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This miniature, prostrate, alpine willow with tiny leaves and glowing, ruby-red catkins in April, would be perfect beneath a treasured potted tree or in a fairy garden. Native to the Himalayas from Pakistan to China. Cool, gritty soil is best. Lives well in a container and has lovely fall color. Mature size: 3-6...

In late spring through early summer, violet flower spikes attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Deadhead for longer bloom; cut back to basal leaves if it becomes floppy. A good cut flower. Mature size: 1.5 ft T x 18 – 24 in W Minimum temperature: -30° F

A Northwest native: deep purple succulent foliage is interestingly and heavily powdered with a white bloom or "farina." A good ground cover for the rock garden. Minimum temperature: -10° F

'Neon' lends itself to some dazzling late summer vignettes because of its bright and glowing pink-lavender flowers and light green leaves. Great with dark purple and lime-green. Clump-forming. Loved by bees and butterflies! Mature size: 15 in T x W Minimum temperature: -40° F

A seeming contradiction in terms (dwarf giant), this tightly formed tear-drop-shaped tree appears to be carefully manicured, but the maintenance is purely genetics on this slow-growing (and rather cute) selection. Terrific for contrast, both in form and color. 8' tall x 6' wide in 10 years. Minimum temperature: -10° F

Sometimes used in rooftop gardens because of its evergreen leaves and drought-tolerance, this spreading perennial has fairly large, rosy-pink hollyhock flowers atop dark, rounded, and scalloped leaves. Some summer water will keep it from going dormant. Late spring to summer bloom. Mature size: 6-10 inches T x 12–24 inches W Minimum temperature: -10°...

Deeply impressed oval leaves have a silver-gray-green soft sheen and large clusters of small white flowers: a nice, small, and unusual medium-sized street or garden tree, a welcome change from green, green, and green. Orange-red berries ornament the branches for the birds in autumn, and its leaves turn yellow and russet. Mature size:...

With fluffy tufts, this prehistoric (400 million years old) fern relative is a tough spike moss that can take deep shade. It grows about 8" tall and 12" wide. Evergreen, with tints of russet in winter, it's lovely with Japanese Painted Ferns, with Hostas, and in shade containers. I have seen it...

Easy to grow, 'Rocky Point' blooms from May until frost with deep purple-blue posies with a bright yellow eye—petite and lightly self-sowing. Six-inch-tall grassy clumps are semi-evergreen. Minimum temperature: 0° F

From Chile and Argentina, this taller Sisyrinchium sports plentiful pretty pale yellow blooms the length of its many stalks. Sharp drainage is ideal for best growth but it does like consistently moist soil in full sun. After blooming, the leaves might start to yellow; you can cut them back to...

This drought-tolerant plant, tough in the ground but not in a pot, earns its place in the sunny xeriscape garden. Peachy-orange blossoms from July through frost complement gray-green leaves. Native to the deserts of the southwest US and into Mexico. Mature size: 2 ft T x 3 ft W Minimum temperature: 15° F

A miniature, dense, upright evergreen conifer, with nubbly gray-green foliage, and a somewhat irregular, endearing form. Remarkably tiny for a "giant redwood," a cute contradiction in terms. New from Kools Nursery in Holland. Prefers full sun in well-drained soil. Rare. Mature size: 32 in tall x 20 in wide in 10 years. Minimum temeperature: -10°...

Compact tufts of fanned, narrow leaves surround showy blue posies blooming late spring to the first frost on this Sisyrinchium hybrid. Some summer water needed Mature size: 5 inches tall and clumping, lightly self-sowing. Minimum temperature: -10° F

Shiny green leaves with a tinge of red form a carpet over time. Bright yellow starry flowers form flotillas over leaves in summer. Lover of hot, dry sites with sharp drainage. Try on a slope or in a trough. Minimum temperature: -20° F

Deciduous vine for a shady site. 'Moonlight' features large, pale, blue-green, heart-shaped leaves with a silver sheen and impressed reddish veining. Large, 8-10 inch diameter, fragrant white lace-cap flowers bloom for over a month in summer. With age it becomes ever more floriferous — have patience for ample rewards. This vine needs no...

Early spring flower heads are a mass of cobalt blue florets from blue-black buds on 12" stems. A rosette of glossy, dark green leaves surrounds the squat, often single bloom. To debunk a misconception, it comes not from Peru but from the Mediterranean. It was brought to England on a ship called The Peru...