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
Red Chokeberry
Aronia arbutifolia
Large multi-stem shrub with bountiful spring flowering followed by crimson berries that hang on into winter and brilliant red fall foliage. Best flowering in full sun. Excellent for hedges, borders, water's edge, or as a specimen. Suckers. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full sun to part shade
Soil: Medium
Height: 6 to 8 feet
Blooms: April
Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus
Opuntia humifusa
A native cactus found in glades and open woods. Semi-prostrate succulent pads form colonies when grown in well drained soil. Take care to avoid spines and tufts of bristles which easily attach to skin and cause discomfort. Flowers are yellow with a reddish inner ring. Kentucky source.
Light: Full Sun
Height: 6 to 12 inches
Soil: Dry, well-drained
Blooms: June to July
Common Hops
Humulus lupulus
This native plant is host to butterflies: Commas, Question Marks & Red Admirals. It is an herbaceous, perennial vine with interesting & attractive fruit. Male & female on separate plants. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full sun to Part Shade
Soil: Medium to Moist
Height: 10 to 20 feet
Blooms: September to October
Jerusalem Artichoke
Helianthus tuberosus
Often found along streams in nature, this is a tall and attractive plant that produces edible tubers. Can spread by rhizomes & seed. Cut back to control height. Kentucky source seed.
Light: Full sun to Part Shade
Soil: Medium
Height: 6 to 10 feet
Blooms: August to September
Wild Kidney Bean
Phaseolus polystachyos
Also called Thicket bean, this is an herbaceous perennial vine that produces fruits useful for permaculture. Abundant bright pink pea flowers are produced for weeks. Multiple vines together can produce thick vertical coverage up to 8 feet.
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Medium
Height: to 8 feet
Blooms: July to September
Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Elderberry is a good choice for use in a hedge row, border or when planted for wildlife. It has fragrant clusters of white flowers and later, loads of purple berries that draw birds in late summer & fall. Grown from Kentucky-source seed.
Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil: Average to Wet
Height: 5 to 12 feet
Blooms: June-July
Flowers: White
Black Cohosh
Actaea racemosa, Cimicifuga racemosa
Interesting and elegant structural plant with striking habit, especially in a grouping. Foliage with good texture and lofty cream colored flowers on tall slender fragrant spires. Prefers rich, moist soil. Grown from KY source seed.
Light: Full to Part Shade
Soil: Medium
Height: flower to 4-6 feet
Blooms: June to July