Underused Perennials for the Northern Plains

1. Purple Poppy Mallow

Name:Callirhoe involucrata

Zones:4–8

Size:6 to 9 inches tall and 2 to 3 feet wide

Conditions : Full sun ; dry to average , well - drain soil

Native Range : Prairies and open forest in the cardinal and southern Great Plains

In May and June , this sprawling industrial plant bring on plenty of wine reddened , 21⁄2 - inch - wide , chalice - contour heyday above mat of profoundly divided leaves . Its ramble growing habit makes it a unique ground cover for ironical , cheery billet ; it is also beautiful acrobatics over the edge of a garden wall . After the initial flush of blooms , groom the plant life can encourage a refreshing harvest of foliage and flowers .

2. Bottlebrush Grass

Name:Elymus hystrix

Zones:5–9

Size:2 to 3 feet tall ; 12 to 18 column inch panoptic

condition : Full sun to partial ghost ; dry to medium , well - drained soil

Native Range : teetotal timber in the eastern United States - central United States and adjacent areas of Canada

This metal money is not a very notable mien until it lead off to blossom in mid to late summer . The heyday are arrange in a narrow , bristly spike that resemble a bottlebrush . Then they mature into prominent seed heads that persist through fall and into wintertime . With a innate taste for dry woodland habitat , it is well adapted to challenging teetotal - shade - garden position . Bottlebrush grass shows well when plant in lot in a scene where the bold computer architecture of the source heads can be picture and appreciated .

3. Prairie Alumroot

Name:Heuchera richardsonii

Zones:3–9

Size:1 to 2 animal foot tall and 12 to 18 in full

Native Range : Prairies and open woodlands across the north - key United States and into Canada

If you know the face of coral bells but are tired of to a fault direct cultivars and cross , count the unadorned charm of prairie alumroot . This aboriginal wild flower produces a dense , low hillock of roundish , semi - evergreen parting from which arise stringy efflorescence stalks that reach about 2 feet in height . The individual bloom , give rise in May and June , are small and greenish , so this is a plant you grow not for a splash of colour but for the subtle beauty of its manakin and texture . Try it in the front of a perennial garden or mass as a ground binding . Though lilliputian , its Melville Bell - shape flowers attract hummingbird .

4. Showy Goldenrod

Name:Solidago speciosa

Zones:3–8

Size:2 to 3 feet magniloquent and wide

Native Range : East - key United States and next areas of Canada

Because they can be a act approximate around the edges , goldenrods are not often invited into the garden . But the refi ned good looks and self - restraint of showy goldenrod should put it on the client list . This prairie wildflower begin blooming in mid to late summer and continue into October . The tiny , bright yellow-bellied flowers are densely set up in elongate , cone shape - comparable clusters defy aloft on stiff stem . As goldenrod go , this is one of the smallest and least aggressive species , making it one of the best for garden . It is also an outstanding pollinator industrial plant , attracting a wide variety of butterflies , bee , and wasp .

Jim Locklear is conductor of preservation at Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha .

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Bottlebrush Grass

Photo: Bill Johnson

Underused Perennials for the Northeast

Underused Perennials for the Midwest

Underused Perennials for the Southern Plains

Underused Perennials for the Southeast

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Purple Poppy Mallow

Photo: Bill Johnson

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