Prairie Plants
Showing 73–80 of 81 results
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Solidago caesia syn. Solidago axillaris Blue-stemmed goldenrod, Wreath goldenrod Z 4-9
Graceful, arching wands of clustered gold, with contrasting blue-green stems in September-October. One of the last perennials to bloom. Clump forming, noninvasive perennial.
Graceful, arching wands of clustered gold, with contrasting blue-green stems, in September-October. Clump forming, noninvasive perennial.
Size: 18-24” x 16-20”
Care: part shade to shade in well-drained soil, drought tolerant
Native: Nova Scotia to WI, south to FL and west to TX, Wisconsin native
Wildlife Value: With both nectar and pollen this attracts, bees, wasps and flies. It is host to caterpillars of some moths.The Latin name is a combination of solidus and ago, meaning “I make whole”, referring to its historic medicinal uses. According to William Cullina it has antioxidant, diuretic, astringent and antifungal properties and was used to treat urinary tract and yeast infections, sore throats and diarrhea. (W. Cullina, NEWFS, p. 197) Named by Swedish botanist Linnaeus in 1753.
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Solidago riddellii syn. Oligoneuron riddellii Riddell’s goldenrod, Stiff goldenrod Z 3-7
Sunshine yellow dome-topped flowers Sept.- Oct. Differs from S. gramnifolia by fewer leaves and its leaves fold toward the center vein.
Sunshine yellow dome-topped flowers Sept.- Oct. Differs from S. gramnifolia by fewer leaves and its leaves fold toward the center vein.
Size: 3’x2’
Care: sun in moist to moist well-drained soil.
Native: swath down middle of No. Am. From Hudson Bay to AK, incl. Wisconsin native
Wildlife Value: Loved by butterflies for its nectar – Small copper, Monarch, Giant swallowtail, Gray hairstreak, Clouded Sulphur, Fritillary, Pearl crescent, & Cloudless sulphur. Attracts praying mantises. Resists deer.The name Solidago from solidus and ago meaning to bring together. First published by German botanist Joseph Frank (1782-1835) who named it riddellii in honor of John Riddell who had collected it in Ohio before 1835.
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Solidago speciosa Showy goldenrod Z 3-8
Broad spikes of erect panicles of mustard yellow welcome late summer into autumn
Broad spikes of erect panicles of mustard yellow welcome late summer into autumn
Size: 3-5’ x 12-18”
Care: Sun, any soil
Native: Central & eastern US, Wisconsin native
Wildlife Value: Loved by butterflies for its nectar – Small copper, Monarch, Giant swallowtail, Gray hairstreak, Clouded Sulfur, Fritillary, Pearl crescent & Cloudless sulfur. Attracts praying mantises.Meskwaki applied an infusion made of roots to burns. Chippewa used this plant for many things – to stop bleeding in the mouth and lungs, reduce pain from strains and sprains, as a stimulant and tonic and, mixed with bear grease, for a hair ointment. HoChunk and Winnebago made a blood purifier and remedied incontinence. Collected by Thomas Nuttall, English planthunter (1786-1859) who wandered over all of No. America searching for plants, animals, birds, and rocks from 1809 to 1842.
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Sporobolus heterolepsis Prairie dropseed Zone 3 – 9
Mound of graceful thinnest of grass blades
The description in the Chiltern Seeds catalog cannot be improved: “This is the most elegant and refined of the North American prairie grasses …the finest texture composed of the thinnest of thin, thread-like, glossy green blades,.. in autumn turning deep orange before fading to a light copper for the winter. In late summer the plants bear, on very slender stalks high above the foliage, unbelievably delicate, graceful flower panicles, excellent for cutting. ”One of internationally known garden designer Piet Oudolf’s 100 “MUST HAVE” plants, Gardens Illustrated 94 (2013)
Size: 2’ x 2’
Care: Full sun in well-drained soil
Native: from Canada in the north to Texas in the south, Wisconsin native
Wildlife Value: seeds are food for birds
Awards: Missouri Botanic Garden Plant of Merit & Great Plants for Great Plains Grass of the Year.Sporobolos is Greek from sporo meaning seed and ballein meaning to cast forth because the seed readily falls from the flower (or dropseed, the common name). Ojibwa “Medicine Society” used roots to cure sores & “remove bile.”
