Songbird Plants

Up to 2" wide, deep rosy pink daisies with a complimentary bright yellow eye are produced in abundance over an extended period beginning in late summer and into fall attracting a variety of mainly smaller pollinators but migrating Monarchs may seek these as well. Alma Pötschke New England Aster, a selection of our native Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, is a medium to tall, clump forming, herbaceous perennial growing to about 3-4' high. Its actual full name is Andenken an Alma Pötschke, which translates from the German to Souvenir of Alma Pötschke. An RHS Award of Garden Merit winner, Alma Pötschke is an older German cultivar but it is still one of the best of the larger growing pink flowered forms. Provide a full sun to mostly sunny site in an average to well-drained, fertile soil with average moisture for optimum vigor and flowering. Staking may be needed if plants are grown in overly rich fertile soils. Images courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 13328

The American Beautyberry adorns itself in dense clusters of 1/8" wide, rich purple ,rarely white, berries that encircle the stems. The fruit begins to ripen and color up in summer but they are most noticeable on the bare winter stems. Apparently the berries sweeten as winter sets in and songbirds find them irresistible. A fast growing, native, deciduous shrub that is tolerant of sun to semi-shade but generally flowers and fruits best in full or mostly sunny conditions. Because it flowers on new growth, if the American Beautyberry gets too large it will benefit from periodic hard pruning and still produce fruit the same year if pruning is done before new growth begins in spring. Item# 10688.

Huge flat clusters, becoming dome-shaped as they mature, are composed of numerous small lightly fragrant white flowers that are followed by heavy crops of shiny black berries. The American Elderberry, Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis, is a large growing native deciduous suckering shrub whose cooked fruit and flowers are used to create healthy and delicious confections, syrup, jelly, wine and more. The nectar rich flower clusters attract an array of pollinators and its ripe fruit is sure to attract a host of bird species. Elderberries are monoecious, both male and female at the same time, and are typically at least semi-self fertile but it is generally recommended to plant at least two different plants for cross pollination and the heaviest crops. If you order multiple plants from us, you will receive at least two different selections. The large ripe fruit clusters are a great treat for chickens. The flowers appear to be most fragrant in the evening and likely at night as well suggesting at least some moth pollination. Item #11269

A 2020 All American Selections Herbaceous Perennial award winner! 2-3" wide dark-eyed golden yellow daisies are produced throughout the summer and even into fall atop a dense and compact well-branched plant. American Gold Rush Rudbeckia was selected with disease resistance in mind as well as this plant's ability to flower throughout summer and a compact habit. It may be most similar to and is considered to be a hybrid of Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii, or the Brown-Eyed Susan, which can reach 3' in height. Like its parent, expect this hardy clump forming perennial to revel in the heat and sun of summer with its disk flowers providing nectar for smaller pollinators and the ripened seeds of fall and winter are sure to attract songbirds. Provide American Gold Rush Rudbeckia with a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Add this easy to grow perennial to the garden and landscape but it is also compact and free-flowering enough to provide a summer long show as a container plant. Item# 12167

"Nothing says American like this big, bold, and beautiful native cultivar, which will make a dramatic statement in your garden come late spring. Gorgeous, golden yellow flower spikes rise up above its wide habit. This is one of the most floriferous Baptisia we offer, producing loads of brightly colored spikes for many weeks. After the blooming season, 'American Goldfinch' produces attractive round seed pods in the fall. This is the perfect specimen for filling in a large space in your garden or for mass plantings in landscapes." - Walter's Gardens. American Goldfinch Baptisia, a hybrid cultivar of our native species (a.k.a. nativar), has exceptional vigor as well as foliage that lasts through summer. These are easy and low-maintenance, deer resistant, long-lived, taprooted perennials that produce more and more flowering spikes with each passing year with some plants producing over a 100 spikes on mature plants. Considered a must for the cutflower garden as the spikes have an excellent vase life. Provide Baptisias with a full to mostly sunny site in a soil with average or better drainage and moderate fertility. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12670

The dainty white flowers of spring are soon followed by bumpy green fruits that mature to pink and then nearly to red. Once fully mature the pods split open to display the bright orange seeds inside giving it the name of Hearts-A-Burstin'. The American Strawberry bush is typically a deciduous to tardily deciduous large shrub (this selection seems to be more consistently evergreen) with green stems and dark to medium green, somewhat glossy foliage that is native to much of the eastern and central US. Excellent fall color in oranges, reds, and yellows. Images of fruit courtesy of Susan Thomas Spell. Item# 10218.

