Songbird Plants

The spring and summer clumps of yellow-green foliage are accented with and tipped with red and in late summer tall, 4-1/2-5-1/2' high, sturdy spikes of decorative reddish seed heads are produced. As fall approaches the foliage becomes red and then deepens into fiery scarlet. Dancing Wind Big Bluestem, a selection of Andropogon gerardii, has a slightly shorter, sturdier upright habit than the species with excellent fall color. 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. Caterpillars: Arogos Skipper and Delaware Skipper. Photos courtesy of Brent Horvath, Intrisic Perennial Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12852

An exceptionally free flowering form of our native Coral Honeysuckle producing a nearly continuous display of red tubular blooms with a yellow throat. Dan's Everblooming Coral Honeysuckle begins flowering in late winter and early spring and lasts through fall on established plants. This variety may produce a few flowers throughout winter even in zone 8B. Caterpillar host: Chalcedon Checkerspot. Item# 9729.

Deep wine-red foliage provides a wonderful foil for the tall sturdy spikes of light pink tubular flowers in late spring and early summer attracting bees, hummingbirds, and the occassional butterfly. Dark Towers Penstemon, an offspring of Penstemon digitalis, was developed by Dale Lindgren at the University of Nebraska from his original selection of Husker Red. Dark Towers has darker foliage that keeps its color better through summer and it has pink flowers versus white on Husker Red. Provide this easy to grow clump forming perennial, a nativar (a cultivar from native species), with a moist to average moist, well-drained, fertile soil in a full to mostly sunny location for optimum vigor, flowering, and for the deepest foliage colors. Pair Dark Towers Penstemon with chartreuse foliaged plants for a wonderful contrast. Images courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12469

A profusion of golden orange-yellow dark eyed daisies are produced in mid to late summer and into fall atop tall sturdy stems and attract a myriad of smaller pollinators and garden beneficials. Deam's Black-Eyed Susan, Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii, is different from Goldstrum by having a clump forming habit, slightly larger flowers, and overall taller plants with better resistance to powdery mildew. Its reliability has garnered this US native perennial the coveted RHS Award of Garden Merit. Provide Deam's Black-Eyed Susan with a full to mostly sunny site in average to well-drained soils. Songbirds enjoy the ripe seed heads and it may reseed under good conditions on exposed soils making it a good addition to cottage gardens, meadows, prairies, and other naturalistic and informal settings. Images courtesy of North Creek Nurseries, all rights reserved. Item# 12115

"An unusually beautiful and unique flower color as well as densely branched foliage set this new variety apart. Deep maroon buds open to bicolor maroon and yellow flowers held on strong scapes above the blue-green foliage in late spring to early summer. Secondary branching on the flower stems makes this variety especially floriferous. As the flowers age, they turn gold." - Walter's Gardens, Inc. DECADENCE® Cherries Jubilee Baptisia, a hybrid cultivar of our native species (a.k.a. nativar), has a slightly more compact habit than the others in this series as well as foliage that lasts through summer. It was selected as one of the top ten in the 2012-15 Baptisia Trials at Mount Cuba Center and is reported to produce over 270 flowering stems on mature plants! These are easy and low-maintenance, deer resistant, long-lived, taprooted perennials that produce more and more flowering spikes with each passing year. 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# 12665

The tall flower spikes are adorned with deep blue to blue-purple, pea-like flowers that are produced in summer and are held above the dense mounds of lush green foliage. The flowers attract a variety of bee species. DECADENCE® Periwinkle Popsicle Baptisia or False Indigo, a hybrid cultivar of our native species (a.k.a. nativar), has excellent vigor and a neat vase-shaped habit topping out at about 4 to 4-1/2 feet high and 3 to 3-1/2 feet wide. This large growing cultivar begins flowering after most cultivars have finished for the season. 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# 13144

The dwarf form of it's much larger cousin and native to the sandy and sandy loam soils of much of the southeast US. The Dwarf Pawpaw produces 3-5" green-yellow elongated fruit that eventually turn brown to nearly black when ripe. It is reported to have a banana custard-like flavor, some say that fully ripe fruit of the Dwarf Pawpaw is equal to the Pawpaw, while others firmly disagree. Produces small maroon to greenish flowers flowers in spring. A small to medium-sized, spreading to upright, moderately slow growing, native deciduous shrub. A caterpillar host plant of the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly. Seedling grown. Plant two for pollination. Item# 10232.

