I’m a medium (<100cm) height, well behaved plant with leaves that smell like licorice. My stunning fluffy spikes of long-lived purple flowers July-September are loved by pollinators. I’d prefer sun & dry/average soil. Although not technically native to this area, I’m such a pollinator superpower, most people overlook it. Bunnies hate me but I can live with that.

I’m also medium/tall (<120cm) with pink/purple flowers from July-Sept & leaves that smell like mint when crushed (bunnies hate that). I tolerate most conditions but prefer sun & some moisture but I’m flexible and will produce a stunning display regardless. I feed bees & hummingbirds but raise pretty cool moth species for fun.

I like things dry and sunny & will happily grow to 3m and turn from green to blue with turkey feet-like blooms. I feed a lot of insects & repair ecosystems, but my re-wilding efforts may be overbearing in small gardens.

I’m a medium height (15-100cm), tough shade loving and slowly spreading plant with pale blue flowers in fall. They say I’m a great alterative to hostas with my large leaves but more importantly, I raise butterflies and moths and feed pollinators.

Give me a chance & I will light your garden on fire mid-late summer with bright yellow blooms that last. I'm not too tall (<100cm) and my delightfully soft leaves are shunned by rabbits. I'd prefer sun but will tolerate dry to moist soils. I feed pollinators and raise butterflies and will reseed myself.

They call me dramatic, with long spikes of fluffy purple flowers in late summer. I’d prefer sun & moist conditions but I’m flexible. I look like grass in my first year so label me and protect me from bunnies while I’m little but will eventually grow up to 100cm. I’m great for pollinators but hummingbirds will stop by too.

I might take a few years to reach my 1.2m shrub like form but I'm worth the wait with my brilliant blue spikes of flowers in May. I prefer sun and moisture but will handle variations. I'm an important host plant for butterflies, loved by pollinators and fix nitrogen in the soil.

If you have dry shade & are looking for a medium height, well-behaved clumping keystone species with gracefully arching stems covered in brilliant yellow flowers in the fall, I’m the plant for you. Don’t let my aggressive cousins frighten you, I will stay put, feeding bees and growing up to 45 moth species.

At 1.5m, you won't have to bend over to see my large clusters of small brilliant blue flowers mid summer or the hoards of pollinators busy at work. I am a larval host for the Common Buckeye butterfly and many moths & will share my bountiful harvest of seeds with the overwintering Cardinals (and sparrows). I’d prefer at least some sun and moisture, making me a rain garden superstar.

No raingarden would be complete without me. I can grow up to 1.5M tall with abundant fluffy white bouquets of flowers late summer that are covered with bees & more importantly, with insects that control your garden pests. I prefer to raise many species moths, which are under-rated super pollinators. I have striking textural crinkled leaves and will tolerate average soil moisture and part sun but full sun and wet feet is my preference.

I'm unique, with my brilliant blue bottle-like flowers late summer that bumble bees adore. They have to pry my flowers open and are often seen with their bums sticking out. I get upto 30cm but dislike overbearing neighbours so stick me at the front of the border. I'd prefer full/part sun but I require moisture! I'm a bit tricky to grow inside but I'm a good candidate for winter sowing.

I’m so cool, it’s hard to keep me in stock. I’m one of the most dry/shade tolerant grass (but would prefer a bit of moisture and light). I’m a cool season grass, meaning that I look great in early spring and will grow 75cm tall. Although I do essential work supporting many insects, I’m known for my bottlebrush seedheads. Have you seen a Northern Pearly Eye butterfly? Plant me, I rasie them!

At 150cm, I’m taller and bushier than my black-eyed sibling. My July-Sept flowers are smaller but more prolific and I give an airy feel to the garden, especially tucked along similar plants like sky blue asters and grasses. My bottom leaves are distinctly tri-lobed and I support a lot of pollinators.

Do you have an inhospitable sunny, hot/dry area with poor/rocky soil? If so, we belong together! I’m a shorter (30-80cm), plant with brilliant orange blooms mid-summer and upright candelabra seedheads in the fall. I am well known for my work restoring Monarch butterfly populations but also raise other moths, butterflies & support other important insects. Hummingbirds will stop in for a quick recharge so have your camera ready. I will stay in a small clump & dislike competition from overbearing neighbours. I have a deep taproot making me drought tolerant but hard to relocate.

I’m a charming aster, shorter (20-60cm), bushier & smothered in tiny white flowers in late summer that attract an abundance of pollinators. As a courtesy, my flowers turn violet once the pollen/nectar is consumed to improve pollinator efficiency. I raise butterflies and moth species & prefer moist/part sun areas but am tolerant of others. I will grow without stratification so you can plant me directly in the spring if you wish.

