Cardinal Flower
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
Great Blue Lobelia
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
Obedient Plant
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
Blue Sage
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
Buttonbush
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
Downy Skullcap
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
Yellow Giant Hyssop
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
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Tall wispy, white candelabra-like flowers attract a multitude of pollinators and produce an especially strong effect when 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
Giant Ironweed
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
Rose Mallow
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
Purple Giant Hyssop
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
Foxglove Beardtongue
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
Joe Pye Weed
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
Wild Bergamot
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
Allegheny Monkey Flower
Mimulus ringens
Best used for bordering ponds and waterways, for erosion control & to support pollinators. Flowers resemble snapdragons. Rhizomatous perennial. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average to Wet
Height: 1 to 3 feet
Blooms: June to September
Flowers: Pink to Purple
New Jersey Tea
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
Indian Pink
Spigelia marilandica
Striking red & yellow flowers attract hummingbirds. Grows best in moist well-drained soil.
Light: Part Sun
Soil: Average
Height: 1 to 2 feet
Blooms: June
Flowers: Red & Yellow
Pale Beardtongue
Penstemon pallidus
At the nursery, this beardtongue flowers early, is typically 2' tall or less and stays put. It's a good choice for early nectar & for a spot in the front yard. Flowers white to pale pink on downy stems.
Light: Full sun to Part shade
Soil: Dry to Medium
Height: 1 to 2.5 feet
Blooms: May to July