PERENNIALS
We know that deciding what to put in your garden can be daunting, there are so many choices. That's why having a plan, knowing how much light your garden gets, and putting the right plant in the right place can help you choose the correct plants. When you take these steps your gardening experience can be so much more rewarding. Check out our sections below to help you find the plants that are right for your needs.
Best for Butterflies
Also called Butterfly Weed or Milk Weed. It has nectar rich flowers that are a favorite food source for butterflies, especially the Monarch. Grows 18-24" tall. Plant in full sun.
Mid to late summer flowering shrub averages 3-5' tall depending on variety. Pollinators love the long bloom panicles. It does die down to the ground each winter here in Ohio. Plant in full sun.
Grows 2-3' tall. Shorter and more compact that the species Joe Pye Weed. Mauve-pink bloom clusters appear on top in late summer.
Strong, vertical accent plant with 18-24" tall spikes of bottle-brush type blooms. Early to midsummer bloom time. Plant in full sun.
In midsummer, 'Cherry Pops' forms a solid dome of cherry red, 2-2½” flowers on strong, well-branched stems. The dark green foliage forms an upright clump that will fill out containers nicely but won’t run all over the garden. It displays above average resistance to powdery mildew. Photo and Information courtesy of Walters Garden, Inc.
Great for all Pollinators
Lavender Pink Flowers Attracts Butterflies Bee Friendly Deer/Rabbit Resistant H 18-22" W 32-36"
Aquilegia are among the most telling of springtime plants, both for foliage and for flowers. Partial Sun Ht. 18" 18" W
Height: 16-24 in. Spread: 16-24 in. Hardiness Zone:5-9 Light: Full Sun Easily grown in dry to medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun. Thrives in poor, sandy or rocky soils with good drainage. Tolerant of heat, humidity and drought. Plants in the genus Coreopsis are sometimes commonly called tickseed in reference to the resemblance of the seeds to ticks.
Height: 30 in. - 4 ft. Spread: 12 in. - 2 ft. Hardiness Zone: 3-7 Light: Partial to full sun Critter feature: Deer Tolerant. Attracts hummingbirds & butterflies. Performs well in alkaline soils. Prefers climates with cool summer temperatures. Appreciates some part afternoon shade in hot summer climates. After bloom, cut back spent flower spikes to the basal foliage to encourage an additional late summer and/or fall bloom.
Height: 1-2 ft. Spread: .5-1 ft. Hardiness Zone: 2-10 Light: Partial to full sun Critter feature: Deer Tolerant. Attracts hummingbirds & butterflies. Best grown in deep, organically rich, well-drained soils in full sun, but generally appreciates some light afternoon shade in hot summer climates. Flowers come in vivid shades of red, pink, white and bicolor, sometimes with a contrasting eye, and with fringed petals that are bearded on the inside. Bloom from late spring to early summer.
Height: 2-2.5 ft Spread: 2-2.5 ft. Hardiness Zone: 3-9 Light: Full sun Critter Features: Resists Rabbit. Attracts butterflies. Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Does well in a wide range of well-drained soils. Deadhead spent flowers daily for neatness and remove scapes when flowers have completed bloom. Divide to maintain vigor when the clumps become overcrowded. A tough plant that is tolerant of poor soil, summer heat and humidity.
Height: 36 in. - 4 ft. Spread: 24 in. - 6 ft. Hardiness Zone: 4-9 Light: Partial to full sun Hardy hibiscus create huge colorful blooms, not to be confused with the smaller tropical houseplant varieties. they are extremely easy to grow. Requires full sun, decent soil, and some pruning once in awhile. They leaf out very late in spring.
Height: 2-3 ft Spread: 2-4 ft. Hardiness Zone: 5-8 Light: Full sun Critter Feature: Deer & rabbit resistant. Attracts butterflies Grow in average, dry to medium, well-drained, alkaline soil in full sun. This is a versatile garden perennial that should be considered for a wide variety of uses and not just relegated to a corner of the herb garden. Lavender flowers and gray-green leaves provide mid-summer color and contrast to the perennial border front, rock garden, herb garden or scented garden.
Height: 18-30 in. Spread: 16-24 in. Hardiness Zone: 5-9 Light: Full sun Critter Feature: Deer & rabbit resistant. Attracts butterflies Easily grown in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils in full sun. Good soil drainage is essential. Shasta daisies provide long-lasting summer bloom and are mainstays of the perennial border, cottage garden, cutting garden, rock gardens, and containers.
Height: 16-20 in. Spread: 18-36 in. Hardiness Zone: 3-9 Light: Part to full sun Critter Feature: Deer & rabbit resistant. Attracts cats. Low maintenance, drought tolerant, deer resistant, long blooming perennial that looks great all season. When Nepeta's stems are broken, they release an aroma into the air that tends to attract cats, thus its common name, Catmint.
Height: 20-32 in. Spread: 12-20 in. Hardiness Zone: 3-9 Light: Part shade to full sun Critter features: Deer resistant. Attracts butterflies. Flowers are red-purple to violet-purple, pink or infrequently white. Each flower has five, flat, petal-like, rounded lobes that are distinctively notched. Best grown in humusy, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Best flowering is in full sun.
Height: 18-24 in. Spread: 18-24 in. Hardiness Zone: 3-8 Light: Partial to full sun Critter features: Deer & rabbit resistant. Attracts hummingbirds butterflies. Excellent, easy-to-grow perennials for a summer show of intense color. They perform best in full sun and are real heat lovers. Not only do the flowers attract butterflies, the plants are also very deer resistant. Meadow Sage responds well to sheering after blooming to prompt fresh foliage and blooms.
Large red dinnerplate blooms. Great upright growing habit. Get's 4-5' tall.
Shade Gardening
Mounds of dark green foliage and blooms on tall wiry stems, add color to the late summer garden.
Bright gold leaves for brilliant color in a shade garden. Reaches 36" tall.
Showy fuzzy plumes in early summer above fern-like foliage. Partial to full shade is best. Grows 20-24" tall on average.
Fronds in various colors enjoy a full to partial shade location.
Heart shaped leaves in green with silver overlay reaches on average 14-16" tall. Tiny clusters of blue flowers appear in mid to late spring.
Old-Fashioned Bleeding Hearts. Distinctive heart-shaped blooms in spring. Foliage may go summer dormant in very hot and dry weather. Grows 2-3' tall.
Some varieties of Heuchera (Coral Bells) like full to partial shade. Colorful foliage and wiry stems of blooms in midsummer. Grows 10 to 16" tall depending on varieties.
Turtlehead shaped pink blooms and dark green foliage - perfect full to partial shade perennial. Grows 12-16" tall.
Dark green foliage speckled with silver is the backdrop to pretty clusters of blooms in late spring. Grows 14-16" tall on average.
Grasses
Feather Reed Grass, 3-5' tall. Known for the narrow, upright habit. Pinkish purple plumes in late summer age to tan.
Sedge grass, 12 to 16" tall. Great for the front borders. Narrow green strap like leaves with creamy white edges.
Blue Festuca grass with short round habit. 8-10" tall and wide with silvery blue slender foliage and tan seed heads in late summer.
Maiden grass with reddish-copper flower plumes that persist well into winter. 4-6' tall and 3-6' wide.
Dwarf fountain grass, reaches 20-24" tall. Rose-pink bottlebrush plumes age to tan by late summer.
Dwarf fountain grass, 8-10" tall. Great for front borders.
Dwarf fountain grass with thin green blades tipped in red. Grows 12-16" tall and wide. Tan seed plumes in late summer.