Unsurprisingly, Appalachian Bellflower is most often found growing in the Appalachian Mountains. It prefers rocky soils that tend to be dry and favors sloping, open woodlands and rocky outcrops. The blue flowers are extremely small but bloom in large quantities, which makes for a striking display. It is drought tolerant. Read more
While Northern Bush Honeysuckle is primarily native to the Northeast and Midwest United States, parts of its range do extend into Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia. This small shrub has good fall color and and looks particularly stunning when grouped in masses or used as a shrub border. Read more
Pale Purple Coneflower has thinner petals, grows shorter, and is much paler in color than Purple Coneflower. It is highly adaptable to most soils as long as they are well drained, and tolerates heat, drought, and humidity. This is a prairie plant and looks good when allowed to spread and planted among grasses. Read more
Dwarf Sumac is also known as Winged Sumac due to its unique winged leaf axis. It makes a great ornamental plant due to its bright red leaves in fall and berries that persist into winter. The flowers are popular with bees and butterflies, and the berries are popular with birds. Read more
Wild Quinine gets its name from its use during World War I as a treatment for malaria. This is a lovely plant for any garden due to its resistance to most diseases and insects and its long bloom period. It is drought tolerant and popular with many pollinators, especially bees. Read more
Don’t confuse Southern Bush Honeysuckle with the highly invasive non-native Lonicera japonica, which goes by a similar name. Southern Bush Honeysuckle is a native plant that is great for dry, sunny sites and will grow to form a small hedge. It is so named because the flowers closely resemble non-native honeysuckle flowers. Read more