Meadows
Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is a magnet for bees and butterflies in early spring — often providing an important source of nectar when other sources are scarce. What other perennial can rival its bright orange flowers, low mounding habit and high tolerance for drought? Although by August it has finished flowering in most of its range, it is an important plant to consider for a fall planting for next year’s butterfly garden
Botanical name: Callirhoe involucrata Common names: Purple poppy mallow, poppy mallow, prairie winecup, buffalo rose Origin: Native to the High Plains region of the United States, from Wyoming to Texas Where it will grow: Hardy to -30 degrees (USDA climate zones 4 to 9; find your zone) Elevation range: Up to 7,500 feet Water requirement: Low to moderate Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade Mature size: 6 to 12 inches tall and 24 to 36 inches wide Benefits and tolerances: Purple poppy mallow tolerates sun, heat and drought; its vibrant flowers are a nectar source for native bees and butterflies — including the gray hairstreak. Seasonal interest: Flowers early summer to fall; foliage may be evergreen in mild climates When to plant: Spring to fall
Purple prairie clover (also known as violet prairie clover) is a showy, adaptable perennial native to a wide variety of prairie ecosystems across most of central North America, from Saskatchewan down through Texas. It’s not a true clover but rather a deep-rooted legume that fixes nitrogen in the soil, so planting this perennial is a beautiful way to add fertility to a naturalized garden area.
Gardens using jewel-toned color palettes benefit from tones chosen from opposite sides of the color wheel (like orange and blue or yellow and violet). Pairing plants with foliage or flower colors in closely complementary hues makes each color stand out in contrast to its neighbors. For example, in this seaside garden by Bliss Garden Design on Bainbridge Island, Washington, dark purple ‘Caradonna’ sage (Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’) and cool blue ‘Little Titch’ catmint (Nepeta racemosa ‘Little Titch’) set off bright orange California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) planted close by.
In a mixed floral border in a garden near Sheffield, England, Inspired Garden Design used an engaging color palette of gold and bright orange avens (Geum spp.), and dark crimson and pale purple pincushion flowers (Scabiosa rumelica syn. Knautia macedonica). The overall effect is like a sprinkling of bright jewels over a dark backdrop (the green foliage).
Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis) Native to Southern Europe Of all the self-seeders that we see binding the soft English plantings of many Chelsea show gardens, it is the Alchemilla that perhaps most goes unnoticed. Its velvety soft, olive green leaves form beautiful mounds of foliage. Its leaves hold drops of water after a rain, little jewels that sparkle in the sun. It is perfect planted where it softens path edges and is quite happy in both sun and partial shade.
Bronze Fennel Foeniculum vulgare ‘Purpureum’ Can be invasive in Florida, California and Washington The airy, feathery foliage of bronze fennel, not to be confused with the sweet or Florence fennel grown for its edible swollen bulbs, is perfect to give lightness to plantings. The plain green of the species is not as decorative as the bronze variety, but both tend to outgrow their position, reaching up to 6 feet in height and spreading to 2 feet across. It’s better, therefore, to remove any that will unbalance your planting when they reach maturity;
Natural. One of the strongest and most fashionable movements in planting right now is perennials combined with ornamental grasses, planted in large swaths akin to a meadow. Inspired by the flowers of natural prairies, it is a look full of movement, light and color. Good perennials to combine with grasses include Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’, knautias, alliums, poppies and kniphofias.
Millenium allium with coneflower and Carl Forester
white Joe Pie weed with shanendoah switch grass and cone flower
dayliliy and Rudbeckia Maxima
crocosmia
monarda, sneezeweed
Simple water features — rather than more complex, ornate fountains — fit in well with naturalistic-style gardens, adding a soothing sound and providing a water source for birds and insects. golden Sambucus in background
Meadow gardens. Instead of planting in formal rows, lay out a single variety of perennials or grasses in groups of three or five plants, or create large swaths of one plant type to form a natural-looking meadow garden.
ansomnia and salvia
mexican hat, prairie clover, salvia argentia
sedums with blue fescue
.tiger eyes sumac
columbine in shade
Grasses, Phlox and coneflowers
A mountain prairie garden in Salida, Colorado, supports threadleaf giant hyssop (Agastache rupestris), blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis), blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata), rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa) and Bigelow’s tansyaster (Dieteria bigelovii) for pollinators and songbirds. Native plants provide the vernacular, the dialect and the flavor of our unique bioregions. In our gardens and landscaping, these most local of voices reconnect humanity — breath, cell and soul — to this singular, living planet. They bring us home.
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium Common name: Aromatic aster October Skys
Coneflower, rattlesnake master, annabelle hydrangia and grasses
coneflower
Purple prairie clover with rudbeckia
Botanical name: Liatris aspera Common names: Tall blazingstar, rough blazingstar, button blazingstar, tall gayfeather, rough gayfeather
Tall Blazingstar (Liatris aspera)
You can have just a few flowering plants or have a lot, but generally 50 percent flowers and 50 percent sedges and grasses is a good baseline.
anemone
Swaths of ‘Waldenbuch’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Waldenbuch’) add movement above a tapestry of mixed perennials, including orange yarrow (Achillea ‘Walther Funcke’), deep purple penstemon (Penstemon ‘Blackbird’), white lace flower (Orlaya grandiflora), and dahlias with plum foliage and ruby blossoms (Dahlia ‘Happy Single Romeo’). The delicate seed heads of ‘Golden Bee’ quaking grass (Briza media ‘Golden Bee’) tremble with the slightest autumn breeze.
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yarrow, sumac, nepeta and carl forester
Sneezeweed and Smokebush
In the west, Saskatoon serviceberry (A. alnifolia) grows wild across Canada and in western America south to Colorado. It reaches 4 to 10 feet tall and wide and features 1-inch purple fruits that look just like blueberries. Saskatoon serviceberry prefers the neutral soils and the dry sun of the west
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