Plant Picker

American basket flower

Basket flower is an easy to grow annual that has a long flowering period. Flowers have a cream colored center with bright purple edges and they interestingly close at night. There is an interwoven pattern below the petals, thus the common name. Flowers are produced from May to August.

American Basswood

A tall stately large tree with dark green leaves. In late spring, fragrant yellow flowers provide high quality nectar for bees. Fall color may be deep yellow.

American Beautyberry

Small pink blooms in summer are followed by clusters of brilliant fuschia berries in the fall. Berries color in early October and remain until they are eaten by birds and small mammals in late November.

American Bittersweet

A twining woody vine that will grow vertically or sprawl horizontally over bushes and fences. Hanging clusters of yellow-orange fruit split open to show bright red-orange seed coats. Plants are male or female. Both sexes are needed for fruit set.

American Filbert; Hazelnut

A deciduous multi-stemmed shrub with dark green leaves that forms a rounded thicket. In spring, male flowers appear in showy, 2-3 in. long, yellow-brown catkins and female flowers develop as small, reddish, inconspicuous catkins. In July, female flowers mature into egg-shaped, 1/2 in. long, edible nuts which are encased in husklike bracts. Quail, grouse, blue [...]

American Holly

Evergreen tree with a narrow, pyramidal crown and dark green leaves. Female plants produce red berries which ripen in October and persist throughout the winter. Birds are attracted to the fruit.

American Hornbeam

A small to medium multi-stemmed tree forming wide spreading rounded tops. A subtle beauty often overlooked. Simple toothed leaves are dark green and have variable yellow, orange,red or reddish purple fall color. Beautiful thin, bluish-gray bark that almost ‘ripples’as the tree matures. Hence another common name ‘Musclewood’.A Missouri Botanical Garden Plant of Merit-

American jointweed

An attactive, small shrub for a sunny, well-drained position. Masses of small, white to pinkish flowers are produced in many spikes (racemes) from June to Sept. The fruits mature in October. Twigs are light to dark brown with many joints (hence the common name) and appear scaly. A unique plant for a dry site.

American Smoketree

Considered a small tree or a large shrub. Rounded bluish to dark green leaves that turn a spectacular mix of yellow,orange and amber to red and burgundy in fall. Huge pale green clusters of flowerheads with silken hairs, up to 12″ across, form the appearance of “smoke” in late spring. Bark is an attractive gray-brown [...]

American Snowbell

An unusual spring flowering native shrub. Fragrant white bell-shaped flowers with reflexed petals droop from the branches in late spring. The rounded leaves are dark green, bark is gray to reddish-brown. A shrub of subtle, elegant beauty. No appreciable fall color.

Aromatic Aster

One of the last wildflowers to bloom, this aster is loaded with blue-purple daisylike flowers that persist into late fall. This aster grows into a tidy, compact, self-supporting mound and is a Plants of Merit winner.

Arrow arum

An easy to grow, spectacular tropical-looking native plant that is great for containers or small ponds. Large arrowhead leaves are held on 18″ stems. Greenish-white spathe and spadix flowers appear in late spring and then form green seedpods that ripen to shiny, metallic black seeds-very attractive! Requires sun or partial shade.

Arrowwood

Flat-topped clusters of white flowers in late spring are followed by blue-black, berry-like fruit, which are very attractive to birds and wildlife. Glossy, dark green leaves turn yellow, orange or red in fall.

Baldcypress

A deciduous conifer with a pyramidal form. Medium-fine, needle-like leaves are soft green in summer then turn rusty brown in winter and drop from the tree. Reddish brown fibrous bark. Forms woody knees in shallow water and in wet poorly drained soil. Great choice for heavy clay soils or urban plantings where soil oxygen is [...]

Bee Balm

A mint family member with pinkish to whitish, purple-spotted flowers in dense heads at the top of square stems. Each flower head rests on a whorl of showy, purplish, leafy bracts. Flowers attract bees and butterflies when they bloom in May and June. The aromatic gray-green leaves may be used in teas.

Big Bluestem

Columnar upright clumps of green to blue-green leaves in summer. Foliage turns rich orange and copper-red in fall. Flower heads resembling upside down turkey claws appear in late August. They open red and turn darker with age. If left up, the foliage adds interest to the winter landscape and provides cover for wildlife.

Black Cherry

Dark green leaves in summer, turning a good yellow to red in fall. Beautiful white flowers droop like long tassles from the branches in May. Lots of red fruit ripen to black in September. Gray-black scaly bark that peels is very attractive. Edible fruit can be messy and seedlings can be troublesome in garden situations [...]

Black Chokeberry

It is hard to beat the wine red fall color and the black fruit display of this very adaptable shrub! A plant the colonizes due to its ability to sucker. Foliage is deep green and glossy all summer. Clusters of white flowers in spring form the large black fruits in the fall.

Black Cohosh

Graceful stems (up to 7′ tall!) hold spires of fragrant, tiny white flowers in early summer over mounds of green leaves that resemble those of astilbe or ferns. Very showy plant for any shade garden. Also called Black Cohosh or Snakeroot.

