Shasta daisy 'Banana Cream' is my current favorite. It isn't too tall so there is no flopping. The color is a beautiful soft yellow that is in between a soft lemon and a soft butter that starts out stronger and fades as it ages, and the flowers last a long time. Really enjoying it!

Ditto 'Irish Eyes' rudbeckia altho' mine bloomed 2nd year from seed and ditto 'Banana Cream' Shasta daisy--what an elegant color and nice size plant. I had to transplant mine this year to the front of the bed instead of behind the ladybells--how did I not notice the height when I planted it last year?

Winter sown Rudbeckia 'Irish Eyes'
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H. Oriental Ruby
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Winter sown Belamcanda chinensis/blackberry lily
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Winter sown Gaura lindheimeri/wand flower
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...ornamental grasses. Hoping they all survive the winter and if not I'll buy more next year. Love the texture they add to beds.

Love Irish Eyes too! Mine are looking ragged right now. This is a single plant blooming in the veggie garden end of April.

Those are awesome Susan. They match the eye of that daylily nicely too.

This year I was very impressed by my Campanula persicfolia 'La Belle'. I've had it for years and always loved it, but this year they struck me as being especially lovely. Maybe they made such an impression because I had so many clumps around the back yard this year. Last fall I divided a large clump (the one pictured below actually, LOL) and scattered some around. Such a color!

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Also... my Nepeta subsessilis 'Sweet Dreams' is making a nice show. It is so much more robust and floriferous than the species. Plus the neighborhood cats don't squash and maul this one like they do 'Walker's Low' ;-)
CMK

christinmk I LOVE those campanula!!!! I'm loving my roses this year, they are doing so wonderful, and I have an 8ft hollyhock I gotta get a pick of, it is just starting to bloom!

Oh my, christin!

Those blooms are breathtaking.
I've never seen anything like that before.
Thank you for showing your pictures!

Betty

Those Irish Eyes are very petty.

CMK, is that the actual color of those flowers? They are beauties.
I think I will check to see if I can find seeds for that one.

CMK, I've never seen that before,guess that will have to go on my "to get" list,if it will grow here in S.Calif.

Here's mine Rudebeckia (i think),the garden is a lot fuller with them now,guess i'll have to take some new pictures of it.

Kathi

Glad you guys like it ;-) I would say all of you really do need to try one, lol! There is even a white version of this bellflower called 'Powder Puff'. Also there is a double Campanula trachelium 'Bernice' with flowers that look a bit darker purple than mine. Thinking I might need to try it out some day...

-roper, unfortunantly 'La Belle' is sterile and won't produce seed (if it did I would send you some, lol!). It is well worth buying a plant though. I find mine likes to be divided every few years to keep it vigorous- so you will have lots of them around eventually! That pic was taken in the evening, so the color might be a smidge off. Here is a shot of it (behind the dark purple 'Caradonna' salvia) during the day, full sun. Maybe a shade more purple than the first pic...
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-Kathi, nice pic! Like how compact your plant is. Do you pinch it back or is it naturally that short?
CMK

CMK, i do a little of both,some of them seem to get top heavy and start falling over,so i cut them back to where i see new buds,but a lot of them stay short,can't quite figure out the why's of that,they were planted at the same time,it's ok though.Found some of those little inch worms on them the other day so threw down some rose and flower food,with the systemic in it.
Kathi

CMK, I'm thrilled to see your photo of 'La Belle'...I just bought some this summer and am glad they really look like the catalog--I can hardly wait to see mine next summer.
Earlier this summer, it was other flowers, but right now I'm absolutely in love with my poppies...bright pure red shirley poppies and pink peony poppies...no, I didn't plant them together, it's just that they've ended up in the same place all mixed together, and it's a gorgeous sight to see, especially from afar.

Love all the photos!
Christin! You have been holding out on all of us! Holy cow that campanula is GORGEOUS!!! Is that your Bird's Nest Spruce next to it that you're keeping pinched back? Very cute.

-Kathi, I'm growing some of the annual Rudbeckias for the first time this year, so that is very helpful info! If mine get floppy I will have to try your pinching method...

-mytime, you will not be let down!

-Susan, yep! That is the pinched back bird's nest. I didn't do the best of job pinching this year, it is a little lop-sided now, LOL.
CMK

Christinmk, I have been gardening a long time and have NEVER seen a campanula like that. Just gorgeous. Thanks for sharing!

Your Campanula persicifolia 'La Belle' is simply stunning! Thanks for sharing the photo with us.

I am loving that campanula too!

I think I am infatuated with Foxglove primrose carousel. The flowers are a lovely cream color that blends with everything, the leaves are a soft blue-green-silver (and I do mean soft, they feel like velvet), they were very floriferous in the FIRST year, multiple medium-height flower stalks that did not need staking, and the plants did not fry up in the heat waves. If they come back next year I am in LOVE! Will have photos shortly as I need to upload to my Flickr account.