Let me tell you about a parade without demanding that you participate. Each spring there is a parade of new plants for the garden. Many fit the modest or moderate budget but some are quite pricy for the first year or two after introduction.

Today I will identify and provide a brief description of some of the new perennials that seem to be in most garden magazines or that I am familiar with.

I'll start with the latest addition to a group of old stand-by perennials that have been in the garden since I was a kid. I am referring to gaillardias, or blanket flowers. In general they are vigorous, not very demanding on the water hose with a long blooming period. It's even longer if you deadhead.

Last year brought us one called Fanfare. It is midsized for gaillardias with a dark flared tubular bloom tipped in gold. This year "Oranges and Lemons" was added. As a plant it is a bit taller with very large peachy orange flowers tipped in yellow.

The two new ones are exceptional additions to a group of plants that have always shined as easy, low maintenance, long blooming perennials

As a kid I was a big fan of the annual bachelor button that seemed to appear in grain fields and could occasionally be coaxed into colonizing in the garden. Much later I discovered the perennial versions with larger flowers and better staying power.

Finally, this year there is a perennial form in a color I liked as a child. It is called "Amethyst in Snow". The flower, of course, has narrow snow-white petals with a deep purple center. This plant group is also not demanding in the garden.

There is also a lot of action with sedums in general and especially the tall, fall blooming ones. There are many new varieties, but the name "Jaws" has got my attention. It's the name. It is one of several new tall ones with jagged foliage. Any sedum is a great addition to the low maintenance garden.

Last year the magazines claimed a plethora of new coneflowers. As is too often the case, new plant introductions are reported to the writers and the publicity is there long before the plants are available. They are becoming much more available this season.

There must be at least twenty varieties of this old stand-by in the marketplace today. You now have a greatly expanded range of colors, plant size and petal shape and arrangement.

As always, there are numerous daylily, heucheras (coral bells) and hosta introductions. Sometimes these are pricy for the first several years and become more affordable as they become more available and the interest shifts to the latest new one.

I stayed on pretty safe ground with this list because I am haunted by the highly touted coreopsis called "Limerock Ruby" from several years ago. It was/is a great plant but you must move to North Carolina to enjoy it as a perennial.