Bright gold petals with a deep brown cone highlights the garden in late summer. 'Goldsturm' is a long-blooming, low maintenance, long-lived perennial. Disease and pest resistant, with long lasting cut flower. Provides seeds in the winter for birds and nectar for butterflies. Adaptable to a wide variety of soil conditions in full to partial sun. Once established, spreads somewhat rapidly. Deadhead to prolong blooming season. Outstanding in mass plantings as a border perennial, meadow and prairie gardens as well as a noninvasive groundcover.

LABIATAE / MINT FAMILY

Native to North America, Anise hyssop is a perennial herb that is known for its anise scented foliage. It has violet colored flowers that bloom in July. It is a good bee and honey plant, and is used in seasonings and making teas.

Its main use is for respiratory disorders - colds, flu, bronchitis, upper respiratory catarrh. It contains the bitter component, marrubiin (also found in White Horehound), which has expectorant properties. It may be used for fevers, as it promotes sweating. It has also been used for sluggish digestion, mucus congestion in the intestines, and for throat infections. It can be useful for the cold sores of the Herpes simplex virus due to its antiviral activities. Externally, it is beneficial for burns, bruises, wounds, and infections.

Anise Hyssop (Agastache anethiodorum) - A North American member of the mint family, the leaves have a rich aniseed flavour, delicious in salads. It usually comes out tops in tasting trials. Sow spring in pots and plant out when large enough.

Plants take on more of a shrubby appearance and tend to open up after bloom. Trimming or shearing foliage after bloom helps maintain rounded plant appearance and obviates a possible need for staking, but eliminates the developing seed pods which are so attractive.

Blue false indigo is an upright perennial which typically grows 3-4' tall and occurs in rich woods, thickets and along streambanks from Pennsylvania south to North Carolina and Tennessee. It features purple, lupine-like flowers in erect racemes (to 12") atop flower spikes extending well above a foliage mound of clover-like, trifoliate, bluish-green leaves (leaflets to 2" long). Blooms in spring. Flowers give way to inflated seed pods (to 2.5" long) which turn charcoal black when ripe and have considerable ornamental interest. Seeds rattle around in the blackened pods which were once popularly used by children as rattles. Stems with seed pods are valued additions to dried flower arrangements. Common name refers to the use of this plant by early Americans as a substitute, albeit an inferior one, for true indigo (genus Indigofera of the West Indies) in making blue dyes. The smaller western form, Baptisia australis var. minor (see Y810), is a Missouri native which typically grows to about 1/2 the size of the species. It ranges from Missouri and Kansas south to Texas.

Borders, cottage gardens, prairies, meadows and native plant gardens. Effective in naturalized setting

Tall and majestic, New England Aster rules the prairie in autumn. The deep blue to purple, and sometimes pink flowers are highlights of the late season wildflower garden. Blooms late into the fall, well after the first frosts. This is a critical late season nectar source for butterflies, especially for Monarchs, as they stock up for their long migration to Mexico. Plant with other tall flowers such as White False Indigo, Culver’s Root, Queen of the Prairie and Yellow Coneflower for a year-round color display. Prefers rich, medium to slightly moist soil, in full sun. Grows three to six feet tall.

Stem: Erect, stout, covered with a fine, gray pubescence above the middle.

Leaves: Alternate, ovate, acuminate, rough above and canescent below. The lower leaves are on slender petioles, have cordate bases, and are sharply toothed. The upper leaves are up to 5.5 inches long and 2.4 inches wide, but are usually smaller. They have cordate or rounded bases and roughly serrate to shallowly dentate margins.

Inflorescence: Open paniculate cluster with spreading branches. There are numerous heads, sometimes up to 150.

Flower: Pale bluish to lavender ray florets, each about .25 inch long. Yellowish disk florets. The overlapping involucral bracts are whitish at the base and have a conspicuous elongated green rhombic spot at the tip.

This Smooth aster is a Missouri native that typically occurs in prairies, rocky glades, dry open woods, roadside banks and thickets. Stems are usually unbranched with variable, mostly toothed, smooth, bluish green foliage. Small flowers (.75 to 1.25" across) with violet blue to purple (sometimes white) rays and yellow center disks appear in open, loose, panicle-like clusters in autumn. Attractive to butterflies.

Late blooming perennial aster for the border, wildflower, native or cottage garden. Grows well with Helianthus and Solidago.

