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"
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"
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"
Wild columbine is a branching perennial that grows 2–3 feet tall and about 1.5 feet wide. The red and yellow flowers nod downward with distinctive backward-pointing spurs and dangling yellow stamens — an unusual and eye-catching combination. The rounded, lobed leaves are attractive even when the plant isn’t blooming. It thrives in partial shade with […] Continue reading "Eastern Red Columbine"