'Burgundy Lace'.  Graceful deciduous tree with deeply lobed, finely serrated, brilliant burgundy-red leaves.   Grows 10' tall and wide.

‘Butterfly’.  Splendid foliage emerges green with pink margins maturing to light green with cream variegation, turning rose-red to red-purple in the autumn. Upright vase shape, often more of a shrub. Thrives in bright, filtered shade. In summer keep evenly moist in well-drained soil. 

‘Crimson Queen’.  Much loved variety with lacy deep reddish-purple foliage.  Grows 8-10’ tall and wide.  Does best in bright, filtered shade.

‘Red Dragon’.  Noted for its ability to retain its deep color even in shade.  Deeply cut, lacy leaves are a dark crimson.  This cultivar keeps its intense color long into the fall.  Compact, reaching 4’-6’ tall and wide in 10 years.  Ideal for bonsai or container gardens. 

AESCULUS parviflora, Bottlebrush Buckeye:  Huge white 8-12” long flower panicles appear in June and July.  Wonderful dark green palmate leaves.  Grows 8-12’ tall and wide in full sun to partial shade.  Named a Missouri Botanical Garden Plant of Merit for its outstanding qualities.

ARCTOSTAPHYLOS ‘Massachusetts’.  Bearberry.  Extremely hardy, slow growing evergreen shrub like ground cover.  Peeling bark and small dark green leaves.  White bells tinged with pink bloom in spring.  Red berries produced in August last through winter.  Birds and other wildlife enjoy the berries. Grows 6 to 12 inches tall.  Will spread to 3 to 6 feet wide.  Grow in poor acidic, sandy to well drained soils in full sun to part shade.  Do not fertilize.

ASCULUS pavia, Red Buckeye.  Brilliant dark green leaves; rich red flowers appear in April and May in 3”-6” long panicles above the foliage.  Habit is rounded and almost shrub like.  Matures to 15’-20’ tall and wide.  A Missouri Botanical Garden Plant of Merit.

AZALEA, ‘Encore Hybrids’.  After the spring looming period, these azaleas begin growing new shoots and start blooming into full flower in mid to late summer. Known for their richness of color and well as the quality of foliage and overall vigor.  Hardiness to be determined. 

‘Autumn Amethyst’ Encore.  Pink, single flowers, purple foliage in winter.  Grows 4 feet tall and wide. 

‘Autumn Royalty’ Encore.  Dark purple single blooms with an upright habit.  Grows 4 1/2 feet tall and 4 feet wide.

AZALEA, ‘Girard Hybrids’.  Semi-Evergreen varieties that thrive in part shade  all varieties are compact, reaching 2’-4’ tall and wide.  They bloom mid to late March and into April.

‘Fuchsia’.  Single, reddish purple petals with wavy margins.  

‘Hot Shot’.   Scarlet-orange flowers.

‘Roberta’  Double, ruffled, pink blooms that reach 3” across.  Blooms midseason. 

‘Rose’.   Single, deep rose-red blooms. Blooms late March through early April. 

AZALEA, ‘Northern Light Series.  Series of hybrids that produce large, fragrant, sterile flowers, blooming later than other azaleas, in mid-May.  Deciduous, loosing its leaves, and flowering before new leaves are formed. 

‘Golden Lights’.  Deep golden buds open to golden-yellow single blooms Showy bronze red fall foliage.  Deciduous .  Sun to part shade.  Over time can reach 8-12’ tall and 8’ wide.

‘Mandarine Lights’  Incredible specimen for the garden!  Outstandingly cold hardy to zone 4, bread in Minnesota.  Heavily flowering, intensely fragrant, ruffled, orange-red blooms in late May, early June.  Full sun to part shade.  Reaches 4’-5’ tall and wide.

‘Orchid Lights’.  Spectacular pinkish, purple flowers cover shrubs in late spring.  Small, compact variety growing 3-4’ tall and wide. 

