Calico beardtongue is native from Tennessee north to Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana. It has light pink to light purple flowers that are much loved by bees and other pollinators. This species of penstemon is more shade tolerant than others such as P. digitalis, and will also tolerate more moisture in the soil. Spreading notes: Will […] Continue reading "Calico Beardtongue"
Penstemon digitalis is an easy-to-find late spring perennial. The common name of this native comes from foxgloves, native to Europe, which they somewhat resemble. P. digitalis is more common further north and west of our area, but this plant does well here and is a favorite of various bumblebees. Spreading notes: Re-seeds lightly Maintenance notes: […] Continue reading "Foxglove Beardtongue"
Blue phlox is a perennial wildflower that clumps slowly over time. It has light pink to lavender to blue five-petaled blooms in spring. As one of its common name suggests, this phlox does well in a woodland setting and can even handle some dry conditions after it is established. Pair with Celandine poppy, Eastern columbine, […] Continue reading "Blue Wood Phlox"
Wood poppy is a perennial shade-loving ground cover with happy yellow 4-petaled flowers that blooms in the spring. After blooming, it creates green hair-covered fruit pods. Note that the fruit pods and stems contain yellow sap that can stain your skin. This plant can slowly spread to form a ground cover. There is a similar […] Continue reading "Celandine Poppy"
Ohio spiderwort is a plant that is happy in many different conditions. Some of us have it growing in full sun and others in dry shade. It is a clump-forming perennial and blooms successionally, one flower per day, opening in the morning and closing by evening. The leaves are long and grass-like, and it has […] Continue reading "Ohio Spiderwort"
Black-eyed Susan is a fast-growing biennial or short-lived perennial. “Hirta” means hairy, and this is the main way you can tell the difference between this and its cousin Rudbeckia fulgida (orange coneflower): R. hirta is thickly covered in small soft hairs, while R. fulgida has more sparse hairs on its leaves. This is an easy […] Continue reading "Black-eyed Susan"
Rattlesnake master is an upright perennial unlike most other full-sun loving plants in the Tennessee Valley, and provides a great contrast in a meadow garden. The botanical name refers to its leaves’ similar to the leaves of a yucca plant, and they tend to be a cooler shade of green-blue. The flower heads are unusual […] Continue reading "Rattlesnake Master"
Dwarf crested iris, as its name suggests, is a diminutive species of iris, growing no more than 9 inches tall. This particular iris can do well in somewhat dry, partially sunny places and will slowly spread to form more of a groundcover over time. It has purply-blue showy flowers. It can survive in full sun […] Continue reading "Dwarf Crested Iris"
The little cousin to the more famous Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) and Scarlet Bee Balm (Monarda didyma), Bradbury’s bee balm is a low maintenance herbaceous perennial that blooms before other Monarda species. The leaves are aromatic, and deer tend to avoid it due to the fragrance. Spreading notes: Will self seed over time in low […] Continue reading "Bradbury’s Beebalm"
An excellent substitute for chrysanthemums, Aromatic aster is one of the TN Valley Wild Ones members’ favorite asters. Run your hand through the leaves throughout the year to smell its wonderful fragrance. As a member of the aster family, it is an important pollinator host for late fall when many other plants have started to […] Continue reading "Aromatic Aster"