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Carefree American Wildflowers for Sunny Summer Gardens

Carefree American Wildflowers for Sunny Summer Gardens Featured Image
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My favorite carefree American wildflowers of summer are untamed, grassland natives that blow in the breeze and bring color to less formal, airier plantings. Their waves of flower color glow on warm days when pollinators are most active. These are flowers that you slow down to look at along roadside meadows but are tame enough for gardens. Each year their seeds gently sprout here and there, creating beds with ever-changing character.

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Another welcome trait is that they require no special skills to grow. Plant them in full sun, average soil with good drainage, (Fafard Natural & Organic Compost is a good amendment to add at planting time), give them a little water on dry days, weed as needed, and they will essentially care for themselves.

Plant them together in colorful swaths or among ornamental grasses for a free and beautiful meadow effect. (Click here to learn more about meadow gardening.) Most of these American wildflowers are perennials with one annual added to the mix.

Carefree American Wildflowers

Winecups (Image by Jessie Keith, taken at Chanticleer Garden)
Winecups thrive in summer heat and weave themselves among other flowers. (Image by Jessie Keith, taken at Chanticleer Garden)

Winecups (Callirhoe involucrata, Zones 4-10) knit and weave themselves around other flowers and grasses to provide hot color with its cups of deep magenta flowers. It has a deep taproot and is quite drought tolerant, reducing the need for supplemental water. Just provide winecups with full sun and a spot of dry to average soil that drains well, and it should be happy. Expect flowers from mid to late summer.

Hairbells
Hairbells look delicate but are drought and wind tolerant.

The hairbell (Campanula rotundifolia, Zones 3-7) is named for its delicate bells of violet to pale blue that hang from slender 12- to 18-inch stems. The plants look sleight but will tolerate quite a bit of drought once established. Plant them in full to partial sun, provide average moisture, and watch them produce their pretty flowers from early to late summer.

Dyer's Coreopsis 'Mardi Gras'
Dyer’s Coreopsis ‘Mardi Gras’ is a pretty annual wildflower that self sows.

The annual Dyer’s coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria) bears lots of small gold or gold and burgundy daisies atop slender stems in the summer months. The 1- to 2-foot plants can sometimes flop. Planting them among upright perennials and grasses helps provide stability. Bees and butterflies love the flowers, and no special skills are needed to grow it. Just sprinkle the seed on worked ground in spring, keep it moist, and watch them sprout and grow. Expect them to gently self-sow. The variety ‘Mardi Gras‘ is extra pretty with its quilled petals of gold and maroon. Dyer’s coreopsis is also valued as a traditional dye plant (click here to learn more).

Monarch butterfly on purple coneflower

Pale purple and purple coneflowers (Echinacea pallida and E. purpurea, Zones 3-8) are valued for their beautiful large-coned daisies and wildlife benefits; few native wildflowers can beat these. They’re a snap to grow, bloom over a long period in summer, especially if deadheaded, and provide a few seedlings each year. Leave the last wave of autumn seedheads up to dry and feed winter birds.

Purple coneflower begins to bloom in early summer, has large leaves, bright purple-red flowers with large cones, wide radial petals, and bears many blooms. The wilder looking pale purple coneflower has fewer flowers with drooping lavender-pink petals and slender leaves. But, it has an elegant, untamed look that is appealing in mixed plantings.

Blazing star

Blazing star (Liatris spicata, Zones 3-11) is a bold bloomer with many tall (3 to 5 foot) spikes of fuzzy purple flowers that are prettiest in midsummer. Hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies line the purple wands when they are in full bloom. When not in bloom, the plants have neat clumps of grassy foliage. Site blazing star in a spot with full sun and average to moist soil, and it will grow beautifully.