BUDDLIEA, Butterfly Bush.  Sun.  Attracts butterflies; blooms in summer, cut to ground in spring; breaks dormancy late.

davidii ‘Adonis Blue’.  Fragrant deep blue flower from 8-12” long on compact 2 1/2’plants.  Excellent new dwarf, looks great in containers.

d. ‘Attraction’. This is as red as it gets.  Large, lush panicles up to 1 foot long of rich purple-reddish flowers from late summer into fall.  One of the best varieties available.

d. ‘Bicolor’.  The first Butterfly Bush ever to offer two completely different colors on the same inflorescence.  Fragrant, lavender and butterscotch yellow flowers blend together for a fascinating bicolor effect.  Panicles grow up to 10” long. Grows to 6-8’ tall and wide.

d. ‘Black Knight’.  Rich dark purple on dense flower spikes; one of the best.  Reaches 7’ tall.

d. ‘Butterfly Heaven’.  Highly floriferous selection with very large, fragrant, lilac purple flowers up to 12in long.  Well branched habit.  Silvery grey foliage ages to green.  Reaches 6 ft tall and wide.

d. ‘Fourth of July’.  An explosion of color erupts in the summer landscape with this combination of three varieties of butterfly bush.  Three colors on one plant! Bright pink, claret purple, and pure white flower spikes on a plant reaching 5 to 10 feet high and wide.

d.‘Peacock’.  Large rich pink flower heads on full bodied, dwarf 2 1/2’ plants.  Excellent for containers and gardens.

d. ‘Pink Delight’.  Bright pink flower spike.  Reaches 5-10’ tall and wide.

d. ‘Purple Emperor’.  Compact, reaching 4-5’ tall and wide.  Narrow strap-like foliage and mauve-purple flowers.

d. ‘Royal Red’.  6-12” long purple-red flower panicles.  Noted for vigor and profuse blooming.  Compact upright habit, reaches 5-10 feet tall and wide.

d. ‘Santana’.  Variegated leaves are edged in bright yellow.  Dark purple-red flower panicles are set off the ornamental foliage for a  striking effect.

d. ‘Summer Beauty’:  Deep rich pink.  Compact growth habit.  Silver Foliage.  5-7’.

d. ‘Sungold’.  Butterscotch yellow flowers are large, 12’ shrubs whose leaves are twice the size as others.

d. ‘White Ball’.  All summer white flowers top dwarf, compact 3’ shrubs. 

d. 'White Profusion':  5-10'; pure white flower spikes.

nanhoensis ‘Nanho Blue’:  5-12’; mauve-blue flowers July-frost.

nanhoensis 'Nanho Purple':  3-5';  purple flower spikes on 4-8" panicles.

weyeriana ‘Honeycomb’:  The best yellow butterfly bush.  Silvery, compact foliage. 

x ‘Lavender Eyes’.  Purple; compact and rounded to 5 to 8 feet tall and wide.

x ‘Raspberry Eyes’.  Raspberry purple; compact and rounded to 5 to 8 feet tall and wide.

x ‘White Eyes’.  White; compact and rounded to 5 to 8 feet tall and wide.

BUXUS, Boxwood:  sun or part shade; evergreen.

microphylla japonica ‘Green Beauty’, Japanese Boxwood  Excellent for small hedges.  Reaches 4-6 feet tall and wide when not pruned. Grows 4-6” per year.

microphylla koreana ‘Winter Gem’:  4-6 tall and wide’; medium green oval-shaped leaves with compact growth habit; excellent for a small hedge. Fast growing. 

suffruticosa. Dwarf English Boxwood.  This boxwood has a more rounded natural habit, is very slow growing, only 1”-2” per year.  Excellent for small hedges, herb garden borders and geometrical gardens. Zone 6, plant in more protected areas. 

suffruticosa variegata’.  Variegated form.  Irregular variegation of creamy white.

‘Antartica’.  A slow growing, rounded shrub reaching 2 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide.  Dense, dark green foliage requires little to no maintenance to keep its form.  Tolerant of moist soils.  Grow in full sun.

‘Chicagoland Green’.  a.k.a. ’Glencoe’.  Selected from the Chicago Botanical Garden research collections.  Exceptional winter hardiness.  Reaches 3’ - 4’ tall and 5’ wide in 15 years.  Medium to slow grower, growing less than 6” per year.  

‘Green Gem’  Thick leathery light medium green glossy leaves.  A hybrid made for superior hardiness and color retention in the winter. Reaches 2’ tall.

‘Green Mountain’  Dark green, smaller leaves.  Reaches 4-5 tall and 2-3 feet wide, keeping a more pyramidal shape naturally.  Excellent for shaping.  Keeps good color in the winter.

‘Green Velvet’:  3’x3’; vigorous globe-shaped shrub; excellent plant for hedges and borders.

