Flowering Perennials

Bee Balm
Common Name: Bee Balm
Scientific Name: Monarda didyma
Sun: Full-Partial
Moisture: Average
Height: 3-4 feet
Notes: Edible leaves; flowers attract butterflies, hummingbirds

Black Eyed Susan
Common Name: Black Eyed Susan
Scientific Name: Rudbeckia hirta
Sun: Full
Moisture: Average to Dry
Height: 2-3 feet
Notes: 2-4" flower heads with 10-20 bright yellow petals

Blue Cohosh
Common Name: Blue Cohosh
Scientific Name: Cauloph. thalictroides
Sun: Part Sun to Shade
Moisture: Average
Height: 1-2 feet
Notes: small yellow flowers, blue berries in grape-like clusters

Blue Phlox
Common Name: Blue Phlox
Scientific Name: Phlox divaracata
Sun: Full to Part Sun
Moisture: Average
Height: 10-20 inches
Notes: Covered with 1.5" lavender to pink flowers in spring

Blue Wood Violet
Common Name: Blue Wood Violet
Scientific Name: Viola papilionacea
Sun: Part Sun to Shade
Moisture: Average
Height: 6-10 inches
Notes: Purple violet blooms in spring; spreads readily

Brown Eyed Susan
Common Name: Brown Eyed Susan
Scientific Name: Rudbeckia triloba
Sun: Full to Part Sun
Moisture: Average
Height: 2-3 feet
Notes: Hundreds of small deep gold daisy-like flowers

Bugbane
Common Name: Bugbane
Scientific Name: Cimifuga racemosa
Sun: part sun to shade
Moisture: average
Height: 3-8 feet
Notes: Long slender candle-like clusters of white flowers

Butterfly Weed
Common Name: Butterfly Weed
Scientific Name: Asclepia tuberosa
Sun: full
Moisture: average to dry
Height: 2-3 feet
Notes: Brilliant orange flowers; butterfly host plant

Celadine Poppy
Common Name: Celadine Poppy
Scientific Name: Stylophorum diphyllum
Sun: shade
Moisture: average
Height: 18 inches
Notes: 2 inch wide lemon-yellow flowers

Common Milkweed
Common Name: Common Milkweed
Scientific Name: Asclepia syriaca
Sun: full to part sun
Moisture: average
Height: 2-4 feet
Notes: Pink clusters of fragrant flowers; food of larval Monarch

Doll's Eyes
Common Name: Doll's Eyes
Scientific Name: Actea pachypoda
Sun: part sun to shade
Moisture: average
Height: 1-2.5 feet
Notes: Small bright white flowers; poisonous white berries

Dutchman's Breeches
Common Name: Dutchman's Breeches
Scientific Name: Dicentra cucullaria
Sun: shade
Moisture: average
Height: 1 foot
Notes: White & yellow flowers resemble a pair of pantaloons

Dwarf Crested Iris
Common Name: Dwarf Crested Iris
Scientific Name: Iris cristata
Sun: part sun to shade
Moisture: average to dry
Height: 4-8 inches
Notes: Pale lavender-blue crested flowers April-May

Flowering Spurge
Common Name: Flowering Spurge
Scientific Name: Euphorbia corolatta
Sun: full
Moisture: average to dry
Height: 2-4 feet
Notes: "Baby's breath of the Prairie" blooms in August

Foam Flower
Common Name: Foam Flower
Scientific Name: Tiarella cordifolia
Sun: part sun to shade
Moisture: average
Height: 6-12 inches
Notes: Evergreen ground cover; feathery white flowers April-June

Ginger
Common Name: Ginger
Scientific Name: Asarum canadense
Sun: part sun to shade
Moisture: average
Height: 6 inches
Notes: Evergreen ground cover; glossy heart-shaped leaves

Goat's Beard
Common Name: Goat's Beard
Scientific Name: Aruncus dioicus
Sun: part sun to shade
Moisture: average
Height: 4-6 feet
Notes: 6-10 inch plumes of small cream-colored flowers

Great Blue Lobelia
Common Name: Great Blue Lobelia
Scientific Name: Lobelia siphilitica
Sun: part sun to shade
Moisture: wet
Height: 1-3 feet
Notes: Elongated cluster of pale to dark blue flowers late sum

