Rebecca Violet is a sweet, spring-blooming native that brings soft color to shaded spots and woodland edges right when the garden is most ready for it. Native to the woodlands of eastern North America, it settles easily into partial shade with regular moisture and spreads gradually to form a tidy groundcover of heart-shaped leaves. Soft purple flowers open in spring and are beloved by early-season butterflies, including the larvae of several fritillary species that depend on violets as a host plant. Compact and clump-forming, it tucks neatly into borders, along shaded paths, or among taller woodland companions like hostas and ferns. Deer and rabbits generally leave violets alone, and it asks for very little maintenance once it’s settled in. It’s a quietly lovely plant that earns a cherished place in any naturalistic or shade garden.

Fast-growing and hardy, Dark Green Arborvitae is a large pyramidal tree excellent for hedging, screening and accent use. The medium green foliage retains its good color over the winter. Allow this plant plenty of room to spread because it gets wide, even if trimmed! While tolerant of partial shade, it will look and perform its best with at least 6 hours of sun daily. May need protection from deer.

Lipstick Strawberry is a perennial that is typically grown for its edible qualities. It produces red heart-shaped berries which are usually ready for picking from mid spring to mid fall. This variety is considered an everbearing type of strawberry, which means that it will repeatedly produce fruit across most of the season. The berries have a sweet taste and a firm texture.

Balmy Rose Beebalm has masses of beautiful clusters of fragrant rose flowers at the ends of the stems from late spring to late summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its fragrant pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Yarrow is an easy perennial, growing in nearly any sunny situation, even where there is poor soil. Plants form low mounds of fragrant ferny foliage, with clusters of flowers appearing on upright stems in early summer. This strain gives a wide range of soft pastel shades, from white through to cream, yellow, pink, salmon, mauve and red.

Sugar And Spice Foamflower has masses of beautiful spikes of lightly-scented white bell-shaped flowers rising above the foliage from mid spring to mid summer, which emerge from distinctive pink flower buds, and which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive glossy lobed leaves remain emerald green in color with distinctive deep purple veins throughout the year. The dark red stems are very colorful and add to the overall interest of the plant.

Pale yellow buds open to creamy vanilla pea-flowers, that rise from a compact clump of gray-green foliage in late spring to early summer; use this plant for its outstanding display of vertical flowers as an accent in the garden or borders

Halo Violet is a charming, clump-forming native violet that earns a place in any partly shaded garden with its rich purple flowers and reliable repeat bloom through spring and summer. Native to the Great Lakes region, it forms a tidy mound under twelve inches tall—perfectly scaled for edging paths, filling in woodland borders, or tucking into shaded containers. The deep purple blooms are a reliable early-season nectar source for butterflies, and the foliage stays neat and fresh well into fall. It settles happily in partial shade with average moisture and tolerates the challenging root zone near black walnut trees without complaint. Deer and pests leave it largely alone, and its modest size and easy care make it one of the simplest small perennials to weave throughout a shade garden. Plant it in generous sweeps where the pure, saturated purple can read as a bold accent against lighter companions.

Pica Bella Coneflower has masses of beautiful lightly-scented rose daisy flowers with coppery-bronze eyes at the ends of the stems from mid summer to mid fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Unique maroon spikes of pea-flowers with a yellow keel rise from medium green foliage in late spring; use this plant for its outstanding display of vertical flowers as an accent in the garden or borders

Woodland Phlox is smothered in stunning lightly-scented lavender star-shaped flowers at the ends of the stems from mid to late spring. Its narrow leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Luminary® Prismatic Pink Tall Garden Phlox features bold fragrant conical pink round flowers with hot pink eyes at the ends of the stems from mid to late summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its pointy leaves remain emerald green in color throughout the season.

Jacob Cline Beebalm has masses of beautiful clusters of fragrant red flowers at the ends of the stems from mid to late summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its fragrant pointy leaves remain forest green in color throughout the season.

