An extremely vigorous vine, excellent for quick screening, almost invasive; highly interesting purple flowers and oddly shaped fruit, often lost in the foliage; large leaves provide good shade for pergolas or arbors. Dutchman's Pipe features unusual light green tubular flowers along the branches in mid spring. It has dark green foliage throughout the season.

Dense, glossy green foliage turns a splendid merlot color with cool winter temperatures. Clusters of delicate, bell-shaped, white summer flowers produce exceptionally large, red, ornamental berries that hold from fall through to spring. Works well as a foundation plant or groundcover. A delight in mixed holiday container plantings. Evergreen.

Starry Campion is an Illinois native perennial with lance-shaped leaves in groups of four and clusters of white, tubular flowers with flaring deeply fringed petals. This delicate wildflower is pollinated by butterflies and many kinds of moths. It is often grown in wildflower gardens.

Steeplebush has spires of showy pink flowers and beautiful foliage that turns bright gold and auburn in fall. This native forms a colony of upright, slender, wand-like plants. Plant it three feet on center to create a low hedge. Requires a moist setting and is well suited for planting along around ponds, in rain gardens, in naturalized swale or detention areas, or included in a water garden/feature.

It prefers full sun, but light shade is ok. Faded flower clusters can be removed to encourage additional bloom. It flowers on new wood, so prune in late winter to early spring if needed.

Variegated Sweet Flag Iris stands out in the spring garden with handsome cream-and-green striped foliage that looks striking even before the cheerful yellow flowers open in late spring and early summer. The bold variegation holds beautifully through the growing season, providing an architectural element that earns this iris a place even in years when it isn’t in bloom. Growing to a handsome 24 to 36 inches tall, it anchors a sunny border with upright structure and pairs well with ornamental grasses, blue-flowered companions, or other irises for a naturalistic early-season display. As a Great Lakes region native, it brings genuine ecological value and draws butterflies during its bloom period. It is reliably deer and rabbit resistant, tolerates black walnut, and adapts well to average garden soils including those that stay on the moist side. A classic iris for gardeners who want early color paired with season-long foliage interest.

A compact powerhouse packed with color. Vibrant yellow oversized blooms start in early summer, continuing through fall. As they continue to bloom, each flower develops a big, colorful, fluffy cone. Fabulous planted en masse for big late-season impact.

Canada Anemone has masses of beautiful white daisy flowers with yellow eyes at the ends of the stems from mid spring to early summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. Its deeply cut ferny leaves remain forest green in color throughout the season

Dwarf Crested Iris has masses of beautiful lavender flag-like flowers with powder blue overtones, white throats and a yellow beard at the ends of the stems in mid spring, which are most effective when planted in groupings. Its sword-like leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Joe Pye Weed has masses of beautiful plumes of lightly-scented rose flowers at the ends of the stems from late summer to late fall, which emerge from distinctive fuchsia flower buds, and which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its large serrated narrow leaves emerge dark green in spring, turning forest green in color throughout the season. The burgundy stems can be quite attractive.

Northern Bayberry is a rugged native shrub prized for the clusters of waxy, aromatic gray-blue berries that cling to branches all winter and have been used for centuries to make fragrant candles. Exceptionally adaptable, it thrives in poor, sandy, and salty soils where most shrubs struggle, making it a go-to for coastal plantings, windswept slopes, and erosion control. The aromatic semi-evergreen foliage holds late into fall before giving way to persistent berry clusters that cedar waxwings, yellow-rumped warblers, and other birds rely on for cold-season fuel. Deer, rabbit, pest, and disease resistant — tolerant of salt, Black Walnut root competition, and difficult ground — it spreads into effective colonies and earns its keep in hedges, mass plantings, and naturalized areas.

needs image

White Big Leaf Aster has masses of beautiful white daisy flowers with yellow eyes at the ends of the stems from late summer to early fall, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its heart-shaped leaves are dark green in color. The foliage often turns burgundy in fall.

Zigzag Goldenrod is smothered in stunning clusters of gold star-shaped flowers with yellow overtones at the ends of the stems from early summer to early fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its large oval leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Bottlebrush Buckeye features showy spikes of white flowers with red anthers rising above the foliage in early summer. It has dark green deciduous foliage. The large palmate leaves turn yellow in fall. This is a dense spreading deciduous shrub with a ground-hugging habit of growth. Its strikingly bold and coarse texture can be very effective in a balanced landscape composition

Flowering Spurge is a lovely mounded variety that produces long-lasting, airy flower clusters atop tall green stems. The blueish-green foliage transforms into a stunning crimson red during fall's cooler months, creating eye-catching seasonal appeal. Exceptionally low-maintenance and adaptable, it excels in borders, beds, and cottage garden settings, rewarding gardeners with reliable performance and year-round visual interest.

This exquisite variety produces threadlike branches with tiny scale like leaves that are bright yellow-green; puts on a dramatic winter show when the outer edges of the plant turn a rusty bronze color; makes a great garden accent or low hedge

Blackhaw Viburnum features showy creamy white flat-top flowers at the ends of the branches in mid spring. The royal blue fruits are held in abundance in spectacular clusters from early fall to late winter. It has dark green deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves turn an outstanding purple in the fall.

Bracken Fern is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its cascading habit of growth. Its ferny compound leaves remain green in color throughout the season.