupines? Well I sure have and almost gave up on lupines entirely until I found this tough wild strain native to the Northeast. This lupine blooms profusely and doesn’t seem to mind a bit of clay. Scatter the seeds around to get it started in other spots.

Purple Sensation Allium (Allium aflatunenense ‘Purple Sensation’)

Perennial, hardy to zone 4. Large purple orbs atop 24-36″ stems, blooming in mid spring. If you’re like me and you plant one of everything instead of three, use Purple Sensation to tie a spring planting together. They’ll make your chaos look orderly and even “planned”.