Found in rich, moist woods and damp slopes, climbing monkshood is pollinated primarily by bumblebees that are strong enough to enter the “hood.” Violet-purple blooms in summer to fall (August – October). Weakly climbing, herbaceous perennial that is poisonous.
View More DetailsBlooming in late summer, this mat-forming perennial is a source of late-season forage for pollinators. ‘Golden Fleece’ performs best in full sun conditions, and is a Mt. Cuba Center introduction.
View More DetailsThis native, warm-season grass bursts with pink plumes in September. Found on river shores, dry woodlands, savannahs, sandhills, bogs, coastal swales and rock outcrops, it makes a great addition to a full-sun landscape. Its seedheads create a pink, cotton candy-like haze in the landscape.
View More DetailsA Mt. Cuba Center Plant Introduction, Bluebird smooth aster (Symphyotrichum laeve var. laeve ‘Bluebird’) is covered in violet-blue blooms from late summer to fall (September-October). It’s found in dry, open woods and rocky ledges and roadsides. Both the cultivar and species attract birds and butterflies, and are the larval host for the Pearl Crescent butterfly.
View More DetailsThis clumping, herbaceous, perennial, is a warm-season grass and creates a purple, billowy mist in the landscape when in bloom. It’s found on dry, sandy fields and roadsides. When young, it’s grazed by mammals and eaten by leafhoppers the the larvae of Zebulon Skipper butterfly.
View More DetailsThis autumn superstar produces yellow blooms in late summer that persist through fall (September-October) and is found in low, moist meadows, roadsides, waste grounds, barrens, and old fields. It provides important sustenance to wildlife, especially insects such as bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, and flies that visit for nectar and pollen, and the other insects that prey on them. Seedheads are an important late-season food source for birds. ‘Fireworks ‘ is a less aggressive spreader than the straight species
View More DetailsAmerican beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) grows well in full-sun conditions with acidic soils, producing magenta berry-like fruits that cluster around its stem. Its autumn foliage is an eye-catching chartreuse.
View More DetailsThe violet-blue blooms of Raydon’s Favorite aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ‘Raydon’s Favorite’) emerge in late summer and persist through fall (September-November). This mounding, herbaceous perennial can be found on hillsides, cliffs, bluffs, and open, dry areas and attracts butterflies and many other pollinators. Like many aromatic asters, its leaves have a pleasant, herbal scent when crushed.
View More DetailsThis late-blooming member of the aster family graces the gardens with a deep purple hue as autumn turns chilly. Symphyotrichum georgianum grows well in average soil and can grow in full sun to filtered shade. It grows beautifully in the perennial border or the native meadow garden.
View More DetailsHydrangea quercifolia
Oakleaf hydrangea is one of the most useful native shrubs for the garden. With its unique deeply lobed, oak-like leaves, large white flower clusters, and attractive exfoliating bark, oakleaf hydrangea is impressive when massed or used as a specimen.
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