Yellow coneflowers
Yellow coneflowers have unusual lax petals that flutter in the wind. (Image by Jessie Keith)

The numerous tall, thin stems of yellow coneflower (Ratibida pinnata, Zones 3-9) can reach up to 4 feet (sometimes more). Its golden daisies are visited by bees and butterflies and have prominent central cones with drooping yellow petals that move in the wind. Plant yellow coneflower in full sun and average soil. Established specimens will tolerate drought. Flowering extends from mid to late summer.

Texas and Southeast wildflowers, scarlet sag and spotted horsemint
Spotted horsemint pairs well with the Texas and Southeast wildflower, scarlet sage (Salvia coccinea). (Image by Jessie Keith)

The unusual, tiered pink flowers of spotted horsemint (Monarda punctata, Zones 3-9) have some of the greatest pollinator power around, especially when it comes to feeding bees. The fragrant plants have a long bloom time that can extend from summer to fall. Well-drained soil and full sun are musts. The plants can reach between 2 to 3 feet, and maintain tidy clumps that do not spread, unlike other popular garden Monarda.

Brown-eyed Susan

Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba, Zones 3-9) is a short-lived perennial known for its drifts of tiny golden daisies with brown eyes that delight the eye from late summer to fall. Ease of growth and a tendency to gently self-sow will ensure it will remain in your garden for years to come. Butterflies and bees are regular visitors to the flowers and finches enjoy eating the mature seeds.

These carefree flowers all grow well together. Plant your favorites in a wild border and watch the summer color, pollinators, and birds light up the garden.

Spur on Pollinators with Columbine Flowers

Eastern red columbine flowers are favored by hummingbirds.

The elegant spurs of columbine (Aquilegia spp.) trail behind each bloom like the tail of a comet. The spurs are elongated, tubular nectaries filled with sweet nectar to feed a variety of visiting pollinators, from hummingbirds to long-tongued bees to hawkmoths. These beautiful perennials are best planted in fall or early spring.

Aquilegia comes from the Latin name Aquila, which translates to “eagle” and refers directly to the flower’s talon-like spurs. They are unique in that many of the 60+ wild species are just as pretty as the hybrids offered at garden centers. All species hail from the North Temperate regions of the world and most bloom in late spring or early summer. The blooms attract pollinators of one variety or another, but many are specially adapted to certain pollinator groups.

Flower color is the main characteristic that dictates pollinator attraction, though spur length, scent, and nectar sugar levels also play a part. Organizing favorite Aquilegia species by color makes it easier to choose the right plants for your pollinator garden design.

Hummingbirds: Red and Orange Columbine

Aquilegia canadensis
The red flowers of eastern red columbine are a hummingbird favorite.

Native American columbine species with red or orange flowers are specially adapted for hummingbirds. Beautiful wildflowers, such as the eastern red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis, 2 feet) with its tall stems of nodding red flowers with yellow throats, or western red columbine (A. elegantula, 1-3 feet) with its straighter, nodding, comet-shaped flowers of orange-red, are sure to attract hummingbirds in spring and early summer. Hummers flying through western desert regions will likely visit the blooms of the Arizona columbine (A. desertorum, 1-2 feet) with its many small, red flowers with shorter spurs. All of these columbine blooms hold lots of extra sweet nectar to fulfill the needs of visiting hummingbirds.

Hawkmoths & Bees: Violet and Blue Columbine

Hawmoths love Colorado blue columbine.

Columbine species with flowers in combinations of violet-blue and white tend to be most attractive to hawkmoths and native long-tongued bees. (Hawkmoths are easily distinguished by their hummingbird-like hovering flight patterns and long tongues adapted for nectar gathering.) Blue columbine with long spurs, such as the Colorado blue columbine (A. coerulea, 1-3 feet), is most attractive to hawkmoths. Smaller, blue-flowered species, such as the alpine Utah columbine (A. scopulorum, 6-8 inches) and small-flowered columbine (A. brevistyla, 1-3 feet), are better adapted to bee pollinators.

Hawkmoths: Yellow Columbine

The yellow, long-spurred flowers of golden columbine are loved most by hawkmoths.

