Natives-Perennials

Gardening with native plants only makes good sense. Just what is a native plant? A native is a plant that originated in our area and was not introduced from Europe or another far away location. These plants generally display better hardiness, disease and insect resistance and tolerate local weather extremes. Native plants conserve soil and water because they don't require fertilizers and pesticides. Native plants also provide habitat, shelter and food for birds and other wildlife.

For more information about natives visit Grow Native!, the joint program of the Missouri Department of Conservation  and the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The  Grow Native! program helps protect and restore our state's biodiversity by increasing conservation awareness of native plants and their effective use.

Our native plant program is divided into two groups of plants: Perennials and Trees & Shrubs

	Blue Indigo Baptisia or Blue indigo is a shrub-like perennial that is long lived and drought resistant. Blue pea shaped flowers bloom in late spring thru early summer. Flowers are followed by interesting gnarly looking seed pods that persist throughout our the winter. Butterfly magnet. 3-4 ft. Sun or light shade.
	Indigo Decadence™'Lemon Meringue' Upright vase-shaped mounds of long dark stems with charcoal buds that bloom bright yellow in late spring through early summer. The Decadence series was bred for shorter, more compact habit than regular batisia and unique yellow flowers. 2-3 fett tall.
	Butterfly Weed Asclepais or butterfly weed is our number #1 selling perennial for attracting Monarch butterflies and hummingbirds. Butterfly weed needs warm temps and the plant will not emerge until late spring when the soil has warmed. The bright orange flowers appear in July through August. Sun and good drainage, does not like to be transplanted. 18-24 inches.
	Columbine 'Little Lanterns' "Little Lanterns' has compact foliage with loads of red and yellow dainty looking nodding flowers in spring through early summer. Cooler summers prolong the blooming. And we observed 'Little Lanterns' re-blooming last fall, 2010, after a brutally hot summer. 12-18 inches. Best with afternoon shade.
	Joe Pye Weed 'Little Joe' 'Little Joe' is a block buster when it comes to late season color. Bright pink flower clusters appear in late July through September. Prefers sun or light shade and slightly moist soil. Butterflies love Joe Pye. 4-5 ft.
	Heliopsis 'Tuscan Sun' Heliopsis or False Sunflower is another one of our long blooming, easy to grow favorites. Large golden yellow daisy like flowers start in June and keep on keepin on through August. Best of all Tuscan Sun is a native cultivar, or improved native that has a compact habit at 2-3 ft.
	Blazing Star 'Kobold Original' Liatris or Blazing Star is our most popular cut and dried flower. But it is also a 'tooth and nails' native that sports violet-purple flowers and attracts butterflies. "Kobold Original' liatris is a vegetative, not seed, strain that is only 14 inches tall. sun and good drainage are a must.
	Cardinal Flower Lobelia or the Cardinal Flower sports bright red tubular flower stalks that hummingbirds can't resist. Flowers bloom mid through late summer. Cardinal Flower prefers sunny or lightly shaded sites and consistently moist soil.
	Missouri Primrose Missouri or Ozark Sundrop is native to our area, as the name implies. It grows in average or poor, rocky soil with good drainage and full sun. Missouri Primrose forms a sprawling clump of 6-10 inch foliage with single lemon-yellow 3 inch flowers. the seed pods that follow the flowers are used in dried arrangements.
	Black Eye Susan Loads of bright yellow daisy flowers begin in July and are still blooming strong in October. Perfect for dryish, sunny areas with minimal maintenance. Butterflies like this 24-30 inch great to cut cut flower.
	Black Eye Susan 'Little Goldstar' A compact mound of bright gold daisy-like flowers on a well branced bushy plant. Only 12-14 inches tall and great in a pot. A butterfly magnet.
	Veronia 'Iron Butterfly'- New! This Arkansas native has lovely fine foliage with bright purple flowers that, as the name implies, draw plenty of butterflies.  Blooms appear mid through late summer, when fresh color is appreciated. 30-36 inches tall, and tolerates most all soil types, moist or dry.