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Coreopsis lanceolata

Lanceleaf Tickseed’s yellow, daisy-like flowers with flat, yellow centers bloom May-July. The flowers are good fresh-cut. Butterflies, native bees, and other beneficial pollinators value the nectar. This plant aggressively self-seeds, but that can be minimized by removing spent flowers, which also encourages more blooms. Its common name originated from the resemblance of the seeds to ticks. Plants can be cut back in the summer to control straggly growth and divided every two to three years to maintain plant vigor. Use Lanceleaf Tickseed in masses in wildflower gardens, meadows, or other naturalized areas.

Consolida ajacis

Rocket Larkspur’s spikes of blue, pink, or white flowers bloom June-August. The flowers are excellent fresh-cut or dried. Remove the spent flowers to encourage more blooms. This plant prefers well-drained soils, so avoid planting in wet locations. Use Rocket Larkspur in beds, borders, or cutting gardens.

Comptonia peregrina

Sweet Fern is not a fern, but a multi-branched, mounded shrub with dark green, aromatic, fern-like leaves. Its inconspicuous, yellow-green catkins (elongated, drooping clusters of tiny flowers without petals) appear April-May, followed by small, burr-like nutlets. It is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus). This plant fixes its own nitrogen, and can tolerate sandy, nutrient-poor soil. It also tolerates wet conditions, as well as drought. Sweet Fern will form dense colonies once established. Use in naturalized areas, rain gardens, and on slopes for erosion control.

Clethra alnifolia

Summersweet is a multi-branched deciduous shrub with dark green, aromatic leaves. It is one of the few summer-flowering shrubs that will bloom in shade. The sweetly fragrant, white flowers bloom in upright clusters on the tips of stems, July-August.

Cleome hassleriana

Cleome is an annual plant with palm-shaped, aromatic leaves and showy, fragrant flowers blooming on tall, rigid stems from summer to first frost. Flower colors are combinations of white, pink, and purple. The nectar attracts hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies, and the seeds are a food source for birds. If left on the plants, the seed pods dry and split open, dispersing seeds for next year’s growth. The seed pods can be removed to prevent aggressive self-seeding. Use Cleome in beds, back of borders, foundation plantings, wildlife gardens, and mixed in with shrubs.

Clematis virginiana

Virgin’s Bower is a deciduous, flowering, twining vine. Its fragrant, white, feathery flowers bloom August-October. Butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees benefit from the nectar. Use Virgin’s Bower to cover arbors, trellises, or fences, or plant it in a woodland garden.

Claytonia virginica

Spring Beauty is one of the first wildflowers to bloom in the spring. Its small, star-shaped, white to light pink flowers, striped with pink, bloom in April. The nectar provides an important early spring food source for native bees. The small, underground, bulb-like corms are edible; they were consumed by early Americans, and their chestnut-like flavor is still enjoyed by edible wild plant enthusiasts. The entire plant goes dormant by late spring, similar to spring crocuses. It prefers moist, organic soils. Use Spring Beauty massed in woodland gardens, rock gardens, or for naturalizing.

Actaea racemosa

The showy, fragrant, bottlebrush-shaped, white flowers of Black Baneberry bloom on long stalks above the foliage, June-July. This plant’s dark green, lacy foliage adds texture to the garden. Black Baneberry is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Spring Azure (Celastrina “ladon”). It needs consistent moisture and organically-rich soil. The tall flower spires may need some support. Plant Black Baneberry in masses in partly shady sections of borders, shade gardens, woodland gardens, and naturalized areas.

Chrysopsis mariana

Maryland Goldenaster’s clusters of daisy-like, bright yellow flowers bloom August-October, adding color to the fall garden. This drought-tolerant plant grows well in dry, sandy soils. Use it in borders or wildflower gardens, along woodland edges, or as a groundcover in partly shady areas.

Chrysogonum virginianum

Green and Gold is a low-growing, mat-forming perennial, which spreads by rhizomes (underground stems). The bright yellow, star-shaped flowers on erect, “hairy” stems bloom in spring and sometimes again in fall. This plant’s tolerance for shade makes it a good groundcover for moist, shady areas. Use in rain gardens, woodland gardens, shady border-fronts, and rock gardens.