Ironweed
Common Name: Ironweed
Scientific Name: Vernonia noveboracensis
Sun: full to part sun
Moisture: wet
Height: 4-6 feet
Notes: Purple flowers attract butterflies in summer

Jack-In-The-Pulpit
Common Name: Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Scientific Name: Arisaema triphyllum
Sun: part sun to shade
Moisture: average
Height: 12+ inches
Notes: Spathe appears March-May; red berries late summer-fall

Jacob's Ladder
Common Name: Jacob's Ladder
Scientific Name: Polemonium reptans
Sun: part sun to shade
Moisture: average
Height: 1 foot
Notes: Terminal clusters of light blue, bell-shaped flowers April

Jerusalem Artichoke
Common Name: Jerusalem Artichoke
Scientific Name: Helianthus tuberosus
Sun: full to part shade
Moisture: average to dry
Height: 7 feet
Notes: Attracts butterflies

Joe-pye-weed
Common Name: Joe-Pye-Weed
Scientific Name: Eupatorium fistulosa
Sun: full to part sun
Moisture: average
Height: 5-8 feet
Notes: Purplish-pink flowers explode attracting butterflies

Marsh Marigold
Common Name: Marsh Marigold
Scientific Name: Caltha palustris
Sun: full
Moisture: average
Height: 1-2 feet
Notes: 1-1.5 inch bright yellow flowers in spring & summer

New England Aster
Common Name: New England Aster
Scientific Name: Aster novae-angliae
Sun: full
Moisture: average
Height: 3-7 feet
Notes: Bright lavender flowers with yellow centers late summer-fall

Queen of the Prairie
Common Name: Queen of the Prairie
Scientific Name: Fillipendula rubra
Sun: full
Moisture: average
Height: 4-5 feet
Notes: Show-stopping large pink plumes in June-July

Sedum
Common Name: Sedum
Scientific Name: Sedum ternatum
Sun: full to part sun
Moisture: average
Height: 2-4 inches
Notes: Fleshy evergreen foliage; white star-like flowers spring

Shooting Star
Common Name: Shooting Star
Scientific Name: Dodecatheon meadia
Sun: full to part sun
Moisture: average
Height: 1-2 feet
Notes: Delicate white/pink petals, red & yellow center

Solomon's Seal
Common Name: Solomon's Seal
Scientific Name: Polygonatum biflorum
Sun: part sun to shade
Moisture: average
Height: 18-30 inches
Notes: Small creamy white to green bells hang from leaf axis

Spiked Gayfeather
Common Name: Spiked Gayfeather
Scientific Name: Liatris spicata
Sun: full
Moisture: average
Height: 2-5 feet
Notes: Bright pinkish-purple stalks of interesting flowers August

St. John's Wort
Common Name: St. John's Wort
Scientific Name: Hypericum perforatum
Sun: full to shade
Moisture: average to dry
Height: 1-4 feet
Notes: 3 inches yellow flowers; dark green foliage (ground cover)

Sweetflag
Common Name: Sweetflag
Scientific Name: Acorus americanus
Sun: full
Moisture: wet
Height: 1-3 feet
Notes: This grass is a nice vertical long-leaf garden feature

Trillium
Common Name: Trillium
Scientific Name: Trillium
Sun: shade
Moisture: average
Height: 6-12 inches
Notes: White/pink flowers have 3 broad petals, spring bloom

Turtlehead
Common Name: Turtlehead
Scientific Name: Chelone glabra
Sun: full to part shade
Moisture: average
Height: 1-3 feet
Notes: White to pink 1-1.5inch flowers summer into fall

Virginia Blue Bells
Common Name: Virginia Blue Bells
Scientific Name: Mertensia virginica
Sun: part sun to shade
Moisture: average
Height: 12-24 inches
Notes: Pink flower buds open to sky blue March-April

White Boneset
Common Name: White Boneset
Scientific Name: Eupatorium perfoliatum
Sun: full to part sun
Moisture: average to wet
Height: 2-4 feet
Notes: Flat-top clusters of small white flowers in fall