Some of the most impressively long spurs are found on columbine with ethereal yellow flowers that glow in the evening light. Most are adapted for hawkmoth pollination. One of the prettiest for the garden is the southwestern golden columbine (A. chrysantha, 3 feet) with its big starry flowers and long, long spurs of gold. From spring to summer the plants literally glow with beautiful blossoms. Another big-spurred beauty from the American Southwest is the long-spurred columbine (A. longissima, 1-3 feet) with its 4-6 inch long spurs. The upward-facing blooms are paler yellow than A chrysantha and bloom from mid to late summer. Both species look delicate but are surprisingly well-adapted to arid weather conditions.

Growing Columbine

As a rule, columbine grows best in full to partial sun and soil with good to moderate fertility and sharp drainage. Fafard® Premium Natural & Organic Compost is a great soil amendment for these garden flowers. They don’t require heavy fertilization and should be protected from the sun during the hottest times of the day. After flowers, plants often die back or develop a ragged look, so be sure to surround them with other full perennials with attractive foliage and flowers that will fill the visual gaps left by these plants. Good compliments are tall phlox, coneflowers, eastern bluestar, and milkweeds.

Columbines are great choices for pollinator gardens, so it’s no wonder that sourcing species is surprisingly easy. High Country Garden sells a western species collection, in addition to the dwarf eastern columbine, and many others. Moreover, columbine self-sow and naturally hybridize, making them truly enjoyable garden flowers for gardeners we well as our favorite pollinators.

Columbine hybrids
Columbine hybrids come in many shades, attracting broader suites of pollinators.

Gorgeous Garden Goldenrods

Canada goldenrod
Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) is one of the most common field species in North America. (Photo by Jessie Keith)

It is hard to think of goldenrod (Solidago spp.), as something precious and special when it is so extraordinarily ubiquitous.  Native to all of North America, it bursts into bloom in late summer and early fall, lining field edges, roadsides and just about every sunny space where it can gain a foothold.  In its native land, it is often damned with faint or non-existent praise.  Even worse, it is unjustly damned as the source of pesky, end-of-summer hay fever attacks.

'Little Lemon' goldenrod
The compact ‘Little Lemon’ is a tidy, small goldenrod fit for border edges and containers. (Photo by Jessie Keith)

Ragweed, goldenrod’s seasonal fellow traveler, is the true cause of most late-season allergies.  Ragweed is a stealth allergen. It’s so visually nondescript with its humdrum green flowers that people overlook it in their quest to point accusing fingers at goldenrod’s bright plumes.  Like many hay-fever-trigger plants, ragweed is wind pollinated. It relies on the breeze to complete its pollinating chores, sending tiny pollen granules flying through the air where they meet up with sensitive human beings.

Goldenrod, on the other hand, is pollinated by bees and other insects, meaning its pollen never becomes airborne and causes us no harm.
Common and condemned, goldenrod had to go all the way to Europe to lose its bad reputation.  Europeans, untroubled by hay-fever concerns, common origins, and supposed coarse appearances, fell in love.  When plant people on the other side of the Atlantic got hold of the winsome field flower, that love translated into hybridizing.  The result of international travel and human-initiated plant hanky-panky is that gardeners have the option of getting their goldenrod two ways—wild or bred into garden-worthy forms.

Solidago 'Crown of Rays' is a tidier cultivated form for the garden. (Photo by Jessie Keith)
Solidago ‘Crown of Rays’ is a tidier cultivated form for the garden. (Photo by Jessie Keith)

Goldenrod’s lineage makes it natural for the home garden.  At first glance, the resemblance is hard to see, but Solidago is in the daisy family, Asteraceae.  Each lush flower panicle is made of up of many miniature golden daisies that can be seen up close. Loaded with pollen, they attract bees, butterflies, and many other insects.  If you have ever eaten wildflower honey collected in fall, you have most likely tasted the autumnal richness of goldenrod.

