Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Aruncus aethusifolius

Family: (Rosaceae)

(P) to 12″. A miniature Goat’s Beard from Korea. Bright green, finely dissected foliage forms a thick, lacy carpet. Small, dense, branched spikes of Astilbe-like, tiny, creamy flowers appear in summer. Foliage turns a beautiful burgundy in fall. Partial shade. 4 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Vernonia altissima

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 8′. Tall Ironweed. Eastern North America. Loose, flattened clusters of thistle-like, purple flowers atop towering stems. Large irregularly toothed and pointed leaves. Not for the faint of heart! Blooms from late summer into autumn. Moist soil. Sun/partial shade.  3 & T1 for 3 months, then T2

 

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Verbesina alternifolia

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 6′. Wingstem. East coast native. Stems winged, leaves alternate, lanceolate-elliptic to 10 inches long with serrated margins. The loose corymbs of many one-inch, yellow daisies grace the garden in late summer. Sun. 4 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Thermopsis villosa (syn. Thermopsis caroliniana)

Family: (Fabaceae)

(P) to 5′. Carolina Lupine. Southeastern United States. Tall spikes of bright-yellow, pea-like flowers over loose clumps of glaucous, softly downy foliage with three-part, clover-like elliptical leaflets. Blooms in early summer. Well-drained soil. Sun. 1 & 2B then 3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Stachys macrantha

Family: (Lamiaceae)

(P) to 2.5′. Caucasus. One to covet. Wavy-edged, dark green foliage and spikes of purplish pink, hooded, lipped flowers. Excellent in the border. Sun/partial shade. 3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Sisymbrium luteum (syn. Hesperis lutea)

Family: (Brassicaceae)

(P) to 4′. Japan and Korea. Forms a bushy clump of coarsely pilose, pinnate, grey-green foliage that freely produces dense, elongated racemes of four-petalled, pale yellow flowers in summer. Good for cutting. Well-drained soil. Sun/partial shade. 4 & T3

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Rudbeckia subtomentosa

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 6′. Sweet Black-eyed Susan. Tallgrass Prairie. A host of two-inch, bright yellow-petalled, dark-eyed daisies. Bushy clumps of downy, sweet scented, grey-green leaves; the lower leaves being three cleft. Blooms in late summer. Moist to well-drained soil. Sun. 3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Ratibida pinnata

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 4′. Grey-headed Coneflower. Central North America. Tall, branched flowers stems are topped by yellow-rayed blooms resembling badminton shuttlecocks. The short, rounded, central cone of each long-lasting flower begins a greyish green and ripens to chocolate brown. The handsome pinnate leaves adorn only the lower half of the flower stems and form a tidy, bushy clump. A much underused, long-blooming and carefree plant. Sun. Well drained soil. 4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Helianthus mollis

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 4′. Ashy Sunflower. Tallgrass prairie, Michigan to Ohio. The dense, soft hairs that cover the stems and clasping, broadly ovate leaves, give the whole plant an attractive, ashen grey appearance. The large individual blooms are a rich buttercup yellow, appearing from midsummer into early autumn over open, somewhat wide and spreading clumps. A widespread and drought tolerant native for a wild garden or an informal planting. Sun. 3 & T3

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Echinops tjanschanicus

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 5′.  A tall, imposing Globe Thistle from Kazakhstan and the mountains of Central Asia.  A vigorous, erect, clump-forming, architectural perennial with spiny, deeply-divided, grey-green leaves, white beneath, and rounded, thistle-like, violet-blue flowerheads in summer.  Both Echinops make great cut flowers.  Sun.  4 & T2