2-3'H Perennials

The dark colored nearly black spikes and calyxes provide a dark contrast to the brilliant glowing red two-lipped tubular flowers that are sure to draw hummingbirds for miles from spring to fall! Royal Bumble Salvia, a selection or hybrid of the native Littleleaf Sage, S. microphylla, is a 2015 Royal Horticulture Society Award of Garden Merit winner with excellent vigor and amazing flower power all on a compact well-branched plant. Considered by some to be the best red Salvia x jamensis/S. microphylla hybrid on the planet! Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a fertile well-draining soil for optimum vigor and flower power. In areas that experience hard freezes plant this Salvia out between early spring to midsummer to ensure winter survival. Item# 12476

3-4" wide light pink to purplish pink coneflowers with drooping narrow petals are held high above the foliage on sturdy 18-24" high stems. Flowers begin in May and may continue through August and they attract bees, butterflies, and other garden beneficials. The Sanguin Purple Coneflower is a taprooted, clump-forming native with an easy to get-along-with and tough nature. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a well-drained, average moist soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 9304

1-1/2" long, deep orange tubular flowers with lavender upper petals and exerted stamens give this cute Cuphea the 'batface' look and are produced throughout the warmer months of the year, or year round where winters are frost free. The flowers attract loads of hummingbirds and other long-tongued pollinators. This is a bushy shrub-like and herbaceous, tender perennial suitable for sunny outdoor locations and can be overwintered in bright indoor locations where not hardy. Enjoy Schumann's Cuphea as a container plant or in the garden. Provide a well-drained, moderately fertile soil for the best results. Item# 10702.

Slender upright to arching stems are topped by spikes of purple frilly starry flowers are produced in summer attracting a variety of pollinators, especially bees and butterflies. Sharp Blazing Star, Liatris acidota, is an herbaceous, often multi-stemmed, cormous, native perennial cloaked in dark green narrow foliage and growing to about 18-30" high and is found in central and western Louisiana and southeastern Texas. The soft texture and and gently arching flower spikes make this beautiful Blazing Star a perfect candidate for the perennial garden where it is sure to attract attention as well as butterflies and pollinators. Plant a grouping for the best effect. Provide a full sun to mostly sunny site in an average moist soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 9865

Medium to deep blue falls and standards with the falls being accented by contrasting gold crests at their base are produced in early to midseason, or March to April, atop 30-36" high stems. Sinfonietta Louisiana Iris has been highly popular since its introduction and was awarded an Honorable Mention in 1990 and the Award of Garden Merit in 1992 by the American Iris Society. Louisiana Irises are easy and adaptable, rhizomatous perennials with fans of deep green sword-like foliage and seem as at home in standing water as they do in average moist garden soils. Remember that these plants do most of their growing in fall and winter and so this is when they should be fed and fall is also a great time to divide plants if desired. Provide a full to mostly sunny site for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 13339

The long, cascading spikes composed of hundreds of golden yellow flowers are produced in late summer and fall attracting a variety of pollinators and an especially important for native bee species. Solar Cascade Short's Goldenrod, a Cincinnati Zoo Botanical Garden selection of Solidago shortii as part of the Endangered Plant Program, is a well-behaved, clump forming, or short thizomatous, upright to arching perennial that is tolerant of calcareous soils, has good deer and drought resistance, and is self-sterile. By being self-sterile, if it is the only goldenrod species flowering at that time then any seed produced should not be viable. Use this easy to grow native perennial in naturalistic settings and in mixed perennial gardens and landscapes. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a well-drained, average moist to periodically dry soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Images courtesy of Cincinnati Zoo Botanic Gardens, all rights reserved. Item# 12874

Dense spikes of rosy pink tubular flowers are produced in late summer and fall atop sturdy stems attracting butterflies, larger bees, and hummingbirds. The Southern Fall Obedient Plant, Physostegia virginiana ssp. praemorsa, is a clump forming species of Physostegia, whereas most species spread via long rhizomes, this one is a much more mannerly native perennial better suited to garden culture. It will slowly multiply developing into a dense clump of foliage and flowering stems. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a wet to moist to average moist, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 12752

A low growing, clump forming to slowly spreading perennial the Southern Prairie Aster produces 1" wide, medium purple to lighter pinkish purple daisies with a yellow eye atop sturdy upright to arching stems beginning in late summer and lasting into fall. This is another Aster that is native to sandy dryer upland soils and so is somewhat drought resistant once well-established. Excellent for native pollinators.Caterpillar host: Field Crescent, Pearl Crescent, Texan Crescent, Roadside Checkerspot, Hoffman's Checkerspot, and American Lady.  Item# 10694.

A 1958 Monrovia introduction, Spreading Sunset Lantana produces rounded clusters of nectar rich flowers that open yellow and fade through shades of orange to near red creating an overall orange effect. This a trailing Lantana that lends itself to use as a groundcover in the garden or landscape or as a spiller from large containers. The flowers attract a variety of pollinators especially butterflies and bees. Provide a full to mostly sunny position for the best results. Item# 11048

The rounded clusters of flowers open a bright golden yellow and mature through bright pumpkin orange and finally into deep red tones all the while attracting a wide variety of pollinators with their nectar reward from spring until fall. Star Landing Lantana was selected for its low mounding habit, excellent flower power, vigor and reliable zone 7B cold hardiness. Use it as a groundcover in the garden and landscape for traffic stopping color throughout the growing season as well as for low-maintenance container specimens. When planted alone it is reported to produce almost no seed. Provide a full sun to partly shaded site in an average moist, average to well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 12886