In the garden, these hardy perennials ask for little. Established plants can tolerate dry spells in fine fashion, and some species are tolerant of moist soils. Sunny space is ideal for the plants, although some will also prosper in light shade, sporting somewhat fewer flowers per stem.  Anyone familiar with field goldenrod, which is frequently, but not always, Solidago canadensis, knows that it can grow 3 to 6 feet high and forms large clumps due to its vigorous, spreading root systems.  Clearly, this is not ideal for all gardens.  Fortunately, breeders have come up with more civilized, compact garden goldenrods that are perfect for small spaces or containers.

Fafard Natural & Organic Potting Soil with RESILIENCE packOne of those compact varieties is Solidago ‘Little Lemon’, which reaches only 12 to 18 inches tall. It looks cute in seasonal containers, but this perennial should be replanted along a border edge before frost descends.  The popular ‘Crown of Rays’, which grows 18 to 24 inches tall, is another compact form to consider. For a medium-tall variety, try the popular Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’, which grows 3 to 4 feet tall and spreads less aggressively than some wild forms. The winter seed heads of all goldenrod add garden beauty by attracting the lovely, yellow-feathered goldfinch.

To make potted goldenrod thrive, fill your chosen container with Fafard Natural and Organic Potting Soil. This premium mix is full of the kind of rich organic materials that goldenrod would choose for itself if it were able. Amend garden soils with Fafard Premium Natural and Organic Compost before planting.

The word “Solidago” comprises two Latin words that mean “to make whole”.  “Solidago” shares a common root with the English word “solidarity”.  This seems perfect for goldenrod, which finds solidarity with a variety of plants that bloom at the same time.  The most prominent of them is the blue-purple Symphiotrichum novae-angliae (New England aster).  Mums, especially those in burnt orange or dark red shades, also make good companions.  In the fields, the waving golden wands harmonize with the last of summer’s true blue chicory, not to mention purple ironweed (Vernonia spp.) and lots of airy native grasses.

Goldenrod is a great garden plant, but it also makes an excellent cut flower.  Best of all, since no one has ever been inclined to pick ragweed and add it to a vase, you can enjoy goldenrod’s sunny fall flowers indoors without resorting to allergy medicine or the tissue box.

Strands of Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' with red dahlias and Salvia elegans 'Golden Delicious'
Strands of Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ intermingle with a fall planting of red dahlias and Salvia elegans ‘Golden Delicious’. (Photo by Jessie Keith)

Native Wildflowers for the Garden

Spring Virginia bluebells in woodland - April 2007
Spring Virginia bluebells blanket a woodland garden floor. (Image by Jessie Keith)

America’s eastern native plants are a national treasure.  They also offer a wealth of material for American gardens.  This is perhaps most evident in spring, when many of the most beautiful native wildflowers strut their stuff in our fields, forests, or perennial borders.

Bloodroot

Bloodroot
Bloodroot is a very early spring bloomer. (Image by Basefilm)

Among the first of these to bloom is one of the queens of the Eastern forest, bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis).  Its broad, scalloped, kidney-shaped leaves unfurl in early spring, sending forth dainty, white, short-stemmed flowers that shatter within a few days of opening.  Far longer lasting, however, are the breathtaking double blooms of the cultivar ‘Multiplex’, whose sublime form would do the finest waterlily proud.  In whatever form, bloodroot makes a wonderful subject for massing and naturalizing in dappled shade.  A moist, relatively coarse soil suits it best (amend heavy or sandy soils with a good compost such as Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost).

Virginia Bluebells

Virginia bluebells along stone path
Virginia bluebells have great color and naturalize effortlessly. (Image by Jessie Keith)

Another first-rate naturalizer for moist shade, Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) sends up clusters of nodding, long-necked bell-flowers that morph from pale pink to summer-sky-blue upon opening in early- to mid-spring.  The 15- to 18-inch-tall plants are well furnished with broad, blue-dusted leaves that tone prettily with the flowers.  As bloom fades, so does the rest of the plant, yellowing and dwindling to a thick fleshy rootstock in late spring. Colonies of seedlings often follow.  Wild-collected roots and plants of Virginia bluebell are sometimes sold by disreputable dealers, so buyer beware.