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Tradescantia virginiana Spiderwort Z 4-9
Purple umbels of three petals with prominent yellow stamens June – October, opening in the morning and closing at noon.
Purple umbels of three petals with prominent yellow stamens June – October, opening in the morning and closing at noon.
Size: 18-24" x 24"
Care: Full sun to part shade in moist to moist well-drained soil
Native: From New York to South Dakota, Virginia and Arkansas and all states in between. Wisconsin native.
Wildlife Value: Bumblebees and honeybees eat the nectar and collect the pollen.Named after John Tradescant, an English botanist and gardener to Kings James III and Charles I. Parkinson (1567-1650) explains the origin of this plant: “This Spider-wort is of late knowledge, and for it the Christian world is indebted unto that painfull industrious searcher, and lover of all natures varieties, John Tradescant who first received it of a friend, that brought it out of Virginia,” (1639). It was probably sent to mainland Europe in 1500’s. Grown at America’s 1st botanic garden, Elgin Botanic Garden 1811. Tradescantia was cherished by the Dakota Indians for its beauty. Cherokee ate the young greens and prescribed it to cure stomachaches after overeating, female illnesses, cancer, and insect bites. Menominee revived those “defiled by touch of bereaved.” Natives applied a poltice of the leaves topically for insect bites and stings. By 1659 ones with white, light blue and reddish flowers grown in England. According to Monticello.org the root exuded a gummy liquid which, when inserted into a cut on top of a person’s head remedied the person’s “craziness.”
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Verbena hastata Blue vervain, Simpler’s joy Z 3-9
Bright purplish-blue candelabra-like spikes from July to September
Bright purplish-blue candelabra-like spikes from July to September
Size: 2-4’ x 2’
Care: sun to part shade in moist or moist well-drained soil
Native: eastern 2/3rds of No. America, Wisconsin native
Wildlife Value: Cardinals & Sparrows eat the seeds. Food for larvae of Buckeye butterfly.Native Americans used plant as remedy for coughs, colds, and fever. Mahuna Indians of So. California used the root to cure complicated stomach fevers. Sioux fed the seeds to their horses to give them energy. The Sioux also used it as an insect repellant. Pressed specimen in Emily Dickinson’s herbarium.
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Vernonia fasciculata Prairie Ironweed Z 3-7
Dense clusters of fluffy petaled, true royal purple flowers atop unbranched stems, July-September
Dense clusters of fluffy petaled, true royal purple flowers atop unbranched stems, July-September
Size: 3-4’ x 2-3’
Care: sun to part shade in moist to moist well drained soil
Native: so central Canada to central & eastern US, Wisconsin native
Wildlife Value: Butterfly attractor – Fiery skipper. Host for Common buckeye butterfly. Deer & rabbit resistant.Lakota Sioux: “The leaves are formed into a sort of “plate” that keeps foreign matter from getting on meat. An infusion of the root is used to regulate menstrual periods.”
Collected by French planthunter André Michaux (1746-1802) who spent 11 years exploring America for plants. Vernonia named to honor Wm. Vernon (1666-1711) English botanist who collected plants in late 1600’s. -
Vernonia noveboracensis Ironweed Z 4-8
Heads of numerous deep, royal purple, platter-forming flower several feet high above in late summer
Heads of numerous deep, royal purple, platter-forming flower several feet high above in late summer
Size: 6-7' x 3'
Care: Sun in moist to moist well-drained soil
Native: Massachusetts to Florida
Wildlife Value: attracts butterfliesNamed for English botanist William Vernon. Infusions of the plant used by Cherokee to relieve pain after childbirth, for loose teeth and for stomach ulcers.
