This native perennial is easily recognized by its unique branching flower spikes that resemble a multi-armed candelabra. Tiny, vibrant violet-blue flowers bloom in succession from the bottom up in the July heat. Unlike many garden perennials that shy away from "wet feet," Verbena hastata thrives in moist-to-wet soils, making it an invaluable choice for rain gardens, pond edges, or that low-lying corner of the yard where other plants struggle.
Sun Exposure Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Needs Moderate to High; standing water is not tolerated, but it prefers consistently moist soil.
Soil Type Moist to wet; Can tolerate Muck, Clay, Loam or Sand.
Mature Height 4 - 6 feet
Deer Resistance Moderate to High
Bloom Time July – September
Bloom Color Blue
Plant Spacing 18 – 24 inches
Vertical Interest: Its tall, slender habit adds height without adding bulk, allowing it to weave beautifully between other plants.
Naturalizes Easily: A biennial plant that is a wonderful self-seeder. It also will slowly spread through rhizomes allowing it to fill in gaps over time, but it will not compete well with more aggressive vegetation.
Color: The violet-blue flower spikes can bloom for up to 2 months.
Butterfly Magnet: A vital nectar source for a wide array of butterflies, including Swallowtails, Fritillaries, and Skippers.
Native Bee Support: Blue vervain attracts a variety of different native bees.
Songbird Food: In the fall, the slender spikes produce tiny seeds that are a favorite for finches, and sparrows.
Pro Tip: Because Blue Vervain grows quite tall and narrow, plant it in clusters of three or more. This creates a stunning "haze" of purple-blue color that is much more impactful than a single specimen, and it provides extra support for the stems in windy areas.
A true standout in the wetland or meadow garden. This hardy native perennial is instantly recognizable by its unique foliage. In late summer, the plant is topped with large, fuzzy clusters of fragrant, creamy-white blossoms. These flat-topped flower heads create a soft, cloud-like effect in the landscape, providing a nice contrast to the purples and golds of late-season asters and goldenrods.
Sun Exposure Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Needs Moderate to High; prefers consistently moist to wet soil.
Soil Type Needed Thrives in moist Muck, Clay, or Loam; tolerates "wet feet."
Mature Height 3 – 5 feet
Deer Resistance High
Bloom Time July – September
Bloom Color White
Plant Spacing 1 – 2 feet
Unique Architecture: The "perfoliate" leaves provide a structural look that adds instant character to your garden beds. The pairs of textured, lance-shaped leaves are fused at the base, making it look as though the sturdy stem is growing right through the center of a single long leaf.
Wet Spot Solution: It is an excellent choice for rain gardens or areas with poor drainage where other perennials might struggle with root rot.
Late Summer Glow: While other plants are winding down, Boneset hits its peak, keeping your garden looking lush and full of life well into September.
Pollinator Super-Plant: Boneset is legendary for the sheer volume of insects it supports. It is a favorite of honeybees, native sweat bees, and beneficial wasps.
Nectar Source: A vital late-season fuel stop for migrating Monarchs and other varieties of butterflies and moths.
Late Season seed source: Goldfinches, chickadees, sparrows and juncos will feed on the fall seed heads.
This breathtaking native perennial is famous for its towering spikes of vivid red blooms that stand out like a beacon in the landscape. While many flowers rely on bees, the Cardinal Flower has evolved specifically for the hummingbird; its tubular blossoms are perfectly shaped for their long bills. What makes this plant truly special is its ability to brighten the damp, challenging "wet feet" spots of your yard. Thriving in areas where other plants might succumb to root rot, Cardinal Flower is perfect for rain gardens, pond edges, or low-lying swales.
Sun Exposure Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Needs Medium to High; prefers consistently moist soil
Soil Type Rich Loam, Clay, or Muck
Mature Height 2 – 4 feet
Deer Resistance Moderate - High
Bloom Time July – September
Bloom Color Red
Plant Spacing 6 - 16 inches
Color: The blooms possess a unique "velvety" texture and are a shade of scarlet red. It is often considered the most vibrant in the North American flora.
