September Plant Sale
* = Native Michigan Species or Cultivar
VINES
*TRUMPET VINE – Climbing to 30 feet. Full sun to light shade. A
rapid grower that needs to be pruned aggressively. Medium
green deciduous foliage with orange-tubed scarlet-petalled
hummingbird-attracting trumpets blooming July to September.
*AMERICAN WISTERIA – ‘AMETHYST FALLS’
15 – 25 feet tall. Full sun to light shade. Typically blooms after
its first season in the ground. 4-6 inch racemes of beautiful
lavender-blue fragrant summer flowers.
FERNS
*MAIDENHAIR FERN 1–2 feet tall. Light to dense shade. Best in
moist acidic organically rich soils. Leaves are soft-textured,
colored bluish green, and uniquely arranged in the shape of
horseshoes.
*DEER FERN – 8-20 inches tall. Light to moderate shade.
Constantly moist, humus rich, acidic soil. Begins each year
with a burst of wine-red upright fertile fronds from the center of
last year’s still green sterile fronds.
*SENSITIVE FERN – 1½ -2½ feet tall. Full sun to dense shade.
Excels in moist woodland borders. Deeply lobed, deciduous
yellow – green foliage. Its fertile fronds are brown, beadlike,
and excellent in dried flower arrangements.
GRASSES
*BIG BLUESTEM – 5-8 feet tall. Full sun to light shade. Native to
moist and dry soils of prairies and open woodlands. Bluish
green foliage and stems. Long-lived.
*CORKSCREW RUSH – ‘CURLY WURLY’ – 8-12 inches tall. Full sun
to moderate shade. Grows well in normal garden settings and
tolerates moist soil. A leafless rush with tightly rolled spiraling
wire-like stems. When picked and dried, the stems shorten and
the spirals become even tighter.
*SWITCH GRASS –‘HEAVY METAL’ – 3–3½ feet in flower. Full sun
to light shade. Has a neat compact upright habit, unusual
metallic blue foliage. During late summer open panicle of
purple florets unfurl above the leaves. During the fall the leaves
turn a pleasant shade of yellow.
*PRAIRIE DROPSEED – 1–1½ foot tall to 3 feet tall in flower. Full
sun to moderate shade. Excellent in all soil types and easy to
grow, drought tolerant.. Slowly forms dense arching clumps of
fine-textured emerald green leaves. Turns deep orange during
autumn, coppery tan in winter.
*LITTLE BLUESTEM – 1-4’ tall. North American tall grass. Sandy
soils. Color depends on the type of soil. Warm season grass.
Grows in crowns or clumps.
*SWEET GRASS – Very hardy, native perennial aromatic grass.
Grows in sun or partial shade. Does not like drought.
GROUNDCOVERS
*BEARBERRY – 1-3 inches tall spreading indefinitely. Full sun to
light shade. Excellent in infertile, sandy, acidic soils. Drought
tolerant and long-lived. Bears white to pinkish urn-shaped
flowers. Deep glossy-green foliage. Later in summer produces
red berry-like fruit.
*BUNCHBERRY – 4-6 inches tall. Spreading slowly. Light to
moderate shade. Needs cool, organically rich, moisture
retentive, acidic soil. Foliage dark glossy green. By mid-spring
the foliage is topped by tiny yellow flowers made showy by
their large white bracts. Bright red berries. During fall the
foliage turns deep reddish purple.
*PURPLE CONEFLOWER – ‘MAGNUS’ – 2½ - 3 feet tall. Full sun to
light shade. Sturdy, drought tolerant and flowers abundantly.
Dark green coarse textured leaves in spring and by midsummer is decorated with masses of large purple petaled
brown cones. Blooms through the fall.
*JOE PYE WEED – ‘GATEWAY’ - 5 -7 feet tall. Full sun to light
shade. Easy to maintain. Massive dusky rose, summer to fall
flowers carried atop rich purple, stout, upright stems. Attractive
to butterflies and swallowtails.
*WINTERGREEN – 3-5 inches tall, spreading indefinitely. Full sun
to dense shade. Evergreen. Prefers moist acidic soils. During
spring it blooms with tiny white bell shaped flowers which make
lovely edible fruit.
*BLUE FLAG IRIS - 2-3 feet tall. Full sun to moderate shade. Best
in moist ditches and along the banks of ponds and streams.
Flowers late spring.
*GOLDEN FOUNTAIN CUTLEAF CONEFLOWER – 2½ -3 feet tall. Full
sun to light shade. Vibrant green foliage with double petaled
lemon-yellow flowers.
*CELANDINE POPPY – 12-18 inches tall. Light to dense shade.
Long and showy blooming in the shade. Semi-succulent
vibrant green foliage and large poppy-like flowers.
*WHERRY’S FOAMFLOWER – 6-12 inches tall. Light to dense
shade. Evergreen and durable, its 3-4 inch wide medium green
maple shaped leaves are accented with veins of purple. It
sends up spikes of white and pink star-shaped flowers.
CULTIVATED WILDFLOWERS
*CARDINAL FLOWER – 2-4 feet tall. Full sun to part shade.
Medium wet to wet soils. Needs constant moisture. Somewhat
short-lived. Scarlet red flowers that attract butterflies and
hummingbirds. Will naturalize. Blooms July – September.
*GREAT BLUE LOBELIA – 2-3 feet tall. Medium wet to wet soils.
Needs constant moisture. Light to dark blue flowers. Will
naturalize. Blooms July-September.
*HORSEMINT – 1½ -2 feet tall. Dry to medium wet soils.
Tolerates somewhat poor soil and some drought. Deadhead
flowers to prolong summer bloom. Flowers are yellow with
purple spots.
*JOE PYE WEED (‘GATEWAY’) – 4-5 feet tall. Medium wet to wet
soils. Full Sun. Flowers are tiny, dusky rose-pink in huge
domed compound inflorescences. Blooms July – September.
Attractive to butterflies. Fragrant.
*MARSH BLAZING STAR – 2-5 feet tall. Full sun and wet
conditions. Some sand or gravelly material is tolerated. Spike
of flowerheads densely crowded along the stem. Color varies
from pink to purplish pink. Bees, butterflies, skippers, deer,
rabbits, groundhogs and livestock enjoy this plant.
*ROUND LEAF RAGWORT – Yellow flowers April – June on 12
inch stems. 8-16 inches spread. Rich soil and average
moisture. Will grow in dry shade. Plants spread slowly by
underground stem.
*SKY BLUE ASTER – 2-3 feet tall. Grows well in any soil. Full sun
to light shade. Covered with bright blue blooms from late
August – October.
*SPIDERWORT – 2-3 feet tall. Full sun to part shade. Average,
dry to medium wet, well-drained soil. Prefers moist, acidic,
sandy soil. Dark bluish-green arching leaves. Blue flowers.
Can become invasive in ideal growing conditions.
*SWAMP MILKWEED – 4-5 feet tall. Medium wet to wet soils in full
sun. Tolerant of average well-drained soils in cultivation. Small,
fragrant, pink to mauve flowers. Attractive to butterflies.
*TALL COREOPSIS – 2-8 feet tall. Full sun. Dry to medium wet,
well-drained soil. Thrives in poor, sandy or rocky soils with
good drainage. Freely self-seeds. Attracts butterflies.
*WHITE TURTLEHEAD – 2-3 feet tall. Prefers moist to wet soils
rich in humus in part shade. Snapdragon-like white flowers with
a pink tinge. Attracts butterflies.
WILD BLUE IRIS - 2-3 feet tall. Common in sedge meadows,
marshes, and along streambanks and shores. Flowers light to
deep blue. Bloom May to July.