Totally, totally different. The petals on 'Fringe Festival' are split, not doubled. The effect makes the entire flower ball-like in appearance. Interesting orange and apricot tones appear in the color. Long, strap-shaped pine green foliage goes all the way to the ground. No other Echinacea does what this one does.

A sister variety in the Winter Sparkles, Hellebore 'Winter Sparkle Duo Pink' has snow white flowers as its base, but the petal have elegant pink-stained picotee edging. Displays color from late February to early April.

Spectacular purple blooms run up the columnar habit of Liastris 'Butterfly Magnet'. It combines the pillar styles coming back into garden vogue with a well-known ability to attract butterflies, especially the monarchs. Cool and dramatic native plant.

To get any reddish color into a fulgida hybrid is an exciting achievement. The bicolor gold and orange flowers of Rudbeckia 'Suntactular' can be seen from a distance. With a stury and rugged base, it grows in the style of 'Goldsturm' and keeps the flower count high.

Polemonium 'Violet Heart' is big, vigorous, and upright. At the heart of each pretty white flower lies a purple eye. When the plant blooms in late spring to early summer, long stalks go straight up, with flowers held on slender stems above a clump of purple-green foliage. Blooms are lightly fragrant.

The king-sized silver frosted leaves on 'Brunnera 'Frost King' display prominent dark green venation. Mature plants are big and robust, generating leaf spans of five inches plus. One of the largest brunneras you will find. Bright blue flowers are a bonus in spring.