Black Gum

Plants of Merit winner. One of our most beautiful and underused native trees. Rivals anything for fall color displays. Makes an excellent speciman tree, nice and tidy shape. Attractive, glossy, dark green leaves that turn fluorescent yellow, to orange, to scarlet red (most often), to purple colors in fall. Spectacular! Bark is dark gray to [...]

Black Haw Viburnum

Flat heads of white flowers in the spring. Birds eat the purple-black fruit in the fall. The edible fruit tastes like raisins. Grow as a round-headed tree or multistemmed shrub. The leaves develop a beautiful red color in fall. Two plants are required for cross pollination and fruit set.

Black oak

The leaves on this oak are deeply lobed and pointed, like the Red Oaks, but are thicker in substance and more stiff. The young leaves are bright velvety red whilst unfurling and usually deep orange or red in the fall. Bark is almost black on old trees with deep furrows. Tolerant of poor, dry sites.

Black-eyed Susan

This plant is easy to grow and grows fast to give a bright show of color, but is rather short-lived. Will self seed after blooming,to give another display later in the year. Flowers mid-spring through summer. Large golden yellow flowers with dark brown conical centers are the quintessential Black-eyed Susans of the native ‘stars’.

Blackberry; Dewberry; Black Raspberry

Our native berries are great to have in the landscape. Carefree, pleasant flowers and wild fruit to top our summer ice cream or bake in pies, they remind us of times spent in the country as children. Black raspberry is a very ornamental plant with steely-gray stems and mid-green leaves that are almost white on [...]

Bladdernut

An interesting and useful small understory tree for partially shaded areas. Leaves with three leaflets emerge bright green then turn dark green for great effect in summer. Fall color is pale yellow. Many bell-shaped greenish-white flowers are produced in spring on long nodding ‘chains’. The fruit ripens in September to curious inflated capsules that can [...]

Bloodroot

Small woodland plants of extaordinary,simple beauty.These endearing pure white flowers with showy yellow stamens push through the leaves just as they open in early spring. The sepals fall away and the petals open to form a 1 1/4″ diameter fragrant flower that lasts one day. The light bluish green leaves, up to 8″ wide, have [...]

Blue False Indigo

Clusters of indigo-blue, pealike flowers followed by interesting blue-black pods. Foliage is blue-green and growth habit is shrublike.

Blue Lobelia

Stout spikes of two-lipped blue flowers bloom in September and October. May self-seed in optimum growing conditions, forming attractive colonies.

Blue Sage

These tall plants bloom in late summer with slender spikes of azure-blue flowers. The whorled blooms are densely packed at the end of each flowering stem. Narrow, lance-shaped, gray-green, basal foliage with smaller stem leaves.

Boneset

Dome-shaped clusters of white flowers from July-October. The 8 in. hairy leaves are opposite each other and clasp the stem.

Bottle Gentian

A prized and beautiful late display of rich indigo blue closed flowers that have the appearance of large bloom flower buds. Bottle Gentian flowers from late summer well into fall. Attractive glossy broad foliage is held close to the sprawling unbranched stems, flowers form in one to three clusters at the end of stems. Flower [...]

Bur Oak

A slow-growing, long-lived impressive tree with the largest leaves and acorns of all the oaks. Leaves turn brown or light yellow in the fall and remain on the plant through winter. Trees are weakly pyramidal when young then develop a massive trunk and broad crown with strong branches. Oaks provide food and shelter to a [...]

Bur-Marigold

A bright and cheery annual with yellow flowers in late summer which are followed by long, sharp “beggar’s ticks” seeds. Flowers are prolific and showy, held high in aster-like flowerheads with 8 or so bright golden yellow flowers per head. Leaves are divided into 5-11 segments giving lots of texture.

Butterfly Milkweed

Butterfly Milkweed Lots of bright orange, flat-topped flower clusters open in early June. Plants bloom for many weeks. Host plant for the monarch butterfly and a great nectar source for many other butterflies and pollinators.

Butterfly Pea

A low, smooth, almost shrublike plant with twisting stems that do not climb. Leaves are compound with 3 leaflets and usually dark green. Beautiful pea-like flowers up to 2 inches long of pale blue-lilac with darker veining are produced from May-September.

Buttonbush

Hundreds of ball-shaped, creamy white flowers dangle from the bush in August. Butterflies and insects find the nectar irresistable. The nutlike seeds are eaten by many waterfowl and many types of birds use it as a nesting site. Will grow in bogs.

Canada Wild Rye

Showy seedheads with long bristle-like awns(reminiscent of barley)of this cool season grass mature earlier than the warm season grasses-summer-early fall. Awns(hair-like spikes)are up to 2″ long, the seedheads often curve outward unlike Virginia Wild Rye which is more upright. Leaves are 1/2″-3/4″ wide, clasping to the stem at their bases and taper to long pointed [...]

Cardinal Flower

Strong, upright stems bear dozens of brilliant red flowers in late summer. A favorite source of nectar for hummingbirds. This striking plant is a Plant of Merit winner.

