Yes, that’s right—plants can solve problems. Maybe not problems like those noisy neighbors next door or your husband failing to replace the toilet paper roll time and time again. But plants can solve problems such as a barren patch of garden under a shallow-rooted tree, or a lack of pollinators in your yard. Today’s fantastic perennials are plants that can address conditional or pest problems that you may be struggling with. Need a vole-proof, pollinator magnet? We’ve got one. Need a plant that will deter teenagers from driving on your lawn? We have that too. Listen now for more plants that you’ll need to add to your list of must-haves this year.

Special guest: Sabrena Schweyer and her husband, Samuel Salsbury, own and manage Salsbury-Schweyer Inc., a sustainable landscape design and development group based in Akron, Ohio.

Carol’s Plants

‘Yakushima’ bush clover (Lespedeza bicolor ‘Yakushima’, Zones 5–8)

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa, Zones 3–9)

‘October Moon’ Japanese shrub mint (Leucosceptrum stellipilum ‘October Moon’, Zones 5–8)

‘Lemon Queen’ perennial sunflower (Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’, Zones 4–9)

Danielle’s Plants

Northern dragonhead (Dracocephalum ruyschiana, Zones 3–7)

‘Biokovo’ geranium (Geranium × cantabrigiense ‘Biokovo’, Zones 4–8)

‘Serendipity’ allium (Allium ‘Serendipity’, Zones 4–8)

‘Spot On’ lungwort (Pulmonaria ‘Spot On’, Zones 3–9)

Guest’s Plants

Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica, Zones 3–8)

‘Eastern Star’ white wood aster (Eurybia divaricata ‘Eastern Star’, Zones 3–8)

Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana, Zones 3–9)

Short-toothed mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum, Zones 4–8)

‘Evening Rose’ swamp mallow (Hibiscus ‘Evening Rose’, Zones 4–9)