Wetland Specialist: Unlike most garden favorites, this plant thrives in heavy clay and saturated soils, making it a problem-solver for drainage areas.
Primary Hummingbird Source: The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the main pollinator of this species. Watching them hover around the crimson spikes is a quintessential summer experience.
Butterfly Favorite: Large butterflies, such as the Pipevine Swallowtail and various Fritillaries, are frequently drawn to the nectar-rich tubular flowers.
Pro Tip Cardinal Flower is a "short-lived" perennial that maintains its presence by self-seeding and forming small "offsets" or new rosettes at the base. To ensure it returns year after year, avoid covering the base of the plant with heavy wood mulch in the fall. The young green rosettes need a little bit of light and air to survive the winter and prepare for their spectacular summer rise!
A member of the mint family, this plant is famous for its "obedient" flowers—if you bend a flower to the left or right, it will stay there (at least temporarily). It produces striking, snapdragon-like spikes of pink to lavender flowers that bloom from the bottom up.
Sun Exposure Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Needs Medium; prefers consistent moisture but can handle dry spells
Soil Type Adaptable; thrives in Clay, Loam, or Sand
Mature Height 3 – 4 feet
Deer Resistance Moderate
Bloom Time August – September
Bloom Color Pink
Plant Spacing 1 – 2 feet
Vertical Accent: The square stems are incredibly sturdy and topped with 10-inch long spikes of flowers.
Vigorous Spreader: This plant spreads via rhizomes. In rich, moist soil, it can be quite assertive. It is perfect for filling a large area quickly but may require thinning every few years to keep it in its "assigned" layer. Please be mindful when choosing your planting site.
Hummingbirds: The tubular shape of the flowers are perfectly evolved for the beak of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. They are one of the primary visitors to this plant in late summer.
Bumblebee Favorite: Large bees love to "crawl" inside the blossoms to reach the nectar, often emerging covered in white pollen.
Late-Season Support: Because it blooms into fall, it provides one of the last high-energy meals for pollinators preparing for winter or migration.
While many plants are masters of the dry, sunny prairie, Great Blue Lobelia is the perfect choice for the slightly cooler or damper spots in your landscape. A stunning, clump-forming native known for its densely packed spikes of tubular, bright blue flowers. It is a fantastic "structural" plant that brings a pop of rare color to the garden just as the mid-summer heat begins to peak. It prefers medium to wet soils, especially with a little shade.
Sun Exposure Full Sun to Partial Shade (Prefers some afternoon shade)
Water Needs Medium to High; prefers consistently moist soil
Soil Type Adaptable; thrives in Muck, Clay, or Loam
Mature Height 2 – 3 feet
Deer Resistance Moderate - High
Bloom Time July – October
Bloom Color Blue
Plant Spacing 12 – 18 inches
Color: The flowers are arranged in a crowded spike that bloom in true blue color from the bottom up.
Well-Behaved Growth: It is a clump-forming perennial that stays tidy and upright. While it may self-seed in moist conditions, it does not have aggressive rhizomes.
Versatile Placement: Can be found in wet prairies, pond and creek edges, soggy meadows, marshland borders and other moist areas.
Deer Resistant: It produces a compound called “lobeline” which deters herbivores.
Pollinators: The deep blue flower spikes attract many different bees and butterflies. You’ll often see bumblebees prying the petals apart to disappear entirely inside the bloom for nectar.
Hummingbirds: While they usually prefer red flowers (like its cousin, the Cardinal Flower), hummingbirds will frequently visit Great Blue Lobelia for its high nectar content.
Late-Season Support: Its long bloom period provides a reliable food source for pollinators during the transition into autumn.
This spectacular native perennial provides a bold, tropical aesthetic with its massive, platter-like blooms. Blossoms reach 6”-10” across with beautiful dark pink centers. While it looks like it belongs in Hawaii, it is a hardy native that adds incredible beauty and height to the mid-to-late summer landscape.
