A tall, sun-loving, drought-tolerant perennial in the daisy family, grown for its broad, flat-topped corymbs of tiny golden-yellow flowers held on stiff stems above finely divided, aromatic gray-green ferny foliage. Native to the Caucasus, Iran, and Afghanistan and long naturalized in gardens worldwide, it forms a tidy upright clump (rather than running like common yarrow) and is one of the most reliable, low-care pollinator and cut-flower plants for hot, dry, full-sun borders.

An airy, see-through ornamental in the vervain family (Verbenaceae), native to South America and naturalized across the warm southeastern United States. NC State Extension describes an erect plant 2-5 feet tall on thin but strong red-marked green stems, topped from summer into fall by dense, flat-topped clusters of small tubular purple-lavender flowers held well above mostly basal, lance-shaped, serrated dark-green leaves. A perennial in USDA zones 7-11 (grown as an annual in colder climates), it is fast-growing, drought and deer tolerant, and a magnet for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds — though it self-sows freely and some sources have labeled it invasive.

An evergreen, woody-based sub-shrub grown today mainly for its striking, aromatic, fern-like, BLUE-GREEN foliage and clusters of small mustard-yellow flowers in summer — the historic "herb of grace". It is one of the easiest plants for a hot, dry, sunny spot, strongly drought-tolerant once established and happiest in lean, sharply-drained soil. HONESTY (load-bearing): rue is PHOTOTOXIC — contact with its sap followed by sunlight causes severe blistering skin burns (phytophotodermatitis), so ALWAYS wear gloves and cover your skin when handling, pruning, or weeding around it, especially on bright days. It is also TOXIC if eaten and is a historical abortifacient (dangerous in pregnancy), so despite its old medicinal and culinary reputation it should NOT be eaten today — grow it purely as an ornamental for the blue foliage. RHS gives the cultivar 'Jackman's Blue' the Award of Garden Merit and rates the species fully hardy (H5).

A native evergreen fern with leathery dark blue-green fronds in upright vase-shaped clumps. Among the most drought-tolerant native ferns — useful for drier-shade settings where most other ferns fail. The "marginal" name refers to sori (spore clusters) carried at the leaflet margins. Evergreen through winter in zones 5+; reliably long-lived (20-30+ years).

A cheerful, easy deciduous shrub of the rose family grown for two seasons of interest: bright golden-yellow flowers in mid-spring and slender, arching kelly-green stems that stay green through winter for a real cold-season feature. The single five-petaled species is pretty, but the double, pompom-flowered form "Pleniflora" is by far the most widely grown. Notably shade-tolerant — it actually flowers best in part shade, since full sun bleaches the blooms. The honest catch is its spread: it suckers and runs underground into a widening thicket, so site it where it has room to colonise or be ready to dig out the suckers. Despite the common name, POWO (Kew) places its native range in China, not Japan; it has simply been cultivated in Japan for a very long time. Grown purely for ornament — it is not a food plant.

A tough, bright perennial for sunny borders, pollinator patches, and late-summer color.