Connecticut Natives

The Phlox Annual Mix is a combination of red, purple, pink and white hued blooms, making it one of the most beautiful wildflowers around! This variety only grows to 1' tall and can grow anywhere.

The Indiangrass is a warm-season bunchgrass that is native to central and eastern North America and provides cover and food for wildlife. This grass can reach up to seven feet tall and is a common species of the Tallgrass Prairie. The beautiful, plume-like seed heads are very ornamental making them excellent for prairie and conservation mixtures.

The Butterfly Asclepias is sun-loving, easy to grow and blooms brilliant, vibrant orange colored blooms that will attract may pollinators to the garden. This stunning variety and can reach 2' feet tall. Sow in early January for first year blooms.

Sweet black-eyed Susan bears golden daisies with dark brown centers on tall, well-branched stems. Its long display runs from summer into early fall and adds height without looking heavy. Gently aromatic foliage and sturdy growth make it a memorable choice for meadows and back borders.

Closed Bottle gentian opens the late-summer season with clusters of deep blue, bottle-shaped flowers that remain mostly closed. Strong bumblebees push into the blossoms to reach their nectar, making the plant fascinating to watch. It prefers cool, humus-rich ground with dependable moisture and light afternoon shade.

Marsh marigold brightens the early garden with glossy foliage and cheerful golden flowers. It thrives in consistently moist soil beside ponds, streams, rain gardens, and other low areas. The clumping plants bring welcome color before many other perennials begin blooming.

Flat-topped Aster was formerly known as Aster umbellatus, a reminder of its changing botanical classification. Native to North American wet meadows and moist prairies, it flowers earlier than many asters with broad clusters of pale rays. Bees, wasps, flies, beetles, and butterflies visit the blooms; turkey and swamp sparrows also use the plant. Give it sun to partial shade and moist soil, with room for rhizomes.

Heath Aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides) is a distinctive North American native plant. Fine, heath-like foliage is covered with many small white flowers late in the season, supporting pollinators when fewer plants remain in bloom. It matures at approximately 24 inches tall and flowers from mid to late summer through early to mid fall. Plant it in full sun to partial shade, in dry to medium conditions, with loamy soil, sandy soil or dry soil. Space plants 18–24 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) is a distinctive North American native plant. Heart-shaped leaves form a low woodland groundcover, concealing unusual red flowers beneath the foliage in spring. It matures at approximately 6 inches tall and flowers from early to mid spring through mid to late spring. Plant it in partial to full shade, in dry-medium through medium-wet conditions, with acidic soil, loamy soil or sandy soil. Space plants 6–12 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea) is a native perennial with flat-topped clusters of bright yellow flowers in spring to early summer. It grows well in moist to mesic meadows, open woods, and woodland edges in full sun to partial light. The flowers provide early forage for bees and butterflies, while the upright foliage adds structure to native plantings. Plants typically reach about 18 to 24 inches tall once established.

The Big Bluestem is a warm season ornamental grass that actively grows during the summer when soil temperatures are warm but is beautiful all year round. This variety is a big plant, getting over six feet tall in most situations! In a landscape, the Big Bluestem can be used as an accent. This ornamental grass has a great fall color in the range of gold and pink.

American alum root creates a handsome mound of maple-shaped foliage for shaded beds and woodland edges. Slender stems carry airy sprays of tiny cream flowers above the leaves in late spring. Its adaptable habit works well as a textural groundcover in average, well-drained soil.

Wild Geranium is native to eastern North American woods and has a long history in woodland gardens. Pink-purple spring flowers feed bees and butterflies, while the crane's-bill seed mechanism flings ripe seeds away from the parent plant. Divided leaves form low, spreading patches that shelter small woodland life. Give it sun to shade and medium to moderately dry soil.

Virginia Wild Rye has long filled forest edges and damp clearings in eastern North America. Its quick growth and ready reseeding make it useful as a native cover crop and for streambank stabilization. Birds use the seed-bearing stems for food and cover, and insects inhabit the grass. It tolerates sun to shade and moist ground, with tan and crimson fall color.

Great Angelica (Angelica atropurpurea) is a distinctive North American native plant. Large greenish umbels rise on burgundy-tinged stems, giving moist borders and streamside plantings dramatic height. It matures at approximately 84 inches tall and flowers from mid to late spring through late spring to early summer. Plant it in full sun to partial shade, in medium through wet conditions, with loamy soil, clay soil, wet soil or alkaline soil. Space plants 36–48 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) is a native North American herb with a rich history and distinctive characteristics. Historically used by Indigenous peoples for its medicinal properties, Boneset earned its name from its traditional use in treating fevers and musculoskeletal ailments. Originating from the eastern United States, this perennial plant is recognized for its unique features and growing habits. Boneset typically grows to a height of 3 to 4 feet and has a bushy, upright growth habit.

The Sideoats Grama is a warm-season bunchgrass grain variety that is easy to grow and native throughout much of North America. The ornamental and distinctive seed spikes hang from only one side of the stalk, and these make good fresh or dried cuttings. This grain prefers full sun and moderate to dry soils. The Sideoats Grama is recommended for meadow and prairie plantings, beds & borders, and as a component of forage mixes for livestock and wildlife.