Sun Exposure Full Sun to Partial Shade (Full Sun for best blooms)
Water Needs Medium to High; loves wet "feet" but is surprisingly adaptable
Soil Type Muck, Clay, Loam
Mature Height 4 – 6 feet
Deer Resistance Moderate
Bloom Time July – September
Bloom Color Pink or White
Plant Spacing 2 – 3 feet
Dinner-Plate Blooms: The flowers can range from 6 to 10 inches across. They are typically white or soft pink, usually with a striking dark pink center.
Late Emergence: Don’t be alarmed if you don't see it in early spring! It is one of the last perennials to wake up, often not poking through the soil until June. Once it starts, however, it grows with incredible speed.
Shrub-like Stature: Though it dies back to the ground every winter, it regrows into a massive, multi-stemmed "shrub" by mid-summer. It provides a perfect structural anchor for the back of a large garden bed.
Good for a wetland edge or rain garden
Hummingbirds: The deep, nectar-rich centers and bright colors are a primary target for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.
Specialist Bee Support: It is the host plant for the Hibiscus Bee (Ptilothrix bombiformis), a specialist pollinator that relies almost exclusively on this genus for pollen.
Also known as Spotted Joe Pye Weed, Eutrochium maculatum is loved by dozens of species of butterflies. It grows up to 6’ and it is famous for its massive flower heads that look like soft, dusty-pink clouds floating at the top of the garden. It provides a massive amount of nectar just as the summer heat reaches its peak, acting as a social hub for every butterfly in the neighborhood.
Sun Exposure Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Needs Medium to High; prefers consistent moisture
Soil Type Adaptable; thrives in rich Muck, Clay, or Loam
Mature Height 5 – 6 feet
Deer Resistance High
Bloom Time July – September
Bloom Color Pink
Plant Spacing 3 – 4 feet
Stems: Its name comes from the distinct purple spots or mottling found along its thick, sturdy stems. These stems are strong enough to hold up the massive flower heads without any staking and are almost the same color as the dusty rose-colored flowers.
Somewhat aggressive spreader. Please keep this in mind when picking your planting site. Use with caution in small landscape situations.
Moisture lover: Unlike other Joe Pye Weeds, this one requires the most moisture. It is perfect for planting in damp settings such as along pond edges, streambanks and drainage areas.
Butterflies: Because the flower heads are flat and wide, they provide a perfect "landing pad" for dozens of butterfly species.
Native Bee Favorite: It is an incredibly high-value nectar source for bumblebees and many species of native bees.
Birds: Several species of birds benefit from eating the seeds and many birds feed of insects that are drawn to the plant.
Also known as Dense Blazing Star, this plant features stiff, upright stems covered in grass-like foliage, topped with thick spikes of feathery, magenta-purple flowers that look like glowing sparklers in the summer sun. Marsh Blazing Star is native to moist meadows and marsh margins of the Midwest. It is a standard component of naturalized moist prairies, butterfly gardens, water feature margins, and rain gardens.
Sun Exposure Full Sun (preferred) to Partial Shade
Water Needs Medium to High; prefers moist soil but is quite adaptable
Soil Type Adaptable; thrives in Muck, Clay, Loam, or Moist Sand
Mature Height 3 – 5 feet
Deer Resistance Moderate - High
Bloom Time July – September
Bloom Color Lavendar - Purple
Plant Spacing 1 – 2 feet
Blooms: Unlike most spiked flowers that bloom from the bottom up, Liatris starts at the very tip of the wand and works its way down, extending its beauty over several weeks.
Corm-Based Growth: It grows from a bulb-like structure called a corm. This makes it a very "polite" neighbor; it won't spread aggressively or take over your garden beds.
Distinctive Texture: Before the flowers appear, the plant looks like a lush clump of fine, fountain-like grass, providing excellent green texture in the early spring.
Monarch Fuel: This is arguably one of the best plants for Monarch and other butterflies. During their migration, you will often see several butterflies jostling for position on a single flower spike.
Bumblebee Favorite: The feathery "stars" are packed with nectar, making them a high-priority stop for bumblebees and clearwing hummingbird moths.
Bird Feeder: If you leave the stalks up in the fall, goldfinches and other songbirds will visit the garden to feast on the small, nutritious seeds.
