Begonia is a long-blooming annual, which comes in a variety of flower colors, including white, pink, red, and bicolor. The compact plants have attractive, waxy, green to bronze leaves and fleshy stems. The flowers bloom from May to frost. Begonia performs best in sun-dappled shade with consistent moisture. This plant is most attractive when massed in beds or borders. It can also be used in container plantings.
Migrating butterflies and other pollinators nectar on the late summer blooming flowers, and birds eat the seeds.
Horseflyweed is a bushy perennial with small, yellow, pea-like flowers blooming May-June. The flowers are borne in clusters on tall stems above a mound of gray-green foliage. The flower nectar has special value to native bees and bumblebees. This plant is a host to moth and butterfly larvae (caterpillars), including Frosted Elfin (Callophrys irus), Dusky-winged Butterfly (Thanaos brizo), and Io Moth (Automeris io), and is the only known food source for Wild Indigo Dusky Winged (Erynnis baptisiae) butterfly larvae. Its reputation for protecting horses and mules from horseflies led to its common name, Horseflyweed. Use it in a meadow garden, sunny informal area, or in a butterfly or pollinator garden.
Blue Wild Indigo is a tall, bushy perennial with lupine-like, purple flowers, which bloom May-June. The flowers are borne in clusters at the top of tall stems, which extend above a mound of blue-green foliage. It tolerates both drought and poor soils.
Goldentuft is a low-growing, mat-forming perennial, which produces a bountiful bloom of bright yellow flowers in spring, April-May. It tolerates drought and dry soils. The mounds of gray-green leaves covered in golden flowers look great in rock gardens or growing over rock walls. It can also be used in beds, as an edging plant, or as a groundcover on slopes.
Pawpaw is a small understory tree or large shrub, which grows to form thickets. It has large, drooping, tropical-like leaves. Its cup-shaped, purple flowers bloom April-May, followed by large, green, edible fruits that taste like a mixture of bananas and pineapples. As the fruit ripens in the fall, it turns a brownish color. The fruit is a food source for birds and small mammals. This plant’s large, green leaves turn yellow in the fall. Pawpaw is a host plant to butterfly larvae (caterpillars), including Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus) and Pawpaw sphinx (Dolba hyloeus). Use as shrub border or woodland edge plant, in rain gardens, along the edges of ponds or streams, or as a specimen tree in a shade garden.
Common Milkweed is a wildlife-friendly perennial. The large, thick leaves are light green with red veins. Rounded clusters of fragrant, pinkish-purple flowers bloom June-August. Large, bumpy seed pods split open when ripe to release silky, wind-dispersed seeds. The seed pods are used in dried floral arrangements. This plant’s nectar is a food source for butterflies, native bees, bumblebees, and honeybees. Common Milkweed is an important nectar source and larval (caterpillar) host plant for Monarch (Danaus plexippus) butterflies. The leaves and stems have a milky sap, which contains cardiac glycosides. When ingested by Monarch butterfly larvae feeding on the leaves, the cardiac glycosides make them (and the adult butterflies) toxic to birds and other predators. Common Milkweed grows well in poor, dry soils. It spreads by self-seeding and rhizomes (underground stems) to form colonies. This plant is best used in wildlife gardens, meadows, and other naturalized areas.
Swamp Milkweed is a wildlife-friendly perennial. Clusters of fragrant, pink flowers bloom at the top of stems, July-August. The flowers are followed by elongated seed pods, which are used in dried flower arrangements. The flower nectar is an important food source for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds; it has special value for native bees. Swamp Milkweed is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and Queen (Danaus gilippus). Stems and leaves have a milky sap, which contains cardiac glycosides. When ingested by Monarch butterfly larvae feeding on the leaves, the cardiac glycosides make them (and the adult butterflies) toxic to birds and other predators. As its name suggests, Swamp Milkweed prefers wet soils, but it will tolerate well-drained soils in cultivation. Its deep tap root makes it difficult to transplant once established. Use this plant in rain gardens, along edges of ponds or streams, and in other moist areas of the yard. It can also be used in the back of borders, in meadows, and butterfly gardens.
Red Chokeberry is a wildlife-friendly, multiple-stemmed deciduous shrub, featuring clusters of white to light pink flowers, which bloom in April. The flowers lead to red, showy berries, which persist in the winter; the berries are a source of food for birds in cold weather. The leaves turn bright red in the fall. The reddish-brown, exfoliating bark and the red berries both add winter interest to the yard. Red Chokeberry tolerates a variety of soils, including wet and boggy. It suckers to form colonies, making it a good choice for use as a native shrub border in your yard.
Sea Thrift is a compact, drought- and salt-tolerant evergreen. Its stiff, grass-like leaves grow in a low, dense mound. Its ball-like, pink to white flowers bloom on wiry stalks extending above the foliage, April-May; the flowers are good fresh-cut. Removing the spent flowers will encourage additional blooms. This tough plant thrives in poor, dry soils, and it must have good drainage. Its tolerance to saltwater spray makes it an excellent choice for seashore gardens. It is also a great plant for rock gardens. Use Sea Thrift as an edging plant or as groundcover for small areas.