Native Plants

Our local native with yellow or bronze single daisy-like flowers on stout branched stems in late summer. Petals have distinct tooth-like indentations; hence the common name, dog-toothed daisy. All sneezeweeds have three-lobed petals which distiguish them from Rudbeckia and other yellow coneflowers. Brown, rust colored fruit appear in fall. Great for cut flowers and the avid butterfly gardener.

This great floriferous native is very attractive in the garden and in flower arrangements. Its delightful brown spherical cones are surrounded by a flowing fringe of bright yellow reflexed petals looking like hundreds of yellow skirted dancers in motion. The foliage is compact and bushy. Tolerant of a wide variety of conditions, H. flexuosum blooms from mid-summer into fall. Native from Massachusettes to Florida.

A free-flowering plant to brighten up the late summer garden. Covered in intense light yellow single 2-3" flowers from July to September. An irresistible butterfly plant.

So, you've never grown this sunflower because it is impossible to keep in a container, right? Not any more! This diminutive version reaches only 18" by the time it blooms, but has the flower power of its 8' cousins. No pinching, staking or cussing required! A great addition to the front of the border for late summer and fall color. 

An explosion of golden yellow flowers combined with a manageable height makes this a superior selection. Despite its name, this plant can be found literally blanketed in flowers in the late summer and into the fall when most other Helianthus are past. Flowers form on upright, self-supporting stems but instead of the typical tall sunflower, Helianthus 'First Light' forms a nice, compact clump of fuzzy, linear leaves topping out just above 3 feet.

This local native sunflower happily naturalizes in moist or dry conditions. Upright and clump forming with bright, 2", single, medium gold flowers for eight weeks, peaking in July. Imagine, a self sowing butterfly magnet, that also doubles as a birdfeeder in the fall. Excellent cut flower!

A seed selection by Jelitto Perennial Seeds, Heliopsis helianthoides 'Burning Hearts' stands 4' tall with dark red purple foliage and abundant contrasting yellow daisy-like flowers with orange centers. Plant begins blooming in its first year and blooms from June to mid-October. 

Another Heliopsis seed selection by Jelitto Perennial Seeds, Heliopsis helianthoides 'Bleeding Hearts' stands 4' tall with dark purple foliage and black stems providing a perfect foil for the blooms beginning at a fire red then orange-red turning to bronze colored as they fade. 'Bleeding Hearts' begins blooming in its first year and blooms from June to mid-October. 

This is a seed propagated strain selected by Dale Hendricks that is really fantastic and excitingly variable. Unique silver-blue marbled foliage accented by white flowers on long panicles in the spring. Excellent drought tolerant ground cover. Foliage display is amazing!

A beautiful display when used en masse, the long flowering stems of this alumroot sway high above deep green foliage mottled in silver highlights. Tubular calyces surround the pale yellow flowers and securely affix them to upright stems. Expect flowering from late May into June.

Fuzzy, chartreuse to lime green, nearly evergreen foliage erupts in September with white fountains of pure white flowers continuing until frost. A very easy-care plant tolerant of dry shade and a wide variety of conditions. A good, tough exciting meat-and-potatoes groundcover that doubles as a cut flower! Great for moist shade. Named and introduced by Bluemount Nurseries, Monkton, MD.

Deep purple, ivy-shaped foliage fades to bronze green in the heat of summer and becomes dark green in the fall. This plant has been an industry favorite for many years and was the Perennial Plant Association's Plant of the Year in 1991.

Bred by Thierry Delabroye, 'Caramel' has glowing apricot new growth fading to soft amber by summer. Fall color is an intense salmon red. Its lobed fuzzy foliage typical of H. villosa stays clean. An eastern US native species that is plenty hardy and unsurpassed for longevity, even in the prolonged heat and humidity of the south. Long panicles of creamy white flowers in late summer.

A superb intro from Charles Oliver of the Primrose Path, this is a native late-flowering groundcover. This has much shinier, almost lacquered looking foliage vs. H. villosa 'Purpurea'. Like its cousin 'Autumn Bride', 'Bronze Wave' is sturdy, perhaps an 18", or a bit larger, clump. September-October flowering spikes of small tan flowers. Excellent shade groundcover that can happily compete with tree roots and come out looking good.

This shrublike herbaceous perennial is a vigorous grower with large, glabrous leaves and 4-5" wide flowers that range from pink to white. The flowers last only for one day, but they appear consistently until the end of the season. An amazing show of color and grace!

Deep, bluish-green, leathery foliage and 14” pure white wide lace cap blooms make for a stunning combination in any setting. This beautiful native selection stands tall and never flops, even with its massive blooms. It’s an upright, yet bushy plant that will stop anyone walking past with the display of truly incredible blooms and stout and sturdy stature.