Frilly, rounded clusters of dainty white tubular flowers are borne in summer atop sturdy stems and are an excellent nectar source for a variety of smaller pollinators and garden beneficials. Savanna or Appalachian Mountainmint has nicely fragrant, medium green foliage and is considered to be one of the better Mountainmints for garden settings as it is not as prone to spreading by rhizomes. Image courtesy of North Creek Nurseries, all rights reserved. Item# 10765

2" wide rounded clusters of pink buds open to white flowers that adorn the tips of stems and are produced throughout the growing season on well-established plants. Arizona Milkweed, Asclepias angustifolia, in many regards is similar to the compact bushy habit of White Milkweed, A. perennis, and while it is from the southern Arizona desert it has done smashingly well as a container plant under average moisture conditions where it flowered and fruited throughout summer and into fall. As the specific eptithet implies, Arizona Milkweed is adorned in narrow foliage which may remain evergreen where winters are mild. Provide a full sun to partly shaded site in well-drained, average moist, fertile soils for optimum vigor and flowering. In drier sites, part shade made be optimum. This species is native to Arizona's 3 southernmost counties. A host plant for Monarch and Queen butterflies. Item# 13361

Masses of 1" wide, bluish purple daisies with a yellow-eye absolutely cover these plants for weeks in late summer and fall attracting bees and other smaller pollinators. The Aromatic Aster, Symphyotrichum oblongifolius, is a low mounding perennial that develops into a compact shrub-like plant by flowering time. Excellent fall color for the garden as well as drought tolerance and pest and disease resistance make this an excellent addition to the perennial or wildflower border as well as for additions to low maintenance landscapes. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained soil.Caterpillar host: Field Crescent, Pearl Crescent, Texan Crescent, Roadside Checkerspot, Hoffman's Checkerspot, and American Lady. Item# 10075

Large clusters of white late spring flowers produce green berries that ripen to a blue-black. The flowers attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinators and the edible fruits attract a variety of wildlife, especially birds. Arrowwood Viburnum is a vigorous growing, naturally rounded, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with rich green foliage and is tolerant of a wide range of growing conditions. Fall color includes yellows, orange, reds, and near purple. Arrowwood Viburnum makes an easy hedge, background specimen, or screen. Easy and reliable. Item# 10922

2-3" wide, yellow sunflowers are born along the tall stems in summer on this durable native perennial. The Ashy Sunflower will spread and develop into a ground covering mass of plants with age. Contrasting soft, gray green foliage. Easy, drought tolerant, and reliable even for tough locations. Use it as a mass planting for large areas or in native gardens and meadows. Native to nearly all of the eastern half of the US. Caterpillar host: Milbert's Tortoiseshells  Item#10418.

Spikes of 1" long, hooded, tubular, dark blue-violet flowers with a white bee-guide on the lower lip are produced beginning in about midspring and continuing into midsummer attracting mainly bees, occasional butterflies, and potentially hummingbirds. Barbat or Barbed Skullcap, Scutellaria barbata, is a clump-forming, herbaceous perennial growing to about 12-18" high and is cloaked in medium to deep green foliage. Provide a moist to average moist, fertile soil in a full sun to partly shaded site for optimum vigor and flowering. May reseed on exposed soils. Item# 13196

Large rounded ball-like clusters are adorned with dense rings of tubular lavender to white flowers in late spring to summer on sturdy 3-4' high stems attracting hummingbirds and Swallowtail butterflies. Beebalm ro Wild Bergamont, Monarda fistulosa, is a winter deciduous, herbaceous, native, clump forming to slowly spreading rhizomatous perennial with lightly fragrant medium green foliage. This is a relatively drought resistant low maintenance plant once fully established and we normally see it in moist but well-drained soils here in the Pineywoods. Beebalm is native throughout the US except for the western most states. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in average to well-drained, average moist soils for optimum vigor and flowering. It makes an easy addition to garden and landscape or add it to naturalized settings like meadows, prairies, and roadside plantings. Item# 10484

Large clusters of deep burgundy berries whorl around the arching stems of this Mexican Beautyberry and last through much of winter or until the birds find them sweet enough to enjoy. In all other regards Callicarpa acuminata very much resembles our native American Beautyberry, Callicarpa americana, though it may be slightly shorter in habit. The Black Beautyberry flowers and fruits on new wood. Item# 11380

