Hostas

• Hostas rule the shade garden. Well-drained rich soils ensure the return of hostas each year. Hostas are grown for the extraordinary display of their leaves. Blues, yellows and innumerable shades of green permutations attract the eye and wake up shaded corners of the garden wherever they are planted in the landscape. The many species in the genus Hosta range in size from exquisite miniatures that grow only about 5 inches across to the giants of the shade garden coming in at 4 feet or more.
  
  

Daylilies

• The summer garden is defined by the explosion of daylilly flowers in every color but blue. The are easy to grow and tolerant of summer heat and humidity. They bloom best in full sun, but may even manage a few flowers in light shade. Tolerant of an occasional deer or lawn mower, they come back year after year without attention although dividing when the clump becomes crowded and dense helps maintain vigor. Some cultivars such as Hemerocallis "Stella d'Oro" startr blooming in late May and keep blooming until frost.
  
  

Hibiscus

• The hardy hibiscus, not to be confused with the gorgeous tropical hibiscus, is a great choice for the care-free garden. There are several species as well as hybrids of which Lord Baltimore is the best known cultivar in the nursery trade Hardy hibiscus are tolerant of a wide range of growing conditions as long as they get full sun and a modicum of water on a regular basis. They grow fast enough that pest damage is minimal to unnoticeable. The flowers can reach almost 1 foot in diameter.
  
  

Bulbs

• Bulbs are the epitome of minimal care and maintenance perennials. From the well-known spring bloomers including tulips and hyacinths to the fall blooming crocus, the world of bulbs provide interest in any place in the garden. Bulbs once planted require sunlight and rain to flourish. Most bulbs resist pest damage with gusto and some like Narcissus are even resistant to deer predation. Bulbs like Winter Aconite or Snowdrops Galanthus nivalis even bloom in the winter bringing flowers to the snowy landscape.