Celandine Poppy

A wonderful early spring bloomer for the shade garden. Showy yellow flowers are held above lobed, blue-green leaves.

Chinkapin oak

An attractive oak with large toothed leaves like those of a Chestnut tree. A useful tree for growing in limestone soils (a rarity amongst oaks). Foliage is green and shiny, turning to yellow-orange in fall which is a different color for an oak. No lobes,but wavy margins with incurved teeth. Bright gray bark and gorgeous [...]

Chokeberry

Small suckering tree or large shrub with attractive white flowers on 3-6″ long clusters in spring. Fruit is red, ripening to purple in fall. Grow as a screen or as an understory planting as it has unusual shade tolerance for a cherry. Forms large upright clumps.

Christmas Fern

This beautiful native fern has glossy, deep-green, lance-shaped fronds that emerge upright, then proceed to arch gently and eventually ‘lay down’ to cover the ground as they mature. This evergreen fern has ‘hairy’ brown leaf stems and fiddleheads at its crown and is one of the first to emerge in spring.

Cinnamon Fern

This tall fern has large medium-green fronds and a stately, gracefully curved, upright habit with separate, showy cinnamon brown fertile fronds that emerge from the center of the crown. The best way to distinguish this fern from the Ostrich Fern is by the fertile fronds that appear in May and mature by mid-June, to the [...]

Cliff Goldenrod

Arching stems are crowded with tiny, bright yellow, daisylike flowers in late summer to fall. Flowers attract butterflies and other pollinators. Basal leaves generally dry up and disappear by flowering time but leaves toward the top of stems remain. This species is primarily clump-forming and does not spread invasively as do some of the other [...]

Cockspur Hawthorn

The best “armed” of all our hawthorns, with two-inch long thorns! They are very ornamental. A small tree developing a flattened crown with long layered branches. Clusters of white flowers bloom in May and are followed by deep red berries that persist into winter.

Columbine

Lots of red and yellow nodding flowers for many weeks in spring. A great source of early nectar for butterflies and hummingbirds. Found naturally on rocky ledges and wooded rocky slopes.

Common milkweed

Tall stems with large, light green leaves that are almost stalkless. The summer flowers are a magnet for pollinators of all types. Large, round heads of pinkish-purple, strangely fragrant flowers are held at the tips of the stems. The beauty of the flowers and the incredible activity they generate are captivating. Large seed pods, which [...]

Compass Plant

A tall sturdy plant with large, deeply cut basal leaves that look like huge pinoak leaves. Large, yellow sunflower-like flowers bloom in loose spikes in summer on stiff stems to 9 ft. tall. This plant adds form and texture to the landscape and is a Plants of Merit winner.

Copper Iris

Beardless, crestless deep copper flowers bloom in late spring. Bright green, sword-shaped leaves remain attractive all thorugh the growing season. Flowers attract hummingbirds.

Corkwood

An extremely rare suckering shrub found in the bootheel of Missouri-unusual! The longer you get to know this plant, the more you’ll appreciate it. Showy catkins(flowers) appear in early spring followed by simple, thick, dark, shiny green leaves with heavy vein patterns. Fall color is yellow with interesting chartreuse, long oval-shaped fruit held close to [...]

Cream Wild Indigo

Large heads of creamy yellow flowers on drooping stems in late spring give a spectacular show that really stands our from other more upright native plants. Attractive seed pods are fat, black, and finely hairy with pointed tips, up to 2″ long.

Crested Iris

Clouds of pretty blue flowers float just above the foliage for two weeks in April or May. Unlike many iris, the foliage is handsome all through the summer.

Cross Vine

A semievergreen, clinging, woody vine that attaches by tendrils and small disks. Will climb trees, adhere to wood and masonry structures or trail along the ground. The leaves are not dense and do not make a solid cover like many vines unless provided with sufficient sun. Clusters of sweetly scented, showy, orange-red, tubular flowers with [...]

Culver’s Root

Very distinguished, 6 in. long candlelike spikes of pinkish white flowers bloom on upright plants. Flowers bloom for four to six weeks in late summer. Good cut flower.

Cup Plant

This plant is distinguished from other Silphiums by its square stems and pairs of cup-forming leaves that hold water after a rain. Soft yellow flowers grow 3 in. in diameter with darker yellow center disks. Plants bloom in summer at the top of stout stems.

Deciduous Holly

A shrub or small tree producing white flowers in late spring and early summer followed by orange or red berries on female plants. Fruiting requires pollination from a male plant. The berries perist through winter and are an important food source for birds. Bluebirds especially like the fruit. Adaptable to soil but prefers well-drained soil [...]

Devil’s Claw

An unusual annual plant with edible fruit. Flowers are long white-yellowish and mottled with purple, they are almost orchid-like, with long curving beaks. The seedpods can be picked young and pickled (like okra and cucumbers), the pods are 1″ thick and 4-6″ long and are also great in dried flower arrangements. Leaves are 4-12″ wide, [...]

