Wildflowers

A late-season bloom for your shady garden. But it can spread aggressively through rhizomes and self-seeding.

Good choice for a dry shade spot and still tolerates heat.

A wonderful ground cover for your shade garden. The heartshaped leaves come up in the spring and quickly cover the ground. They prefer rich, moist, but well drained soil.

Great for a woodland edge. Bulbous plant that dies back after seeding in summer but will come back the following spring. May not bloom the first few years. Bulbs traditionally eaten by Native Americans.

Host plant for the buckeye butterfly. Tolerates lots of shade. Blooms open at night and close in the morning, but may last longer on a cloudy day.

Native to the Ozarks, this short cutie can tolerate dry, part-shade and would be excellent for a rock garden boarder as its leaves stay semi-evergreen in winter. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

Can tolerate some light shade. Attracts lots of wonderful insects. Unique flower and great leaf texture. Leaves have been used for medicinal teas.

A quick-growing ground cover that spreads indefinitely by runners. And yes, these are real, edible strawberries! Fruit is small, but very flavorful. May go dormant in summer heat. Supports lots of wildlife.

A shorter aster for your rain garden. Spreads through rhizomes, better suited for larger gardens. A study in KC showed that Symphyotrichum is one of the plant genera in our area that attracts the largest number of different bee species.

Seeds are great for birds. Divide every few years to reduce spread. A study in KC showed that Helianthus is one of the plant genera in our area that attracts the largest number of different bee species. Can get really tall and spread widely.

Excellent pollinator and bird plant. Plant with other aggressive plants or weed frequently. Hosts for the Silvery Checkerspot butterfly (Chlosyne nycteis) and Summer Azure butterfly (Celastrina neglecta). We love the elegant way the petals droop.

Deer and rabbits tend to leave this plant alone. A late bloomer for your shade garden. Can spread aggressively, but looks good in masses.

Beautiful spring shade plant that can be used as a shallow-rooted ground cover. Likes more organic/rich soil. Attractive to butterflies, as well as people. Deer tend to leave it alone, but rabbits like to nibble it.

Beautiful early blooming flower for your shade garden, but foliage may die back in the summer so plant with other shade tolerant plants that persist through summer heat.

A sunflower for your shady bird garden. Can spread quickly by rhizomes and seeds, like many sunflowers, forming large colonies.