Spiked Gayfeather is a native perennial that grows in vertical clusters of purple, white, and red flowers. It blooms from July to September in low-lying moist areas along prairies, meadows, or open fields. Spiked Gayfeather is known for its pest, deer, and disease resistance. It thrives in full sun and is tolerant to heat, drought, and cold.

Scientific Name: Liatris spicata

Each wildflower seed packet contains approximately 100 seeds.

Sweet William is an introduced perennial that often acts as an annual. Native to southern Europe, it grows in dense clusters of beautiful and colorful blooms on stiff, extended stems. It thrives in full sun and is an excellent plant for flower beds, gardens, and fields. Sweet William is loved for its sweet fragrance and its ability to attract pollinators.

Scientific Name: Dianthus barbatus

Each wildflower seed packet contains approximately 100 seeds.

Verbena hastata, commonly known as blue vervain, is a graceful perennial wildflower native to North America, found in wet meadows, stream banks, and marshy areas. It is characterized by its slender, erect stems that can reach heights of up to 4 feet, adorned with clusters of small, vibrant purple-blue flowers. Blue vervain blooms from mid-summer to early fall, attracting a variety of pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds with its nectar-rich blossoms. Its lance-shaped leaves are arranged along the stem in opposite pairs, adding to its aesthetic appeal. Blue vervain also plays a role in ecological restoration efforts, as it is valued for its ability to stabilize wetland soils and provide habitat for native wildlife.

Helianthus mollis, commonly known as the ashy sunflower, is a striking wildflower native to the central and southeastern United States. Characterized by its vibrant yellow blossoms with dark centers and gray-green foliage, it adds a splash of color to prairies, roadsides, and open woodlands. Despite its name, the ashy sunflower exudes warmth and vitality, particularly in late summer and early fall when it blooms profusely. This species is admired for its resilience, often thriving in dry, sandy, or rocky soils, and tolerating a range of environmental conditions. The ashy sunflower attracts a plethora of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and birds, with its abundant nectar and seeds. Its robust nature and ecological importance make Helianthus mollis a beloved and valuable component of native landscapes, contributing to biodiversity and ecosystem health.

Lobelia cardinalis, commonly known as cardinal flower, is a striking wildflower native to North America, particularly fond of wet habitats such as stream banks, marshes, and damp woodlands. It is renowned for its vibrant display of scarlet-red flowers. The cardinal flower stands tall, reaching heights of 2 to 4 feet, with lance-shaped leaves arranged along its erect stems. Its tubular blossoms, resembling the shape of a cardinal’s beak, bloom in dense spikes from midsummer to early fall, attracting hummingbirds and butterflies with their nectar-rich blooms. This perennial plant prefers moist, well-drained soil and partial shade, though it can tolerate some sun in cooler climates. It is often used in rain gardens, bog gardens, and other water features, where its brilliant blooms add a pop of color to the landscape while providing habitat for pollinators.

Veronicastrum virginicum, commonly known as Culver’s root, is an elegant and stately wildflower native to the eastern United States. This perennial herb typically reaches heights of 3 to 6 feet and features whorls of lance-shaped leaves along its upright stems. The flower spikes, which bloom from mid to late summer, rise above the foliage, creating a striking vertical accent in the landscape. Its blooms attract a variety of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Culver’s root thrives in moist, well-drained soils and prefers full sun to partial shade, making it well-suited for rain gardens, meadows, and woodland edges. It’s a low-maintenance plant once established, and its deep root system helps stabilize soil and prevent erosion.

Cup Plant is a tall perennial native forb found in much of the Central Plains and Eastern states of the United States. This plant is often found on low ground, moist areas and along woodland edges within wetlands.

Mature heights of 6 t 8 feet

Bright yellow flowers that bloom in summer

Prefers wet to mesic soils and adapts well to varying soils types

Leaves are egg-shaped, toothed and create cups at the base

If establishing from seed, dormant seeding works best to stratify the seed

Deer resistant species

A biennial member of the mint family, dotted mint is found in central and eastern United States. Its multiple whorls of dotted flowers makes this plant hard to mistake. Tolerant of many soil types, it prefers dry to mesic-dry sandy soils in full sun to partial shade. Growing up to 2 feet in height, its pink flowers can be seen in bloom from June-August attracting insects and hummingbirds of many types.

This daisy will be consumed by livestock and will disappear from grazed areas due to its high palatability and protein content. It is a yellow flower with leaves that will fold under during hot times of the day. Engelmann’s daisy will flower from May through August. It is widely distributed across its native range in the southern Great Plains and can be found growing in grassland/uplands of many different soil types. Its deep taproot makes it a hardy, drought tolerant perennial that can grow to 2 feet in height. Fall or early spring, shallow, seeding provide good germination and caution should be taken to not plant deep.

A coarse perennial with large yellow composite flowers and rough, paired, oval to lance-shaped leaves. The stems are erect, occasionally branched, and nearly glabrous or velvety to rough. The leaves are evenly distributed along stems and variable, mostly opposite but sometimes alternate or in whorls of 3. They are 3 to 6 inches long, 1 to 2.5 inches wide, rough above, and rough to velvety or nearly smooth below. The flowers are yellow ray florets 1 to 2 inches long.

FRUITS: Achenes, rounded, flattened, about 1/2 inch long, winged, tipped with 2 sharp teeth, enclosing small seed.

CULTIVATION: Flowering Period: July, August, September. Silphium species resemble sunflowers but differ in that their ray flowers produce seeds, while in sunflowers it is the disk flowers that produce the seeds.

RANGE & HABITAT: Open disturbed places and roadsides, most abundant in moist, rocky soils. Eastern 2/5 of Kansas.

USES: Native Americans used the root of Whole-leaf Rosinweed as an analgesic. The plant contains a sticky resin, which gives it the name “rosinweed”.