Midwest
1. Rosy Sedge
Name:Carex rosea
Usda Hardiness Zones:3 to 8
Size:12 to 14 inches tall and all-embracing
Conditions : Partial to full shade ; moist , well - drained soil
Do n’t lease the beauty of our little native rosy sedge arse around you . It is tougher than it looks and farm attractively in dry shade , where very few perennials thrive . This plant has graceful , glum dark-green , OK - textured foliage , though its common name comes from the tiny prime and seed cluster , which put on a little show in previous spring . Rosy sedge is a cool season specie , so the majority of its increment is in spring and fall . It spreads very slowly by rhizome . Verdant green gives way to rich atomic number 79 as cool fall temperature determine in — a nice way to terminate the develop season . In spring , get out your mulching mower , define it to high-pitched , and mow down your sedge to rejuvenate them .
2. Prairie Baby’s Breath
Name:Euphorbia corollata
Zones:3 to9
Size:18 to 36 inches magniloquent and 12 to 18 inch wide
Conditions : Full Lord’s Day ; well - drained soil
The delicate - looking bloodless flowers of this plant might fool you into thinking that it ’s a prima donna , but nothing could be further from the truth . This native prairie species thrives in full sun , under the live , dry conditions of summertime , and bloom from late natural spring to other fall . Like other euphorbias , its milky white , toxic sap is a natural check to deer and other leafage - eating fauna . The spicy - light-green summer leafage takes on atomic number 79 to orange tone in late fall . This fine - textured perennial look great plant among bold foliage , where its atomiser of flowers pop against the hearty backdrop .
3. Pale Purple Coneflower
Name:Echinacea pallida
Zones:3 to 10
Size:2 to 3 foot tall and 1 to 2 feet wide
Conditions : Full sun to fond shade ; well - drained soil
If you ’re tired of trying to sort out and notice a decent performing cultivar of coneflower from the scotch of them that have been oversupply the mart lately , then pale purple coneflower is for you . This aboriginal species involve little help from us to grow and thrive . It has a strong vertical habit and tuck nicely between other herbaceous perennials and grasses . Particularly beautiful are the graceful pinko , shuttlecock - like efflorescence that sit atop slender staunch and seem to levitate among neighboring plants during summer . It is especially sound and happy in spots where its crest stays dry .
4. Eastern Bee Balm
Name:Monarda bradburiana
Zones:4 to 8
Size:1 to 2 foot tall and full
Eastern bee balm has all of the big cosmetic attributes of its more well - have sex cousin-german but without the powdery mildew and aggressive spreading nature . I often think twice about set most bee balms , since they take so much work to keep in bounds , but this is a beautiful clump - former . This specie puts on a show of lighter to medium pinkish prime in late spring and is a favorite of hummingbirds and butterfly . Disease - resistive sheeny , dark green leaf takes on rich burgundy tones in fall .
pic : courtesy of Jeff Epping
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Jeff Epping is the director of horticulture for the Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin.
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Jeff Epping is the director of horticulture for the Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin.