Chameleon Little Bluestem features airy plumes of burgundy flowers with red overtones rising above the foliage from early to late fall. Its attractive grassy leaves are green in color with prominent white stripes and tinges of rose. As an added bonus, the foliage turns gorgeous shades of burgundy and in the fall. The dark red seed heads are carried on showy plumes displayed in abundance from mid fall to early winter.

Prairie Blazing Star has masses of beautiful spikes of violet flowers rising above the foliage from mid summer to early fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its grassy leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Virginia Bluebells features dainty nodding blue bell-shaped flowers at the ends of the stems from mid to late spring, which emerge from distinctive fuchsia flower buds. Its attractive pointy leaves remain bluish-green in color throughout the season. Virginia Bluebells is an herbaceous perennial with a mounded form. This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should not require much pruning, except when necessary, such as to remove dieback. Deer don't particularly care for this plant.

Chicago Lustre Viburnum is covered in stunning creamy white flat-top flowers at the ends of the branches in late spring. The royal blue fruits are held in abundance in spectacular clusters from early to late fall. It has forest green deciduous foliage. The serrated oval leaves turn an outstanding deep purple in the fall. Native to Southern Illinois.

Mature Height: 8’ to 12’

Mature Width: 6’ to 10’

Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade

Soil: Well-drained soil

Hardiness zone: 3 - 8

A refined yet durable garden shrub featuring beautiful, threadlike golden foliage all season; creamy white flowers in spring followed by bright red berries; compact and upright habit, a reliable color accent for the garden

Lemony Lace ® Elder features showy clusters of lightly-scented creamy white flowers held atop the branches in mid spring. It has attractive gold foliage which emerges indian red in spring. The deeply cut ferny compound leaves are highly ornamental but do not develop any appreciable fall color. The red fruits are held in abundance in spectacular clusters in early fall.

Lemony Lace ® Elder is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

Compact growth habit compared to the species, ideal for smaller gardens; features fluffy plumes of lilac-pink flowers, attractive leaves and strong stems; tasty seeds for birds and nectar for butterflies

Wild Red Columbine has masses of beautiful nodding tomato-orange bell-shaped flowers with yellow eyes and orange spurs at the ends of the stems in late spring, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its lobed compound leaves remain light green in color throughout the season.

‘Perpetua’ will give you two crops of sweet and delicious blueberries! The first fruit will appear in mid-summer, and then the plant will flower and set fruit a second time in the fall. The leaves are dark green and will turn to deep reds and greens in the winter, making it a beautiful addition to any landscape.

Height: 5 feet

Spread: 5 feet

Sunlight:

Golden Alexanders is one of spring’s most welcome native perennials—a cheerful burst of flat-topped, bright yellow flower clusters that lights up partial shade at a time when the garden is still waking up. Native to the woodland edges and moist meadows of the eastern United States, it grows reliably in part sun with average moisture, forming neat, upright clumps reaching about two feet tall. It serves as a host plant for the Black Swallowtail butterfly and draws a parade of early-emerging pollinators just when they need the foraging most. In fall, the foliage turns warm golden-yellow before winter, extending its season of interest well past the initial spring display. Deer and rabbits tend to pass it by, and it handles the challenging soil conditions near black walnut trees without complaint. Tuck it into a woodland edge, naturalized border, or rain garden where its early, bright color can be fully appreciated.

Winky Purple and White Columbine features showy nodding purple bell-shaped flowers with blue overtones and white centers at the ends of the stems from late spring to early summer, which emerge from distinctive deep purple flower buds. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its lobed compound leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Foxglove Beardtongue has masses of beautiful spikes of lavender tubular flowers rising above the foliage from mid spring to early summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its glossy narrow leaves remain green in color throughout the season. The deep purple stems are very colorful and add to the overall interest of the plant.

Cheyenne Spirit Coneflower has masses of beautiful lightly-scented orange daisy flowers with red overtones and coppery-bronze eyes at the ends of the stems from mid summer to mid fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the season.