Division of Extension
With showy red flowers popular with pollinators, tithonia or Mexican sunflower is a warm season annual that thrives in the heat of summer. The species, which grows over 6 feet tall, makes a great backdrop or seasonal screen, but there are shorter cultivars better suited to small gardens. Learn more about this low maintenance Mexican native in this article.
With soft, dense feathery spikes of bright pink, red or purple produced in profusion, wheat celosia adds eye-catching upright flower architecture in the ornamental garden. Learn more about this long-flowering annual plant in this article.
The buzzing of cicadas means it’s the height of summer. Learn more about these insects in Wisconsin, including their biology and lifecycle, in this article…
Irish or Scotch moss forms a luxurious carpet of green or gold, respectively, and make a great filler between flagstones or spilling over rocks. Not a true moss but a flowering plant, learn more about these plants in this article.
‘Husker Red’ foxglove beardtongue features showy panicles of tubular white flowers and deep maroon foliage. One of few Penstemon species to thrive in humid climates, P. digitalis is a nice addition to landscapes. Learn more about this selection of this eastern North American native in this article
Fothergillas are multi-season beauties grown as ornamentals well outside their original range. Learn more about these easily grown members of the witch-hazel family…
With short-lived pure white flowers and curious-looking seedpods, this early spring bloomer named after a US President makes a great addition to native plantings or as a shady groundcover. Its common name of twinleaf comes from the interesting butterfly-shaped leaves. Learn more about Jeffersonia diphylla in this article…
With attractive ferny foliage and eye-catching blooms, chamomile can be a nice addition to the ornamental garden or herb garden. This Eurasian annual is easily grown from seed for its yellow and white daisy flowers that are harvested to make chamomile tea. Learn more about Matricaria chamomilla in this article…
For a hit of intense blue in the garden in mid-spring, Muscari armeniacum can’t be beat. This small perennial bulb produces clusters of bell-shaped flowers that resemble bunches of grapes, giving rise to the common name grape hyacinth. Learn more about this European species in this article…
Rhubarb is an old-fashioned perennial is very easy to grow and is an early season harvest from the garden. Rhubarb can also be used as an edible landscape plant. This article provides some history and how to grow rhubarb in gardens and landscapes.
Lenten Rose is pushing up its flower spikes and deeply divided, leathery, umbrella-like leaves in early spring with tulips and daffodils. The long-lasting sepals in an open, bell shape offer ornamental interest long after the seeds have developed. Learn more about this herbaceous perennial in this article.
For soft blue flowers in partly shady spots in spring, nothing beats woodland phlox. This North American native thrives in dappled shade and moist, well-drained soils and it fits well in informal shady beds, rock gardens and wild or naturalized areas. Learn more about this pretty late spring to early summer bloomer in this article.