Another excellent native shrub for the landscape! The dense neat mound of deep green glossy foliage and red tinged stems is topped by clusters of white flowers in spring which make way to red berries ripening through purple and finally black. The flowers attract a variety of pollinators and the fruit attract songbirds and smaller fructivores. Walter's Dwarf Viburnum, Viburnum obovatum 'Densa', is a compact, densly branching selection of this southeastern native. This shrub's dense habit lends it to use anywhere a small to medium-sized shrub is desired in the landscape. It is generally evergreen into zone 8A and tends to be deciduous to semi-evergreen in zones 6 and 7. Use this tough native shrub in place of Dwarf Yaupon, Indian Hawthorne, or anywhere a medium-sized, disease resistant, low maintenance shrub or hedge is desired. Provide a full sun to part shade site in an average to well-drained soil for optimum vigor. Images shown are an example of what to expect with this cultivar but are of the common Walter's Viburnum, Viburnum obovatum. Item# 12731

An RHS Award of Garden Merit selection. Grown mainly as a tough and disease resistant evergreen hedge adorned with a cloak of deep bluish-green to gray-green foliage with a contrasting silvery reverse but this is also an excellent shrub for fruit production for home use or leave it for the songbirds. Ebbinge's Silverberry is a hybrid Elaeagnus that is prized for its toughness and fast rate of growth as a hedge or screen. It can be maintained as small as 3'H x 3'W but is more commonly maintained at 5-6'H x 5-6'W or allow it to grow to its 10-15'H x 10-15'W naturally rounded mature size. In fall it produces fragrant but not very showy greenish to cream colored, 1" long tubular flowers that ripen in spring into 1" long cylindrical red fruit flecked with silver and with a large seed that is also edible excluding its woody exterior. The fruit is astringent and tart if eaten before being fully soft, deep red, and ripe at which point it makes a wonderful jelly similar to mayhaw or crabapple. Songbirds and small mammals are happy to assist with collection of the ripe fruit. Deer, salt, and drought resistant once well-established requiring mainly good drainage in a full sun to partially shade site for optimum vigor and growth. Considered to be nitrogen fixing. Item# 10695

A low growing member of the Verbena family, Frogfruit makes a beautiful, easy groundcover that is covered by tiny heads of dainty, nectar filled white flowers from late spring to fall. They enjoy moist soils but are moderately drought resistant once well established. A food source for the Common Buckeye, Phaon Crescent, and White Peacock butterfly caterpillars as well as a nectar source for a host of pollinators. This species, Phyla nodiflora var. nodiflora, is native to every continent except Antarctica. It is important not to mow/prune until flowering is complete. Frogfruit is being more widely used as a lawn grass replacement option. Item# 10524

Large clusters of dense frilly purple flowers are borne from mid-summer to fall on this tall vigorous native perennial. An excellent choice for the back of the border where the butterflies and bees can enjoy it. Commonly found in moist clay soils but will do fine in average garden soils. Item# 9257.

A nearly continuous display of dark-eyed 3-4" wide dark golden yellow daisies are held above the rosettes of deep green foliage throughout summer attracting bees and a variety of other garden beneficials. Glitters Like Gold Black-Eyed Susan is a hybrid Rudbeckia boasting improved vigor, longer flowering, and resistance to leaf spot as compared to the longtime favorite Goldstrum. This easy sunloving clump-forming perennial grows to 30-36"H x 18"W and the ripened seedheads provide fodder for songbirds in fall and winter. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in average to well-drained soils with average moisture and fertility. Item# 12284

Golden Alexanders ( zizea aurea) produces flat topped clusters of tiny yellow flowers atop tall 2-3' high stems in spring atop the rosette of glossy lobed foliage. This is a member of the carrot family, Apiaceae previously Umbelliferaceae, and is a host of the Black Swallowtail butterfly caterpillar. A native clump forming perennial, Golden Alexanders, Zizia aurea, is found throughout the central and eastern US. It is commonly found in moist woodlands, roadsides, meadows, and prairies. The flowers attract a variety of smaller pollinators including bees and butterflies. The ripened seed heads are utilized by songbirds. Item# 11774