I am exuberantly passionate about supporting Monarch butterflies (and other moths) and although my flowers are charming & fragrant, my runners will happily spread. I'm fantastic in large open spaces but my cousins are better suited for most gardens.

With 30-60cm brilliant scarlet flower spikes mid-summer that attract hummingbirds and swallowtail butterflies, what’s not to love? I’m fine with sun or shade but I require consistent moisture and won’t stick around for longer than a few years. Diva? Maybe…. worth it? Definitely!

I time my May-July blooms to coincide with migrating hummingbirds that arrive hungry! I will also feed bees and butterflies & am a larval host plant for several moths and butterflies. Sun/shade, moist/dry, I really don't care! At 30-90cm with delicate lacy foliage, I'm a front of the border superstar!

I am a great team player with my 180cm tall spikes of mid-summer white flowers, in tight clumps of strong stems and charming leaves that rabbits dislike. I’d prefer moisture and sun but I’m tolerant of some shade/medium moisture. I feed bees, butterflies, moths & hoverflies and will grow even if you forget to stratify me this winter.

Do you have an eyesore you need to hide? I will enthusiastically grow 3m tall with brilliant yellow flowers in late summer. I am dramatic, although others call me a “prolific spreader”. Wet/dry, sun/shade…I don’t care. My leaves form “cups” which turn rain into water stations for birds and insects.

Are you a connoisseur of exotic looking plants? This charmer is a shorter (15-60cm), rabbit resistant, well behaved mint. It prefers the beach (sun & sand or well drained soil) but will grow just fine with some shade. It is a host plant for several moths, but it also attracts a large array of pollinators (butterflies, hummingbirds, hummingbird moths, bees and wasps). It doesn’t like grassy competition & is here for a good time, but not a long time. Luckily, its seeds do not require stratification so you can plant it whenever you wish.

I light up the night from mid summer to early fall with lemon-yellow & scented blooms & to attract moths, ( especially sphinx moths). My flowers close in the daylight to rest (unless its very cloudy) and my seeds are great for the birds in winter. I’m a moth larval host, growing 150cm tall with strong stems and deep taproots to handle dry weather. I’m fine with sun or shade but I’m biennial, meaning I look like a cabbage one year, then bloom and die the next. My seeds will stick around and pop up with soil disturbance so we will meet again at some point.

With delicate 75-90cm white foxglove-like flowers in late spring-early summer, I'm extremely adaptable to sun/shade, wet/dry conditions and salt. I'm very easy to grow from seed & if you have soil, I will soon be feeding bees & hummingbirds.

Although I'm grown for my Black Swallowtail butterfly rearing skills, I'm so much more than caterpillar food! I produce 45-90cm tall bright yellow blooms in early spring and turn a striking maroon colour in fall. I'd prefer sun and moisture but I'll adapt to less than ideal conditions. I'm sometimes tricky to grow from seed & will need at least 90 days of cold/moist stratification or my seeds planted outside in fall. Give me a try, the butterflies will thank you!

Although I look like a goldenrod, I'm not quite one. I have flat-topped clusters of bright goldenrod-like flowers in late summer/early fall and I grow 150cm. I raise moths, feed pollinators and later birds but I'm a bit vigorous and need my space, especially in full sun but damp soil. Definitely not as aggressive as my cousin Canadian goldenrod but close.

Looking to add some blue in your garden in June-July? I'm a 60-120cm moisture loving sun/part shade plant that attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. I'm somewhat sort lived but will reseed when happy.

Need some privacy? I'm a 90-360cm plant that likes some moisture if possible but is happy in full sun to full shade. I have brilliant, long lived yellow blooms from late summer up to frost are can raise both moths and butterflies. Pollinators love my flowers and bird eat my seeds. I spread somewhat enthusiastically so give me some space!

Do you have a sunny, dry spot with poor soil? I will fill it with 50-150cm high yellow flowers from mid summer until fall that flutter in the breeze. I'm good at feeding pollinators while I raise Silver Checkerspot butterflies and Wavy-Lined Emerald moths. I can handle moisture but may grow too fast and flop over but I'm not an aggressive spreader. My seed heads look fantastic in winter while I feed the birds.

They say that I'm the perfect plant. I am compact with 30cm wide x 45cm high tidy clumps, producing delicate sprays of pink/white tubular flowers in May & June. Sun/shade, wet/dry, I don't care...I'm here to support pollinators and raise butterflies & moths.

