Plant Profile: Common Sunflower (Helianthus annus)
Karen Although there are many perennial sunflowers there is only one annual that is garden worthy but that one has dozens of cultivars and is very popular. A native of western…
Plant Profile: Pineleaf Beardtongue (Penstemon pinifolius)
Native to southern New Mexico and Arizona, this long-lived evergreen perennial or subshrub is a member of the plantain family, Plantaginaceae, that also includes snapdragon, turtlehead, and foxglove. The compact…
Plant Profile: Four Angled Sundrop (Oenothera tetragona)
This short-lived perennial is native to eastern North America where it is found in open places and along woodsides. It is a member of the willowherb familiy, Onagraceae, that also…
Meadow Garden: Native Flowering Annuals
Karen Meyers Native annuals can be used to enhance the meadow garden in many ways. Most annuals bloom with vibrant colors over a long bloom time and are easy to grow from…
Meadow Garden: Low Growing Sun Tolerant Native Flowering Perennials
Low growing flowering perennials can add a range of benefits to a meadow garden from aesthetic appeal and biodiversity to soil stabilization and weed suppression. Both flowers and foliage enhance…
Meadow Garden: Mid-Sized Native Flowering Perennials for Mesic to Wet Soil in Sun
The use of mid-sized native flowering perennials in a meadow garden adds color, texture, and biodiversity while blending well with the grasses that characterize a meadow. In addition, the plants…
Meadow Garden: Tall Native Flowering Perennials for Mesic to Wet Soil in Full Sun
Including tall plants into a meadow garden enhances its ecological value, aesthetics, and functionality, while also supporting local biodiversity. Tall plants add visual interest and texture, create depth and dimension,…
Meadow Garden: Mid-Sized Grasses
Grasses are the backbone of a meadow garden and the mid-sized ones will blend especially well with the many mid-sized perennials that are also essential to a meadow garden. The…
Plant Profile: Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus)
This clump-forming herbaceous perennial is a native of central and eastern North America from Ontario and Quebec south to Florida and Louisiana, and west to Oklahoma and Iowa where it…
Meadow Garden: Tall Native Grasses
Tall native grasses are usually associated with the natural prairie ecosystem of central US. This area has rich loess soils and moderate rainfall of 30-35 inches per year and are…