Late summer is prime time for casual potluck dinner parties on the patio or screened porch. When guests are coming over, I like to make decorative arrangements using whatever's blooming in my garden. When we're invited to other people's homes, I like to bring along a small bouquet for the hosts — a pinch of herbs tied with twine for the cook, a bunch of daisies for a backyard cookout — and whatever it is, it's fresh and always appreciated.

Cutting flowers is one of the true joys of gardening. When planning my gardens, I look for plants with strong stems and interesting form and color (fragrance is nice, too). While I'm snipping away, I'm also cutting back perennials that have gone by and deadheading annuals to promote more blooms. One armful into the compost bin, the other into the kitchen — where a little experimentation with different containers and plant combinations is all part of the fun.

If you live in an area that gets plenty of rainfall and average temperatures, here are some of the very best landscape plants to add to your cutting garden. Some are low maintenance, while others are high, so choose according to your level of commitment. Paintbox Garden There's nothing like the blue of delphiniums. The Pacific hybrid series plants are tall and stately, reaching 6 inches or taller, and come in shades of blue, lavender and cream. Tie stems to bamboo canes early in the season so they don't sprawl. The electric blue is particularly intense; I like to put the stems in a white jug or a tall florist's bucket. Flowers last a few days and tend to drop, but the mess is worth it.

Look for smaller cultivars that make a more delicate arrangement. Delphinium grandiflorum 'Summer Night' grows to 16 inches, and D. 'Blue Pygmy' tops out at 10 inches. Paintbox Garden For me smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle', zones 3 to 9) is the perfect foundation shrub. It's an old-fashioned classic, with rounded, chunky blooms that transition from pale chartreuse to ivory white and look good cut at any stage, early or late.

People love hydrangeas for good reason — they're a great cut flower. If you like the subtle coloration of 'Annabelle' but don't have room for such a large shrub (it grows up to 5 feet tall and 6 feet wide), look for the newer dwarf cultivar 'Bombshell' (H. paniculata 'Bombshell', zones 4 to 8). Paintbox Garden This cool summer border combines smooth hydrangeas with two other great cut flowers that are fragrant — garden phlox (Phlox paniculata 'David') and Oriental lily 'Casa Blanca', which is a fall-planted bulb that needs good drainage and full sun.

Phlox 'David' is disease resistant and isn't prone to the powdery mildew that plagues most garden phlox. It was also named the Perennial Plant of the Year in 2002 by the Perennial Plant Association. Cut it when the florets are just beginning to open, and it will last a long while. Paintbox Garden In 2003 the Perennial Plant Association named shasta daisy 'Becky' the Perennial Plant of the Year; it's one of the very best daisies out there, with strong stems that don't flop.

Daisies are the backbone of the cottage garden for me. 'Becky' lasts as a cut flower and will rebloom if you deadhead it after the first flush in July. Paintbox Garden To make flower bouquets full and lush, add coleus leaves. Lime-colored and purple varieties look great paired with white hydrangeas and the delicate chartreuse sprays of Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla mollis, zones 3 to 7).

Coleus makes a striking annual plant for containers. To promote lateral bloom and bushy growth, deadhead it regularly. The New York Botanical Garden Copper-colored coleus creates a South of the Border effect paired with orange coneflowers or zinnias.

You can still purchase 4- and 6-inch pots of coleus at garden centers in late summer, and many greenhouses offer them at half price; use them to fill holes in a border or freshen up a container. They'll put on a good show until the frost hits. Fifth Season Landscape Design & Construction The queen of the cutting garden is zinnia, and my favorite by far is 'Benary's Giant', which comes in an array of carnival colors. Look for zinnias in six-packs at your local garden center and plant them in full sun. Deadhead spent blooms on a regular basis to promote new growth.

To make sure I have plenty of cut flowers in July and August, I start seeds in the greenhouse and transplant them into my borders around mid-May. Tall zinnias are planted along a fence and tied with twine to prevent them from flopping.

Annual zinnias will self-sow if you leave the seed heads up after flowering. The seeds are also easy to collect, label and store for propagation. Paintbox Garden This is Helenium (Helenium 'Mardi Gras', zones 3 to 8), commonly called Helen's flower. 'Mardi Gras' is a species hybrid that doesn't need staking and grows about 3 feet tall in full sun. For a naturalistic look, plant it in a mass and combine it with ornamental grasses, willow blue star and sunflowers.

It's good to see this U.S. native plant becoming more popular with gardeners, as it's more interesting than the ubiquitous black-eyed Susan. Check your local nursery for other varieties. H. autumnale 'Helena Red Shades' is a deep red with a yellow edge and grows 36 inches tall.

Combine Helenium with yellow and white coneflowers and 'Lemon Queen' sunflower for a happy display.

The case for growing native plants Paintbox Garden My favorite color in the garden is orange, and I grow Mexican sunflower every year from seed early in the season to be sure I have flowers to cut in August and September. Tithonia rotundifolia 'Torch' is a big boy. It grows up to 6 feet tall on strong, branching stems and makes a strong presence in the garden with ornamental grasses. Its unusual hollow stems are softly furred (pubescent).

Cut branches of purple ninebark (Physocarpus 'Diablo'), Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and yellow-orange Helenium look great with this.

Next: Be Your Own Best Florist With a Bouquet Garden