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I've always been smitten by Angelica gigas. The deeply divided and toothed red-tinted leaves on this 6-foot-tall biennial add a tropical flair to any garden, and the red, umbrellalike flowers add a lovely touch at the end of summer.

Imagine my excitement when I laid eyes upon Angelica 'Ebony'! The glossy, finely cut foliage on this exquisite beauty is so dark purple, it's almost black. In late summer the foliage turns green-flushed-black, while buds of the darkest purple open to reveal delicate sprays of pink flowers that contrast spectacularly with the foliage. Growing to 3 or 4 feet tall, A. 'Ebony' is often listed as a biennial/perennial.

It will act as a biennial if you allow the plant to flower and set seed, but if you remove the flowers as soon as they're spent each fall, it acts as a perennial and often will survive three or four years. If the plant appears to be loosing vigor, let it set seed, then collect and sow seed barely under the soil surface in late fall.

As long as you plant it in a sunny location in good garden soil, you're almost guaranteed to have plenty of magnificent replacements to satisfy your plant lust for years to come.

Imagine harvesting homegrown broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and carrots in April or May. Provided you have well-drained soil and we don't suffer extreme cold, there are vegetables hardy enough to survive the winter and produce delicious produce ready for harvest out of your garden next spring.

You can sow directly into the garden or start the seed indoors for transplanting into the garden in August. Either way, start soon. Seed sown after the middle of the month might not produce plants big enough to survive winter conditions.

The following hardy varieties are available wherever Ed Hume seeds are sold. Two good broccoli types are 'Purple Sprouting' and 'Spring Royalty.' For cabbage, try 'Jersey Wakefield.' Overwintering cauliflowers include 'Armado' and 'Walcherin.' Finally, 'Chantinay' is a delicious carrot variety that usually overwinters without splits or loss of flavor.