Celandine Poppy

Celandine poppies
Celandine poppies add a golden glow to the spring wildflower garden (Image by Josve05a)

With its sunny yellow mid-spring flowers and penchant for self-sowing, celandine poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum) makes an excellent shade-garden companion for Virginia bluebells.  The 2-inch-wide, crepe-textured, four-petaled poppies are borne atop 18-inch clumps of bold foliage with oakleaf-shaped lobes.  Bristly seedpods resembling miniature gourds ripen in late spring, with dormancy (and enthusiastic self-sowing) ensuing.  Both celandine poppy and Virginia bluebells work well with other, more persistent woodlanders (such as ferns and Solomon’s seal) that fill the gaps left by their early exit.

Woodland Phlox

Although many native woodland perennials die back after blooming in spring, some stay around for the long haul.  These include two species of Phlox that make excellent subjects for borders or naturalistic plantings.  Woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata) produces drifts of fragrant, five-petaled blooms on wiry, foot-tall stems with paired, pointed leaves. The flowers are typically periwinkle-blue, but white, violet, and other colors occur in the wild and in cultivation.  Their form and hue combine effectively with Virginia bluebells, celandine poppy, white trilliums, wild geraniums, and other wildflowers that bloom in mid-spring.  After flowering, plants persist through the growing season and beyond as low semi-evergreen hummocks.

Crested Iris

Yet another splendid spreader for partial shade, crested iris (Iris cristata) grows from knobbly rhizomes that walk along the soil surface, like a bearded iris in miniature.  Fanned tufts of arching, 6-inch, blade-shaped leaves give rise to proportionately large blooms that slightly over top the foliage in mid-spring.  Flower color ranges from violet-blue to white, with contrasting yellow and white markings.   Several cultivars are available.  A lightly shaded site with moist, fertile, relatively porous soil is ideal.

All of these – and many more besides (including Geranium maculatum, Hepatica acutiloba, Trillium grandiflorum, Delphinium tricorne, Tiarella cordifolia, Polemonium reptans, and Uvularia grandiflora) – are essential plants for any eastern North American garden that seeks to embody a sense of place.

10 Terrific Flowers for Honey Bees

Rudbeckia lacinata 'Autumn Sun'
Rudbeckia lacinata ‘Autumn Sun’ is a late-summer bloomer that bees love.

The decline in honey bees (Apis mellifera) has heightened the popularity of honey bee plants. Many favorite flowers for honey bees, like sweetclover, thistle, alfalfa and dandelion, are Eurasian plants too weedy for flower beds. Thankfully, there are some beautiful summer garden flowers, many being  North American natives, which are also great nectar and pollen plants favored by these Old World native bees. Regional natives are also superb forage plants for regional bees.
Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost Blend packThe best honey bee plants provide a good supply of both sugary nectar and protein-rich pollen sought after by these and other long-tongued bees. Lots of beautiful garden flowers provide both in high quantities. Here are our top 10 favorites organized by bloom time. Choose one for each blooming period and you’ll have great bee blooms throughout the growing season! All are sun-loving and grow best in good soils with regular to good drainage. Amend with Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost Blend and feed with a fertilizer for flowers, such as Black Gold Rose & Flower Fertilizer, for best results.

Early Summer Bee Flowers

Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida, perennial)Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida, perennial): An elegant beauty with fine, drooping petals, the pale purple coneflower is a bee favorite that also produces seeds much loved by finches. A native of grasslands and savannahs across the Eastern United States, this tough coneflower will bloom for up to three weeks from June to July. When in bloom, its flowers will feed lots of bees. You might even see a few butterflies on them as well.

