Wisconsin Native
Showing 81–88 of 108 results
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Potentilla tridentata syn. Sibbaldiopsis tridentate Three-toothed cinquefoil Z 2-7
Clusters of white, single rose-like saucer flowers spring and early summer on this dainty-appearing perennial. Its glossy evergreen leaves tinge red in fall and winter.
Clusters of white, single rose-like saucer flowers spring and early summer on this dainty-appearing perennial. Its glossy evergreen leaves tinge red in fall and winter.
Size: 6" x 12" spreading by runners-can become a groundcover.
Care: sun in well-drained, acidic soil
Native: New England to Upper Great Lakes, north to the Arctic, Appalachian Mountains of Georgia, WI native.
Wildlife Value: source of food for Copper butterflies
Awards: Cary Award Distinctive Plants for New EnglandDescribed and named by Kew’s British botanist William Aiton in Hortus Kewensis 1789.
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Pycanthemum virginianum Mountain mint Z 4-8
Corymbs of numerous pinkish-white blossoms, leaves fragrant.
Corymbs of numerous pinkish-white blossoms in August, leaves fragrant.
Size: 3' x 18"
Care: full sun to part shade in moist well-drained to well-drained soil
Native: Wisconsin native, Eastern U.S.
Wildlife Value: attracts butterflies, supports over 50 bee species.Named by Linnaeus in 1753. Pycanthemum is Greek meaning “dense blossom.” Chippewa used it to stop menstrual flow, cure chills and fever and to season meat. The plant gave the Meskwaki energy and lured minks into their traps. Lakota Sioux: “The leaves make a very pleasant tea. An infusion of the plant is taken for coughs.” Grown at America’s 1st botanic garden, Elgin Botanic Garden 1811
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Ratibida pinnata Prairie coneflower Z 3-8
Skirt of drooping, sunny, thin petals surround erect brown cone on this fragrant flower, smelling of anise, June-August.
Skirt of drooping, sunny, thin petals surround erect brown cone on this fragrant flower, smelling of anise, June-August.
Size: 4' x 18"
Care: sun to part shade in any soil
Native: Ontario, VT to FL, SD to OK, incl. Wisconsin
Wildlife Value: Butterfly plant. Birds eat seeds.Pinnata means “feathery” in Latin referring to the thin petals of the flower. 1st Americans cured toothaches with the root & made tea from the cone and leaves. Collected by French explorer Michaux on the prairies of Illinois in 1795.
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Rudbeckia triloba Branched coneflower, Brown eyed susan Z 3-9
Multitudes of small sunny daisies with brown centers from July to October, as cheery as they come.
Multitudes of small sunny daisies with brown centers from July to October, as cheery as they come.
Size: 3-4' x 2-3'
Care: sun to part shade in moist well-drained soil.
Native: most of North America, Wisconsin native
Wildlife Value: Numerous bees, some flies, a few wasps and butterflies feed on the nectar and pollen. One bee feeds only on Rudbeckias and Ratibida flowers.
Awards: Georgia Gold Medal winner. England’s Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit.Rudbeckia was named by Linnaeus for his University of Upsala professor and founder of the Uppsala botanic Garden, and his son, University of Uppsala professor named Olaf Rudbeck. This species collected in Colonial Virginia in 1600’s.
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Ruellia humilis Prairie petunia Z 3-9
Lilac open-face trumpets late June-October. Slow to emerge in spring so be patient and watch for it. It’s one of those non-flashy work-horses. One of internationally known garden designer Piet Oudolf’s 100 “MUST HAVE” plants, Gardens Illustrated 94 (2013)
Lilac open-face trumpets late June-October. Slow to emerge in spring so be patient and watch for it. It’s one of those non-flashy work-horses. One of internationally known garden designer Piet Oudolf’s 100 “MUST HAVE” plants, Gardens Illustrated 94 (2013)
Size: 10-12” x 10”
Care: sun in any soil
Native: Midwest south to Florida and Texas, Wisconsin endangered plant.
Wildlife Value: Pollinated primarily by long tongue bees who can reach far into the flower’s throat.Ruellia named for French royal herbalist Jean Ruell (1474-1537.) First collected by Thomas Nuttall (1786-1859) C.1810 English plant hunter who found more American plants than anyone else, early 1800’s.
