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Actaea rubra

Red baneberry is a bushy flowering perennial that offers a delightful textured appearance in the shade garden.

Amorpha fruticosa

Purple and orange flowers are an important nectar source for native bees, butterflies and beneficial insects.

Allium tricoccum

This shade-loving plant features creamy white flowers clustered atop a single stalk.

Anemone canadensis

Windflower exhibits small white flowers that bloom above whirled leaves from May-July.

Stylophorum diphyllum

One of the first plants to bloom in the spring, this perky low-growing plant has lobed green leaves and bright yellow poppy-like flowers.

Monarda fistulosa

Wild Bergamot is a highly adaptable, wildlife-friendly perennial. Its showy, tubular, white, pink, or purple flowers form round, wispy clusters atop tall stems, July through September. The foliage is fragrant, offering additional interest in the garden. Wild Bergamot is valued by hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees, which benefit from the nectar. The genus Monarda is prone to powdery mildew, but this species, Monarda fistulosa, offers some resistance. Use Wild Bergamot in borders, meadows, and naturalized areas in your yard.

Eutrochium fistulosum

Joe-Pye Weed is a tall, sturdy perennial with dark green leaves. Clusters of tiny, fragrant, pinkish-rose-colored flowers bloom July-September. The nectar is highly valued by butterflies and honeybees. The flowers are followed by seed heads (which persist into winter), providing an important food source for sparrows, as well as providing seasonal interest. Joe-Pye Weed is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Three-lined Flower Moth (Schinia trifascia), Eupatorium Borer Moth (Papaipema eupatorii), and Clymene Moth (Haploa clymene). It prefers moist, fertile soils, and is intolerant of dry conditions. Use Joe-Pye Weed in masses in the back of borders to offer depth to your garden. It is best planted in groups in meadows, native plant gardens, butterfly gardens, rain gardens, or naturalized areas. It is valued by native Americans for its medicinal properties.

Xanthorhiza simplicissima

Yellowroot is a low-growing shrub with yellowish bark and roots. Clusters of small, star-like, purple flowers with yellow centers bloom April-May. The attractive, green foliage can turn a golden-yellow, orange, or sometimes slightly purple color in the fall. Plant Yellowroot as a groundcover or low-growing shrub in moist, shady areas of your yard.

Symplocos paniculata

Sapphire-berry has white flowers, which bloom late-May to early-June. The ornamental fruit appears in shades of blue, and ripens September-October. The fruit is a food source for birds. Plant more than one for cross-pollination and to ensure fruiting. Sapphire-berry can be trained as a shrub or small tree. Use it for screening at the back of a shrub border, or as a specimen tree in your yard.