Tennessee Natives

The Purple Echinacea is a coneflower that is a sturdy perennial that is native to the Midwest, Southeast and naturalized throughout the Northeast. One of the most popular wildflowers, the Purple Coneflower can withstand dry conditions, though it performs best in cooler seasons, without irrigation. This variety readily reseeds itself.

The Wild Bergamot Monarda is the best bee balm for dry locations and produces beautiful violet blooms that have a wonderful scent! This variety has great mid-summer blooms, later than any other Monardas. The Wild Bergamot will attract a large amount of butterflies, bees and hummingbirds!

The Sweet Joe Pye Weed Eutrochium, also know as Purple Joe Pye Weed, is easy to grow and its vanilla-scented flowers are irresistible for Monarchs, Swallowtails and many other butterflies. If you want to attract butterflies to your garden, this is the plant variety for you! The Sweet Joe Pye Weed can reach up to 7 feet high and does great in shady locations. This beautiful flower blooms pale pink to pale purple flowers from July to September.

The Stiff Goldenrod Solidago produces stunning, large and slightly flat golden flowers that are bee attracting powerhouses! These beautiful golden flowers bloom later in summer and into early fall. In fall, the leaves will turn a beautiful shade of red.

The Common Asclepias, also known as Butterfly Weed or Common Milkweed, is the only plant that Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on! This variety provides an abundant food source for Monarchs, but have been declining in the recent years due in part to suburban development and the increased efficiency of herbicides. The Common Asclepias spreads readily by seed and underground rhizomes and its taproot can withstand drought. This Butterfly Weed is one of the easiest and fastest to establish of the Milkweeds. Enjoy watching beautiful Monarchs visit on a daily basis!

Aromatic Aster, also known as Aster oblongifolius or Symphyotrichum oblongifolium, is a hardy native perennial with a dense, bushy habit. Abundant lavender-purple flowers with yellow centers bloom in autumn, providing valuable late-season nectar for pollinators. The foliage releases a pleasant fragrance when brushed. Well suited to borders and native plantings, this compact aster thrives in full sun and well-drained soil and becomes drought tolerant once established.

The Panorama Red is a great cutting plant for center pieces. Produce vibrant red blooms from July to August on 3' foot plants. Vivid red bee balm made for cutting gardens. Three-foot plants flower generously from July through August. Fragrant foliage offers natural deer and rabbit resistance.

The Blue False Indigo Baptisia is the most popular Baptisias around as it provides early deep blue blooms in a beautiful bushy shape. This flower variety produces very attractive deep blue blooms and great bushy foliage that can be enjoyed all summer long. The Blue Indigo can grow up to 4' in height and its branching habit make wide spacing advisable in home landscaping.

Blue mistflower covers its stems with soft, powder-blue flower clusters in late summer and fall. It spreads by underground stems to form colorful colonies in moist borders, rain gardens, and naturalized groundcover plantings. The nectar-rich flowers are especially useful to butterflies preparing for migration.

Lance Leaf Coreopsis seeds come from a hardy, drought-tolerant perennial known for its bright, daisy-like yellow flowers with a reddish center. This plant thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it an excellent choice for adding color to gardens, especially in xeriscaping or low-maintenance landscapes. Growing up to 2–3 feet tall, Lance Leaf Coreopsis attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies, while its long bloom period—typically from early summer to fall—provides continuous interest in the garden. The seeds are easy to sow and germinate quickly, making it a great option for both beginner and experienced gardeners.

The Gayfeather Liatris is an excellent variety at attracting butterflies, bees and hummingbirds and matures to 4' in wet to mesic soil conditions. Like many Liatris species, when it begins to bloom it starts at the top and works its way down. This is an excellent Liatris species to plant in wet-medium prairies and perennial gardens and it makes to be a perfect cut flower.

Asclepias incarnata ‘Ice Ballet’, often called White Swamp Milkweed, is a selected form of the native Swamp Milkweed long found along wetlands, marsh edges, and moist prairies across North America, where it has served for generations as an essential host plant for monarch caterpillars. This cultivar stands out for its showy clusters of pure white, vanilla-scented flowers that bloom in midsummer, contrasting beautifully with its upright stems and narrow, deep-green leaves.

Goldsturm Rudbeckia (Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’) is an award-winning perennial introduced in the mid-20th century and celebrated for its long-lasting, golden-yellow daisy-like blooms with dark brown centers. Native to North America, this variety grows 24–36 inches tall and 18–24 inches wide, creating bold displays in borders, meadows, and pollinator gardens. Easy to grow from seed, it thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, tolerating heat, drought, and poor soils once established.

Nodding Onion brings the history of wild edible onions to North American meadows and open woods; its bulbs and leaves have been used like chives. Hooked stems carry pink to lavender flower clusters that hang downward, allowing bees to reach nectar while hovering below. The onion scent helps deter deer, and bulbs slowly form new offsets. Grow this perennial in sun or light shade and medium to moist, well-drained soil.

