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Perennials for Special Uses
By Zannah Crowe, horticulturist
Among the factors you might consider
when selecting perennials for your garden – beyond their beauty – is
what “job” do you want your perennial plants to perform? How about
attracting butterflies? Providing natural food for birds? Providing
flowers for fresh bouquets or for drying? Scenting the evening air
with fragrance? Deterring rabbits? Entertaining young visitors or
creating conversation? The possibilities are endless…
Perennials
for Attracting Butterflies & Birds
*Plants marked with an asterix are
rated “top ten” nectar plants by Stokes Nature Guides
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Early Season Bulbs (Crocus,
Scilla, Chionodoxa, Daffodils) |
Early Season Nectar Source |
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Phlox stolonifera & Phlox
divaricata (Woodland Phlox) |
Early Season Nectar Source |
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Hosta |
Hummingbirds |
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Heuchera (Coralbells) |
Hummingbirds |
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Aquilegia (Columbine) |
Hummingbirds |
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Centaurea montana (Perennial
Bachelor Button) |
Butterflies (nectar) & Birds
(seeds) |
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Penstemon (Beardtongue) |
Hummingbirds |
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Coreopsis (Tickseed)* |
Butterflies (nectar) & Birds
(seeds) |
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Achillea (Yarrow) |
Butterflies |
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Monarda (Beebalm) |
Hummingbirds |
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Liatris (Gayfeather/Blazing
Star)* |
Butterflies |
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Nepeta subsessilis (Nepeta) |
Hummingbirds
|
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Eupatorium (Joe-Pye-Weed)* |
Butterflies |
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Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal
Flower) |
Hummingbirds |
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Phlox paniculata & P.
maculata (Summer Phlox) |
Butterflies & Hummingbirds |
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Silphium perfoliatum (Cup
Plant) |
Butterflies & Birds (water
source) |
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Buddleia (Butterfly Bush) |
Butterflies |
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Rudbeckia sp.
(Black-Eyed-Susan)* |
Butterflies (nectar) & Birds
(seeds) |
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Echinacea purpurea (Purple
Coneflower)* |
Butterflies (nectar) & Birds
(seeds) |
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Asclepias sp. (Butterfly Weed
& Milkweed)* |
Butterflies (adult &
juvenile) |
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Solidago sp. (Goldenrod) |
Butterflies |
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Aster novae-anglae (New
England Aster)* |
Butterflies (adult &
juvenile) |
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Sedum 'Autumn Joy' |
Butterflies (adult &
juvenile) |
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Clematis paniculata (Sweet
Autumn Clematis) |
Birds (cover & nesting) |
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Parthenossisus quinquefolia
(Virginia Creeper) |
Birds (fruit) |
Flowers & Foliage for Drying
Note: All can simply be harvested at
their prime and hung upside down to dry in a cool dry area
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Yarrow (Achillea)
|
Flowers (retain brilliant
yellow color) |
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Anise-Hyssop (Agastache) |
Flowers (fragrant) |
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Ornamental Onion (Allium)
|
Seedheads (can be colored
once dried) |
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Artemisia |
Foliage (fragrant) |
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Astilbe |
Flowers (dry brown; can be
colored once dried) |
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Belamcanda (Blackberry Lily) |
Blackberry-like ornamental
seeds & pods |
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Globe Thistle (Echinops) |
Flowers (retain color) |
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Sea Holly (Eryngium) |
Flowers (retain color) |
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Ornamental Grasses |
Flowers & Seedheads (dry to
tan) |
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Lavender (Lavandula) |
Flowers & Foliage (fragrant) |
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Beebalm (Monarda) |
Flowers (fragrant & retain
color) |
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Peony (Paeonia) |
Flowers (retain color) |
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Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum) |
Flower Bracts (fragrant) |
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Roses |
Flowers (retain color) |
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Tansy (Tanacetum) |
Flowers (retain color) |
Flowers for Cutting
Actually, a vast array of flowers
work well in bouquets. Experiment!
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Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla) |
Beautiful “filler” in
arrangements |
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Asters (Asters) |
Fabulous color range, late
season bouquets |
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Clematis (Clematis) |
Float a single blossom in a
decorative bowl |
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Delphinium |
Striking color palette (true
blues) |
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Dianthus, longer stemmed
varieties |
Long lasting as cut flower |
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Daisies (Dendranthema,
Leucanthemum) |
Classic simple bouquet or
filler |
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Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila) |
Airy “filler” |
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Daylily (Hemerocallis) |
Each flower only lasts a
day; pick a beautiful blossom in the morning and display it
on a pretty dish until evening (needs no water) |
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Coral Bells (Heuchera) |
Dainty accent |
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Iris (Iris) |
Fleeting but gorgeous |
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Gayfeather (Liatris) |
Outstanding vertical accent |
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Peony (Paeonia) |
A classic for fresh bouquets |
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Summer Phlox (Phlox
paniculata/maculata) |
Long lasting & fragrant,
good color range |
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Pincushion Flower |
Super long-lasting as cut
flower |
Fragrant Flowers
Plant near a patio, deck or walkway
to best enjoy their fragrance.
