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Lamprocapnos spectabilis

Bleeding Heart is a shade-loving, spring-flowering perennial. Blooming April-May, the heart-shaped, pink flowers dangle from long, arching stems that extend above the attractive foliage. The flowering stems are excellent fresh-cut. After flowering, this plant will usually go dormant by mid-summer. Use Bleeding Heart in shady borders or in a woodland garden. Plant it next to other bushy perennials, which can fill in gaps as the plants die back.

Chelone glabra

White Turtlehead has white, pink-tinged flowers, which bloom August-October. The blooms resemble the head of a turtle, thus its common name. Butterflies and hummingbirds benefit from the nectar. It is a host plant for butterflyand moth larvae (caterpillars), including Baltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton). White Turtlehead requires moist soil, and will tolerate wet soil. Use it in borders, edges of rain gardens, shade gardens, and moist naturalized areas.

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.

Eupatorium perfoliatum

Common Boneset is a clumping perennial. Clusters of small white flowers bloom atop tall stems, July-September. Butterflies and bees value the nectar as a food source. Its green leaves fuse around the stem, offering a unique vegetative feature in the garden setting. Boneset is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Lined Ruby Tiger Moth (Phragmatobia lineate), Burdock Borer Moth (Papaipema cataphracta), Three-lined Flower Moth (Schinia trifascia), Blackberry Looper (Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria), Geometrid Moth (Semiothisa continuata) and Clymene Moth (Haploa clymene). Use Boneset in the back of borders to add depth to your landscape. Plant it in your rain garden, along woodland edges, meadows, or in naturalized areas around your yard.

Lobelia siphilitica

Great Blue Lobelia features purple-blue, tubular flowers, which bloom July-September in whorled clusters atop tall, erect stems. This plant’s nectar is a food source for bees and hummingbirds; it has special value for native bees and bumblebees. It prefers part-shade, but will tolerate full sun in cooler climates. Its native habitat includes swamps and moist, low areas. Use Great Blue Lobelia in the back of borders to add depth to your garden. Plant it in rain gardens, wildlife gardens, woodland gardens, and moist areas of your yard.

Coreopsis rosea

Pink Tickseed is a multi-stemmed, clumping perennial with dense, green foliage. Small, pink-purple, daisy-like flowers with yellow centers are scattered within the vegetation. It blooms all summer, June-September. The native habitat of Pink Tickseed consists of wet, sandy soils. It needs consistent moisture and does not tolerate clay soils. It may self-seed to form a dense groundcover. Use Pink Tickseed in borders, along walkways, in your native plant garden, and in moist meadows.

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.

Aruncus dioicus

Goat’s Beard is a tall perennial with astilbe-like flowers. Large feathery spikes of small, creamy-white flowers bloom April-June. This perennial is dioecious (male and female flowers are on separate plants); the males have slightly showier flowers. The flowers can be used fresh-cut or dried in floral arrangements. The nectar attracts butterflies and bees. Goat’s Beard is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Dusky Azure (Celastrina nigra). It prefers consistently moist soils and can tolerate occasional flooding. Plant Goat’s Beard in masses in the back of borders, woodland gardens, rain gardens, or along edges of ponds or streams. It can also be used as a specimen or as a screening plant.