Dense Blazing Star is a tall, native perennial. Spikes of fluffy, purple flowers on rigid stalks bloom from the top down July-August. While this plant prefers moist fertile soil, it will tolerate poor, dry soil. Dense Blazing Star is a valuable food plant for native bees and bumblebees. Plant in masses or as vertical accents in borders.
Eastern Blazing Star is a tall, upright perennial. Rose, lavender, or white feathery flowers open from top to bottom from August-October, and make excellent cut or dried flowers. Eastern Blazing Star is a valuable nectar plant for native bees and bumblebees. It does well in dry soils or rocky soils. Use it in borders, meadows, and naturalized areas, and as vertical accent plants.
Shaggy Blazing Star is a graceful perennial with narrow, grass-like foliage. Spikes of purple flowers bloom from August-October. Flowers open first at the top of the stem and continue blooming downward. This plant mixes well with native grasses. Shaggy Blazing Star is a nectar plant for Monarch butterflies, and its seeds are a food source for birds. Use it in borders, edges, and meadows.
English Lavender has fragrant, gray-green foliage. Its lavender-blue to dark purple flowers bloom in the summer on long stems; they make excellent cut or dried flowers. Flowers and foliage are used to scent sachets and potpourris, and as a culinary herb. Use English Lavender in beds, borders, herb gardens, or rock gardens.
Lantana is a tough, long-blooming plant, which thrives in summer heat. Round clusters of multi-colored flowers bloom non-stop from July to frost. Lantana tolerates salt spray, making it a good choice for seaside gardens. Use Lantana as bedding plants or in containers. Its leaves have an unpleasant odor if crushed, so avoid planting in areas of the yard where people might step on it.
Sheep Laurel is a flowering evergreen shrub with leathery, blue-green leaves. Clusters of small, rose-pink, saucer-shaped flowers bloom in late June. This shrub prefers a moist, acidic, organic soil, but will also grow in dry, sandy soil. Use it in a shrub border or woodland garden. Plant parts are toxic if ingested.