Lobelia cardinalis

In late summer the brilliant scarlet of Cardinal Flower flashes from the marshes, stream banks and low woods. Its extremely showy blossoms can be recognized at considerable distance. Few native plants have flowers of such intense color as this common herbaceous perennial.

 The blossoms are delicate, gradually opening from bottom to top on two to four foot spikes. Five petals are united into a scarlet two-lipped corolla. The lower lip has three very prominent lobes; the upper lip has two small ones. Five stamens are joined forming a red tube around the style and are topped by bearded anthers which form a mustache-looking brush.

 Beneath the flower spikes are numerous dark green leaves, tapered at both ends. A moderately tall plant, stout and erect, it is the favorite of our ruby-throated hummingbird, who obliges as a pollinator. The many seeds come in two-celled pods which open at the top.

  Beautiful but deadly, this plant has been used as a medicine but is also very poisonous. It contains fourteen alkaloids similar to those in nicotine. Extracts of the leaves and fruit produce vomiting, sweating, pain and finally death.

This Denizen of Dampness is covered in deep blue flowers in late summer and early fall. Longer-lived than its cousin the Cardinal Flower, it is also adept at attracting hummingbirds. Planted together, the two Lobelias make a stunning combination. Add the white flowers of Boneset, and you’ve got the "All American Garden" of red, white and blue flowers. Grows one to four feet tall in damp sand, loam, or clay.

Great Blue Lobelia was also used as an anti-divorce charm when put secretly into a dish that the husband and wife were to share.

Eupatorium maculatum, or Joe-Pye Weed, is native to the Eastern and Central United States. It is a coarse, clumping perennial with a whorled leaf arrangement bearing 3-6 lanceolate leaves at each node. In nature, they will reach 4-6 feet (1-2 m) in height by about 3 foot (1 m) wide. Grown in a container, they usually reach 2-4 feet (60-120 cm) tall. Grown outdoors, they are a very showy tall border plant and are hardy in USDA zones 5-9.

Boneset is a member of the Sunflower Family (Asteracea) and is native to the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. and Canada. Boneset is very common and can be found growing along streams and in low meadows. The flowers are grayish-white and bloom from the middle of August into September. As you can see in the photo to the left and as suggested by the Latin species name, the stem appears to be growing through the leaf. Early herbalists believed this to be a sign that boneset would be useful in setting bones. They based this on the "Doctrine of Signatures", which was a belief that each plant had a sign to indicate what it could be used for. The common name, boneset, is a product of this belief and today some still believe that a boneset tea can cure everything from broken bones to colds and coughs.

Globe Thistle has prickly foliage and produces blue, globe-shaped flowers that have a metallic appearance. If the flowers are cut before the pollen shows, they can be dried. These long-lived plants are drought tolerant and like a growing area in full sun with a light soil. Use Globe Thistle behind other plants to hide the deteriorated lower foliage. Propagation. Propagation is by seed, division, or root cuttings. The seed germinates in 15 to 20 days at temperatures of 65 to 70 degrees. Some of the seedlings may be of inferior types. Make root cuttings 2 to 3 inches long. Pieces or root left in the ground during division act as root cuttings.

Echinops bannaticus is an erect, clump-forming perennial globe thistle that typically grows to 4’ (less frequently to 6’) tall on stiff, sometimes branching stems. Spiny, deeply-dissected leaves (to 14" long) are rough green above and downy-white below. Globular, thistle-like, gray-blue flower heads (to 2" diameter) bloom at the stem tops in summer. ‘Blue Glow’ improves on the species by producing intense steel blue flowerheads.

No serious insect or disease problems. Taller stems may need staking, particularly if grown in rich, fertile soils.

Sunny borders, cottage gardens. Excellent accent.

This gray headed coneflower typically occurs in dry woods, prairies and along railroad tracks and roads. A somewhat rough-looking plant that features pinnately divided leaves (to 5" long) on stiff stems growing 3-5' tall. The composite flowers have a dull-gray central disk in the shape of an elongated cylinder (1 inch long), somewhat resembling the crown of a slender sombrero. When bruised, the disk smells of anise. Attached to the bottom of the disk is a brim of 3-7, extremely reflexed (downward pointing), bright yellow ray flowers (to 3" long). Species name of pinnata is in reference to the pinnate leaves. Long summer bloom period.

Interesting plant for the sunny border, native plant garden, meadow or prairie. Best massed because individual plants are narrow and somewhat sparsely leafed.

