… Spikes of delicate six-petaled magenta flowers top two- to three-foot plants starting in June. The flowers tend to hide among the small stem leaves. Not to be confused with the invasive purple loosestrife, this plant is a valued native plant, growing in meadows and along shorelines. It is shorter in stature, with opposite leaves that are broad at the base and attached to a four-angled stem. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… yedoense var. poukhanense ) is a low-growing azalea covered with pink-mauve flowers in spring and orange to red fall color later in the season. Like other plants native to Korea, this species is winter hardy in many parts of the Upper Midwest, including the Chicago region. The cultivar is a hybrid of the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… At 2 feet in height, Vivid obedient plant ( Physostegia virginiana 'Vivid') is shorter than the straight species and produces lavender-pink flowers in vertical rows on spikes to 10 inches in height. This salt-tolerant cultivar attracts butterflies while resisting deer. Like other …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… This dwarf growing mix of Iceland poppies features plants producing flowers in shades of red, orange, yellow, and white, and maturing at 18 inches in size. Plant these poppies in full sun after the danger of hard frosts has passed, and enjoy the flower display through …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… broad green foliage with an extended period of flowering. This annual can be allowed to reseed in the garden or seeds can be collected and sown in late winter for transplanting after the last hard freezes are past in early spring. Full sun and well-drained soils are ideal. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… This tall grass evolved to live in the cool damp moor areas of norther Europe and Asia. Cordoba moor grass makes a strong statement with its height of around six feet and its purple flower head in late summer. In the fall the leaves turn yellow and the flower heads are a mellow golden brown. Cordoba makes …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Salvia × sylvestris 'Blauhügel' is a cultivar developed in Germany and sold in the United States under the translated name of blue hills sage. Six-inch-long spikes of … mounded form of the plant. Deadheading will be rewarded with a second flush of flowers later in the summer. This cultivar is deer and rabbit resistant but attractive to butterflies and …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Native to the United States, this coneflower is an upright clump-forming perennial that grows in both moist and dry soils to 3 feet tall, often forming large colonies in the wild. It features orange or yellow daisy-like flowers and blooms profusely from July through October, and is well-suited for cutting. Plant in the border, prairie, or cottage garden where it will attract birds and butterflies. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… rue ( Thalictrum aquiligiifolium ) grows 2' to 3' tall and has a lovely ethereal quality in the garden. Use it in the middle of a sunny perennial garden. Flowers, which consist mostly of colorful stamens, are very small but extremely abundant. Lilac flowers adorn this plant in early summer. The columbine meadow rue is a delicate plant of very fine texture. A first-rate …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Almost black stems support the dark green leaves, making this cultivar easy to identify in a crowd of asters. Butterflies, honeybees, etc. can't resist the nectar and pollen. The narrow upright form of the flowering stems make this a favorite cut flower. Plant this aster in full sun and in moderately moist soils. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