Achillea millefolium 'Strawberry Seduction'Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium, perennial): The bright, flattened heads of common yarrow are covered with tiny daisy flowers that bees really favor. Native to both Eurasia and North America, this plant attracts loads of pollinators no matter where it’s planted. There are many beautiful varieties for the garden; two of the better variants are the rich red ‘Strawberry Seduction’ (image left) and ‘Wonderful Wampee’, which has pink flowers that fade to nearly white. 

Summer Bee Flowers

Sunflower with beesSunflowers (Helianthus annuus, annual): Nothing attracts and feeds bees like good old sunflowers. Their massive and prolific blooms come in shades of yellow, gold, red and orange and give way to lots of oil-rich seeds enjoyed by seed-eating birds and humans alike. There are literally hundreds of varieties to choose with various flower colors, heights and flower sizes. The dwarf varieties ‘Little Becka‘ (image left; 3-4’ tall with gold and brown flowers) and ‘Big Smile’ (1-2′ tall with classic golden flowers with black centers) are choice selections for any garden.
Agastache Blue BoaBlue Giant Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum, perennial): The pretty spires of purple flowers produced by the giant hyssop become simply covered with bees. A native across the northern regions of North America, this fragrant perennial in the mint family it tough and very hardy. The hybrid Agastache ‘Blue Boa’ (image left by Terra Nova Nurseries) is an exceptional variety from Terra Nova Nursery that is exceptionally beautiful.

Monarda punctata and Salvia coccineaHorsemint (Monarda punctata, perennial): Few garden perennials draw bees as efficiently as the long-blooming horsemint. A native of much of the United States, this sun-lover produces tiers of unique pink to white bracted flowers through much of summer and into fall. The blooms of these fragrant plants last a long time and become completely covered with pollinators. Plant in very well-drained soil for best performance.

Echinacea Dixie BellePurple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea, perennial): The popularity of purple coneflowers and their many hybrids serves as a testament to their beauty and resilience. All are a favorite of bees, and like the pale purple coneflower, seed-eating birds enjoy the seedheads that follow. The purple-pink daisy flowers begin blooming in summer and will easily continue into late summer and even fall if the old flowers are removed. Some of the better new variants for big, long-blooming flowers include ‘Dixie Belle’ (left, image by Terra Nova Nurseries) and the super heavy blooming ‘Pica Bella’
Black-eyed SusanBlack-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp., annual or perennial): Nothing says summer like a beautiful black-eyed Susan, and bees appreciate their prolific flowers just as much as we do. One to seek out is the heavy blooming dwarf ‘Little Goldstar’ (Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Little Goldstar’).
 

 Late-Summer and Fall Bee Flowers

Aster oblongifolius 'October Skies'Asters (Symphotrichum spp., perennial): The pinks, blues and purples of late-summer and fall aster flowers are a delight to all bees. There are so many wonderful varieties to choose from it’s hard to know where to start. The classic ‘October Skies’ (image left, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ‘October Skies’) is a wonderful late bloomer with lavender-blue flowers and orange centers, and the dusty sky blue ‘Bluebird’  (Symphyotrichum laeve ‘Bluebird’) is an earlier bloomer with prolific flowers.

Eupatorium purpureumJoe-Pye Weeds (Eutrochium spp., perennial): This group of mid-to late-summer bloomers produces big, fuzzy heads of purplish-red flowers filled with nectar and pollen. Native across North America, many of the sun-loving perennials are adapted to moist ground. One of the finest garden varieties is Eutrochium purpureum ‘Little Red’ with its 4′ tall stature and pretty reddish-purple flowers.

SolidagoGoldenrods (Solidago spp., perennial): Lauded as one of the best bee flowers for late summer and fall, goldenrods become a buzzing mass when they open. In fact, goldenrod honey is a delicacy, known to be darker with a distinctive bite. Excellent garden-worthy goldenrods include the dwarf forms ‘Golden Fleece’ (Solidago sphacelata ‘Golden Fleece’) and ‘Baby Gold’ (Solidago ‘Baby Gold’).
With just a few of these garden beauties, feeding the bees all summer long is easy.