Echinacea Purpurea (Immune) is the Latin name for an herb native to the central and southwestern U.S. The plant grows in open fields and rocky soils, and bears purple flowers that resemble black-eyed Susans. Echinacea was widely used by the Plains Indians. American settlers also adopted its use, and the herb has been valued by natural health care advocates since. It has been one of the most scientifically studied herbs, especially in Europe.

Strong daisy shapes and large flowers, up to 15cm (6in) across, are features of this attractive plant which flowers from mid summer to early autumn. Both purple-mauve and white forms are excellent in the garden, where they last well and attract bees and other insects, and for cutting. Although the flowering season is not particularly long, the timing is just right to coincide with other moderately tall robust summer flowers such as Echinops bannaticus (globe thistle), cardoon and phlox, which all look good together. Seeds can be saved for sowing in spring.

Purple coneflower is a showy, clump forming herbaceous perennial that dies to the ground in winter and sprouts back in spring. Established clumps can be up to 3 ft (0.6 m) in diameter and just as tall. The dark green leaves are coarse and sandpapery, usually lance shaped, and 3-8 in (7.6-20.3 cm) long. The daisylike flower heads, up to 3 in (7.5 cm) across, are very attractive with rose purple rays and large, cone-shaped purple brown centers. Several cultivars are available to the gardener, including some with white ray flowers.
Use in beds, mixed borders, or in the native wildflower patch. The long lasting flowers, borne on long, stiff stems, are perfect in cut flower arrangements and well suited for drying.
Taken orally, extracts from purple coneflower roots and leaves are reported to stimulate the immune system and increase resistance to infections.

Native Americans used echinacea for many medicinal purposes. In Europe today, more than 200 pharmaceutical products are made from the extracts. Butterflies sip nectar from purple coneflowers.

A most stately and distinctive plant, Culver’s Root is prized for its well-defined, clean lines. Elegant white flowerstalks rise like spires above the whorls of deep green leaves in July and August. Growing three to six feet tall, it creates a unique vertical accent when planted with other prairie plants or perennials. Fantastic when planted in "White Gardens" and "Moon Gardens" with other white flowering prairie plants. Grows best in medium to moist rich soil, in full sun to shade.

Solidago rigida or Oligoneuron rigidum is also called Stiff Goldenrod, Rigid goldenrod and Prairie Goldenrod.  Stiff goldenrod can be used for roadside plantings, wildlife food/habitat, and wildflower gardens.  Solidago rigida is one of the best wildflowers for late fall blooming and is very showy with larger heads and flower clusters than most goldenrods.  The bright yellow flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds, Goldfinches, and other small birds feed on its seeds. The large softly hairy leaves are attractive all summer turning a dusty rose in autumn.  Stiff Goldenrod is best grown in full sun and well drained garden soil.

Stiff Goldenrod plants with their distinctive foliage and showy flowers are beautiful when grown in the butterfly garden, cutting garden, or in a prairie meadow with Echinacea  (Coneflower), Ratibida (Prairie Coneflower), Liatris (Blazing Star),  Monarda (Wild Bergamot) and Big Bluestem grass.  Solidago rigida seeds germinate without pretreatment.Full sun (only)
Stiff goldenrod is a somewhat weedy, rhizomatous native perennial which typically occurs in open woods, glades, thickets and prairies. Features tiny, bright yellow, daisy-like flowers borne in dense, erect, flat-topped terminal clusters atop stiff, broad-leaved, hairy stems typically growing 3-5' tall. Individual flowers (to 1/2" diameter) are larger than those of most other native Missouri goldenrods. Flowers bloom late summer to early autumn. Attractive to bees and butterflies.

Provides good color and contrast in late summer to early fall for the perennial border, wild garden, prairie, meadow, native plant garden or naturalized area.

This blazing star cultivar is a small, compact, upright, clump-forming perennial which typically grows 2-2.5' tall. Features terminal spikes (6-15" long) of sessile, rounded, fluffy, deep purple flower heads (each to 3/4" across) appearing atop rigid, erect, leafy flower stalks. Multiple stalks arise from basal tufts of narrow leaves (to 10"). Flowers generally open top to bottom on the spikes. Blooms in summer. Liatris belongs to the aster family, with each flower head having only fluffy disk flowers (resembling "blazing stars") and no rays.

