Aquilegia canadensis

Columbine is easy to grow and tolerates a wide range of conditions. Red and yellow 1"-2" lantern-shaped flowers are hummingbird magnets. Under favorable conditions Columbine spreads readily. Larval host plant for a cute little butterfly, the Columbine Duskywing. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: prefers Part Sun
Soil: Moist to Average
Height: 1-2 feet
Blooms: April-June
Flowers: Red with Yellow center

Asclepias incarnata

When looking for a milkweed plant for the home garden, Swamp Milkweed is usually the best fit. It is not stocky nor does it spread vigorously by rhizomes. The milkweeds are one of the best nectar plants to attract pollinators, especially the monarchs which rely on milkweed foliage in the caterpillar stage.

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Moist to Average
Height: to 4 feet
Blooms: June-August
Flowers: Pink

Echinacea pallida simulata

Also known as Glade Coneflower, this plant is elegant with thin reclining petals. It is under-utilized in the home garden and as a cut flower. Attracts bee and butterflies & provides seed for birds if flowering heads remain through winter. Larval host plant for the Silvery Checkerspot butterfly and Wavy-lined Emerald moth. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average to Dry
Height: to 3 feet
Blooms: June-July
Flowers: Pale Purple to Purple

Iris virginica

Plant with sword-like leaves and large blue-violet flowers (1-3 cm across) is also well-rooted to help prevent erosion in low areas. Best grown in consistently moist organic soils. Good candidate for a rain garden.

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Moist-Wet
Height: 1 to 3 feet
Blooms: June
Flowers: Blue-Violet with Yellow

Lobelia cardinalis

Truly stunning carmine flowers borne on tall slender spikes which rise from a basal rosette of leaves. Ideal for use in hummingbird and rain gardens. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Moist-Wet
Height: 2 to 4 feet
Blooms: July-September
Flowers: Red

Lobelia siphilitica

Spikes of tubular blue-violet flowers attract and support bumblebees. This plant works well in a rain garden, along a waterway or at the edge of a pond. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Moist to Wet
Height: 2 to 4 feet
Blooms: July-September
Flowers: Blue-violet

Monarda punctata

Showy pagoda-like white to deep pink bracts form a ring below less conspicuous spotted yellow flowers. Low maintenance, long-lasting bloom period, though a 'weak perennial' but may self-seed. A pollinator favorite.

Light: Part to Full Sun
Soil: Average to Dry
Height: 1 to 3 feet
Blooms: July-September
Flowers: Yellow, White-Pink Bracts

Monarda didyma

Brilliant red flowers are a hit with hummingbirds. Foliage emits spicy odor when crushed. Striking as a cut flower. Not native to Kentucky but to neighboring states, both Ohio and Tennesse.

Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average to Wet
Height: 2 to 4 feet
Blooms: July-August
Flowers: Red

Phlox paniculata

True to it's name, Garden Phlox does well in the home garden and in rain gardens. Best planted in full sun. It is an excellent source of nectar for hummingbirds.

Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average
Height: 2 to 4 feet
Blooms: July-September
Flowers: Pink-Purple

Physostegia virginiana

White to pink tubular flowers fill the flowering stalk attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Makes a lasting cut flower. Spreads readily. Consider using in contained situation for home garden use.

Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average
Height: 3 to 4 feet
Blooms: August-October
Flowers: White to Pink

Salvia azurea

Pairs of true blue flowers arranged on thin flowering stalks catch the eye even from a distance. Foliage is nicely aromatic when crushed. May be trimmed back in late spring to desired height and shape. Attracts bees and butterflies & is deer resistant.

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average to Dry
Height: 3 to 5 feet
Blooms: July-October
Flowers: Blue

Scutellaria incana

Blue flowers are conspicuous and attractive, gorgeous in masses. Primarily pollinated by bumblebees. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average to Dry
Height: 2 to 3 feet
Blooms: July-September
Flowers: Blue

Agastache nepetoides

A 'one-stop-shop' for bees and butterflies with many flowers in dense terminal spikes. Deer resistant. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average
Height: to 6 feet
Blooms: July-September
Flowers: Yellow-Green

Veronicastrum virginicum

Tall wispy, white candelabra-like flowers attract a multitude of pollinators and produce an especially strong effect when a number are planted together in a group. Candidate for rain gardens.

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average to Wet
Height: 4 to 7 feet
Blooms: May-August
Flowers: White

Vernonia gigantea

Try Ironweed in a bouquet with Mist Flower, just beautiful. Highly attractive to butterflies. Deer resistant. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average to Wet
Height: 5 to 8 feet
Blooms: August-September
Flowers: Purple-Magenta

Agastache scrophulariifolia

With spikes from 1" to 6" long, this plant makes an excellent source of late-season nectar indeed. Crushed foliage emits a pleasant licorice fragrance.

Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average
Height: 2 to 5 feet
Blooms: July-October
Flowers: Pale Purple-Lavender

Penstemon digitalis

Perfect for a sunny border, the tubular flowers are white or tinged with pink and attract a variety of native bees & hummingbirds. Foliage is a smooth, glossy dark green.

Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average to Dry
Height: 3-5 feet
Blooms: April-June
Flowers: white to pink

Eupatorium fistulosum, Eutrochium fistulosum

Billowy clusters of pinkish-purple flowers are lovely en mass, especially in a damp area. Height can be controlled by trimming by up to 1/2 in June. Excellent for attracting butterflies, as a cut flower and dried. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average to Wet
Height to 7 feet
Blooms July to September
Flowers: Pinkish-Purple

Monarda fistulosa

Also known as Bee Balm, this is a wonderful plant for a pollinator garden. It attracts hummingbirds and butterflies and has a long bloom period.

Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average to Dry
Height: 2 to 4 feet
Blooms July-September
Flowers: Pink-Lavender

Monarda bradburiana

Excellent choice for a yard, this Bee Balm is clump-forming & short (1' to 2'). It is also less aggressive & more mildew-resistant than other Bee Balms. It has a long bloom period and is a great pollinator plant.

Light: Best in Intermediate Light
Soil: Average
Height: 1 to 2 feet
Blooms: May to June
Flowers: Light Pink

Penstemon calycosus

Under-used & well-suited for home garden use, Calico Beardtongue has 1" long pink tubular flowers that attract hummingbirds. Foliage is semi-glossy and may turn purple in fall. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full Sun to Filtered Shade
Soil: Moist to Dry
Height: 1 to 3 feet
Blooms: June to July
Flowers: Violet to Pink

Verbena canadensis

Attractive low mounding short-lived perennial with an extended bloom period. Good for ground cover, hanging baskets, window boxes, rock gardens & in pots. Attracts hummingbirds.

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average to Dry
Height: to 1.5 feet
Blooms: May to August
Flowers: Pink to Purple

Melanthera nivea

Enjoy flocking butterflies from mid-August through late September by planting Snow Squarestem within view. Snow Squarestem treats pollinators with copious amounts of nectar. Although it has a square stem, it is a member of the Aster Family. Pruning it back periodically to 2-3 feet is recommended to encourage a full, rounded shape. In nature it occurs in edge habitat, flood plains, & disturbed openings. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average
Height: 1 to 5 feet
Blooms: early June to late September
Flowers: White with Black anthers

Penstemon hirsutus

Front yard worthy. At 18 inches tall, this plant will grow in full sun to shade, moist soil to dry. Lovely purple tubular flowers support the hummingbird & many pollinators. Under-used as a yard plant. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full Sun to Shade
Height: to 18"
Soil: Moist to Dry
Blooms: May to June
Flowers: Pink-Purple

Ceanothus americanus

Shrub with a rounded form, fragrant flowers that attract hummingbirds and yellow-green stems in winter. Deep roots makes this plant drought-tolerant but difficult to transplant.

Light: Full to Part Sun
Soil: Average to Dry
Height: 3 to 4 feet
Blooms: May to July
Flowers: Creamy white

Ruellia caroliniensis

A wonderful little plant that produces a relatively big, cheerful flower (to 2" long). Blooms intermittently throughout the growing season. Drought tolerant. One larval host plant for the Common Buckeye butterfly & a source of nectar for hummingbirds. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Part to Full Sun
Soil: Moist to Dry
Height: 6-24"
Blooms: May-September
Flowers: Pale Purple

Cephalanthus occidentalis

Shrub. Showy white flowers borne in spherical clusters draw numerous pollinators. Bees use nectar for making honey, seeds feed wildlife. Great for borders, rain gardens or as a specimen plant, even erosion control. Larval host plant for a number of species of Lepidoptera. Prune to desired shape. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full to Part Sun
Soil: Average to Wet
Height: 5 to 12 feet
Blooms: June-September
Flowers: White

Hibiscus moscheutos

Although not a woody plant, this plant fills out like a bush & dies back to the ground each winter. Rose Mallow flowers are large, 4" to 6" across and showy. Ideal for a rain garden, hummingbird garden, or grouped along a patio, pond or ditch. Trim to desired height. A larval host plant to the following butterflies: Common Checkered Skipper, Painted Lady, and Gray Hairstreak.

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average to Wet
Height: 3 to 7 feet
Blooms: July-October
Flowers: White to Pink with Maroon center