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Salvia azurea ‘Grandiflora’ Blue sage, Prairie sage Z 5-9
August – October sky blue racemes. One of internationally known garden designer Piet Oudolf’s 100 “MUST HAVE” plants, Gardens Illustrated 94 (2013)
August – October sky blue racemes. One of internationally known garden designer Piet Oudolf’s 100 “MUST HAVE” plants, Gardens Illustrated 94 (2013)
Size: 4’ x 24-36”
Care: Sun, moist well-drained soil
Native: MI to e. NE, s. AR & TX, Wisconsin native
Wildlife Value: Primarily long tongued bees such as Bumble bees visit and pollinate the plants. Host for caterpillars of Hermit Sphinx butterflyNative Americans roast or popped the seed of Blue sage as a grain. American garden cultivation since 1700’s. William Robinson, father of the mixed perennial border, praised the Blue sage as “one of the finest (perennials from North America) in its flowers, borne as dense spikes of a beautiful pale blue during September and October.”
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Sambucus canadensis syn. Sambucus nigra var. canadensis. Elderberry, American elderberry Z 3-9
In late spring to mid-summer lavish, fragrant flat-to dome-shaped clusters of flowers bloom above this arching, multi-stemmed shrub. Late summer into fall the multitude of flowers turn into purple-black, edible fruits, up to 2000 per cluster!
In late spring to mid-summer lavish, fragrant flat-to dome-shaped clusters of flowers bloom above this arching, multi-stemmed shrub. Late summer into fall the multitude of flowers turn into purple-black, edible fruits, up to 2000 per cluster!
Size: 5-12’ x spreading quickly by suckers. Best to grow as hedge, along a roadside, fence-line or forest edge.
Care: sun to part shade in moist to well-drained soil
Native: Americas east of Rocky Mountains south to Bolivia. Wisconsin native
Wildlife Value: branches and leaves make nesting sites and give cover for birds.. Many birds (including, Pheasant, Bluebird, Cedar waxwing, Cardinal, Mockingbird and others) as well as some mammals eat the sweet, but slightly bitter, fruit. It is a source of pollen for numerous bees and other insects.Collected before 1735. Native Americans made extensive use of this, Cherokee used it topically for boils, burns and infections and internally for rheumatism, fevers, dropsy, as a diuretic, and of course ate the berries. Costanoan made its hollow twigs into pipes, flutes and shafts for arrows. Several Natives infused the flowers and foliage with hot water to make steam baths. And many natives ate it, boiled it, jammed it, and added the fruit to cakes. Today people eat them in jellies, jams, pancakes, pies and wine and make homeopathic medicine from it. Reportedly ripe berries are high in vitamin C and fiber. It’s also an antioxidant.
**LISTED AS OUT OF STOCK BECAUSE WE DO NOT SHIP THIS ITEM. IT IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT OUR RETAIL LOCATION.
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Scutellaria incana syn. Scutellaria canescens, Scutellaria villosa Downy skullcap Z 5-8
Showy, open spikes of two-lipped Blue-violet florets from June-Sept
Flowers of spikes of purple-blue tubes ending in two open lips, the lower lip having a white blotch, blooming for months from July to September, if deadheaded
Size: 2-3’ x 12-18"
Care: sun to part shade in moist well-drained to well-drained soil. Reblooms if deadhead after 1st flush of flowers
Native: NY to WI, Georgia to TX, Wisconsin native
Wildlife Value: Deer resistant. Its nectar feeds small butterflies, Bumblebees and Hummingbirds.The name Scutellaria is from Latin scutella meaning a small dish or saucer referring to the shape of the persistent calyx, a covering at the flower’s base. Incana means grey referring to the tiny hairs on stems and undersides of leaves giving a greyish color. Named by Johann Friedrich Theodor Biehler, German botanist from the plant specimens in Christian Sprengel’s (1750-1816) herbarium in 1807. How did German botanist Sprengel, who never set foot in America, come to have a pressed specimen of this native American plant? Sprengel and German botanist Carl Ludwig Willdenow (1765-1812) were close collaborators. Another German botanist Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg (1753-1815), living in Lancaster Pennsylvania, sent many American plants specimens to Willedenow. Scutellaria incana is native to and grows in what is now called Muhlenberg Meadow in Lancaster County PA. These connections make it likely that the specimen Biehler saw came from Henry Muhlenberg.
