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.

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.

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.

False Boneset is a perennial wildflower found throughout the eastern ¾ of the United States where it inhabits dry soils of upland prairies. This deep-rooted wildflower is often found in over-grazed pastures because of the bitter taste.

Mature height of 1-3 feet

Deep rooted up to 17 feet

Drought tolerant and grow in a wide variety of soil types

White flower can be seen blooming from August-October

Very similar in structure to Joe Pye Weed except with white, cream colored flowers

Often found in sandy or rocky soils along roadsides

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”.

False Sunflower is a perennial forb native to the eastern half of the United States and Canada. Also known as Oxeye Sunflower, this aggressive wildflower inhabits upland prairies and open grasslands.

Prefers full sun to part shade

Mature heights of 4-5 feet

Adapts well to mesic to dry soils

Commonly found growing with native warm season grass species

Bright yellow flowers atop this plant from July-August

Spreading via seed, it is not highly aggressive

Makes a great addition to butterfly or native gardens

Deer resistant species

Kummerowia striata, commonly known as common lespedeza, is an introduced annual plant that thrives across the southern and eastern regions of the United States. This versatile plant is a favorite among grazers like cattle and other herbivores, making it a valuable addition to pastures and mixed grasslands. Blooming from August to September, common lespedeza produces subtle purple flowers that may easily go unnoticed. It flourishes in full sun and exhibits adaptability to various soil types. While it can become weedy if left unchecked, effective control measures such as chemical and mechanical treatments are available to manage its spread and maintain ecological balance.