The Eastern Pollinator Blend is a wildflower mixture for pollinator conservation in the eastern United States and southeast Canada. The western planting boundary would be a line straight south from the eastern borders of North and South Dakota. This mix contains a balanced blend of native annuals and perennials that provide nectar and pollen throughout the growing season. If you have specific mix requirements for pollinator conservation projects, please contact us regarding a custom mix for your area. Plant at 5 oz. per 1,000 sq.ft. or 7-14 lbs. per acre.

The Connecticut Blend combines annual and perennial wildflowers selected for ornamental planting in the northeastern United States. Its current component profile features Cornflower, Purple Coneflower, Perennial Lupine, and Scarlet Flax. Cool winters and a humid growing season make this Northeast selection appropriate for Connecticut meadows and informal borders. The mixture contains both native species and non-native flowers adapted to the region, creating varied colors, heights and bloom periods. Sow in a sunny, prepared, weed-free seedbed and keep the surface consistently moist while seedlings establish.

The Canada Wildrye is a cool-season bunchgrass grain variety that can be found throughout Canada and the U.S. except in the southeastern states. It is typically found in prairies, open woods, fields and disturbed sites. This grain tends to be short-lived but provides quick stabilization for erosion control seedings, and it makes a good, early successional component of prairie mixtures. The Canada Wildrye provides quality forage for livestock and wildlife.

Northern wild senna produces clusters of butter-yellow flowers above handsome divided foliage in midsummer. Dark anthers add contrast, followed by flat seedpods that remain ornamental into autumn. This durable prairie plant handles heat and supports sulphur butterfly caterpillars.

Seedbox is a North American native of moist prairies and marsh edges, named for its distinctive cube-shaped seed capsule. Small yellow flowers appear at the leaf joints on reddish stems. Bees visit the blooms and leaf-feeding insects use the foliage. Grow it in sun to partial shade in medium-wet soil or a rain garden.

Common Rush has been cultivated more widely than other rushes and occurs across much of the world, including North American wetlands. Bright green, nearly leafless stems make a fine-textured stand beside ponds. Wetland birds forage and shelter among the stems and seeds. Grow in full sun on medium to wet soil.

Bottlebrush Grass was once classified as Hystrix patula, a historical name that points to its bristly, brush-shaped seed heads. This native of eastern North American woods grows during cool spring and fall weather. Northern Pearly-eye caterpillars use it as a host, and birds forage among its stems and seeds. Grow in partial shade to shade on medium to moderately dry soil.

Blunt Spike Rush is a small North American wetland native with a different life history from many rushes: it is an annual that reseeds. Upright stems and compact seed heads offer cover for frogs and perches for dragonflies. Aquatic beetles, leafhoppers, and shore flies also use its wet habitat. Sow in full sun on mud or consistently wet soil.

Awl-fruited Oval Sedge, also called Blunt Broom Sedge, is a native of North American wet lowlands. Its pale green blades and July seed spikes give it a lighter look than many other sedges. Moth, skipper, and butterfly larvae use sedge foliage, and waterfowl and songbirds eat the seeds. Plant in sun or partial shade in moist to wet soil.

Eastern Star Sedge was formerly called Straight-Styled Wood Sedge, a name referring to the shape of its female flower styles. This eastern North American woodland sedge forms fine green clumps with star-like fruiting heads that arch as they ripen. The foliage provides low cover for woodland insects and other small wildlife. Give it partial to full shade and soil that stays evenly moist.

Blue Joint Grass is a widespread North American wetland grass with a long natural role in streamside and meadow plant communities. Pink-green summer seed heads rise above rhizomes that help hold damp soil in place. Its dense growth offers cover for wetland insects and birds, and it can spread quickly across restoration sites. Give it full sun to partial shade and moist to wet ground.

Nodding Bur Marigold is a native annual of North American wet meadows and marsh edges. Its old names Beggar's Tick and Sticktight recall the hooked seeds that cling to passing animals. Golden, sunflower-like flowers feed bees, butterflies, skippers, and moths; later, ducks and songbirds eat the seeds. Plant in full sun and wet to moist ground, where it can reseed naturally.

Mud Plantain is an emergent native of North American pond margins, marshes, and other shallow, quiet water. Its roots were historically used as food and in traditional remedies, a record of the plant's long relationship with wetland communities. White summer flowers rise above broad leaves, and the plant provides food and cover for waterfowl, fish, and amphibians. Choose a sunny, consistently wet site or a naturalized water garden.

Elm-leaved Goldenrod (Solidago ulmifolia) is a distinctive North American native plant. Arching sprays of yellow flowers appear from midsummer into fall above elm-like leaves, bringing late nectar to woodland edges. It matures at approximately 36 inches tall and flowers from early to mid summer through mid to late summer through early to mid fall. Plant it in full sun to partial shade, in dry-medium to medium conditions, with loamy soil or sandy soil. Space plants 18–24 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.