Medium Meadow Perennials
Achillea millefolium (Yarrow)
Dimensions: 2-3' x 2-3'
Bloom Color: White to Fuchsia
Bloom Period: June–September
Light: Full Sun
Moisture: Dry, well-drained poor to average soils.
Propagation: Flowers attract tiny native bees and wasps
Comments: Makes a great anti-microbial skin wash that also stimulates healing of wounds. Hot tea can help to break a fever by increasing perspiration.
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)
Dimensions: 2' x 2-3'
Bloom Color: Orange
Bloom Period: June-August
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Moisture/Soil: Med-dry; sandy; well-drained.
Propagation: Seeds require 30 days of cold, moist stratification.
Larvae/Animals Hosted: Host plant to monarch caterpillars. Flower nectar attracts many species of butterflies.
Agastache foeniculum (Anise Hyssop)
Dimensions: 3' x 12-16"
Bloom Color: Purple
Bloom Period: June-September
Light: Full sun-partial shade
Moisture: Medium-med/dry
Propagation: Seeds require 30 days of cold, moist stratification.
Comments: Showy flowers, fragrant foliage, of little interest to deer. Easy to transplant new seedlings. Bee, hummingbird, and butterfly magnet. Leaves and flowers smell like anise and are used to make tea and cold remedies. Short-lived perennial native to upper midwest, especially ND and MN.
Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern Red Columbine)
Dimensions: 2-3' x 1-1.5'
Bloom Color: Red with yellow center
Bloom Period: April-May
Light: Full sun-nearly full shade
Moisture/Soil: Average, medium, well-drained soil
Propagation: Seeds require 60 days of cold, moist stratification.
Larva/Animals Hosted: Columbine Duskywing. Blooms attract hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and hawk moths. Seeds consumed by finches and buntings.
Comments: Wide range of soil tolerance as long as drainage is good.Freely self-seeds and will naturalize to form large colonies in optimum growing conditions. Native to all of the east and midwest US, except Louisiana.
Aster shortii (short's Aster)
Dimensions: 3' x 12-18"
Bloom Color: Pinkish
Bloom Period: Aug-Oct
Light: Partial-full shade
Moisture/Soil: Med-dry/med
Chelone glabra
Dimensions: 2-4' x 1.5-2'
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Period: July-Sept
Light: Full sun-partial shade
Moisture/Soil: Wet-wet/med. rich, humusy soils
Propagation: Plant seeds outside in fall. germinate after one year? seeds usually ready for harvest near the first frost.
Larva/Animals Hosted: Baltimore checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton).
Comments: Occurs in moist woods, swampy areas and along streams.
Chelone Lyonii
Dimensions: 2-4' x 1-2.5'
Bloom Color: Pinkish
Bloom Period: July-September
Light: Full sun to partial shade.
Moisture/Soil: Wet-medium; rich, humusy soils.
Comments: Native to wet woodland areas and streams in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Naturalized in parts of New England and New York.
Coreopsis lanceolata (Lance-leaved coreopsis)
Dimensions: 2-2.5' x 1-1.5'
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Period: May-Aug
Light: Full sun
Moisture/Soil: Med/dry-dry. Thrives in poor, sandy or rocky soils with good drainage.
Propagation: Easy.
Comments: Tolerant of heat, humidity and drought.Plants may be cut back hard in summer if foliage sprawls.. If grown in borders, division may be needed every 2-3 years to maintain robustness..
Echinacea angustifolia (narrow-leaved coneflower)
Dimensions: 2' x .75-1.5'
Bloom Color: Pinkish
Bloom Period: June-July
Light: Full sun
Moisture/Soil: Med/dry-dry. poor-average, dry to medium, well-drained soils.
Comments: Native to upland dry prairie areas in the Great Plains, W. MN to Sask. & MT, south to TX & NM. very similar to E. pallida which grows east of its range.
Echinacea paradoxa (Bush's coneflower)
Dimensions: 3' x 1.25'
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Period: June-August
Light: Full sun to partial shade.
Moisture/Soil: Med–dry. Average, dry to medium, well-drained soil.
Propagation: Requires 60 days of cold, moist stratification.
Comments: Genus name of Echinacea comes from the Greek word echinos meaning hedgehog or sea-urchin in reference to the spiny center cone. Native Distribution: South central MO & north central AR..
