Songbird Plants

Spikes of 1/2" long, tubular, two-lipped, deep azure blue flowers have a contrasting bright white bee-guide and throat are produced in late spring or early summer and continue into fall atop the tall wispy stems. The nectar rich flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Bog Sage, Salvia uliginosa, is a rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial producing a multitude of tall thin wiry stems that can reach 5-6' high in rich fertile moist soils but tends to remain shorter, 3-4' high or so, under average moist garden conditions, which it can tolerate quite well, despite its name, once fully established. it tends to be more restrained under drier conditions as well. Its long flowering season and ease of care have garnered Bog Sage the RHS Award of Garden Merit. It can tolerate full sun in the cooler portions of its range but may be at its best where it receives a little midday shade in areas with hot summer climates. Item# 12906

A continuous display of brown-eyed golden-rayed daisy-like flowers are produced from early to midsummer into fall on well-branched plants with deep bronzy green hairy foliage. The Brown-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia triloba, is very similar in all regards to the wild forms of the Black-Eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta, and it begins flowering about the time that the latter species is finished for the year. This biennial to short-lived perennial is a heat tolerant, sun-loving, deer and rabbit resistant native well-suited to both the garden and landscape as well as in naturalistic settings like prairies, meadows, and roadside plantings. It readily reseeds on exposed soils but is not aggressive or difficult to control. It prefers a full to mostly sunny position in well-drained, average moist to semi-dry soils. The flowers of the Brown-Eyed Susan offer pollen and nectar to bees, smaller butterflies, and other garden beneficials. The seeds offer food for songbirds and small mammals. Item# 11980

New in 2022 and a breakthrough color! Dense spikes of dark wine purple pea-like flowers that are accented by a contrasting primrose yellow keel are held above the mound of deep green foliage. Flowers are produced in late spring to early summer and attract mainly bees. Burgundy Blast Baptisia or False Indigo, a hybrid cultivar of US native species (a.k.a. nativar), with good vigor and deep green foliage growing to about 3' x 3'. 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# 12893

Ray petals in shades of bright yellow leaning into orange hues surround the dark cones tipped in golden yellow composing the 3-4" wide flowers that are perched atop 18" high stems and are produced over an extended period in summer. Butterfly™ Golden Skipper Coneflower is a hybrid Coneflower selected for its exceptionally long flowering season that lasts from mid to late spring into fall, briliant color, large flowers, excellent branching habit meaning more flowers, good resistance to leaf spot diseases, as well as its perennial reliability as a garden plant. Coneflowers are clump forming perennials whose often fragrant flowers are adored by butterflies, bees, and other pollinators that can be enjoyed as part of the sunny garden garden and landscape as well as container specimens. Leave seedheads for fall and winter songbirds to enjoy. Removal of spent flowers may help to prolong the flowering season. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Photos courtesy of AB-Cultivars, all rights reserved. Item# 13050

One of the top ten performers in 2020 Echinacea trials at Mt. Cuba Center! The ray petals emerge a deep golden orange-yellow, mature to deep-orange red, and slowyly age to a pastel pink surrounding the dark orange-tipped cones of disk flowers with overall flower size reaching 4-5" wide and are displayed on stems to 24-36"H. Butterfly™ Postman Coneflower is a hybrid Coneflower selected for its exceptionally long flowering season that lasts from mid to late spring into fall, briliant color, extra large flowers, excellent branching habit meaning more flowers, good resistance to leaf spot diseases, as well as its perennial reliability as a garden plant. Coneflowers are clump forming perennials whose often fragrant flowers are adored by butterflies, bees, and other pollinators that can be enjoyed as part of the sunny garden garden and landscape as well as container specimens. Leave seedheads for fall and winter songbirds to enjoy. The tall plants benefit from periodic deadheading to reduce the chance of the plants lodging. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Photos courtesy of AB-Cultivars, all rights reserved. Item# 12790