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Lily-of-the-Valley
(Convallaria) |
Tiny but intensely perfumed.
|
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Dianthus |
Clove-scented |
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Scented Geraniums |
Annuals, but a “must” for
patio containers |
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Hosta |
Certain varieties have very
fragrant flowers |
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Lilies (Lilium) |
One plant can scent the
entire garden! |
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Peony (Paeonia) |
Many are sweet scented |
Plants Not Favored By Deer/Rabbits
No Guarantees!
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Monkshood (Aconitum) |
Toxic |
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Ornamental Onion (Allium) |
Pungent scent & flavor |
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Bluestars (Amsonia) |
Milky sap |
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Artemisia |
Pungent foliage |
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Jack-in-the-Pulpit
(Arisaema) |
Toxic |
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Astilbe |
Unattractive taste |
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Calamint (Calamintha) |
Pungent scent & flavor |
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Turtlehead (Chelone) |
Unattractive taste |
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Snakeroot/Fairy Candles
(Cimicifuga) |
Unattractive taste |
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Bleeding Heart (Dicentra) |
Unattractive taste |
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Gas Plant (Dictamnus) |
Toxic |
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Foxglove (Digitalis) |
Toxic |
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Joe-Pye-Weed (Eupatorium) |
Unattractive taste |
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Spurge (Euphorbia) |
Toxic |
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Perennial Geranium
(Geranium) |
Unattractive taste |
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Lavender & Most Herbs |
Pungent scent & flavor |
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Grass, Ornamental |
Unattractive taste |
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Lenten Rose (Helleborus) |
Toxic |
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Beebalm (Monarda) |
Pungent scent & flavor |
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Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis) |
Pungent scent & flavor |
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Daffodils (Narcissus) |
Toxic |
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Catmint (Nepeta) |
Pungent scent & flavor |
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Russian Sage (Perovskia) |
Pungent scent & flavor |
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Balloon Flower
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Milky Sap |
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Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum) |
Pungent scent & flavor |
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Ornamental Sage (Salvia) |
Pungent scent & flavor |
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Lamb’s Ear (Stachys) |
Unattractive taste |
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Veronica (Veronica) |
Unattractive taste |
Plants
for Entertaining Children & Other Garden Guests
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Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla) |
Collects rainwater & dew
like jewels on leaf edges |
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Jack-in-the-Pulpit
(Arisaema) |
Children are fascinated by
the floral “house” |
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American Ginger (Asarum) |
Putrid smelling flowers
pollinated by flies (little kids love this!) |
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Butterfly Weed/Milkweed
(Asclepias) |
Monarch butterfly &
caterpillar “magnets” |
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False Indigo (Baptisia) |
Legend has it that native
American children shook the seedheads of this plant to
imitate their elders in ceremonies |
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Bleeding Heart (Dicentra) |
Girls especially love these
“heart plants” |
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Gas Plant (Dictamnus) |
Gaseous emissions can
supposed be lit with a match! |
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Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda) |
Fruiting body resembles a
cinnamon stick |
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Queen-of-the-Prairie
(Filipendula) |
Flowers look like cotton
candy |
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Blanket Flower (Gaillardia) |
Flowers look like native
American blankets |
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Bedstraw (Galium) |
Early settlers stuffed their
mattresses with this plant |
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Catchfly (Lychnis) |
Sticky stems were said to
“catch flies” |
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Prickly Pear Cactus
(Opuntia) |
A Wisconsin cactus
fascinates children |
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Obedient Plant (Physostegia) |
Turn the blossom and it
“obediently” stays where you place it |
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Balloon Flower (Platycodon) |
Buds look like inflated
balloons |
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Soapwort (Saponaria) |
Early settlers used this
plant to make soap |
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Hens & Chicks (Sempervivum) |
Mother “hen” surrounded by
baby “chicks” |
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Lamb’s Ear (Stachys) |
Silky silver “lamb’s ear”
foliage |
Perennials for a Wet Site
Astilbe
Marsh Marigold (Caltha)
Turtlehead (Chelone)
Glyceria (Grass)
Houttuynia
Siberian Iris (Iris siberica)
Yellow Flag Iris (Iris Pseudacorus)
Ligularia
Perennial Lobelia (Lobelia cardinalis & L. siphilitica)
Bunchflower (Melanthium)
Water Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis scorpiodes)
Ribbon Grass ({Phalaris)
Obedient Plant (Physostegia)
Primrose (Primula)
Globe Flower (Trollius)
Culver's Root (Veronicastrum) |
Perennials for around
Black Walnut Trees
Black Walnut trees contain a substance called juglone that is
toxic to many plants
Astilbe
Coral Bells (Heuchera)
Daylilies (Hemerocallis)
Hosta (Hosta)
Lamb's Ear (Stachys)
Lungwort (Pulmonaria)
Sensitive Fern (Onoclea)
Sedum (Sedum)
Sundrops (Oenothera) |