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

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

Coreopsis tripteris

Tallest Coreopsis topped with delicate flowers that provide food for Goldfinches if allowed to dry and remain into the fall. One larval host plant for the Common Tan Wave Moth and the interesting Wavy-lined Emerald Moth. Plant spreads readily under favorable conditions. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Wet to Dry
Height: 3 to 8 feet
Blooms: July-October
Flowers: Yellow

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

Dalea purpurea

Purple prairie clover has a deep taproot, making it a good choice for tough, full sun spots prone to drought. Bright, interesting flowers with a long lasting bloom time. Seed is high in protein, a good food source for mammals. A larval host plant for the Dogface Sulfur and Reakirt's Blue butterflies. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average
Height: 1 to 3 feet
Blooms: June-August
Flowers: Purple

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

Helianthus angustifolius

The leaves are sparse and small, making the entire plant appear to be a bountiful bouquet. It has a long blooming period. If left standing, the dried seeds support many birds in winter. Under favorable conditions, this plant grows large and spreads readily. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average to Moist
Height: 3 to 6 feet
Blooms: July-August
Flowers: Yellow

Heliopsis helianthoides

Beautiful orange-yellow flowers practically glow and will continue to bloom when spent flowers are removed. Variously called Oxeye Sunflower, Early Sunflower, Everlasting Sunflower, & False Sunflower.

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average to Dry
Height: 3 to 5 feet
Blooms: June-August
Flowers: Orange-Yellow

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 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

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

Silphium trifoliatum

Leaves most often in whorls of 3-4 along a tall slender stem topped with bright yellow flowers about 2" across. Flowers attract a wide range of pollinators including bees, flies, butterflies, and moths. Seeds are favored by birds. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average to Dry
Height: 3 to 7 feet
Blooms: July-September
Flowers: Yellow

Solidago rigida, Oligoneuron rigidum

One of the prettiest goldenrods, Rigid Goldenrod has broad, flattened clusters of rich yellow flowers that attract pollinators galore. This plant is tall, typically unbranched and spreads by rhizomes. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average to Dry
Height: 2 to 5 feet
Blooms: July-September
Flowers: Yellow

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

Silphium perfoliatum

A large plant with interesting square stems and fused leaves that unite around the stem forming "cups" that catch rain water. A real pollinator-magnet and prolific bloomer. The seed is eaten by birds such as Goldfinch. Great for a backdrop, rain garden or privacy edging. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average to Wet
Height: 4 to 8 feet
Blooms: July-September
Flowers: Yellow

Silphium integrifolium

Wide yellow, sunflower-like blooms on erect, lofty stems attract numerous pollinators. Seed is consumed by birds. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average
Height: to 6 feet
Blooms: July-September

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

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

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

Orbexilum onobrychis

Indigenous to prairies. Spreads by rhizomes that participate in nitrogen fixation. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Full to Part Sun
Soil: Average to Dry
Height to 3.5 feet
Blooms: July-August
Flowers: Blue-Purple

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

Pycnanthemum virginianum

Like many mints, its nectar draws & supports many native pollinators. White flowers are borne in clusters at the top of plant. In nature this plant is found adjacent to streams, waterways and in moist meadows.

Light: Full Sun
Soil: Average
Height: to 3 feet
Blooms: July to September
Flowers: White

Senecio aureus, Packera aurea

Golden Ragwort provides early-season nectar and can be used as a ground cover in part sun with moist, well-drained soil. When removing Garlic Mustard, replace cleared area with Golden Ragwort to aid in competitive exclusion of this invasive exotic. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.

Light: Part Sun
Soil: Average to Moist
Height: to 2.5'
Blooms: April
Flowers: Bright Yellow

Aruncus dioicus

Herbaceous plant of stature and foliage with excellent feathery visual texture. Looks elegant along a woodland border or walk. Flowering plumes in spring resemble Astilbe. Separate male and female plants.

Light: Full to Part Sun
Soil: Average to Moist
Height: 4 to 6 feet
Blooms April to May
Flowers: Creamy White