Be sure to plant dependable perennials

Gardeners love the hunt for new plants, whether the plants are new to the industry or just new to them. While it is fun to be the first in the neighborhood to have a new introduction, gardeners should not forget the tried and true perennials that are workhorses in the landscape.

• Alchemilla mollies, commonly called lady's mantle, boasts scalloped, grayish-green leaves covered with soft down that presents raindrops or the morning dew like sparkling diamonds. In early summer, sprays of tiny, chartreuse flowers bloom. Plants grow 12 to 18 inches tall and wide.

• Lady's mantle prefers a spot with light shade but will tolerate some direct sunlight if given additional moisture. It often self-sows, forming charming colonies.

• Allium "Summer Beauty" is a long-flowering member of the allium family. Lilac-painted flower spheres bloom from June to August above tidy tufts of foliage. The foliage is attractive from the time it emerges in spring until frost. Plant it in well-drained soil in a sunny spot and Allium "Summer Beauty" will call your garden home for many years.

• Threadleaf coreopsis is a sun-lover that tolerates drought while producing masses of small daisylike flowers over fine-textured foliage all summer long. Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb' has grown vigorously and contributed golden yellow flowers in my landscape for more than a decade.

• Chelone, or turtlehead, brightens the border later in summer when color begins to wane. Rose-purple flowers resembling snapdragons bloom at the tops of sturdy 3-foot stems. It thrives in moist soil in sun or part shade. The sunnier the garden location, the more water it requires.

• There is nothing flashy about Epimedium x versicolor "Sulphureum." It just grows in a spot in the garden where little else flourishes - dry shade. Clusters of lemon yellow flowers bloom early in spring, but plant it for the pretty heart-shaped leaves that cover the ground over shallow-rooted trees. It has spread slowly to form a 6-inch carpet in full shade and dry soil created by the silver maples in my yard.

• Rudbeckia "Viette's Little Suzy" is a dependable black-eyed Susan. It grows to 24 inches tall and boasts golden yellow, daisylike flowers from June to September. Instead of deadheading all the flowers, leave some seed heads standing for the finches. Plant it in well-drained soil in full sun. It is a lovely companion to medium-height ornamental grasses.

• Sedum "Autumn Joy" is another perennial that has stood the test of time. Mounds of succulent foliage grow 2 feet tall and wide and show off flat-topped clusters of tiny flowers that open rosy-pink before maturing to coppery-rust in fall. It is easy to grow in average, well-drained soil in full sun to light shade. Leave spent flowers standing for winter interest.

While we are always on the lookout for new and unique plants for our gardens, let's not forget about our old friends, the perennials we can always count on.

• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist, garden writer and the garden center manager at The Planter's Palette in Winfield. She blogs at gardenwithdiana.com.