Would you love to see my delicate blue bells from early summer until fall? I'm a shorter (30-50cm) plant that can handle dry shade, full sun and walnut tree toxins (juglone) but I'd prefer to have some space from tall neighbours. I feed hummingbirds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators. I can be short lived but will self seed so you don't have to live without me.

Looking for late season colour? How about 20-80cm of tightly branched stems with narrow rosemary-like leaves smothered in tiny white flowers? I love sunshine with dry/medium soil & look fantastic paired with smaller grasses. I'm an essential late season pollen/nectar source but more importantly, I'm a larval host to many butterflies & moths but can be a bit of an underground spreader. My seeds do not need stratification, making me an easy plant to grow.

If you give me medium/damp soil in part to full shade, I will cover the area in 20-120cm soft blue flowers in late summer/fall. I'm an important nectar and pollen source for a wide array of pollinators but I am a powerhouse moth/butterfly larval host. Some like to call me blue wood aster because I love loamy woodlands.

If you have a damp area with sun/part shade, I can give you a striking display yellow flowers in late summer-fall on 50-130cm strong stems that attract bees & butterflies. These seeds do not need to be stratified so you can wait until spring to start them! I'm known by a few names such as dogtooth daisy and sneezeweed but we prefer this one.

Don't confuse me with my blue cousin, I also have soft purple, delicate blooms spikes up to 100cm tall but I live my best life in very dry & sunny locations. I am also a butterfly/moth larval host plant but some say my best feature is my irresistibly soft fuzzy leaves which make me drought and rabbit resistant. I'd prefer not to fight for space with overbearing neighbours.

I'm tall (150cm) with electric violet blooms in late summer to fall that are visited by butterflies and bees. I raise several species of butterflies and moths but bunnies think I'm bitter. I love my feet in moist soil and my head in the sun. My seed heads hold winter interest.

Would you like large frothy scented pink flowers in late summer atop 120-180cm sturdy stems? I'm a larval host plant for several moths but I also feed an impressive amount of pollinators, including butterflies, bees, green metallic sweat bees and skippers. I just ask for more sun than shade & wet feet. If you have those, I will be a great addition to your pollinator garden!

I'm a shorter (20-70cm) well behaved clumping cool season grass that greens in early spring and blooms in.... (can you guess?). I like sun and dry feet. Grasses can soften up a busy flower bed, adding calmness for the eyes to rest, especially in meandering plantings.

Do you have poor, dry soil that bakes in full sun? Would you like it blanketed in brilliant yellow flowers in early spring that will last all summer (with some deadheading)? How about if I grew 30-50cm so you can easily view a very large array of pollinators? All I ask is well drained soil so I don't rot in winter. Deal?

Are you patient? I'm a slow grower but worth the wait! I might get up to 1m in full sun & medium/dry conditions but I'm pretty tolerant of soil/sun conditions. I'm shrub-like with spikes of brilliant purple flowers in mid summer. I'm in the pea family so I fix nitrogen and have delicate leaves but bunnies like to eat me when I'm young so protect me for a few years. *sorry we don't have a better picture this year...

Pictures do not do me justice, I'm small, compact, well behaved & tough. I turn a soft blue colour in summer and a rich brown with fluffy soft seedheads in fall that hold overwinter. I'm a larval host for skippers & support other insects while adding a calming thread into native designs that the professional landscapers rely on. I allow neighbouring plants to be highlighted without overwhelming them but I don't love overbearing neighbours. I can handle poor, dry soils and don't need stratification, which means I'm easy to grow next spring.

Ditch the mums, I'm a brilliant fall pink/purple spectacle and an extremely important nectar source for the monarchs before they head south over Lake Ontario. I'm an aster, so I raise more moth and butterfly species than almost anyone. If you give me full sun and moist feet, I may get up to 200cm but 30-120cm is my range. I can handle some shade and if you pinch me back in early summer, I will be less likely to flop & much fuller.

I'm a charming 40cm well behaved clumping plant that has delicate light pink flowers in mid-summer that thrives in tough sites with average/dry soil and part-shade to full sun. I'm bunny resistant and walnut tolerant. I look my best in larger groups and far away from overbearing neighbours. I may be one of those plants that you forget about until I bloom & then delight you as a forgotten treasure.

I have charming pink flowers in later summer, growing 120cm in full sun to part shade & average to moist soils. I'm great at filling in spaces but sometimes I get carried away. My runners are shallow so easier to remove but I belong with similar exuberant plants who can compete.

