Six Plants I Can't Live Without

From NewsDay.com by Jessica Damiano

Last week, The Grumpy Gardener challenged garden bloggers from around the country to conjure up a nearly impossible list of just six favorite plants and post them today.

This was a lot harder than you might imagine. The biggest problem is that this list isn't limited to perennials or vegetables, for instance. It's 6 favorite PLANTS.

I came up with 10 in about 10 minutes. It took me another 10 minutes to whittle that list down to 8, and about a half hour of hemming and hawing to get it down to 6. The decision to cut Bicolor Buddleia and Clematis 'Madame Julia' was excruciating, but necessary.

What surprised me was that I found it easier to cut the exotic and unusual than more common plants like Flasher daylilies, which seem to be everywhere you turn in summer. Guess I'm just a simple girl.

Knock Out® Rose
This was a no-brainer: How can anyone not appreciate a rose that's disease resistant and blooms from June through frost with no deadheading, pruning or winter protection necessary. This one is 'Rosa,' my favorite, shown again below with Nepeta 'Walker's Low' in the forefront and Allium globemaster poking up from underneath.

Nepeta 'Walker's low" (catmint)
Not only are these shrubby plants beautiful and prolific, blooming steadily from spring through late fall, but their scent has me wondering whether I'm part feline. I'm tempted to rub a leaf behind my ears every time I walk by.

Purple Liatris spicata (Gayfeather)
Is it their habit? The spiky flowerhead? The cool foliage? The long-lasting blooms or the way the bright purple color perks up the garden? I don't know and I don't care. I LOVE these babies! And I have them strategically located to replace the Alliums as they're fading. Sweet.

Hemerocallis 'Flasher' (daylily)
I love daylilies for their grassy foliage, but this one in particular for the way it combines with the purples and hot pinks in my garden.

Tomatoes
Tomatoes, especially ugly misshappen ones -- they're the most delicious.
What can I say -- I'm Italian.

Echinacea (Purple coneflower)
This gorgeous daisy-like perennial multiplies like a champ, takes division just about any time and looks perfect next to black-eyed susans in my cottage-y garden.