Monkey Flower (Mimulus ringens) is the charming specialist of the "wet feet" zones. It gets its name because the individual blossoms are said to resemble the face of a monkey. A delightful, upright perennial known for its snapdragon-like, purple-blue flowers. It is the perfect choice for the edges of a garden where water tends to collect, or for adding a splash of cool color to a rain garden or pond edge.
Sun Exposure Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Needs High; prefers consistently wet or mucky soil
Soil Type Muck, Clay, Loam
Mature Height 2 feet
Deer Resistance Moderate - High
Bloom Time June – September
Bloom Color Purple
Plant Spacing 1 - 2 feet
Blooms: While it may not have a massive burst of flowers all at once, it produces blooms continuously for several months, ensuring there is always a pop of purple-blue in the wet spots of your yard.
Clasping Foliage: The dark green, lance-shaped leaves "clasp" the stem directly without a stalk, giving the plant a very clean, structured look even when it isn't in flower.
Moisture: Requires consistently moist soils and will spread slowly into a bushy plant.
Bumblebees: The flowers are specifically designed for bumblebees, who are strong enough to force their way into the partially closed throat of the flower to reach the nectar.
Butterflies: Swallowtails, skippers and other midsize butterflies will frequent this plant.
Hummingbird Stop: Because of the tubular shape of the flowers, it is a frequent destination for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.
While other plants are winding down for winter, this aster explodes into a cloud of vivid purple and gold, providing one last massive feast for pollinators. A robust and showy native perennial that is famous for its late-season bloom. Its stems are topped with hundreds of daisy-like, deep violet-to-pink flowers with bright yellow centers, creating stunning color in the autumn landscape.
Sun Exposure Full Sun (best for bloom density) to Partial Shade
Water Needs Medium; prefers consistent moisture but is adaptable
Soil Type Adaptable; Muck, Clay, Loam, or Sand
Mature Height 3 – 5 feet
Deer Resistance Moderate
Bloom Time August – October
Bloom Color Purple
Plant Spacing 2 – 3 feet
Color: Blooms can range in color from purple, violet and shades of pink.
The "Hairy" Stem: Similar to the Hoary Vervain, the stems of New England Aster are covered in fine, bristly hairs, which helps with easy identification.
Foliage: It is natural for the bottom leaves of this plant to turn brown and drop off by late summer. This is just the plant focusing its energy on the flowers at the top! You can easily hide this by planting shorter natives in front of it.
Aggressive self-seeder: Please keep in mind when selecting your planting sites. Removal of the seed heads before the seed is ripe will help prevent it from spreading or the need to weed unwanted seedlings.
Migration Fuel: Provides critical, high-energy nectar for Monarchs and other butterflies into late fall.
Bees: It is a vital resource for late-emerging specialist bees and bumblebee queens who are preparing to overwinter.
Host Plant: It serves as a larval host for the Pearl Crescent butterfly and several species of moths.
Prairie Blazing Star is famous for its exceptionally crowded flower spikes. The species name pycnostachya literally means "thick-spiked," which perfectly describes the way the fuzzy purple flowers are packed tightly together on the stem. It is an excellent species to plant in wet-medium perennial gardens or prairies.
Sun Exposure Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Needs Medium; prefers consistent moisture but tolerates dry spells
Soil Type Clay, Loam, or Moist Sand
Mature Height 4 feet
Deer Resistance Moderate
Bloom Time July – September
Bloom Color Purple
Plant Spacing 12 – 18 inches
Blooms: Because the flowers are so densely packed, the entire top 1–2 feet of the plant becomes a solid column of vibrant purple. It creates a much bolder "block" of color than other Liatris species.
Top-Down Bloom: Like its cousins, it starts blooming at the very top of the spike and slowly works its way down, ensuring several weeks of continuous color.
Stalks: The stems are very rigid and covered in narrow, grass-like leaves, giving the plant a very clean, architectural look before it even begins to flower.
Butterflies: Along with the Marsh Blazing Star, this is a stop for Monarchs and other butterflies.
Bees and Hummingbirds: It is a favorite of bumblebees and other large native bees and hummingbirds in the height of summer.
Host Plant: Prairie Blazing Star is a host plant for numerous small moths.
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