Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Aquilegia canadensis

Family: (Ranunculaceae)

(P) to 2′. Honeysuckle Columbine. A native of eastern North America. Nodding blossoms with red spurs surrounding yellow petals and yellow anthers and an extended stigma. Dark stems and delicate foliage. Late spring to early summer bloomer. Self-sows readily. Sun/partial shade. 4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Asclepias syriaca

Family: (Apocynaceae)

(P) to 5′. Common Milkweed. Eastern North America. The familiar pale pink flowering version of the butterfly-luring milkweed. The ribbed, hairy pods are attractive, rattle in the wind and resemble Okra pods. Essential host plant for Monarch caterpillars. Vigorously spreading roots to the point of being invasive but a “must have” for any wild garden. Sun/partial shade. 4 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Aster divaricatus (syn. Eurybia divaricata)

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 2′. White Wood Aster. An American native. Clusters of white ray flowers with yellow centres and heart-shaped leaves on dark stems. Very floriferous. Sun, tolerates dry shade. 3 & 6 & Δ

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Campanula americana

Family: (Campanulaceae)

(B) to 5′.  Tall Bellflower.  North America.  A tall, distinctive Campanula producing slender racemes of ½-inch, star-shaped blooms of a gorgeous, soft periwinkle blue.  The interior is marked with a central white ring and a prominent stigma.  Flowers July to October.  Partial shade.  4 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Chelone glabra

Family: (Plantaginaceae)

(P) 3′. White Turtlehead. White blooms (that really do resemble turtle heads) in tight terminal clusters on upright spikes in August through October. Attractive, dark-green, smooth stems with small whorls of narrow, lance-shaped, sharply toothed, dark-green leaves. A good candidate for naturalizing in any swampy woodland, bog or pond-side area. Native to eastern North America where it is one of the only two larval hosts to the lovely Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly. Sun/partial shade. 3 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Clinopodium vulgare

Family: (Lamiaceae)

(P) to 2′. Wild Basil. Eurasia. This adaptable plant features small, whorled clusters of rose-purple, lipped flowers in the upper leaf axils and a larger, rounded, dense terminal cluster. The stems and flower bracts are covered with white hairs and give the plant an overall wooly appearance. The slender, aromatic leaves can be used as a seasoning; milder than that of commercial basil. Wild Basil has an upright and endearingly rambling appearance perfectly suited for the meadows, fields, and woodland edges in which it is often found growing. Blooms from July-Sept. Sun/partial shade. 3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Coreopsis tripteris

Family: (Asteraceae)

(P) to 6′. Tickseed. A native of eastern North America. Numerous, small, yellow daisies with a hint of purple in the centres, and fine lanceolate leaflets create a soft, billowy texture. A fine addition to the flower garden, meadow, or edge of woodland. Late summer bloom. Sun. 3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Sisyrinchium angustifolium

Family: (Iridaceae)

(P) to 12″. Narrow-leaved Blue-eyed Grass. Eastern North America. Delicate fans of narrow, grass-like foliage produce an always welcome display. The star-shaped blooms of six pale violet-blue tepals each tipped with a small point and sporting a yellow central eye accentuated by the yellow stamens and stigma. Blooms late spring and early summer. A cheery, easy going and charming native for the rock garden, woodland edge or the meadow. Sun. 3 & 7 for 90 days then T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Daucus carota

Family: (Apiaceae)

(B) to 2.5′. Queen Anne’s Lace. Europe. A classic of meadows and roadsides, this old-fashioned beauty is familiar to many. The dense, flat-topped umbels of many white, minute flowers often have a small, characteristic red to black spot in the middle of the inflorescence. As the blossom ages it folds up looking like a bird’s nest. The flower stems and leaves are covered in short, stiff hairs and the white root smells like carrot. Also known as Wild Carrot, domesticated carrots are cultivars of a subspecies, Daucus carota subsp. sativus. Full sun and well-drained soil. 3 & T1

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Vernonia arkansana (syn. V. crinata)

Family: (Asteraceae)

P) to 5′.  A statuesque Ironweed from the Ozark region of Missouri, producing tufts of fuzzy, deep purple, rayless flowers in late summer on tall, strong stems covered in minute fine white hairs with long, lance-like leaves in large whorls.  Moist soil.  Sun/partial shade.  3 & T1 for 3 months, then T2