If you’ve ever stood in a garden center wondering which plants are actually worth planting, you’re not alone. We’ve all brought home something beautiful that looked amazing for a season and then quietly disappeared the next year.

We’re Eric and Christopher, Zone 6A gardeners, and over the years we’ve learned to rely on a core group of plants that consistently show up. These are the shrubs, perennials, trees, and annuals we reach for again and again because they deliver real performance, not just a pretty moment.

Our garden is built on structure, repetition, and plants that earn their place. Below, we’re sharing a look at our Garden Favorites and why they’ve become staples in our designs. If you’d like an easy reference you can pull out when you’re at the garden center, you can grab the free printable Garden Favorites guide here.

Shrubs: The Structure and Soul of the Garden

Shrubs are the backbone of any well-designed garden. They provide year-round presence, define spaces, and give everything else something to play off of.

Some of our most trusted shrubs include:

• NewGen Freedom® Boxwood
  A modern improvement on a classic. It holds its shape beautifully, stays rich green through winter, and has strong resistance to boxwood blight and leaf miner. We use it everywhere, from formal borders to foundation plantings.
• Let’s Dance Sky View® Hydrangea
  A compact, reblooming hydrangea that actually performs in colder climates. It flowers reliably all season long, even after tough winters, and works just as well in containers as it does in the landscape.
• Kintzley’s Ghost® Honeysuckle
  This one stops people in their tracks. Silvery, circular bracts surround yellow blooms, creating a floating, almost sculptural effect from spring through frost. It’s one of the most unique vines we grow.
• Reminiscent® Pink Rose
  Fragrant, disease resistant, and continuously blooming. This rose gives you all the romance without the fuss and has become a staple in our garden.
• Winecraft Black® Smokebush
  Deep purple foliage that darkens almost to black, plus dramatic fall color and airy summer plumes. This shrub brings instant mood and contrast.

Perennials: Color, Texture, and Reliability

Perennials are where the garden really starts to feel alive. These are plants we rely on for long-term performance, strong structure, and consistent bloom.

A few standouts we love:

• Backlight® White Phlox
  Clean white blooms that glow in the evening, paired with strong stems and excellent mildew resistance.
• Prairie Princess Ironweed (Vernonia)
  A native perennial with fine-textured foliage and late-season purple blooms that pollinators adore.
• Magic Show® ‘Ever After’ Veronica
  Compact, tidy, and covered in violet-blue spikes all summer long. It’s one of our most dependable performers.
• Dolce® ‘Peachberry Ice’ Heuchera
  Warm peachy foliage with a silvery overlay that works in containers, shade gardens, and borders.
• Serendipity Allium
  A repeat bloomer with tidy foliage and lavender-pink globes. Deer resistant, drought tolerant, and a favorite of pollinators.

Annuals: Seasonal Showstoppers That Work Hard

Annuals let us play. They fill gaps, soften edges, and bring long-lasting color where we need it most.

Some of our go-to annuals include:

• Supertunia Mini Vista® Indigo
  Deep indigo blooms with incredible vigor. This one never disappoints in containers or hanging baskets.
• Supertunia® Bordeaux™
  Soft, romantic blooms with deep plum veining that feel almost watercolor-like.
• Artist® Blue Floss Flower (Ageratum)
  A cooling lavender-blue that stays neat and performs well through summer heat.
• Rockin’® Playing the Blues® Salvia
  A pollinator magnet with nonstop blooms and zero fuss.
• Meteor Shower® Verbena
  Airy, upright clusters that add movement and transition the garden beautifully into late summer.

Trees: The Framework of Lasting Design

Trees anchor the entire landscape. They bring scale, permanence, and some of the most meaningful moments in the garden.

Our favorite trees include:

• Eastern Redbud
  A spring standout with rosy-pink blooms and heart-shaped foliage that turns golden in fall.
• Troemner Blue Spruce
  Dense branching and powder-blue needles provide strong year-round contrast.
• Prairifire Crabapple
  Multi-season interest with spring blooms, rich foliage, and glossy red fruit.
• Tri-Colored Beech
  Elegant, slow-growing, and unforgettable foliage in shades of pink, cream, and green.
• Royal Frost Birch
  Purple foliage paired with bright white bark makes this tree a four-season showstopper.

Want this list in a printable, save-it-for-later format?
We’ve put together our Garden Favorites guide, a curated collection of the plants we trust most, all in one place.

👉 Download the free Garden Favorites Guide here

This is perfect to keep on hand when you’re planning, shopping, or redesigning a space.

How to Use These Favorites in Your Own Garden

You don’t need to plant everything on this list. Start by choosing:

• One or two structural shrubs
• A small group of reliable perennials
• Annuals to fill and soften
• A tree that anchors the space long-term

Gardens are built over time, and the right plants make that process a whole lot more enjoyable.

Thanks for growing with us. 🌱

‍