Herbaceous ornamentals add interest to our yards and gardens with bright, beautiful flowers and interesting foliage. Whether native, non-native, sun-loving or shade-tolerant, herbaceous plants invite wildlife, provide for pollinators, and bring us enjoyment with color, texture and fragrance.
Native & Naturalized Selection
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With bold-textured, silvery blue foliage, honeybush (Melianthus major) makes a spectacular specimen plant in containers or in the border. This South African native is evergreen only in zones 9 and 10, but its rapid growth means it can be used as a seasonal ornamental to provide a lush, exotic look in cooler climates. Learn more about honeybush in this article…
Flowering maples aren’t real maples, but they have palmate leaves that look similar to that tree’s leaves, and much more spectacular flowers than true maples have. Also commonly referred to by just the genus name Abutilon, these tender sub-shrubs can be used as seasonal accent plants or grown indoors to bloom year-round. For more about flowering maples read this article…
Balloon plant is one of many common names for an African milkweed that develops showy, hairy, inflated seed pods that are a real conversation piece. Grown as an annual in our climate, this tender perennial can be a showpiece in the garden or interesting addition to floral arrangements. To learn more about Gomphocarpus physocarpus, read this article…
Looking for a low-maintenance, fall-blooming perennial? The Perennial Plant Association’s Perennial of the Year 2016 could be just the ticket. With pure white flowers held on wiry stems well above dark green mounds of foliage, Anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’ makes a statement in the fall garden. To learn more about this great ornamental, read this article…
This publication describes the lives, habits, and habitat of the eastern cottontail rabbit and snowshoe hare, both natives of Wisconsin. Plant damage and management are described.
You’ve probably seen spherical swellings on goldenrod stems at one time or another, but do you know what caused those? A type of small fly with patterned wings is responsible for the most common gall on goldenrods. To learn more about the goldenrod gall fly and how it creates those golf ball-sized growths, read this article…
Ornamental grasses are a great addition to the landscape. Switchgrass is a North American prairie native that adapts readily to the garden, especially several cultivars that have been selected for their attractive shape or color. Learn about this low-maintenance, warm season grass with airy, pink-tinged flower spikes in this article…
This time of year the leaves of Virginia creeper turn from an average green to a brilliant crimson red, painting tree trunks and the ground on woodland edges with bright color once temperatures cool. Learn more about this vigorous native vine that adapts to many different conditions and soils in this article…
Anise hyssop is a great plant for attracting bees, butterflies and beetles. Learn more about this native species in this article…
If you’ve seen a large, mostly black butterfly lately, chances are it was a black swallowtail, a very common butterfly of eastern North America. The colorful caterpillars feed on many herb garden plants while the adults nectar at a variety of flowers. To learn more about this species and how to encourage it in your garden, read this article…
July brings out the fireworks, but if you’d rather have visual explosions in the garden than pyrotechnics in the sky, consider the annual purple fountain grass cultivar ‘Fireworks’. This ornamental grass offers pink variegated foliage in an arching form that provides great contrast in color and form. Learn more about ‘Fireworks’ grass in this article…
Need to cover a trellis with color for the summer? Black-eyed Susan vine is a good choice if you want lots of showy flowers in the yellow and orange range. Thunbergia alata is actually a tender perennial that grows fast enough to be used as an annual in cooler climates. To learn more about this African native, read this article…