The 2-3" wide yellow sunflower-like blossoms are held on 2-3'H branching sturdy stems with flowering beginning as early as late winter or early spring and often continuing into fall. The flowers attract a variety of pollinators including bees, butterflies, and flower flies. Starry Rosinweed, Silphium asteriscus, is a tough and easy, rosette forming, native perennial that is fairly adaptable to growing conditions from full sun to part shade. It is a common component of Longleaf Pine ecosystems as well as the Cajun Prairie. Makes an easy addition to roadside plantings, prairies and meadows but is well behaved enough and floriferous enough to enjoy a spot at the back of the flower garden or for low maintenance naturalistic landscapes. Moderately drought resistant once fully established and seems to prefer soils with average or better drainage. Item# 9585

6" wide rounded clusters of 1" wide deep blue-purple to dark purple trumpet shaped flowers are produced atop sturdy 3' high stalks in summer that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Though recent competition has increased when it comes to reliably cold hardy Agapanthus cultivars, Storm Cloud is still considered to be one of the most reliable, naturally winter dormant cultivars but it will benefit from a breathable mulch in any area that experiences freezing temperatures for extended periods. Somewhat drought resistant once well-established but generally prefers an average moist, fertile, well-drained soil in a full to mostly sunny site. Deer and rabbit resistant and moderately salt tolerant. Makes an easy and low maintenance container plant where not hardy. Item# 1144

The large 7-8" wide white to light pink flowers are centered by a deep red eye that radiates outward along the veins of the petals and the light colored petals darken slightly at the outer edges and are a standout against the darkly contrasting deep maroon foliage. SUMMERIFIC® Perfect Storm Perennial Hibiscus flowers throughout summer and is an indeterminate type meaning that they flower all up and down the stems instead of just on the upper half of the plants creating a knockout display in the garden and landscape. It matures to about 3' high and spreads out to 4-5' wide at maturity. Provide a full to mostly sunny location in moist to average moist to wet, moderately fertile soils. Catepillar host: Gray hairstreak. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12192

Medium to large pyramidal clusters of golden yellow flowers are produced in summer and fall attracting a myriad of mainly smaller pollinators with special importance to native bees. Sweet Goldenrod, Solidago odora, is an upright growing, clump-forming, herbaceous, native perennial adorned in anise-scented, deep green, glossy, narrow foliage and the single to multistemmed plants grow to about 2-4' high and 1-2' wide. The flowers and foliage, fresh or dried, is often used to make a very nice herbal tea, as a mild spice in cooking, and could certainly be used in potpourris as well (Bonnie fell in love with the fragrance of the dried seed heads!). The strong fragrance makes them unlikely to be browsed by deer or rabbits. Use Sweet Goldenrod in a sunny perennial border, herb garden, or allow it to naturalize in meadows, prairies, and roadside plantings. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, acidic soil with good drainage, but otherwise plants are fairly adaptable. Item# 10684

Texas Ironweed produces clusters of rich purple, to pinkish purple, frilly flowers in summer atop fairly sturdy upright stems. This one of the smaller growing Ironweeds and can be somewhat rhizomatous but does not appear to aggressive. This is tough little drought resistant perennial that is excellent for pollinators common to well-drained soils. Texas Ironweed is shade tolerant but will perform best when grown in full sun in well-drained soils. Item# 10671.

Large rounded to elongated, pine-cone-like clusters are composed of deep coral pink to near fuchsia, slightly arching, 2" long tubular flowers that are produced throughout the growing season attracting a variety of pollinators but especially hummingbirds. Thelma's Pink Justicia is a naturally evergreen, shrubby tropical cloaked in large, deep green foliage with a reddish reverse with plants typically growing to about 18-24" high and 12-18" wide but can potentially reach about 3-4'H x 2'W. The Jacobinias or Brazilian Plumes are easy care, heat and shade loving plants that are well suited to container culture but can also be added to a shady garden setting for summer color. Provide a well-drained, average moist, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Caterpillar host: White Peacock and Malachite. Item# 675

Clusters of 6-8" wide night fragrant white flowers with long thin narrow petals and a wavy circular hymen are borne in summer atop the sturdy 2-3' high stems of this heirloom garden favorite. Tropical Giant Spider Lily is a vigorous clump forming, evergreen (to deciduous where freezes occur) bulbous perennial with large glossy medium green sword-shaped upright to arching foliage that readily multiplies into a dense clump of foliage and flowers. It makes an easy and low maintenance addition to the garden or landscape as well as an easy and forgiving container specimen plant. The lush, large sword-like, rich green upright to arching foliage is attractive even when the plant is not in flower. We ship large established plants growing in their own soil and container. Item# 1239

Worth growing just for its randomly variegated bright white and green variegated foliage that is a standout in the garden. The sleepy, deep red 1" blooms glow like Christmas lights against the white and green foliage. Super easy to grow and care for and your Hummingbirds and Butterflies will show their appreciation for this attractive plant as well. Caterpillar host: Glassy Winged Skipper. This selection does show solid green new growth from time to time which should be pruned away. Item# 712.

Dense flattened clusters of dainty white tubular flowers top the narrow blue-green to green fragrant foliage in summer. The small nectar rich flowers of Virginia Mountain Mint, Pycnanthemum virginianum, attract a wide variety of pollinators, and are especially important to native bees. This is a rhizomatous native perennial that will readily spread especially in moist soils. It is native mainly to the northcentral and northeastern US and is typically found in moist soils but can tolerate drier sites where it is less likely to spread aggressively. Virginia Mountain Mint is tolerant of a wide variety of soil types from clay, to sandy, to rocky as well as calcareous soils. Item# 12355