Downy Hawthorn

An attractive, small native tree with a rounded habit. Showy white 1″ flowers in clusters in late April-early May. One of the earliest hawthorns to flower. These, as well as other native hawthorn flowers represent the Missouri state flower. Blossoms are followed by showy, round, red (1/2 -1″) fruits in late Aug.-Sept. which fall soon [...]

Downy Phlox

Loose clusters of fragrant, long blooming pink to purple flowers that flower in late spring. Good source of nectar for butterflies. Spread slowly by undergournd stems to form large colonies. This species has escellent resistance to powdery mildew. Companion plants: Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida), Wild quinine (Parthenium integrifolium), Foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)

Downy Skullcap

Large heads of tubular, double-lipped purplish blue flowers bloom mid to late summer. The lower lip has a showy white center and is divided into three lobes, the upper lip is a ‘hood’. Held on top of large, square stemmed flower stalks. Leaves are toothed and about six inches long, covered with fine hairs.

Dutchman’s Pipe-vine

A high-growing woody vine that climbs by twisitng its trunk around a sturdy support, such as a tree. Strongly curved, green-yellow, pipe-shaped flowers bloom May-June. Dark green, heart-shaped leaves grow up to 15 in. long and wide. Young stems and lower surface of leaves are covered with dense white hairs. Interesting brown fruit capsules form [...]

Eastern Blazing Star

Shaggy, intensely colored, pink-purple rounded flower heads line tall flower spikes in August and September. Butterflies flock to the flowers for nectar.

Eastern Gama Grass

A robust, clump-forming, warm season grass with coarse, arching, narrow, gray-green leaf blades. Orange and purple flower spikes grow 10 in. long and arch above the foliage from May to September. Naturalizes by creeping rhizomes and self-seeding.

Eastern Red Cedar

An upright evergreen with scale-like leaves that have a distinct fragrance when crushed or brushed. Plants are usually densely pyramidal when young and become somewhat pendulous with age. Small berrylike cones form in late summer. These blue fruits are about 1/8 in. across and very attractive. Birds love the fruit and nest in the tree [...]

Eastern Redbud

Leafless horizontal branches are smothered in small deep pink flowers in early spring. Red-purple, pea-shaped seed pods follow the flowers. Heart-shaped leaves become a quilt of yellow and green in fall.

Elderberry

This thicket forming shrub shrub with bright green leaves has large, flat showy clusters of white, fragrant flowers in spring. The flowers are followed by clusters of dark purple to black, berrylike fruits in late summer and fall. The fruit is attractive to birds and mammals and may be used to make jelliy, pie and [...]

False Rue Anemone

A delicate looking but tough woodland plant that forms large colonies that flower in spring from March-May. Simple five-petalled white flowers rise above basal leaves that resemble columbine leaves. Leaves persist well through the season if sufficient moisture is present.

Fire Pink

Deep red flowers provide nectar for hummingbirds in April and May. A colony of these richly colored flowers is stunning. Fire Pink does not survive well with competition. It is native to mossy rocks in woodlands. Fire Pink looks similar to Royal Catchfly (Silene regia) except it blooms earlier in the season and is shorter.

Flameleaf Sumac

One of the best sumacs! A large colonizing shrub, best in open areas where it can naturalize. Foliage is dark green, shiny and has 9-21 leaflets with ‘wings’ between the leaflets. Fall color is impressive, rich red. The 8″x4″ flowers are also attractive, greenish yellow in summer. The fruit is crimson-red when it ripens in [...]

Flowering Dogwood

Small, low-branched tree with spreading horizontal branches. Distinctive white flowers, 3″ in diameter, bloom mid-April to mid-May. Clusters of glossy red fruit in fall persist into winter and are relished by birds. Consistent deep red fall leaf color.

Foxglove Beard Tongue

A profusion of tubular white flowers on strong stems in May and June provide nectar for hummingbirds. This handsome plant has attractive seed heads and foliage that turns reddish in fall.

Fragrant Sumac

Low, irregular spreading shrub with lower branches that grow horizontally then turn up at the tips. Tends to sucker and root along stems that touch the soil, forming a dense stand. Yellow-green flowers appear before leaves emerge. Clusters of fuzzy red fruit form on female plants August-September and may persist into winter. Many birds and [...]

Fremont’s Leather Flower

A non-climbing clematis with a shrubby form. Erect stems have leathery green leaves that form dense clumps over time. Foliage is topped with purple to white, bell-shaped flowers May-June. Each flower nods at the end of its own slender stalk. Flowers give way to attractive seed heads.

Fringed Poppy Mallow

Gorgeous 2″ magenta flowers with fringed petals, blooms on sprawling stems from mid spring to September. Plant so stems can grow up shrubs or perennials that bloom early to extend the flowering season. Foliage is blueish green deeply dwilded lobes. Stems have a whitish coating that can be rubbed off.

Fringetree

Shimmering, white frothy flowers blanket this shrub/small tree in May or June. Small, round, bluish olive-like fruit form on female trees in fall and are eaten by many types of birds. Leaves often turn bright yellow in fall. This beauty is a Plants of Merit winner.