Although I am a false sunflower, I bloom earlier & longer with bright yellow flowers, growing 120-180cm tall. Sun/part shade, dry/wet, I don't care. I am a larval host for many butterflies and moths but cater to bees, and have a specialist bee that relies on me almost exclusively. They have trouble keeping me in stock as the birds harvest my seeds as fast as the volunteers.

Tall (45-120cm) with whimsical light pink mid-summer blooms, you'd never know that I am working hard to save an endangered Skipper butterfly. I prefer full sun & moist but not soggy soil but am also extremely drought tolerant. I feed pollinators in summer & birds in winter. Although I am less well known than my cousin, I'm native to this area and a delightful addition to any garden.

Do have a sunny/dry area where nothing can survive and need a privacy screen? Switchgrass is a 1-2m clump forming warm-season grass with decorative sprays of seedheads. It is essential for raising skippers. It loves sun but will handle some shade and will tolerate dry to moist soil. It is an excellent carbon sink with its long roots but it will spread, making it an excellent choice for site restoration but less so for small gardens.

I'm an essential food source for early emerging bees but also, a small plant with stunning blooms in late April while the rest of your garden is fast asleep. I like dry soil, full sun and will stand out in a rock garden with my attractive leaves and seed heads.

The ladies find me irresistible...at least the Painted & American Lady butterflies. They will weave silk tents and cover you plants with caterpillars (which are essential baby bird food) but I'm deceivingly tough and will bounce back very quickly! I'd prefer full sun and dry soil but I'm tolerant & will bloom from early summer until frost, feeding butterflies & bees. I'm a font of the border plant at 30-100cm which makes the butterfly watch easier & will spread 30-60cm.

Don't confuse me with my popular cousin, I grow over 5 ft tall and am here to work with massive lavender spikes in late summer. I like full sun & moisture but will tolerate some shade and some drier conditions. I can feed quite alot of bees, butterflies and hummingbirds all at the same time! Protect me from the bunnies my first year.

I'm a charming 60-90cm well behaved plant with pale yellow rose-like clusters of flowers that start in June and continue into fall. Bunnies don't love my fuzzy leaves that help me to survive dry conditions. I love sun & well drained soils. I compliment other plants & I'm really good at feeding bees.

I am a very well behaved clumping, fine leaved 60cm hardy grass that looks a bit like fireworks later in the season, especially against the sunset! Did you know I smell like coriander? I'd prefer sun and dry soil but am tolerant, even of walnut trees (juglone). Although, as my name suggests, I pick a day and drop all my seeds together, I'm not an aggressive seeder (probably because I'm so good at feeding birds). People call me a "lawn-alternative", elegant, handsome and a point of interest. Honestly, with praise like this, it's hard to stay humble....

I'm a garden favourite, with my cheerful, long lived blooms from mid-summer until fall. I grow 50-120cm in sun/part shade, dry/moist soil, raising Silvery Checkerspot butterflies & many moths. I feed bees & butterflies all summer with charming bird-feeding seedheads in winter. If that isn't enough, I look amazing in bouquets. I may not be quite regionally native but I'm such a hard worker, BB let it slide.

The painted lady butterflies can't resist me & I raise their caterpillars in return. I'm a short, tough evergreen groundcover until I bloom, then I fire up 10-15cm flower spikes that look a lot like....yep - fluffy cat feet. I'm a great lawn-alternative and can handle some foot traffic. I'd prefer sun and dry conditions, but am tolerant of less ideal ones. I will slowly spread but I'm not aggressive.

Although I'm in the parsley & carrot family, I have really cool like leaves. I'm a host plant for the Black Swallowtail butterfly and will grow to 4' tall in full sun average wet/dry conditions. Most people call me a conversational piece because I stand out. I'm not quite regionally native but close enough to make the list!

Do you have a tough, dry and sun/part sun site? I'm a rock garden star with delicate lacy leaves and brilliant, small bright pink & yellow flowers. I may look delicate but I'm really not - I will start blooming in May and will carry on until I get buried with snow. I will grow anywhere from 30-120cm but I am a biennial, meaning I will stay small the first year, flower like crazy the second and die (after dropping my seeds for the next generation). I'm hard to find and some of our volunteers have been looking for me for years.

I'm in the pea family which means that I fix nitrogen in the soils, grow 1-2m tall & sprawl a bit without support of other plants. I like full sun but can handle dry to wet soil. My mid-summer to fall pink blooms may be eye-catching, but plant me further back because I choose to disperse my seeds as burrs.

I'm a well behaved, warm season, shorter (60cm), clumping grass likes dry sunny locations. I work well with other plants and have charming orange flowers on seed heads that line up on one side like Christmas lights! I have an elegant wafting rhythm in the breeze at the end of the season when my oat-like seeds become bird food.

