Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Blephilia ciliata

Family: (Lamiaceae)

(P) to 3′.  Downy Wood-Mint.  A charming native plant found from Kansas to New England in open woods, glades, and along roadsides.  Dense clustered whorls form along sturdy stems.  Each whorl bears many small, pale lavender, tubular lipped blooms with purple spots nestled inside hairy, fringed bracts.  The rough, downy basal foliage is pleasantly aromatic.  May to August.  Moist, well-drained soil.  Partial shade.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Dianthus armeria

Family: (Caryophyllaceae)

(A/B) to 2′.  Deptford Pink. Europe. This charmer has a very slender and delicate appearance.  The narrow leaves are widely spaced and paired along the stem.  At the ends of the stems are short-stalked or stalkless clusters of deep-pink flowers that are surrounded by erect, hairy, leaf-like bracts.  The flowers are comprised of five lanceolate petals, each with irregular serrated edges and small white spotting on the upper surface.  Self sows.  Sun.  4 & T2

 

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Solidago bicolor

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 3′.  Silverrod.  Eastern North America.  An atypical Goldenrod that produces tiny, daisy-like flowers arranged in elongated, cylindrical clusters and have a striking appearance with white petals surrounding yellow disc florets.  So different than the more usual golden yellow clusters of the Goldenrod.  Blooming in late summer to early fall, the flower heads rise above basal rosettes of toothed, grey-green foliage.  This well-behaved native adapts well to most soil and light conditions.  Pollinators of all sorts are attracted to it and birds enjoy the seed.  Part to full sun.  4 & T2   

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Solidago puberula

Family: Asteraceae

(P) to 3′.  Downy Goldenrod.  North America.  A less cultivated member of the genus, with unique, bright yellow flowers bearing eye-catching, large disk florets surrounded by strap-like ray florets, borne on leafy stems covered with fine, spreading hairs. This species has ovate, dark green glabrous foliage varying greatly in size depending on growing conditions.  Fantastic in a native or prairie garden, best in full sun to part shade.  3 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Solidago ptarmicoides

Family: Asteraceae

(P) to 2′.  Upland White Goldenrod.  North America.  This unique Goldenrod is such a charmer, with delicate white Aster-like blooms and narrow linear grasslike, dark green foliage.  Sporting blooms that persist in late summer to fall, this is a great pick for a meadow or full-sun garden. Goldfinches love to eat the seed!  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Fagopyrum esculentum Pink

Family: Polygonaceae

(A) to 3′.  Pink Common Buckwheat.  Asia.  Cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop, this lovely pink version is an eye-catcher in the meadow at Stonecrop.  It is somewhat erect but has a tendency to sprawl in the absence of support. The stems become ribbed and reddish green with maturity. The alternate, cordate leaves are up to four-inches long and 3-inches across with a slightly undulated edge. One or two racemes of flowers develop from the axils of the upper leaves; some of these racemes may be terminal. The racemes are one to three inches long, and densely crowded with whorls of flowers. Each flower is up to ½-inch across, consisting of five petal-like, rosy-pink sepals that become green toward the throat of the flower. Long bloom period and a pleasant floral scent. Each flower is replaced by a winged achene with three sides. Primarily bees and ants visit the flowers for their abundant nectar. When honeybees visit the flowers of Common Buckwheat in fields, they produce a distinctive honey.  Self-sows.  Prefers moist, rich soil.  Direct sow or 3 & 7 for 3 weeks then T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Rudbeckia hirta

Family: Asteraceae

(B) to 4′.  Black-eyed Susan.  Central US.  Cheery, golden-yellow daisies with dark, purple-brown, cone-shaped centres.  A short lived perennial and reliable bloomer that has become popular as a bedding annual, but will opportunistically self-sow where happy.  Blooms mid to late summer.  Well-drained soil.  Sun.  3 & 7

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Solidago canadensis

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 5′.  Canadian Goldenrod.  This North American native with its rhizomatous growth is perfect for the meadow.  Central stems are clad with many narrow, alternate, lance-shaped, sharply-toothed, leaves with conspicuous lateral veins.  The leaves are hairless above but hairy beneath and tapered at each end. Stems are topped in late summer to fall with large horizontally branched, terminal pyramidal panicles containing one-sided recurving branches filled with masses of tiny yellow flowers, each to 1/8″.  A magnet for pollinators, beneficial insects, and birds.  Average soil.  Full sun.  4 &T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Silene virginica

Family: (Caryophyllaceae)

(P) to 18″.  Fire Pink.  Eastern North America.  A lovely wildflower that features brilliant, two-inch, scarlet red flowers, each with five spreading, notched-at-the-tip petals plus sepals which are united into a long sticky tube. Flowers bloom in spring atop slender, downy, and sticky stems clad with narrow, lance-shaped, green leaves. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the principal pollinator of Silene virginica.  Flowers also provide nectar for native bees, butterflies, and nocturnal moths. Well-drained soil.  Part sun to part shade. 3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Cichorium intybus

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 4′.  Common Chicory.  Europe.  Attractive, stalkless, typically clear blue flowers to 1”, clasp rigid, nearly leafless stems in a long procession of bloom from May to October. Rays are typically blue but occasionally white or pink, and usually close by noon. Lower lance-shaped, dandelion-like, basal leaves up to 6″ long are variously toothed, cut or lobed and have rough-hairy surfaces. Upper stem leaves are smaller with clasping bases. The deep fleshy taproot exudes a milky sap when cut. Chicory can be found along roadsides, and is now common in North America, China, and Australia, where it has become widely naturalized. Many varieties are cultivated for salad leaves, chicons (blanched buds).  Chicory roots (var. sativum), which are baked and ground, were used as a coffee substitute by Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War and also used in the United Kingdom during the Second World War, where Camp Coffee, a coffee and chicory essence, has been on sale since 1885 and still popular today. 4 & T1