Frost Aster

Late displays of small, white flowers, with yellow centers, on branched stems. Often with a purplish flower rather than the normal white. The flowering branches have a soft, hairy covering. This is a great plant for a big display, if you have the space, and pollinating insects love it. Also known as frost aster, as [...]

Garden Phlox

Large heads of fragrant magenta flowers can grow 8 in. across. They are very showy in the landscape when grown in moist soil. The flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds and are good cut flowers.

Glade Coneflower

Slender, gracefull flowering stems hold the flowerheads above the tidy clumps of strappy basal foliage. Long lavender pink petals droop from the brown cones, flowers in June and July. Different from the Pale Coneflower in that the Glade Coneflower has orange pollen and the Pale has yellow pollen. Both are sun and drought tolerant.

Goat’s Beard

Large wands of frothy, creamy white flowers in June. Tiny brown seed capsules dry and stay on females plants after flowering is finished. Foliage is similar to astilbe but growth habit is shrub like.

Golden Alexander

The thick, glossy semi-evergreen foliage looks a little like Lenten Rose and provides nice contrast to other native plants. Small yellow flowers in flat heads bloom May-June. The flowers are nice for fresh or dried arrangements. This member of the carrot family is a host plant for the black swallowtail butterfly.

Golden Currant

A thornless, loosely-branched, arching shrub with blue-green lobed leaves turning dull yellow in fall. In spring, golden yellow flowers appear and emit a strong, clove-like fragrance. Birds and small animals eat the black, round, berries formed June-August.

Golden Ragwort

A good semi-evergreen ground cover for moist shady locations. The flat-topped clusters of yellow, daisylike flowers open at the top of sparsely leaved, 12 to 24 in. stems in early spring. Plants spread rapidly and may be aggressive.

Goldie’s Fern

A large and vigorous fern with broad fronds up to 3 feet long, bright green in color with scaly, light brown bases. As the fiddlehead (crosiers) unfurl, the scales and fronds are very attractive. A deciduous fern.

Gray Dogwood

Dome-shaped clusters of small white flowers May-July give way to clusters of small white berries on short red stalks. Distinctive red flower stems contrast with the white berries. Young branches and twigs are brown to red; older branches are gray. Green leaves turn dusky burgundy in fall. Handsome in fall and winter. A thicket forming [...]

Gray Goldenrod

Arching to upright stems with grayish hairs on stems and leaves give the plant its common name. Heads of densely packed, small yellow flowers are clustered at the ends of stems in late summer.

Gray-head Coneflower

Large yellow flowers with drooping petals surround a brown seed head. Plants bloom profusely all summer. Birds eat the seed if old flowers are left on the plant. Tends to self-seed and spread but looks great in masses. Good for erosion control.

Green ash

A large and fast growing shade tree, adaptable to many sites. Growth is strongly upright, spreading with age, compound leaves with five to nine leaflets usually dark green. Bark is ash gray with furrows forming diamond shaped areas.Fall color is yellow, not as colorful as the White Ash. Many pest & disease problems can attack [...]

Green Hawthorn

Clusters of white flowers in mid-May. Lustrous, medium green foliage turns purple or scarlet in fall. Bright red, persistent fruit color in September. The bark of older trunks often exfoliates to expose an orangish-brown inner bark. Minimal thorns.

Hackberry

A reliable all-purpose shade tree which is pyramidal when young then develops a broad crown with ascending branches. The leaves are medium green. Fall foliage is a soft yellow. Birds and wildlife relish the small, round, orange-red or purple fleshy fruit that forms September-October.

Heath Aster

Beautiful, compact plant, which literally is covered in tiny, white flowers in autumn. Its blossoms resemble those of the heath plants of the British moors.This aster is perfectly suited to our climate and spreads by rhizomes to form strong, tight bushes of small leaves.Clumps can get large, especially in good soil.

Indian Cherry

Handsome shrub or small tree with dark green leaves and beautiful, sweet, round fruit that turns from red to black. Fruit ripens from August-October. Fall foliage is yellow to orange-yellow and sometimes lasts into winter.

Indian Grass

Upright clumps, 24-36″ tall, of slender, blue-green leaves turn golden yellow in fall. Stiff, vertical flowering stems, topped with 12″ long, narrow, light brown flower panicles with yellow stamens, rise well above the foliage in late summer.

Indian Paintbrush

Unmistakeable clusters of red flowers top the ‘brushes’ of this annual native in spring and summer. The color is actually leafy bracts which last longer than flower petals.

Indian pink

Indian Pink is quietly spectacular, growing in naturally open wood edges and along streams. This perennial is easy to grow and is rated as a “Top 10 Hummingbird Plant”. Foliage is glossy green all season. Flowers in late spring to summer with dazzling displays of upright bright crimson tubular flowers that have yellow throats that [...]

