If I had to say, I'd declare myself a grasshopper rather than an ant. You know the fable -- told in a conversation between a diligent ant preparing for winter and a grasshopper hopping and chirping to its heart's content. Gardening has turned me into an ant, pushing me to prepare for the next few weeks and into the grey days of winter.

If I had to say, I'd declare myself a grasshopper rather than an ant. You know the fable -- told in a conversation between a diligent ant preparing for winter and a grasshopper hopping and chirping to its heart's content. Gardening has turned me into an ant, pushing me to prepare for the next few weeks and into the grey days of winter.

My sauna -- which I would never have built but came with the house -- is strung with hanging roses, ornamental oregano, Astilbe and peonies. Preserving them has become almost an obsession and has made me choose plants with drying capabilities in mind. Small roses like "Baby Blanket," Oso Easy "Peachy Cream" and "Paprika" dry well in the loose bud stage simply by hanging them upside down in a dry dark place. There is an excellent publication on preserving flowers on the Purdue University Extension site at hort.purdue.edu.

August can loom large for floral failure. The steamy weather requires plants with real stamina to hold up to the rigors of the month. I'm looking forward to a fantastic month of coneflower blossoms. All but one of the many varieties were planted in 2006. They include Echinacea "Mango Meadowbright," "Big Sky Sunrise," "Big Sky Sundown," "Big Sky Twilight," "Big Sky Harvest Moon," "Katie Saul," "Kim's Knee High" and "Ruby Star." For a peek at many of these multicolored coneflowers, check out the Saul brothers' site, itsaulplants.com.

Ever since I saw a photo of Echinacea "Green Envy," I've coveted it. Flowers are described as opening as a mint ice-cream green, changing slowly from the center of the cone to a purple color and eventually showing green on the petal tips for a really cool bicolor effect. 'Green Envy' was developed by hobby gardener Mark Veeder of New York. It was introduced in 2007 at the prestigious Plantarium show in Holland, and the following year at the Perennial Plant Association's annual symposium. I received one last fall at the Garden Writers symposium and it has one bud on it now. Check it out at prideofplaceplants.com.

Another new plant in my garden this year is Coreopsis "Redshift." This colorful character was hybridized by Darrell Probst of Massachusetts. The 2 1/2-footer is cream with a red ring around the eye, becoming rosier in cooler weather.

Probst, known for his Epimedium hybrids, has worked for eight years and with at least as many species of Coreopsis to come up with "Redshift" and "Full Moon." These are no shrinking violets, holding up well both in the heat and purportedly in the cold as well. Their leaves are somewhere between the two species verticillata and grandiflora in shape.

"Redshift" stands up well considering its height and the fact that it doesn't get as much sun as it would like. I'm looking forward to a coreopsis that doesn't fail the winter test yet has something special to offer.

Although new doesn't necessarily mean better, it's fun to grow unusual varieties of the usual plants.

The opinions expressed are solely the writer's. Reach her at jeanstarr@verizon.net.