Excellent compact plant for perennial border fronts or cutting gardens

Liatris pycnostachya, Prairie Blazing Star, Kansas Gayfeather, or Button Snakeroot, grows 3 to 5 feet tall spikes of dense violet-lavender to rosy purple flower heads, which provide striking vertical form in the perennial garden.   Prairie Blazingstar is easily grown in average well-drained soils and full sun yet also tolerates poor soils, drought, and summer heat.  This plant looks well if planted in large sweeps in the meadow garden or individually in a formal garden.  The showy flower is used in both fresh cut and dried flower arrangements and is a magnet for butterflies. The attributes of this plant are accentuated when planted with Callirhoe (Poppy Mallow), Echinacea (Coneflowers), Zizia (Golden Alexander), Solidago (Golden Rod), and prairie grasses.

This floriferous Blazingstar provides a late summer surprise when the normally modest plant erupts in a blaze of bright pinkish-purple stalks. Prized for its large, individual flowers, it is unique among the Blazingstars. Grows happily in the driest of sandy soils, but also thrives in well-drained loam in full sun. The luxuriant flower stalks reach up to five feet tall, blooming in August and September.

Medicinal uses: Tea from the leaves has been used to treat snakebites and upset stomachs.

Food uses: The corms (roots) are edible.

Swamp milkweed is an erect, clump-forming, native plant which is commonly found in swamps, river bottomlands and wet meadows throughout the State. It typically grows 3-4' tall (less frequently to 5') on branching stems. Small, fragrant, pink to mauve flowers (1/4" wide), each with five reflexed petals and an elevated central crown, appear in tight clusters (umbels) at the stem ends in summer. Flowers are uncommonly white. Narrow, lance-shaped, taper-pointed leaves are 3-6" long. Stems exude a toxic milky sap when cut. Flowers are followed by attractive seed pods (to 4" long) which split open when ripe releasing silky-haired seeds easily carried by the wind. Flowers are very attractive to butterflies as a nectar source. In addition, swamp milkweed is an important food source (albeit somewhat less important than upland species of Asclepias) for the larval stage of Monarch butterflies.

Sunny borders, stream/pond banks, butterfly gardens. A good plant for low spots or other moist areas in the landscape.

Common milkweed is a rough, weedy native perennial which commonly occurs in fields, open woods, waste areas, roadsides and along railroad tracks throughout the State (Steyermark). It typically grows 3-4' (less frequently to 6') tall on stout, upright stems with thick, broad-oblong, reddish-veined, light green leaves (to 8" long). Domed, slightly drooping clusters (umbels) of fragrant, pinkish -purple flowers appear mostly in the upper leaf axils over a long bloom period from late spring well into summer. Stems and leaves exude a milky sap when cut or bruised. Flowers give way to prominent, warty seed pods (2-4" long) which split open when ripe releasing their numerous silky-tailed seeds for dispersal by the wind. Seed pods are valued in dried flower arrangements. Flowers are a nectar source for many butterflies and leaves are a food source for monarch butterfly larvae (caterpillars).

Butterfly gardens, meadows, prairies, or naturalized/native plant areas. This plant is considered by many gardeners to be too vigorous and weedy for borders.

Description
Butterfly weed is a 2 ft (0.6 m) tall herbaceous perennial that dies back in winter and re-sprouts from its underground tuber each spring. The brilliant orange or red flower clusters appear in midsummer. These are followed by attractive green pods that open to release silky "parachutes" to drift away on autumn winds. Butterfly weed is unique among milkweeds in that the sap is not milky and the leaves are not opposite.

Many flowers have an inner whorl of petals, called the corolla, and an outer whorl of sepals, called the calyx. These are the showy, colorful parts of a typical flower. The milkweeds are special: they have a third whorl above the corolla called the corona.

Butterfly weed occurs naturally in open woods and fields throughout the US east of the Rocky Mountains. It prefers well-drained sandy soils.

Plant butterfly weed in mixed borders, meadows and natural areas. Butterfly weed is slow to emerge in spring, so you may want to mark where they are.

The caterpillars of monarch butterflies (they're the ones that migrate to Mexico each winter) feed only on milkweed foliage. Adult butterflies of many species sip nectar from the beautiful blossoms of butterfly weed.

The roots of butterfly weed are said to increase fluidity of mucus in lungs and bronchial tubes, hence the common name, pleurisy root.