One of the top ten performers in 2020 Echinacea trials at Mt. Cuba Center! Fragrant! Deep purplish pink rays surround the contrasting dark orange tipped rounded cones of disk flowers on flowers that can reach 4-5" across and sit atop sturdy 24-36" high stems beginning in late spring and continuing into early fall. The ray petals lighten toward their tips as they age. Butterfly™ Purple Emperor Coneflower is a hybrid Coneflower selected for its exceptionally long flowering season that lasts from late spring or early summer often into fall, briliant color, huge flowers, excellent branching habit meaning more flowers, as well as its perennial reliability as a garden plant. Coneflowers are clump forming perennials whose often fragrant flowers are adored by butterflies, bees, and other pollinators that can be enjoyed as part of the sunny garden garden and landscape as well as container specimens. Leave seedheads for fall and winter songbirds to enjoy. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Photos courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12789

The dense, rounded, white to greenish-white, up to 1" diameter, flower clusters sit atop thick sturdy stems that emerge from a rosette of soft yucca-like foliage and are produced over an extended period in summer. Button Snakeroot, Eryngium yuccifolium, is a tough and long-lived, adaptable clump forming native perennial whose long-lasting summer flowers will attract a myriad of butterflies, bees, wasps and other pollinators to your garden. Typically found in consistently moist settings like bogs, moist savannahs, prairies, and meadows but it readily tolerates average moist garden conditions. Provide Button Snakeroot with a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist to moist soil. Item# 9260

Lightly honey scented, white to cream, tight ball-like flower clusters are produced on new growth in late spring and summer and attract an array of butterflies, bees, and other garden beneficials. The Buttonbush is a vigorous, medium-sized to large growing, deciduous shrub that does best in consistently moist soils with most of a day of sunlight. A moderate to severe annual pruning of established plants in late winter helps to promote fuller plants and the most flowers. Item# 9247.

2-3' high spikes of glowing scarlet tubular flowers are produced in late spring or summer on this US native wildflower. A rosette forming herbaceous perennial to biennial, the Red Cardinal Flower is commonly found along stream banks, marshes, and bogs and will perform well in average to wet garden soils. Attracts hummingbirds and other pollinators. Item # 1217.

Masses of bright yellow, 1" long trumpets herald the coming of spring and have a strong Jasmine-like fragrance that is produced in early evening and at night suggesting that they are pollinated by hummingbird or sphinx moths as well as by native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. *It is not a suitable nectar plant for honeybees. Carolina Yellow Jessamine, Gelsemium sempervirens, is a native, twining, evergreen to semi-evergreen vine with glossy, dark green, narrow foliage that can climb up to 20' high but is just as happy on a 6' fence or other sturdy support. It is native to the southeastern US from eastern Texas, all along the Gulf Coast, north to Virginia, as well as in the southern half of Arkansas and about 3 counties in southcentral Tennessee. Provide Carolina Jasmine with a full sun to mostly sunny site in an average to well-drained, fertile soil for optimum growth and to maximize flowering. Although, it is shade tolerant it doesn't flower as profusely. Tough and easy as well as drought, deer, and rabbit resistant. Its fragrance is enough to stop you in your tracks on an evening stroll! Item# 1208

Dense 20-28" high spikes of large, deep cherry red, almost foxglove-like flowers with a striped white throat are produced beginning in late spring and can continue into fall if periodically deadheaded. The flowers attract bees, hummingbirds, and even butterflies. CHA CHA™ Cherry Penstemon, a complex hybrid of native Penstemon species, is a clump forming perennial with glossy deep green narrow foliage selected for its denser flower spikes and more compact habit that lends it to use as a low maintenance container plant as well as in the garden and landscape. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Photos courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc., www.terranovanurseries.com, all rights reserved. Item# 12860

Dense 20-28" high spikes of large, traffic-stopping dayglow pink, almost foxglove-like flowers with a striped white throat are produced beginning in late spring and can continue into fall if periodically deadheaded. The flowers attract bees, hummingbirds, and even butterflies. CHA CHA™ Hot Pink Penstemon, a complex hybrid of native Penstemon species, is a clump forming perennial with glossy deep green narrow foliage selected for its denser flower spikes and more compact habit that lends it to use as a low maintenance container plant as well as in the garden and landscape. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Photos courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc., www.terranovanurseries.com, all rights reserved. Item# 12859

