Alpine Currant has rich green deciduous foliage on a plant with a round habit of growth. The lobed leaves turn yellow in fall. It produces red berries from late spring to early summer.

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.

Cinderella Milkweed features showy lightly-scented shell pink flat-top recurved flowers with white eyes at the ends of the stems from mid summer to early fall, which emerge from distinctive rose flower buds. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its glossy narrow leaves remain forest green in color with distinctive light green veins throughout the season.

Whorled Milkweed is a delicate, fine-textured native that’s a quiet powerhouse for the pollinator garden. Its slender stems are dressed in airy whorls of needle-thin leaves, giving it a soft, almost feathery presence among bolder companions. Native across much of the eastern U.S., it serves as an essential host plant for Monarch caterpillars while its summer flower clusters draw butterflies and other beneficial pollinators. Happiest in full sun to light shade, it asks for little water and thrives in the lean, well-drained soils other plants snub. Deer tend to leave it alone, and it spreads gently to form colonies—perfect for naturalized borders and prairie-style plantings. Weave it through a meadow garden and watch the winged visitors arrive.

Pagoda Dogwood has clusters of fragrant creamy white flowers held atop the branches in late spring. It has emerald green deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves turn an outstanding burgundy in the fall. It produces navy blue berries in mid summer.

Sneezeweed has masses of beautiful yellow daisy flowers with gold eyes 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 pointy leaves remain green in color throughout the season.

Magenta Chiffon® Rose Of Sharon features bold fuchsia round flowers with purple overtones and creamy white anthers along the branches from early summer to early fall, which emerge from distinctive crimson flower buds. It has dark green deciduous foliage. The lobed leaves do not develop any appreciable fall color.

No those aren't sunflowers, those are Compass Plants! A true icon of the prairies, these lovely plants are an incredible addition to your landscape. It is quite a sight to see pollinators flit from flower to flower while birds, like Goldfinches, will perch upon the strong stems pecking for insects or seeds.

Hidcote Blue Lavender has masses of beautiful spikes of fragrant powder blue flowers rising above the foliage from early to late summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has attractive bluish-green evergreen foliage. The fragrant needles are highly ornamental and remain bluish-green throughout the winter. Cut back the flower stalks after they have finished, and then trim back plants in April, to keep them neat and bushy.

Mature Height: 12-18 inches

Mature Width: 18-24 inches

Sunlight: Full sun

Soil Conditions: Well-drained soil

A stunning landscape choice bred for superior hardiness, this fine small accent tree features graceful, finely cut foliage that emerges red, maturing to green, then presenting yellow, orange, and red fall color; heat and sun tolerant as well Ice Dragonâ„¢ Maple has attractive green foliage which emerges cherry red in spring. The deeply cut ferny palmate leaves are highly ornamental and turn outstanding shades of yellow, orange and red in the fall. It produces red samaras from early to mid fall. The flowers are not ornamentally significant. The rough gray bark and red branches add an interesting dimension to the landscape. Ice Dragonâ„¢ Maple is an open deciduous tree with a strong central leader and a more or less rounded form. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone. This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should only be pruned in summer after the leaves have fully developed, as it may 'bleed' sap if pruned in late winter or early spring. It has no significant negative characteristics. Ice Dragonâ„¢ Maple is recommended for the following landscape applications; Accent Mass Planting Hedges/Screening General Garden Use Container Planting This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. Ice Dragonâ„¢ Maple is a fine choice for the yard, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

Smooth Ironweed commands attention in the late-summer garden, its clusters of vivid reddish-purple blooms blazing above stout, upright stems at exactly the moment when many other perennials are winding down. Native to the prairies and bottomlands of the central United States, it reaches three to five feet tall and serves as an impressive vertical accent in naturalized plantings, rain gardens, or the back of a sunny border. Monarchs, swallowtails, and native bees absolutely mob the flowers through August and September, making it one of the most wildlife-rich perennials you can plant. As summer turns to fall, the seed heads attract songbirds and the stems take on warm copper-bronze tones before winter. Seldom bothered by deer, and tolerant of the variable soil conditions common in Midwest gardens, it pairs naturally with goldenrod, ornamental grasses, and asters. Plant it in bold drifts where its rich color and height can anchor the late-season border.

A dense and mounded selection that features narrow, ferny foliage throughout the season; soft blue, star shaped flowers bloom in clusters from late spring to early summer; foliage turns a lovely golden yellow in the fall; easy to grow and low maintenance

This compact, sterile variety produces neat mounds of aromatic gray-green foliage, above which masses of lavender blue flower spikes rise in a visual feast; long blooming from late spring through summer; great for borders

Green Mound Alpine Currant has rich green deciduous foliage on a plant with a mounded habit of growth. The lobed leaves turn yellow in fall.

Swamp Milkweed has fuchsia flat-top flowers with rose overtones at the ends of the stems from mid summer to early fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its narrow leaves remain grayish green in color throughout the season.

Fire Light Tidbit® Hydrangea features bold conical white flowers with pink overtones at the ends of the branches from mid summer to late fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has green deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves do not develop any appreciable fall color.

Balmy Purple Beebalm has masses of beautiful clusters of fragrant purple flowers with hot pink overtones and dark red centers 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.

Peaches & Cream Honeysuckle is a graceful twining vine that earns its romantic name with clusters of soft peachy-pink and creamy-white tubular flowers that perfume the summer garden and draw hummingbirds, butterflies, and birds in abundance. Reaching 9–15 feet with training, it’s an ideal choice for covering arbors, trellises, fences, or pergolas in full sun. Fresh green foliage holds beautifully through the season, turning soft yellow-gold in fall before dropping. Highly resistant to deer, rabbits, insects, and disease, it’s a carefree performer that looks anything but effortless. Tolerates Black Walnut and cold conditions, making it a reliable and flexible garden choice. A beautiful vine that brings fragrance, color, and wildlife activity together in one elegant package.

Rosin Plant is a true prairie original, prized by gardeners who love a landscape with authentic native character. A Midwest prairie native, it forms sturdy, upright clumps of bold green foliage that hold their presence from spring through summer. It settles in happily in full sun with average moisture and, once rooted, stands up to heat and lean soil with classic prairie resilience. Deer and rabbits typically leave it alone, making it an easygoing choice for naturalized plantings and restoration-style gardens. Use it as a structural accent among grasses and other natives, where its upright form lends height and backbone to the planting. It’s a wonderful way to bring a piece of the tallgrass prairie home.

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.

A compact spreading version of this native shrub which features extremely long and narrow panicles of white flowers in early summer, consistently reddish-purple fall color; good for the garden or for naturalizing, spreads to form small colonies

Magic Carpet Spirea features showy clusters of hot pink flowers at the ends of the branches from late spring to early summer. It has attractive yellow deciduous foliage which emerges tomato-orange in spring. The small serrated pointy leaves are highly ornamental and turn an outstanding scarlet in the fall.

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.