Available again for 2024! Drooping spike-like clusters composed of numerous, lightly fragrant, small white flowers are produced in spring and are followed by small, 1/4-1/3" diameter red cherries that ripen to black and are consumed by a wide variety of birds and small mammals. The Black Cherry Tree, Prunus serotina, is a moderately fast growing, medium to large, deciduous native tree found throughout much of the eastern, central, and southwestern US as well as into Canada, Mexico, and into Central America. Its medium green serrated foliage is a caterpillar host for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and Viceroy butterflies as well as a variety of moths. The Black Cherry fairly consistently produces good yellow to red fall color even here in zone 8B in southwestern Louisiana and the white and gray winter bark adds to its interest. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in well-drained, average moist, fertile soils for optimum growth and vigor. Item# 10469

The dark purple to deep burgundy foliage nearly black foliage of this sturdy perennial is topped by spikes of sweetly contrasting purple to lilac flowers in mid to late spring. Flowers attract native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Blackbeard Penstemon or Beardtongue is hybrid selection of our native species (Penstemon species are found native only in North America) whose intensely colored foliage is sure to provide wonderful contrast with surrounding perennials in the garden and landscape or use it as a specimen in containers. Provide a full to mostly sunny location for the darkest foliage coloration and a well-drained, average moist soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Blackbeard Penstemon was selected not only for its foliage color but also for its compact habit and flower power. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 11904

The 2-3" wide dark eyed daisies are composed of deep golden yellow rays that surround the dark brown to black cones are produced in late spring to summer (depending on your zone). The flowers attract bees and other small pollinators and the seed heads attract songbirds. The Black-Eyed Susan is an annual - atleast in our area, biennial, to short-lived perennial with dark green hairy foliage that adorns well-branched plants and each plant can produce 20-30 or more flowers. This is a widespread species found along roadsides, meadows and prairies, savannas, and in open Longleaf Pine forests mainly in soils with average or better drainage. The Black-Eyed Susan is a common addition to seedmixes and readily reseeds on exposed soils, although it is not an aggressive species. Item# 11725

One of the hottest new native grasses on the market! Blackhawks Big Bluestem starts off in spring as a deep green clump of upright to arching blades that may be tipped with red to purple. It is in late summer when the real show begins with the upright and arching foliage and flowering stems of August deepen to red to red-purple and further deepening and intensifying as the cooler fall weather arrives becoming nearly all black as its sturdy and showy flowering stems begin to mature. Blackhawks Big Bluestem is a slightly more compact plant reaching about 4-5' high when in flower. The species is native throughout much of the eastern 2/3's of the US and is a clumping to slowly spreading rhizomatous grass whose seeds are utilized by a number of seed eating birds. Provide a full to mostly sunny site with an average to well-drained, acidic soil for the deepest foliage colors and optimum vigor. Plants are in their best form when grown in a low fertility soil. Overly fertile soils can cause them to topple at maturity.Caterpillars: Arogos Skipper and Delaware Skipper. Images courtesy of Brent Horvath, Intrinsic Perennials, all rights reserved. Item# 12169

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Clusters of 2" long, orange-red, tubular, trumpet-shaped flowers with an orange throats are produced beginning in early spring with and just before the arrival of the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds and may continue sporadically until fall on mature plantings. Blanche Sandman Coral Honeysuckle, a disease resistant and free-flowering selection of the southeastern native Lonicera sempervirens, is an easy, undemanding, non-invasive, semi-evergreen to deciduous twining vine that works well on fences, trellises, and arbors. Clusters of bright clear red, 1/4" diameter, songbird friendly berries are produced after flowering and can be removed to promote new growth and additional flowering. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a fertile, well-drained, average moist soil for optimum vigor and continuous flowering. Coral Honeysuckle is one of our top recommended vines for attracting hummingbirds who greedily guard the plants from interlopers. Caterpillar host: Chalcedon Checkerspot. Item# 12662

Sturdy spikes of brilliant blue to lavender-blue, two-lipped flowers are borne for an exceptionally long period in late summer and into fall on this hardy, native, clump-forming perennial. Suitable for consistently moist to wet soils. The Blue Cardinal Flower is enjoyed by hummingbirds, butterflies, and an variety of other pollinators as well as making a beautiful cut flower. Images courtesy of North Creek Nurseries. Item# 10159.

Large, 3-4", blue, cornflower-like daisies are born in summer on this durable and reliable US native perennial. Stoke's Aster comes highly recommended and its easy to see why with moderate drought resistance, few pest or disease problems, deer and rabbit resistance and it revels in the heat and sun of our southern summers. Plants readily multiply into dense clumps. Super easy and tough. Item# 1212.

Flat topped clusters of bluish-purple Ageratum-like flowers are born atop sturdy stems in summer and sometimes into fall. Blue Mistflower is a rhizomatous colonizing native perennial that may be best suited to naturalistic settings or among larger growing plants as a tall groundcover. Excellent for pollinators, particularly native bees. Item# 10458