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Dimensions: 4' x 12-18"
Bloom Color: Pink
Bloom Period: July-September
Light: Full sun to partial shade.
Moisture/Soil: Wet/medium-dry/medium.
Propagation: No pre-treatmant necessary for seeds, except cool, dry storage.
Comments: The most commonly used medicinal echinacea. Native to the midwest and east, north to N Michigan, south to N Florida, east to central Virginia, west to central OK.
Liatris spicata
Dimensions: 2-4' x .75-1.5'
Bloom Color: White; Fuchsia; Lavender
Bloom Period: July-September
Light: Full sun
Moisture/Soil: Average, medium, well-drained.
Comments: May be grown from seed, but is slow to establish.
Lobelia siphilitica (Great Blue Lobelia)
Dimensions: 3' x 12-18"
Bloom Color: Blue
Bloom Period: July-October
Light: Full sun to partial shade.
Moisture/Soil: Wet to medium. Rich, humusy, medium to wet.
Propagation: Divide clumps in the spring or scratch stratified seed lightly onto the soil surface. Requires 60 days of cold, moist stratification.
Comments: Native to the midwest and east, including VT.
Penstemon barbatus (Southwestern Penstemon)
Dimensions: 2-3' x 1-1.5'
Bloom Color: Red
Bloom Period: May-June
Light: Full sun
Moisture/Soil: Med-dry. average, dry to medium, well-drained soils. Avoid wet, poorly-drained soils.
Propagation: Cold, moist stratification of seed is best. Since stratification time is unknown, it may be best to sow seeds outdoors in late fall.
Comments: Native to rocky slopes and open woodlands from Utah and Colorado to Arizona, Texas and Mexico.
Penstemon calycosus (Calico Beardtongue)
Dimensions: 3' x 4'
Bloom Color: Pink
Bloom Period: June-July
Light: Full sun to full shade.
Moisture/Soil: Wet/medium-medium. Well-drained.
Propagation: Clump-forming. Seeds require 30 days of cold, moist stratification.
Comments: Native to the midwest, from Michigan to Alabama.
Penstemon digitalis (Foxglove Beardtongue)
Dimensions: 3'
Bloom Color: White
Bloom Period: June-July
Light: Full sun to partial shade.
Moisture/Soil: Medium to dry/medium. Fertile, well-drained loams, clay loams, and sand. Acid preferably but tolerates lime.
Propagation: Clump-forming. Easy from seed. Germination is best with cold-moist stratification and light. Separate crowns in fall or early spring. Prune back the foliage of each new division.
Larvae/animals hosted: Hummingbirds and bumble bees.
Comments: Will tolerate dry shade. Native Habitat: low, moist areas; prairies; open woodlands. Some authorities say its original distribution was limited to the Mississippi River basin.
Pycnanthemum muticum (Mountain Mint)
Dimensions: 4'
Bloom Color: Pink-white
Bloom Period: July-September
Light: Full sun to partial shade.
Moisture/Soil: Medium. fertile, moist to medium moisture, well-drained soils.
Propagation: Species specific information not available but other species in the genus require no pre-treatment of seed, other than cool, dry storage.
Comments: Native to Eastern North America (ME to MI to IL and MO south to FL and TX) where it typically grows in grassy open places, meadows, low woodland areas and occasionally in dry upland woods..
Rudbeckia fulgida
Dimensions: 3' x 2-3'
Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Period: July-September
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Moisture/Soil: Wet/med-dry/med. Average, dry to medium, well-drained soil.
Propagation: Requires 60-90 days of cold, moist stratification.
Comments: Native to the midwest and east, from east Texas north to Michigan and PA south to north Florida.
Silene regia (Royal Catchfly)
Dimensions: 2-5' x 1-2'
Bloom Color: Red
Bloom Period: July-August
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Moisture/Soil: Med-dry. average, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soil. Prefers a sandy or gravelly soil.
Propagation: Requires at least 60 days of cold, moist stratification.
Comments: Native to the midwest, FL to IL. short lived. reseed every few years. Plant is rare due to loss of prairie habitat. Good companion plants include Tall Larkspur (Delphinium exaltatum), Wild Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium), and Little Bluestem (Andropogon scoparius)..