‘Morris Midget’.  The smallest boxwood on the market.  A low growing, dense, compact, mounded evergreen with slow annual growth of no more than 1 and 1 1/2 inches per year.  Matures to only 2 to 2.5 feet if left un-pruned.  Grow in full sun to part shade.  A Missouri Botanical Garden Plant of Merit.

CALLICARPA, Beautyberry.  All bloom on current year’s wood and need to be cut down to 6” in late winter and treated as a herbaceous perennial.  Full sun to part shade.  Deer resistant.  Use twigs of berries for indoor fall decoration.

bodineri ‘Profusion’.  Handsome bronze-purple new growth and dark green foliage give way to clusters of violet fruit clusters in fall.  Reaches 4’-10’ tall and wide.

dichotoma, Purple Beautyberry.   Most graceful and refined species at 3-5’ with long slender branches that arch to the ground.  Clusters of lilac-violet fruits in September and October.

d. ‘Early Amethyst’. Bright purple berries appear earlier than other varieties. 

CAMELLIA japonica ‘Classic Pink’.  Proven hardy to zone 6.   Attractive, light pink formal double flowers, up to 4 inches in diameters.  Glossy deep green on this naturally compact plant.  Grow in full sun to shade.

CARYOPTERIS x. clandonensis Deer proof plants for full sun.  Late blooms extend the season in August and September.  Drought tolerant and easy to grow.  Cut to ground in spring.

‘Dark Knight’ 2-3’; masses of dark blue flowers in late summer; darkest blue flowers of any cultivar; attractive gray green foliage.

‘First Choice’ Compact habit and dense dark green foliage.  Dark purple blue flowers arise from attractive inky-blue buds; flowers earlier than other cultivars in late summer. 30-36”.

‘Gran Blue’ Just in from France.  Dark blue flowers contrast with the glossy green foliage from August until frost.  Reaches 3’. 

‘Longwood Blue’   Violet blue flowers over silvery foliage in late summer and early fall. 3-4’.  From Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.

‘Snow Fairy’  Feathery variegated foliage is topped in late summer and fall with soft blue flowers.  Green leaves edged in white look great all season.

‘Summer Sorbet’  A unique variegated variety, the aromatic grey-green foliage contrastingly edged chartreuse to make a striking combination with the fluffy looking clusters of blue flowers that appear in late summer.  40”.

‘Sunshine Blue’  Shimmering sunny yellow foliage sparkles against the deep, rich amethyst-blue flowers in late summer and fall.  A strong grower with large bright yellow foliage.  3’.

CHAMAECYPARIS pisifera Sawar Cypress.  Excellent trees for landscape use.  Grow in full sun in acid to neutral well drained soils.

‘Cyano Viridis’.   Soft silvery blue-green, green foliage. Add magnesium sulfate to make needles more blue.  Natural shape reaches 8 feet tall and wide in 20 years.  Grow in full sun in moist, well drained slightly acid soil. 

‘Filifera Aurea’   A yellow foliage evergreen, with thread-like needles on pendulous branches.  Slow growing, reaching only 6-7 feet tall in 20 years.  Ultimately reaches 15-20 feet.  Keeps a good pyramidal shape.  Highly ornamental bark.

‘Golden Charm’.  Compact, erect, cone-shaped shrub with bright, golden-yellow new foliage.  Excellent mop-headed accent plant that makes nice background border or small hedge.  Evergreen.  Full sun.  Slow grower to 5’-6’ tall and 7’-8’ wide. 

‘Golden Mops’  A true compact form.  Retains it’s color better than other varieties.  Reaches 6-7 fee tall.

‘Sungold’.  Compact, erect, cone-shaped shrub with consistent golden-yellow new foliage, even in full sun.  Excellent mop-like form that makes a nice accent for the border or small hedge.  Evergreen.  Full Sun.  Slow grower to 5’-6’ tall and 7’-8’ wide. 

‘True Blue’  Slow growing, adding no more than 2” of growth a year, into a pyramidal shrub to 2 feet tall and wide.  Soft feathery silver foliage provides year round interest.

CLETHRA alnifolia.   Summersweet.  Intensely sweet fragrant flowers bloom in late summer.  Very adaptable, grow in full sun to heavy shade.  Prefers acid soils.  Beautiful yellow fall color.  If pruning is required, do immediately after flowering as it blooms on current year’s wood.  Flowers are hummingbird magnets. Native.

‘Hummingbird’  Colony forming.  Reaches 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 feet tall and wide. 

‘Fern Valley’