Lead plant is a native that typically occurs in open woodlands, glades and prairies. This pea/bean family member is a somewhat ungainly, deciduous shrub growing 1-3' tall and featuring slender, dense, 4-8" spike-like clusters of tiny, bluish-purple flowers with gold anthers which bloom in May-June. Amorpha also features alternate, pinnately compound leaves with grayish green leaflets and densely hairy twigs. The genus Amorpha is often called false indigo because of its resemblance to plants of the genus Indigofera. Common name of lead plant refers to the once held belief that the plant was an indicator of the presence of lead in the ground.

A somewhat ordinary looking, small shrub with an attractive bloom but otherwise with no particularly outstanding landscape features. Good plant for naturalizing in a native or wildflower garden, prairie or meadow.

The stout central stem is hairless and often reddish in color. There is very little branching, except for a few small flowering stems in the upper half of the plant. The leaves are up to 8" long and 2_" across, lanceolate or narrowly ovate, and slightly to strongly serrate. They have a sandpapery texture, with minute stiff hairs across their surface. The leaves often curl upward from their central veins, particularly during hot dry weather. They are usually opposite below, but become alternate in the upper half of the plant. They taper gradually into slender petioles that are about _" in length. The yellow composite flowers are about 3-4" across. They consist of 10-25 ray florets, surrounding numerous disk florets. There are often many flowers in bloom simultaneously on large plants. The blooming period occurs from late summer to fall, and lasts about 1-2 months. The root system is fibrous, producing rhizomes that enable this plant to spread vegetatively.

The Sawtooth Sunflower occurs throughout most of Illinois, except for a few SE counties. It is a common plant. Habitats include moist to mesic black soil prairies, thickets, moist meadows and savannas near rivers or lakes, the base of bluffs, fence rows, and areas along ditches, railroads, and roadsides. This plant thrives in both disturbed and high quality sites, sometimes forming large colonies that exclude other plants.

The most common visitors to the flowers are bees, especially long-tongued species. Other insect visitors include Syrphid flies, bee flies, butterflies, moths, and beetles. The caterpillars of some Checkerspot butterflies (Chlorsyne spp.) feed on the foliage, while Sunflower Borer Moths (Papaipoma spp.) eat the pith of the stems. These and other insects feed on this and other sunflowers (see Insect Table). Many kinds of upland gamebirds, songbirds, and rodents eat the seeds (see Wildlife Table). These animals probably help to distribute the seeds. Beavers and muskrats may use the stems to construct dams or lodges when this plant is near bodies of water. Large mammalian herbivores, such as White-Tailed Deer and cattle, may browse on larger plants, while groundhogs and rabbits are more likely to attack smaller plants.

Wild bergamot is a common native perennial which occurs in dryish soils on prairies, dry rocky woods and glade margins, unplanted fields and along roads and railroads. A clump-forming, mint family member that grows typically to 2-4' tall. Lavender, two-lipped, tubular flowers appear in dense, globular, solitary, terminal heads atop square stems. Each flower head is subtended by (rests upon) a whorl of showy, pinkish, leafy bracts. Flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies. The toothed, aromatic, oblong, grayish-green leaves (to 4") may be used in teas. Long summer bloom period.

Provides color and contrast for the herb garden, wild garden, native plant garden, meadow or naturalized area. May be used in the perennial border, but is simply a less colorful selection than the similar-in-appearance Monarda didyma and its many cultivars (the beebalms).

The long-blooming, pure white flowers of the Smooth Penstemon appear in June and continue well into midsummer. Reaching two to three feet tall, it grows on almost any soil, from moderately dry to slightly damp. Does well in full sun or light shade, and loves clay. Plant with the Spiderworts for a fantastic late spring show.

Mullien has been a herbal favorite for respiratory ailments for thousands of years. In addition to being an effective expectorant, it sooths the throat, and helps stop the muscle spasms that trigger coughs. An oil made from mullien flowers is used for earache.

Mullien is a biennial plant, growing to 8 feet tall. A rosette of leaves appears on the ground the first year; a tall spike of flowers rises the next. Both leaves and stems are velvety. Five-petal yellow flowers (June-September).

Mullien is a great remedy for asthma, bronchitis, and coughs. Mullien has been a herbal favorite for respiratory ailments for thousands of years. In addition to being an effective expectorant, it sooths the throat, and helps stop the muscle spasms that trigger coughs.

A truely spectacular plant with a long bloom period for a perennial. The graceful spikes of shallow, dish-like, white, rose, red, violet and purple flowers that last most of the summer. Very fast growing! Excellent in the mixed border or alone. A wonderful flower for cut arrangements. Fairly drought tolerant.