Interrupted Fern

A quite majestic fern, growing up to 4 feet tall with a graceful vase-shaped habit. It resembles the cinnamon fern except in the way each frond is ‘interrupted’ in the middle by the fertile area (sporangia) which are greenish-brown and much smaller than the green leaf blades (pinnae) above and below this section. It also [...]

Ironweed

Large, irridescent, red-violet, flat-topped flower heads on top of tall, strong stalks from mid-summer to fall give a rich display of color. Dark-green, lance-shaped leaves.

Jacob’s Ladder

Very pretty light blue, bell-shaped flowers in loose clusters appear on sprawling, weak stems in mid- to late spring. The foliage looks fresh and green all through the growing season.

Joe Pye Weed

Large round heads of vanilla-scented, rosy pink flowers bloom in late summer. Butterflies flock to the flowers. Whorled leaves scale tall sturdy stems making the plant attractive in the landscape even when it is not blooming.

Kentucky Coffeetree

Medium to large trees with real character! Upright crown with heavy branches forms picturesque outlines. Tolerant and adaptable to a wide variety of sites, this native tree is a winner. Select male trees if seed pods are not desired. Name was given to this tree because its seed was ground as a coffee substitute for [...]

Lady Fern

Bright green, lacy fronds arise gracefully from creeping rhizomes. The newly emerging fronds are beautiful in the spring. Clumps are dense and upright. Vigorous and easy to grow.

Lanceleaf Coreopsis

Showy, deep yellow flowers on tall stems in May and June. Plants outgrow weeds and hold the soil.

Lavender Aster

Lead Plant

Grows like an herbaceous perennial but takes on shrublike characteristics as it matures. Tight spikes of iridescent purple and orange flowers appear from May-August. Silver-green compound foliage is quite handsome.

Leatherwood

Leatherwood is a woodland shrub grown horticulturally for hundreds of years as a collector’s plant. Palustris means ‘growing in a swamp’. This plant is very adaptable to wet soils and woodland-type shade. Small yellow flowers are produced in March & April just before the leaves emerge.The fruit ripens in May and June. Birds love them, [...]

Lemon Horsemint

This annual plant has candleabra-like white to pinkish-lavender flowerheads in late spring to mid-summer. Leaves are broad at the base of the plants and often in circles (whorls) higher up on the stem. Stems are square in cross section, typical of the mint family. Leaves and stems exude a pleasant citrus-mint fragrance.

Little Bluestem

A small, non-spreading, clump-forming grass with blue-green leaves that turn reddish orange in the fall. Fluffy silver seed heads are ornamental through winter.

Littlehip hawthorn

Very attractive small tree. Leaves are smaller than other Hawthorns and spoon-shaped. Beautiful exfoliating (peeling) bark is gray,orange and brown. Typical clusters of white flowers produce relatively small red fruit that are very showy. Useful small tree that will feed birds & small mammals & provide cover for nesting.

Lizard’s Tail

Heart-shaped leaves on vertical stems give rise to creamy white flower spikes with drooping tips. The flower spikes are 6 to 8 in. long. When the flowers go to seed the curving spike is covered with grayish nutlets that look similar to a lizard’s tail. All parts of the plant smell like citrus.

Log fern

An attractive upright growing fern that is semi-evergreen well into the winter months. Long fronds that are widest in their middle and taper to a point. Leaves are deeply cut and shiny, dark green. Forms a stout and woody rootstock with scales.

Marginal shield fern

A beautiful and easy native fern to grow, forming 2-3′ vase-shaped mounds that are often evergreen in protected areas. Fronds are strong and have attractive brown scales at their base. Also called Leatherwood fern. Shade tolerant and adaptable to many soil types.

Marsh Milkweed

Sweetly scented clusters of rose-pink flowers bloom in summer. Butterflies find the faint vanilla fragrance irresistible and monarch larvae feed on the foliage. Grows naturally in swamps and wet meadows but also grows well in the garden.

Maximilian Sunflower

A large and imposing sunflower with tall densely white-hairy stems that produce gray-green drooping leaves up to 12″ long and only 2″ wide. Typical sunflower like flowers grow 4″ wide in clusters at the top of the stems. 10-25 yellow petals surrounding a yellow disc are produced midsummer to fall.

Mayapple

Umbrellas in the shade garden is a good way to describe this plant. Pairs of large notched leaves, up to 1′ wide, are held on 12-18″ stalks. Beautifully simple creamy white single flowers dangle under its leaves in spring, a delight to see! The ‘apples’ which are the seed bodies, form in May. All plant [...]

Meadow Phlox

Mauve-pink flower heads on top of sturdy stems with thick, glossy leaves. The stems are somewhat hairy and sometimes have red mottling. Meadow Phlox blooms earlier than Tall Phlox (Phlox paniculata), has darker green leaves and better mildew resistance. Flowers are fragrant and attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Missouri Black-eyed Susan

Daisylike flowers with yellow petals and black center disks on branched stems. The narrow green leaves are conspicuously hairy. Blooms for many weeks in July and August and is a good cut flower.

