Columbine
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
Swamp Milkweed
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
Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
Flame orange flowers are stunning in masses or drifts and attract pollinators galore. Interestingly, this plant does not exude the milky sap. Monarch butterfly host plant.
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Dry to Average
Height: 2 feet
Blooms: June-August
Flowers: Orange
White Wild Indigo
Baptisia alba
Elegant white, pea-shaped flowers displayed along an elongate axis provide cut flowers as early as April. White Wild Indigo is an herbaceous perennial that, in full sun is rounded and bushy but dies back to the ground in winter. Good source of early-season nectar to attract and support our pollinators. Larval host plant for Wild Indigo Duskywing butterfly. Grown from KY source seed.
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Dry to Average
Height: 2 to 4 feet
Blooms: April-May
Flowers: White
Pale Indian Plantain
Cacalia atriplicifolia, Arnoglossum atriplicifolium
Interesting large, fan-shaped leaves are white or "pale" on lower surface. Clusters of cream colored blooms are highly attractive to pollinators. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full to Part Sun
Soil: Average Moisture
Height: 3 to 6 feet
Blooms: July-August
Flower: White-Cream
Wild Senna
Cassia marilandica, Senna marilandica
Topped with dense clusters of yellow pea-like flowers in mid-summer, Wild Senna is low maintenance & deer and rabbit resistance. Although shrubby in habit and therefore also included under "woody" here, it is an herbaceous perennial, sprouting at ground level each spring. Pollinator host plant to Sleepy Orange, Orange-barred Sulfur, Cloudless Sulfur, Silver-spotted Skipper butterflies & the Black Witch moth with wingspan to 7". Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average Moisture
Height: 3-6 feet
Blooms: July-August
Flowers: Yellow
Mist Flower
Conoclinium coelestinum
Lovely accent plant for late-season color and nectar. Excellent for container gardening. For home use, containers or planting in a contained area is recommended as Mist Flower spreads easily. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Shade to Full Sun
Soil: Average to Moist
Height: 2 to 3 feet
Blooms: July-November
Flowers: Periwinkle
Lance-leaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
A tried and true plant for the home garden, Lance-leaf Coreopsis is a prolific bloomer and provides excellent cut flowers.
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average to Dry
Height: to 2 feet
Blooms: May-July
Flowers: Yellow
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
A popular plant for good reason. Blooms attract pollinators in summer and their seed feeds birds in the cold months. Beautiful in a home or business planting and in a vase. One larval host plant for the Silvery Checkerspot butterfly and Wavy-lined Emerald moth. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average
Height: 1 to 3 feet
Blooms: June-August
Flowers: Purple-Magenta
Wild Strawberry
Fragaria virginiana
Wild or Virginia Strawberry has white flowers which provide early-season nectar. Decorative in a hanging pot and effective as a ground cover as it spreads readily by stolons. Having high ecological value, it provides early season nectar, pollen & serves as a larval host plant. Provenance: Kentucky.
Light: Full to Part Sun
Soil: Average
Height: 4 to 7 inches
Blooms: April-June
Flowers: White
Helen's Flower
Helenium autumnale
Also known as Sneezeweed (a misnomer as it is insect pollinated. Pollen is not dispersed via wind), this plant is under-utilized in the home garden and for cut flowers. The flowers have rounded, nearly spherical yellow centers ringed with notched yellow petals. Trim in late June to desired height. A larval host plant for the Dainty Sulfur butterfly. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full to Part Sun
Soil: Average
Height: 3 to 5 feet
Blooms: August-October
Flowers: Yellow
Purple-headed Sneezeweed
Helenium flexuosum
Cute as a button! Unique spherical brown centers are surrounded with reflexed yellow petals. Stems are winged. Great for Rain Gardens, late-season nectar. Supports an array of bees, wasps, flies and butterflies. One larval host for the Dainty Sulfur butterfly. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average to moist
Height: 1 to 3 feet
Blooms: August-October
Flowers: Yellow and Brown
Few-leaved Sunflower
Helianthus occidentalis
Most of the leaves are clustered in a basal rosette making the flowering stems look airy and perfect to trim and pop into a vase. Like other sunflowers seed heads left on drying fall stems will provide food for birds in winter. Visited by a multitude of pollinators and is one larval host for the Gorgone Checkerspot, Silvery Checkerspot and Painted Lady butterflies.
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Dry to Average
Height: 2 to 4 feet
Blooms: August-September
Flowers: Yellow
Downy Wood Mint
Blephilia ciliata
Under-used in home gardens, Downy Wood Mint tolerates a wide range of conditions, is of short stature, provides early season color and fall foliage can present various shades of pink. Also known as Pagoda Plant, this is a wonderful nectar plant for bees. Deer resistant. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Light Shade
Soil: Average to Dry
Height: 1-2 feet
Blooms: May-July
Flowers: Light Purple
Southern Blue Flag Iris
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
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
Spotted Beebalm
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
Rattlesnake Master
Eryngium yuccifolium
Rattlesnake Master is surprisingly a member of the Carrot Family. Spherical flower clusters add much interest to a garden or a bouquet. Larval host to an attractive moth, the Rattlesnake Master Borer. Drought-tolerant. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Dry to Average
Height: 4 to 5 feet
Blooms: June-September
Flowers: Green
Scarlet Beebalm
Monarda didyma
Brilliant red flowers are a hit with hummingbirds. Foliage emits spicy odor when crushed. Striking as a cut flower. **To the best of our knowledge, this plant is not naturally native to Kentucky.** It appears to be native to the northeast and Appalachia, both to Ohio & Tennessee, neighboring states.
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average to Wet
Height: 2 to 4 feet
Blooms: July-August
Flowers: Red
Garden Phlox
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
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
American Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum pilosum
Light and billowy in flower, providing a visually soft effect when planted in groups. This is a highly effective plant for attracting 'clouds' of pollinators. Brush past the plant to release a pleasing aroma. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average to Dry
Height: to 3 feet
Blooms: July-September
Flowers: White
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
Brown-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia triloba
Although somewhat coarse, from a short distance, each plant looks like a bouquet of flowers, each about 1.5" across. Recommended for use along an edge, especially where soil remains moist and well drained. Remove old flowers to prolong blooming. A short-lived perennial. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average
Height: 2 to 3 feet
Blooms: July-October
Flowers: Yellow
Licorice Goldenrod
Solidago odora
Licorice Goldenrod forms a tidy clump. Wonderful anise fragrance from crushed foliage provides a delightful show-and-tell opportunity. Goldenrods are particularly important to both insects and birds. Cut back by 1/2 in June to control height if desired & removed spent flowers to prevent self-seeding. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average to Dry
Height: 1 to 4 feet
Blooms: August-September
Flowers: Yellow
Aaron's Rod
Thermopsis villosa
Herbaceous perennial with a bushy habit. Prolific bloomer with dense spikes of yellow pea-like flowers. Great for cut flowers, pollinators.
Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average to Dry
Height: 3 to 5 feet
Blooms: July
Flowers: Yellow
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
False Aloe
Manfreda virginica
Also called American Agave, this plant has a basal rosette of fleshy leaves. The flowers, both interesting and fragrant, are borne on tall slender stems. An excellent drought-tolerant plant for a dry sunny spot or rock garden. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Dry to Average
Height: 3 to 6 feet
Blooms: July-October
Flowers: Yellowish-Green
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Yellow blooms, though moderately showy are cheerful, providing early season color and nectar for pollinators. Host plant for the Black Swallowtail Butterfly.
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average
Height: 1.5 to 3 feet
Blooms: May-June
Flowers: Yellow