Spotted Joe Pye Weed, is a distinctive perennial native to North America's moist meadows and woodlands. Named after Joe Pye, a Native American herbalist, this plant has a rich history in traditional medicine. It is recognized for its tall, elegant growth, typically reaching heights of 4 to 6 feet, and its unique spotted stems that give it its common name.

A tropical appearance bloom that can thrive in cooler locations (zone 5 and above). Produces beautifully stunning white and crimson flowers. Hibiscus moscheutos plants prefer wet areas in the wild, but can also be grown in a well-watered garden.

Lemon Mint Bee Balm grow beautiful lavender blooms that make wonderful cut flowers. Citrus scented blooms offer fragrance and beauty. The blooms and leaves are both edible. Native to the U.S. Also known as lemon bee balm, purple horsemint, and lemon mint. If grown in a pollinator garden Lemon Mint will attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) is a native North American prairie grass with a rich history as a foundational species in tallgrass ecosystems, valued for its resilience and ecological benefits. It features fine-textured, upright blue-green blades that turn striking shades of red, orange, and bronze in the fall, reaching about 2–4 feet tall. Adapted to a wide range of soils, it thrives in full sun with minimal water or fertilizer once established, making it ideal for xeriscaping and low-maintenance landscapes.

Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) is a native perennial with upright spikes of brilliant blue flowers from late summer into fall. It thrives in moist soil in full sun to partial light and is well suited to rain gardens, pond edges, and wet meadows. The long-blooming flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Mature plants commonly reach 2 to 3 feet tall.

Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) is an eastern North American perennial with nodding red-and-yellow flowers in spring. It grows well in part shade to full sun on moist, well-drained slopes, woodland edges, and rock gardens. The early flowers provide nectar for hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. Mature plants generally reach 1 to 3 feet tall and readily reseed in favorable sites.

The Panorama Bee Balm is a great cutting plant for center pieces. This beautiful flower blooms from July to August on 3' foot plants. This bee balm prefers full sun or afternoon shade.

Mexican Hat Ratibida, also known as Ratibida columnifera, is a striking perennial flower native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. This plant, often referred to as the "Mexican Hat" due to its distinctive flower shape, has a rich history in native gardens and landscapes. The plant is characterized by its unique, cone-shaped flowers with reddish-brown, drooping petals that resemble a sombrero hat, which contrast beautifully with its bright yellow center.

Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) is a distinctive North American native plant. Dense upright plumes of golden flowers provide conspicuous late-season color without the strongly spreading habit of many goldenrods. It matures at approximately 60 inches tall and flowers from early to mid fall through mid to late 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.

Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) is a native perennial with slender spikes of blue-violet flowers from summer into early fall. It performs best in moist soil in full sun to partial light and fits naturally into rain gardens, wet meadows, and pond edges. The flowers support butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects, and the tall stems are suitable for cutting. Established plants commonly reach about 4 feet tall.

The Tennessee Blend combines annual and perennial wildflowers selected for ornamental planting in the southeastern United States. Its current component profile features Lance-Leaved Coreopsis, Scarlet Sage, Indian Blanket, and Sulphur Cosmos. Tennessee’s warm, humid summers and comparatively long season fit Applewood’s Southeast regional guidance. 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 Whorled Asclepias is a beautiful brilliant white flower that will grow anywhere and bees, butterflies and hummingbirds love it! This Butterfly Weed variety is native to the Midwest but can grow almost anywhere is the USA and provides nectar to many pollinators. This easy to grow, attractive perennial blooms mid to late summer and will spread easily without thinning.

Button Blazing Star (Liatris aspera) is a native wildflower of the central and eastern United States, historically found in dry prairies, savannas, and open woodlands where its tough, deep-rooted nature helped it thrive in harsh conditions. It is known for its thick, sturdy stems topped with rounded, button-like clusters of rosy-purple flowers that open irregularly along the spike, creating a charming, textural look that pollinators—especially bees and butterflies—love.

The Black Eyed Susan Rudbeckia is a wonderful, stiff upright flower that is stunning and will definitely grab your attention. This variety is an annual or short lived perennial native to the eastern United States. The Black Eyed Susan is probably the most common of all American wildflowers. The characteristic brown, domed center is surrounded by bright yellow ray florets that thrives in most soils in full sun. The Black Eyed Susan is a true sunshine worshiper that forgives neglect.

Splitbeard bluestem is a native warm season, perennial bunchgrass. The plants usually begin growth in April and reach a mature height of 2 to 4 feet. The leaves can be glaucous, glabrous, or loosely villous. The leaf sheaths are villous and often purplish in appearance.

Cream Wild False Indigo sends up pale yellow flower spikes above softly textured foliage in late spring and early summer. Its deep-rooted, shrubby habit fits sunny prairie gardens, dry borders, and naturalized plantings. Decorative seedpods extend the season and provide texture after flowering.

Indian Steel is a clump-forming perennial grass with an upright, open habit typically growing upwards of 5' tall. Under the right circumstances it can be 7-8' tall. Features slender (1/2" wide), blue-green leaf blades (8-12" long) which turn yellow in fall and retain some gold color throughout the winter.