Oh, wow! I saw Melianthus major the year before last, in a street-side garden downtown, and could never get an id. It's wonderful, I think I need to have some. There isn't much on-line about it, is it hardy? Those leaves are just stunning - great texture, and I love the color.

These are the standout in my front yard from the time they start to bloom untill frost.

Fran

Crocosmia 'Venus' is certainly a Stand Out plant now! I'm quite into orange these days...and they look great next to phlox paniculata 'Blue Paradise' and also near Salvia 'Black and Blue' which is an annual here.

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Wow love all the photos. Gardenbug what wonderful color combo.

Here are two in my garden, the lily I think is Mona Lisa. It is from a plant that was badly eaten back by animals about 4 years ago and finally is blooming again:

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The next is Catherine Woodbury daylily:

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runktrun - great idea for a thread!

Sue

Now that they are open, the Angelica gigas are a real treat next to white veronicastrum.

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Here is a link that might be useful: ANGELICA GIGAS

Love that angelica. I have some, but it's in a back corner of the garden where I have to climb over the tomatoes and tree nursery to see the flowers. It doesn't self-sow as wildly as A. archangelica, and although it's much shorter the flowers are really divine. Great combination with the veronicastrum - really lovely!

Here's a workhorse that gets no appreciation for all it does for me: provides privacy, glossy solid foliage, and flowers that I rarely even notice:

Certainly not gorgeous like those lilies, or the glorybower, etc .. but deserves a place in the standout list once in a while!

Bug,
What a brilliant combination, I have been moving giga around the garden never understanding why it was so unremarkable, it really benefits from a white companion and white veronicastrum is perfect.
Nan,
Is that Euonymus with so many flowers?

ah ha! I just learned how to post a pic:

I'm just a beginner, so nothing too exotic yet in my garden yet, but this is one of my standouts - a cactus dahlia. The picture doesn't really do the beautiful color justice.

and
my combo of sundown echinacea and mexican hyssop "tutti frutti" - again - the pics don't do it justice. The leaves of the echinacea are dark orange and the underside is purple (just like a sunset!) Both were new this year and the hyssop is huge and ever-blooming (and the leaves smell great!). I thought they were both great buys from my on-line shopping!
Kathy

Great photos, weedsmakemecrazy. However, ultra-wide photos make ME crazy. Please try to re-size them to be about 450 pixels wide before you post them.

If you make a smaller version of the lower one, and replace the image on photobucket, we will be able to read the thread without having to scroll left-right to see the text of people's posts.

I love every Agastache I've ever met (except the species blue, which is a pesky weed here) but have trouble overwintering most of the orange ones. Yours is a beauty, good luck with it.