The tall dense spikes of golden yellow flowers and seedheads are held well above the fountaining clump of wide olive green foliage on sturdy 6' high stems beginning in early August and are showy throughout winter. Golden Sunset® Yellow Indiangrass, a University of Minnesota selection of Sorghastrum nutans,  was selected for its early flowering, sturdy stems that do not fall over or lodge and last through winter, as well as for its reliable zone 3 cold hardiness. it has received high marks in trials and has been in development for about 15 years. This is a wonderful refinement for this showy native grass making it a useful addition to both formal and informal garden and landscape settings. The seed heads provide fodder for songbirds and other wildlife and the foliage is utilized by the Pepper-and-Salt Skipper butterfly as a caterpillar host plant. Provide a full to mostly sunny site optimally in a well-drained loamy soil with average moisture but the plants are fairly adaptable to soil types and are drought resistant once fully established. When not in 'flower' the grass itself is about 3' x 3'. Plants may top out at about 4-5' high the first two years of establishment. Images courtesy of the University of Minnesota. Item# 12850

A profusion of dark-eyed golden yellow, 3-5'', daisies are held above the tidy rosette of foliage throughout summer. A reliable, tough, and deservedly award winning clump forming perennial. Excellent for butterflies and the birds will enjoy the seedheads in winter. Item# 9155.

Airy, wispy, fragrant, tan and pink, conicle panicles are held atop the mounds of deep green foliage in late summer with the plants taking on red tones in fall and lightening to beige for winter. Gone With The Wind Prairie Dropseed, a selection of our native Sporobolus heterolepis, is a tough, herbaceous, medium-sized, clump forming, perennial grass with a slightly more compact size than the typical species and growing to about 36-40" high and 24-30" wide. The flowers are reported to have a fragrance reminiscent of coriander. It is deer and drought resistant and is tolerant of sandy and rocky dry soils but will grow in most soils, including clay, that have good drainage. Prairie Dropseed typically does not reseed in garden and landscape settings. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained soil for optimum growth and vigor. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 13301

The tall dusky flower spikes are adorned with grape juice purple buds that open to display the deep magenta, pea-like flowers with a starkly contrasting creamy to yellow keel and are produced in summer held above the dense mounds of lush green foliage. The flowers attract a variety of bee species. Grape Escape Baptisia or False Indigo, a hybrid cultivar of our native species (a.k.a. nativar), replaces the older Grape Taffy and boasts deeper richer colors, heavier flowering and vigor. Grape Escape grows to about 4' high and nearly as wide with a neat vase shaped habit. Baptisia or False Indigo 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# 13145

Dense spikes of pea-like blossoms that are exceptionally dark purple with a hint of red are accented by contrasting primrose yellow keels and are held above the tidy mounds of gray-green foliage. Flowers are produced in late spring to early summer and attract mainly bees. Grape Taffy Baptisia or False Indigo, a hybrid cultivar of US native species (a.k.a. nativar), is one of the most compact in this category growing to just 24-30"H x 30-36"W. Its compact habit lends it to use in both smaller garden settings as well as in containers. Baptisias 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 them 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# 12894

The huge, to 6", golden, daisy-like blooms with tall dark brown cones or eyes are held on tall sturdy stems which can grow to 7' or more! A tough and hardy, native perennial. Great for pollinators. The large attractive soft, blue-green foliage makes a nice garden accent and is at its prime in winter and spring. Selected as 2019 Missouri Botanic Gardens Plant of Merit selection. Item# 1152

Flat topped clusters of bluish-purple Ageratum-like flowers are borne atop short sturdy stems that are adorned with finely cut and softly textured, medium green foliage. The flowers attract loads of butterflies as well as other pollinators and Gregg's Mist Flower flowers most heavily beginning in late summer and lasting through fall. Its rhizomatous though non-aggressive nature makes this durable and drought resistant perennial an excellent addition to the garden where it can be utilized as a groundcover as well as in naturalistic settings. It does seem to prefer a little midday and afternoon shade, especially in the hottest summer climates and in dryer settings. Caterpillar host: Rawson's Metalmark. Item# 10811.

Steel blue spring and summer foliage is topped by nicely contrasting tan colored airy panicles in late summer and fall. In fall the foliage changes to yellow and finally beige creating winter interest and providing food, habitat, and nesting material for a variety of birds and other fauna. Gunsmoke is a selection of our native Switchgrass, Panicum virgatum, with an initially upright to vase shaped habit becoming rounded once flowering begins. This is a naturally clump-forming herbaceous perennial that is found throughout much of the US and into Canada, except for the westernmost states, and is a major component of the Tall Grass Prairies. Switchgrass was also used by native Americans to build long-lasting, rain resistant shelters. The foliage is a larval host to the Delaware Skipper, Arogos Skipper, Tawny Edged Skipper, Northern Pearly Eye, and Dotted Skippers. Adaptable to a wide variety of soil types and moisture regimes. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12305