Celosia is another rampant self-seeder that makes itself at home in your garden year after year. If so, consider yourself lucky, because the vividly colored blooms on this plant are a pure delight.
Lilies (Lilium spp.) earn a special place in many gardeners' hearts because of their captivating flowers. Not only are they bright and cheerful, they come in a range of colors, including pink, purple, red, orange and yellow.
Sweet Autumn Clematis (Clematis terniflora) is a vigorous grower that's literally covered in white star-shaped flowers in late summer and early fall. The fragrant flowers give way to ornamental silvery seedheads.
Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) isn't from Jerusalem and isn't an artichoke. It is a perennial sunflower with edible tubers, or root structures. Some have called it a weed, because it can colonize open fields.
Castor Bean Plant (Ricinus communis) provides a touch of tropical drama anywhere—even in cold climates. A hardy treelike perennial in Zones 9–11, it is a quick-growing annual elsewhere, reaching 8 to 10 feet in one growing season.
Pampas Grass (Cortaderia sellouana) is a tough and beautiful plant with a lot to like about it—as well as a few caveats to keep in mind. As an ornamental grass it's tall and stately, reaching 10 to 12 feet in height and 5 feet in width, although some cultivars are half that size.
Lamium (Lamium maculatum) differentiates itself from many other groundcover plants with eye-catching beauty that demands attention rather than taking a backseat to other plants. The secret is its foliage, which is variegated in different patterns and hues, depending on variety.
Helenium (Helenium autumnale), also called Helen's flower, is a late-summer showpiece that is exceedingly easy to grow. It boasts flowers with truly beautiful autumnal hues of gold, amber and mahogany—and it's long blooming if deadheaded.