When plants are done in by pests, diseases, or bad weather, it is hard not to take it personally. But on the positive side, each plant that shuffles off this mortal coil does offer an opportunity to add something newer and better to our garden. In this episode, Danielle, Carol, and expert guest Kielian DeWitt talk about some of the most reliable cultivars that have stood the test of time under tough conditions. Perhaps one of these choices will be just right for filling a gap that has recently opened up in your garden.

Expert: Kielian DeWitt lives and gardens in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley. Check out an article about her garden here: Garden Design that Doesn’t Limit Your Color Palette 

Danielle’s Picks: Plants You Can’t Kill

• Sweet fern (Comptonia peregrina, Zones 2-6)
• ‘Biokovo’ hardy geranium (Geranium x cantabrigiense ‘Biokovo’, Zones 5-8)
• Crimson Fans^® mukdenia (Mukdenia rossii ‘Karasuba’, Zones 4-8)
• ‘Limelight’ panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’, Zones 3-9)

Carol’s Picks: Plants You Can’t Kill

• Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata, Zones 3-9)
• Black Lace^® elderberry (Sambucus nigra ‘Eva’, Zones 4-7)
• American cranberrybush viburnum (Viburnum trilobum, Zones 2-7)
• ‘Shenandoah’ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’, Zones 5-9)

Expert Guest Kielian DeWitt’s Picks: Plants You Can’t Kill

• ‘Sweet Emotion’ abelia (Abelia mosanensis, Zones 4-8)
• Golden oregano (Origanum vulgare ‘Aureum’,  Zones 4-9)
• Purple foxglove (Digitalis purpurea, Zones 4-9)
• Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum, Zones 3-8)
• ‘Pink Lemonade’ baptisia (Baptisia ‘Pink Lemonade’, Zones 4-9)