Huron Gray Dogwood is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its ornamental globe-shaped form. It is smothered in stunning clusters of creamy white flowers at the ends of the branches from late spring to early summer. It has grayish green deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves turn an outstanding burgundy in the fall.

Vivid amethyst colored flowers dot the lovely green foliage; tolerates hot dry sites; good for the near front of a border

White Blazing Star has masses of beautiful spikes of white 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.

Big Bluestem, a native grass of the Midwestern prairie, has been rediscovered as a useful and beautiful landscape plant. Drought tolerant and easy to maintain, it is a natural choice for prairie, meadow and naturalistic plantings. But, Andropogon gerardii is also great as a background or accent in mixed plantings. Big Bluestem is especially interesting when in bloom - its curiously shaped seed heads resemble upside-down turkey feet.

Royal Fern is an herbaceous perennial with a shapely form and gracefully arching foliage. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

Prairie Coneflower brings a warm, sun-drenched energy to the summer border—its clear yellow petals radiating from prominent dark cones that rise on upright stems through the heat of midsummer and on into fall. Illinois native and thoroughly at home in Midwest gardens, it thrives in full sun and lean, well-drained soil with very little supplemental water once established. Butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds work the blooms from the moment they open, and as the seed heads dry and persist into autumn, goldfinches and other songbirds flock to them. Two to three feet tall, it mixes beautifully with ornamental grasses and blue-flowered companions like salvia and amsonia, where the warm yellow makes every neighbor look better. It shrugs off deer and rabbits and tolerates even sites near black walnut trees without complaint. Mass it in a sunny border or naturalized planting for a display that rewards the garden for months on end.

Blue Shag White Pine is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its ornamental globe-shaped form. It has attractive bluish-green evergreen foliage. The needles are highly ornamental and remain bluish-green throughout the winter.

Shooting Star features dainty nodding pink recurved flowers with yellow eyes at the ends of the stems in mid spring. Its pointy leaves remain dark green in color throughout the season.

An uncommon shrub with many ornamental qualities; radiant yellow flowers in early spring before the leaves followed by showy red berries in fall, beautiful gold fall color and fragrant foliage; a shapely garden shrub, blends nicely into natural settings

Sugar Shack® Button Bush features unusual racemes of fragrant creamy white ball-shaped flowers along the branches from early to late summer, which emerge from distinctive buttery yellow flower buds. It has green foliage throughout the season. The glossy pointy leaves turn coppery-bronze in fall. The red fruits are held in clusters in mid fall. Sugar Shack is a smaller, more compact version of the native Buttonbush. Buttonbush is common and widely distributed in Illinois, often found in wet areas like swamps, bogs, and along water corridors.

Muskingum Sedge Grass is a dense clump-forming wetland sedge with striking texture. Leaves are attractive, bright green, and reminiscent of palm fronds, and prospers in shaded or partly shaded wet sites but will tolerate sun if sufficient moisture is present. Native to the Great Lakes region, Muskingum Sedge Grass makes a striking accent.

Little Bluestem Sandhill grows tall, up to four feet, with powder blue leaves that widen as they rise. It thrives in full sun and dry to average soil, showing beautiful fall colors from creamy orange to purple.

False Sunflower has masses of beautiful gold daisy flowers at the ends of the stems from early summer to mid fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its serrated oval leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

White Turtlehead has masses of beautiful white hooded flowers at the ends of the stems from late summer to mid fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its serrated pointy leaves remain dark green in color throughout the season.

Shortbeak Sedge is primarily valued in the garden for its interestingly mounded form. It features airy spikes of chartreuse flowers rising above the foliage in mid spring. Its attractive grassy leaves remain forest green in color throughout the season.

Ostrich Fern is a magnificent, large-scale native fern whose tall, gracefully arching fronds form an elegant vase shape that can reach 3 to 5 feet high and wide. The bold, shuttlecock silhouette is one of the most dramatic forms in the shade garden, creating a lush, verdant feel in moist woodland settings. As a Great Lakes native, it spreads steadily by underground runners to form impressive colonies and provides excellent cover and nesting habitat for birds. It thrives with consistent moisture and partial to full shade, with golden-yellow fall color adding seasonal interest. Deer and rabbit resistant, and notably Juglone tolerant.

Common Yarrow is covered in stunning white flat-top flowers at the ends of the stems from early to late summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive tomentose ferny leaves remain grayish green in color throughout the season.

Creeping Jacob's Ladder has masses of beautiful panicles of sky blue star-shaped flowers at the ends of the stems from mid spring to early summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. Its ferny pinnately compound leaves remain green in color throughout the season. The burgundy stems are very colorful and add to the overall interest of the plant.

Woodland Stonecrop's succulent round leaves emerge light green in spring, turning green in color the rest of the year on a plant with an upright spreading habit of growth.

Black Chokeberry features showy panicles of white flowers with brick red anthers at the ends of the branches in mid spring. It has forest green deciduous foliage. The glossy oval leaves turn an outstanding red in the fall. It produces black berries from late summer to late winter.

Common Witchhazel has fragrant yellow strap-like flowers along the branches in late fall before the leaves, which are interesting on close inspection. It has green deciduous foliage. The serrated round leaves turn an outstanding yellow in the fall.

A good durable utility shrub with bronze tinged foliage and small yellow flowers. Tolerant of adverse conditions. Bush Honeysuckle has attractive dark green foliage which emerges burgundy in spring. It has lemon yellow trumpet-shaped flowers along the branches in early summer.

Missouri evening primrose is a sprawling herbaceous perennial with multiple stems that trail along the ground. Often seen festooning the tops of bluffs and rocky road cuts. Blooms May through August. Flowers are solitary, very large (up to 4 inches wide), 4-petaled, and bright lemon yellow. Often there are many blooming at once, making this a very showy plant. The flowers last only a day, usually opening in late afternoon and staying open until the next morning. Leaves are narrow and lance-shaped.

Mature Height: Up to 12 inches

Mature Width: 24 inches

Sunlight: Full sun

Soil Conditions: Well-drained