Dense 18-24" high spikes of large wine-purple, almost foxglove-like flowers with a striped white throat are produced beginning in late spring and can continue into fall if periodically deadheaded. The flowers attract bees, hummingbirds, and even butterflies. CHA CHA™ Purple Penstemon, a complex hybrid of native Penstemon species, is a clump forming perennial with glossy deep green narrow foliage selected for its denser flower spikes and more compact habit that lends it to use as a low maintenance container plant as well as in the garden and landscape. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Photos courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc., www.terranovanurseries.com, all rights reserved. Item# 12857

2013 AAS Perennial of the Year! This award winning seed grown Purple Cone Flower produces 3-4" wide daisies in brilliant colors ranging from red, orange, yellow, pink, purple, and cream. Sturdy and winter hardy compact plants with excellent flower power. The Purple Coneflower is an excellent plant for pollinators with its nectar rich flowers. Provide ample sunlight and good drainage. Flowers the first year! Image courtesy of Kieft Seed. Item# 10525.

A small native tree or large thicket forming, suckering shrub which is covered with lightly fragrant white flowers in late winter or early spring before the leaves emerge and are followed by about 1" diameter or slightly larger red to yellow fruit. The Chickasaw Plum, Prunus angustifolia, is widely distributed throughout the south central and southeastern portion of the US and is typically found on well-draining sandy sites although it is considered to be fairly adaptable even in clay soils. Fruit quality varies from tree to tree with some fruits being tart to sweet while that on other trees may be bitter and typically ripens in early to midsummer. The dense growing canopy offers protection to nesting birds, the flowers attract a variety of pollinators especially bees, and the fruit can be eaten fresh or made into preserves or jelly. Provide this deciduous native with a full to mostly sunny site, with average or better drainage, and an average moist soil. Item# 1097

Considered by many to be the best of the Mountain Mints, Clustered Mountain Mint produces an abundance of tiny whitish tubular blooms touched with purple or lavender in tight clusters held above the attractive bluish white bracts. The bracts are probably more showy than the flowers but the flowers attract loads of pollinators including bees and small butterflies. The foliage is wonderfully fragrant and can be used in teas and cooking. This is a durable and slowly spreading native perennial that flowers throughout the summer months. Item# 10029.

The 3" wide, cornflower-like daisies open white, slowly work their way through shades of lavender, and finally deepen to a violet blue creating a rainbow of cool-colored flowers even on the same flower stalk. Colorwheel Stokesia is just as tough and reliable as its brethren creating a mound of foliage on a durable and dense clump forming native perennial. Stokesia Daisy is one of those plant it and forget it perennials, once they become established in nearly any garden or landscape they require almost no additional care. Image courtesy of North Creek Nurseries. Item# 10928.

Small clusters of large 4-petaled sunny yellow flowers are lightly fragrant and open in the evening to attract pollinating moths and may last until about noon the following day when they attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Ripe seeds are utilized by songbirds. Common Evening Primrose is a tall growing tap-rooted native biennial species found throughout most of the lower 48 states and into Canada. It is common in disturbed areas, meadows and prairies. The first year it produces a rosette of foliage and the second year it shoots up to 3-6' high and begins flowering in summer and may continue into fall under good conditions. The Common Evening Primrose will readily reseed on exposed soils. It is a good addition to naturilized areas or add it to the Moon Moth Garden. Item# 11761

3-4" wide, yellow,  sunflower-like flowers are born on 4-8'H+ sturdy stems over an extended period in summer on this durable, native, clump-forming, tap-rooted perennial. The dark green, deeply dissected foliage of the Compass Plant was used as a compass as the large leaves generally point north and south. Attracts butterflies and other pollinators. Item# 10309.

Beautiful deep red to coral, yellow throated tubular blooms are born from spring to fall. Attracts hummingbirds and occasional butterflies. Its tame habit and long blooming season make this manageable Honeysuckle an choice for covering a fence, arbor or trellis.  Item# 1171.