Purple wave petunia just may be the petunia that all others will be compared to in the future. New Gold lantana was the 1996 Mississippi Medallion winner, a 1995 Georgia Gold Medal winner and is being sold now as fast as it was last year at the height of its promotion. Victoria blue salvia is a must in my garden with its beautiful tall blue flower spikes. All of mine returned faithfully after this winter and are putting on buds. The monarch butterflies that finally came last year liked these plants.
Sundial portulaca is a giant-flowered moss rose.
These flowers are some of the best for staying open long into the day. Gardeners can mass plant a single color, such as the Sundial fuchsia, to create a bed of color that will literally stop traffic. Royal Sonata cosmos produces some of the most beautiful, delicate, daisy-like flowers in shades of purple, rose and pink. Now that I have listed my 10 favorites, I am already feeling unsure and guilt-ridden because I love my purple coneflowers, stokes asters and liatris. I like my shasta daisies, Mexican sage, Russian sage and moon beam coreopsis.