Missouri Gooseberry

A thorny shrub with multiple trunks and arching branches. Clusters of drooping white flowers April-May. Edible, smooth, purple berries form June through September.

Missouri Primrose

A showy, trailing plant with large, yellow, fragrant flowers up to 4 inches across. Plants bloom for a long period from spring through summer.

Mist Flower

Our native and perennial version of the annual ageratum of gardens! The flat-topped flower heads have tufty, dense clusters of bright blue-violet flowers. A good show of color from mid summer to early fall. Plants will spread rapidly and aggressively in garden soil.

Nannyberry viburnum

A shrub or small tree that flowers in late spring with round topped clusters of creamy-white flowers. The deep blue fruit clusters with whitish coating ripen in late fall. Fruit is glossy when white coating wears off. the oval leaves that come to an abrupt point are soft yellow green turning dark glossy green in [...]

Narrow-leaved Glade Fern

A graceful fern for wet areas, forms a clump of fronds which may creep slowly, not a vigorous grower. The fronds are 12″-28″ long and 3-10″ wide with green stems that are smooth or sparsely hairy, dark, and slightly scaly at their base.

New England Aster

This tall aster produces hundreds of large purple or pinkish flowers with yellow centers in Sept. and Oct. The flowers are a favorite nectar source for migrating monarch butterflies.

New Jersey Tea

A low-growing, compact shrub that’s excellent for hot, dry sites. Billows of delicate white flowers form at the end of young branches in May and June. Clusters of small black fruit form in July and August.

Ninebark

Clusters of white to pinkish flowers resembling spirea bloom May-June. Birds eat the seed formed in reddish drooping fruit clusters in fall. The bark provides winter interest as it peels away in strips to reveal layers of reddish to light brown inner bark on mature stems. This handsome shrub is a Missouri Botanical Garden Plants [...]

Northern Sea Oats

Upright clumps of bamboolike foliage. Green leaves turn copper in fall and brown in winter. Attractive flat flower spikes hand down from stems. Prefers light shade and damp soil. Can self-sow prolifically.

Nuttall Oak

The southern look-alike for the Pin Oak, native to the lower Mississippi River Valley, but adapts and grows well in many areas. Does not hold its leaves in winter. Acorns are 3/4″ – 1 1/4″ long & covered 1/3 – 1/2 by cap.A fast growing and adaptable oak that should be planted more. The Nuttall [...]

Ohio Buckeye

Large spikes of green-yellow flowers in spring bloom at the same time the bright green leaves unfurl. This is one of the first trees to leaf out and also one of the first to lose its leaves in the fall. Summer leaf color is dark green and fall color is often orange-red. A leathery, spiny [...]

Ohio Spiderwort

Clusters of blue, one-inch flowers from late May to early July. Can self-seed and become somewhat invasive in ideal growing conditions. Dark, blue-green, arching, grasslike leaves grow in clumps.

Orange Coneflower

Yellow petals surround a brown-purple central seed head. Plants bloom from July-September and are good cut flowers. Plants form large clumps after several years, especially in rich loose soil, but are not invasive.

Ostrich Fern

Tall fronds unfurl in late April-early May, giving a wonderful canopy of contrast to blooming ephemerals.This large yet elegant vase-shaped fern is very popular & often planted in open shade gardens. The long arching light-medium green leaves are slender at their bases and widen dramatically before their tips, thus its namesake. Spreads widely by underground [...]

Overcup Oak

Overcup oak has large, dark green, lobed leaves that are almost white underneath. Fall color is rich yellow-brown to brown and the leaves fall much earlier than other oaks. The acorns are almost completely hidden by the cap (“cup”). Similar bark to the White Oak, gray and fissured. One of the most flood tolerant oaks. [...]

Ox-eye Sunflower

Golden yellow daisylike flowers bloom for many weeks in summer. The flowers attract butterflies. Song birds enjoy the seed. Good cut flower.

Pagoda Dogwood

Spreading, horizontal, low-branched tree with great horizontal habit. Flat-topped clusters of fragrant, yellowish white flowers in May or June are followed by handsome blue-black berries on red stems. Burgundy foliage in fall. Good alternative to cold-sensitive Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) in northern areas.

Pale Purple Coneflower

Tall bare stems are topped lavender pink flowers with cone-shaped brown seed heads June-July. Good fresh cut flower or dried flower. Songbirds eat the seed if old flower heads are not removed.

Parsley Hawthorn

A very ornamental hawthorn, perhaps with the most interesting foliage of all. The common name describes the parsley-like foliage, ruffled and deeply dissect. Pleasant white flowers in spring and beautiful small, oblong bright red berries. Attractive tree with lots of wildlife benefits.

Partridge Pea

A showy annual legume (member of the Bean Family) with beautiful featherlike leaves and simple bright yellow flowers all summer and into fall. The fruit is a small flat pod 1-2 1/2 inches long turning from green to brown when mature. Seeds are eaten by quail and many other birds. Often found in disturbed areas. [...]

