One spectacular lily is Lilium superb, spelled “superbum,” but it is not pronounced as it is spelt. Its petals recurve, so a common name is Turk's cap.

The Latin name “Physostegia” refers to the calyx, which covers their seed pods. “Physa” means bladder and “stege” means a covering.

When goldenrods are in bloom, it indicates that fall is in the air...and they do NOT cause hay fever (That is ragweed!), as the pollen of goldenrod is too heavy to be dispersed by the wind.

The lobelia family is extremely diverse but there are two American natives that are hardy perennials: Lobelia cardinalis and Lobelia siphilitica.

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. It was a wild petunia.

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.

Coral bells flowers from spring into fall if it has moist, rich soil. Plant masses of coral bells in the front of your borders and water them well.

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.