Purple Milkweed Asclepias purpurescens Height: 2-4 feet Light: Sun – part shade Soil Type: Dry-average, well-drained soil Bloom Time: May – June Flower Color: Purple to purplish red Foliage: Yellowish to dark green On the “Endangered” list in several states, Purple Milkweed is easy to…
Red Chokeberry Aronia arbutifolia – rose family [Rosaceae] Height: 6-13 feet (3-5 feet wide) Light: Prefers full sun (for best flowers and fruit production) but tolerates partial shade Soil Type: Thrives in wet, well-drained soils and can tolerate flooding, but also does well in drier…
Royal Fern Osmunda regalis Height: 4-6 feet Light: Equally happy in shade or full sun Soil Type: Very wet soil Growth Rate: Fast Flower Color: Produces reddish-brown fronds in midsummer Foliage: Very long fronds with lance-shaped leaves. Grown for foliage. Deciduous Truly regal in form,…
Sassafras Sassafras albidum Height: Typically 20-30 feet, but can reach more than 80 feet Light: Full sun to part shade Soil Type: Dry to moist soils Bloom Time: March – May (Fruits mature August-September) Flower Color: Yellow, pleasantly fragranced Foliage: Mitten-shaped leaves. In fall leaves…
Smooth Blue Aster Symphyotrichum laeve, syn. Aster laevis Height: 1-5 feet Light: Sun to part shade Soil Type: Moist soil, but is very drought tolerant. Can also handle seasonal flooding. Bloom Time: August – October Flower Color: Small blue flowers with yellow disk centers Foliage:…
Spicebush Lindera benzoin – same family as cinnamon, bay laurel and sassafras Height: 6-15 feet Light: Shade to part shade Moisture: Prefers moist soil Bloom Time: March Flower Color: Greenish-yellow; red fruits Foliage: Green that turn yellow in fall; is dioecious Small tree, attractive in…
Sweetshrub Calycanthus floridus Height: 65 feet Light: Shade Moisture: Average soil, wet-well drained Bloom Time: April – June Flowers: 1” papery maroon flowers with fruity/spicy scent Spreads by runners. Flower scent varies – melon, pineapple, juicy-fruit or no-scent.
Virginia Bluebells Mertensia virginica Height: 1-2.5 feet Light: Part shade to shade Moisture: Moist, wet soil Bloom Time: April – May Flower Color: Pink, Medium blue, violet/lavender Foliage: Herbaceous, blue-green, smooth texture Related to Forget-Me-Nots, Virginia Bluebells have few equals in the color arena: arresting…
Wild Blue Indigo Baptisia australis Height: 3-4 feet Light: Sun to part shade Moisture: Dry to average soil Bloom Time: April – May Flower Color: Blue to purple Foliage: Herbaceous Spectacular tall spikes of purple-blue flowers resembling Texas bluebonnets in form, waxy grey-blue rounded leaves…
Wild Columbine (aquilegia canadensis) Height: 1-3 feet Light: Sun to part shade Moisture: Dry to moderately moist, well-drained soil (may rot if too wet) Bloom Time: April Flower Color: Red to pale yellow Foliage:Herbaceous Tough, easy to grow perennial with red and yellow dangling blooms…