Passion Flower

An exotic flowering vine native to southern Missouri. Climbs by tendrils. The intricately fringed flowers, produced from mid summer to early fall are purplish blue with pink and white parts. Each flower is up to three inches across. The leaves are dark green and deeply lobed. The fruit is egg-shaped, up to 2″ long, yellow [...]

Pasture Rose

Fragrant, single pink flowers 2 in. across May-June. Does not repeat bloom. Red rose hips in August. Prickly stems and smooth dark green foliage turn reddish in fall. Usually forms a loose groundcover at least twice as wide as tall. Often spreads by suckers to form colonies or thickets in the wild.

Pawpaw

Multistemmed shrub or small tree with tropical-looking, 6-12″ long leaves. Edible, 2-5″ yellowish fruit is relished by many birds and small mammals. Plant is larval food of Zebra Swallowtail butterfly. Spreads slowly to form small colonies or thickets.

Pecan

A tall straight tree with a symmetrical, broadly oval growth habit. Leaves are yellow-green in summer, eventually turning yellow-brown in fall. Non-showy female flowers are followed by sweet, edible nuts. The nuts are surrounded by a thin brown husk.

Persimmon

October frosts signal the beginning of persimmon season. Persimmon fruit needs frost to ripen. When ripe, they turn orange and taste soemething like an apricot. Trees tend to sucker and form thickets but can be kept in check by mowing.

Pickerel Plant

The blue-violet flower spikes of this hardy water plant stand out vividly at the edge of a pond or in a small pool. Plants bloom from June through October. Large stands are very showy. Glossy green lance-shaped leaves grow vertically out of the water.

Pin Oak

Strongly pyramidal tree with pedulous lower branches. Glossy dark green leaves change to bronze or red in the fall. Dried, brown leaves remain on tree for much of the winter. Light brown acorns form in the fall and provide food for a wide range of animals.

Plains Coreopsis

A bright annual that flowers from June to Sept. Lots of very showy yellow flowers with red centers are produced on fairly large branched plants. Central disk is brown. Flowers are usually 1″ across. Leaves are deeply divided into narrow leaflets and about 4″long.

Post Oak

This oak produces a dense, round crown with strong spreading branches. Leaves are large and round lobed with the mid lobes considerably wider than those at the top and base of each leaf. Fall color can be a nice golden brown. The acorns are usually in pairs with no stalk, half-covered by the cap. A [...]

Prairie Beard Tongue

Refined spires of tubular white flowers arranged in ‘rings’, or tight clusters in tiers around the strong, slender stems. Blooms from mid spring to mid summer.The main leaves are well below the flowers. Similar to the Foxglove Beard Tongue, but flower clusters are more narrow.

Prairie Blazing Star

Unbranched stalks bear dense spikes of magenta flowers in July and August on strong stems. The nectar-rich flowers are a favorite with butterflies and hummingbirds. Songbirds love the seed.

Prairie Coreopsis

Features soft yellow, daisy-like flowers with flat yellow centers on top of stiff upright stems. Plants bloom from late spring to mid-summer. Spreads by rhizomes and self-seeding.

Prairie Dock

A robust perennial with big bold basal leaves and tall stems which bear round sunflower-like yellow flowers in late summer. The foliage grows 24-36 in. tall, the flower stalks may reach 8 ft. or more. Seedheads attract finches and other songbirds. The foliage and flowers are excellent in flower arrangements.

Prairie Dropseed

Very thin, emerald green leaves form a dense arching tuft. Seed heads form in August and give off a distinct aroma. These graceful clumps turn yellow or deep orange in fall. Provides food and cover for wildlife. A 2005 Missouri Botanical Garden Plants of Merit winner.

Prairie Ragwort

Bright yellow daisy-like flowers in flat-topped clusters from mid-spring to early summer. Leaves grow fairly low to the ground and often have white cobweb-like hairs on them giving a grayish appearance.

Prairie Willow

Fuzzy flowers open March-May, before leaves emerge. The gray-green leaves are 3/4 in. wide and up to 4 in. long on wandlike branches. Unlike many other moisture-loving willows, this one prefers drier ground. Rabbits and deer eat twigs, leaves and shoots. Bees use the nectar to produce high quality honey. Dense thickets provide good wildlife [...]

Prickly Pear

A winter hardy, clump-forming, Missouri native cactus. The round-to-oval, flattened, succulent green pads are not leaves but swollen water-storing stem segments. Pads have a few needle-like spines and are covered with numerous tufts of bristles. Showy, bright yellow 2-3 in. flowers with a reddish eye bloom in June and July. Pulpy red fruits ripen in [...]

Purple Beard Tongue

Show-stopping spikes of loosely spaced white to violet to deep purple, 2 in. long tubular flowers atop erect stems. Flowers bloom in June and are larger than other penstemon flowers.

Purple Coneflower

Lots of rosy purple flowers with non-drooping petals around a brown cone-shaped seed head.

Purple Poppy Mallow

Showy, cup-shaped red-violet flowers bloom from June through frost. The trailing stems will hang over walls and make an excellent ground cover. This pretty ground cover is a Plants of Merit winner.