Hey Missouri Homeowners! Are you looking to upgrade your home with a few extra flowers? Have you considered going native? Well, you definitely should! They tend to be so much easier to take care of and they have such an added bonus, local pollinators love them.
Let’s take a look at 5 flowering plants that you should definitely consider to have around your home:
#1. Cardinal Flower (Lobelia Cardinalis)
The cardinal flower stand out in any landscape. These are on the only native flowers to produce such beautiful bright red flowers that’ll bloom from August to September. They attract favorite pollinators such as hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and others.
They grow to be anywhere from 2 to 4 1/2 feet tall and have a 12 to 18 inch spread. They do prefer full sun, but can definitely thrive in medium shade and they prefer average to moist soil conditions.
#2. New England Aster (symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
If you love Monarch Butterflies and helping them out, then this the flower for you! Monarchs are commonly found around these flowers during their migration season. This beautiful flower attracts other butterflies as well as hummingbirds.
New England Asters enjoy full sun to medium shade, love average to moist soils, and can grow to be 3 to 5 feet tall.
#3. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Black-eyed Susan is an easy flower to distinguish due to its yellow petal-like rays that come out around a circular black or dark-brown central cone (the “eye”). It is relatively large wildflower in comparison to some others.
They are some of the best at attracting bees and butterflies, and blooms best in June. They can grow from 2 to 3 feet tall and have a 16 to 24 inch spread. They like full sun to light shade and average soil moisture.
#4. Blue Sage (salvia azurea)
Blue sage produces beautiful blue flowers that grow upwards on the stalk and blooms mostly from August to September. Blue sage likes full sun to light shade and dry to average soil moisture.
It can grow from 4 to 6 feet, but you can pinch them back up until around late July if you want them to stay a little shorter. They are deer and drought resistant and will attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
#5. Butterfly weed (asclepias tuberosa)
Butterfly weed gets its name because it is a favorite to butterflies and other pollinators. Milkweeds specifically are great hosts to monarch butterflies and their caterpillars will eat the foliage.
Deer avoid it for the most part because of its bitter taste. Can grow from 2 to 3 feet tall and has a spread of 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 feet. It blooms from June to July and likes full sun to light shade. It will do well in average soil moisture. This is a very popular plant for Missouri gardens and landscapes.
Conclusion
There are plenty of other great and beautiful flowers to add to your landscape and home this year, but these 5 truly stand out. If you have planted these around your home, let us know what your thoughts are and what you love most about them. Thank you and as always, We certainly hope this helps!
