Let’s dive in!
If you lean toward the new and different, consider the Summerina series of echibeckias, a recently developed cross between coneflowers (Echinacea) and gloriosa daisy (Rudbeckia). This newcomer was also showy enough to win a couple of awards in 2023 and is touted as being the most interesting plant in the world for the big flowers, fast growth, long bloom time, disease-resistance, and flower colors that offer bursts of rich browns, oranges, and yellows. The plants have the habit and central flower cones of coneflowers but the warm colors of gloriosa daisies. Echibeckia prefer full sun and overwinter best in a protected microclimate, such as along a heated house wall.
Artemisia ‘Silver Lining’
Here’s another new deer and rabbit-resistant plant where the foliage is the starring trait. Artemisia ‘Silver Lining’ has frilly silver leaves and a compact, no-flop growth habit. This low, mounding plant with cut-edged silver leaves is a hybrid of a native species (Artemisia ludoviciana) that brings that plant’s leaf color and cold-hardiness but not its spreading runners (which can make the straight species overly aggressive in a perennial garden). This newcomer doesn’t flop apart as many artemisias do, and it makes a good foliage “spiller” in pots and a filler in a sunny landscape bed. Plants grow about 16 inches and tolerate drought and poor soil.
Switchgrass ‘Red Flame’
Another native species that deer usually don’t bother is red switchgrass. ‘Red Flame’ plants grow about three-and-a-half feet tall, including the purplish-red flower plumes that form in late summer. The blades start out blue/green and then turn wine-red as the stems age to a wheat color creating a great contrast just in time for the fall season. Plants grow about three-and-a-half feet tall, including the purplish-red flower plumes that form in late summer. ‘Red Plume’ grows best in full sun and tolerates a range of soil and moisture conditions.
Eupatorium Little-Pye
This trouble-free, native that’s a veritable pollinator magnet is Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium), but its original form grows a hefty five to six feet tall. That’s too big for a lot of home gardens. Eupatorium Little-Pye is a compact new native topping out at approximately 14 inches tall and wide. Plants flower purplish-pink (peaking in July), do well in full sun to light shade and are hardly ever bothered by animals, including deer. Like all Joe Pye, this one is also tolerant of wet soils.