Would you like delicate frothy blue flowers in fall? I'm a well behaved plant that can be as tall as 80cm or pinched back in spring to be short and compact. I'd prefer full sun but can handle anything from moist to very dry soils. Bunnies sometimes have a nibble but my rough leaves are less appealing than my cousin smooth aster.

I have an impressive display of cheerful blue/violet blooms in late fall and am well behaved. I grow 20-70 cm tall and prefer full sun and dry feet (although I can handle some spring floods). I support pollinators and raise a wide array of moths and butterflies. Walnut trees don't faze me but bunnies find me delicious!

I'm a clump forming native with brilliant blue flowers in late spring to mid summer on 50-75cm plants. I prefer moist soil & shade but will adapt to whatever you give me. I die back late summer so tuck me behind someone else.

I'm a well behaved key-stone plant, 30-120cm tall with large flat top clusters of brilliant yellow pollinator feeding blooms in fall. I can handle dry to moist in full sun with sturdy stems that will hold winter interest. Like most goldenrods, I raise an impressive amount of moths & I have large striking basal leaves that feel somewhere between felt and sandpaper. I mentioned that I'm well behaved? Don't confuse me with my aggressive cousin!

You may know me for my Monarch raising superpowers but there is so much more to me than that! I am a very well behaved 100cm tall plant that loves full sun and wet feet but I will handle some shade and dry soil too. I have brilliant pink flowers in mid-summer that smell like chocolate but feed nectar & pollen to many pollinators. I support a large array of insects and raise several moth species too. If I'm feeling well loved, sometimes I will produce a second set of blooms. Seriously though, Monarch butterflies are endangered & I can help them....

Have you seen a white goldenrod? Everyone thought I was an aster because of my brilliant white aster-like blooms that stand out against my emerald green leaves from July to September. I'm a low mounding (30-60cm) well behaved plant that is a great food source for pollinators & I raise almost 50 moth species. I like full sun and dry/average soil but will tolerate less ideal conditions. I don't need to be stratified to grow so I'm easy to grow in spring.

I'm a 75-90cm great smelling plant with clusters of long lasting small white flowers in late summer to fall. Rabbits hate me but bees and butterflies think I'm amazing. Give me part shade with moist soils and I might spread but with full sun and medium to dry soils, I'm more likely to stay put. Bonus? My seedheads are pretty cool looking.

Did you know that I am a native clematis? I'm a fast growing vine covered in clouds of fragrant white flowers mid summer until fall. Although I might grow 20 ft in one year, like all late blooming clematis' I should be trimmed down to 1' in winter as I only flower on this years growth. Sun/shade, wet (preferred)/dry, I don't care. I attract bees, butterflies & hummingbirds and birds can use my dried flowers for their nests. *bunnies leave me alone because I'm toxic & that applies to you too.

A great cool season grass with graceful bending seed heads. The grass awns have little barbs like burrs that can stick to dog's fur and cause skin irritation so do not plant this where dogs are running through

Do you have a dark, boring & damp corner of you garden and wish you could have clouds of fluffy white flowers on 80cm tall plants in late summer? We might belong together. I feed pollinators and moth caterpillars (and technically baby birds...).

Would you like clouds of brilliant white flowers that lighten up a dark corner of your garden? I'm 60cm tall and am a pollinator superstar and one of the first asters to bloom. I've almost disappeared from the wild here so I'd really like some help with my comeback tour. I raise butterflies and feed pollinators and can handle dry to wet soil in shade or part shade.

Although I'm touted as "mowable", when you let me grow, I'll become a 60-100cm plant with fern-like foliage and flat clusters of tiny white flowers. Pollinators love my easily accessible flowers all summer long and some call me a butterfly magnet. I look my best with tough conditions and poor dry soils but may flop if you treat me too well. I'm great in bouquets but don't feed my to your house pets, I'm toxic to them. I might be good at spreading and producing copious amounts of seeds. More to love? Apparently, I'm mowable....

I'm a 150cm sturdy plant that fixes nitrogen in the soil, raises sulfur butterflies and have wisteria-like bright yellow blooms mid-summer that feeds many pollinators. My roots can spread and form colonies and I make a great hedge. I'm easy to grown and everyone calls me under-rated. I have large seeds that are easy to grow.

Need to brighten a dark corner from June to September? I'm a 30-180cm sunflower that can handle full sun to part shade & moist or dry conditions. I am a larval host plant to an impressive amount of moths and several butterflies but I also support pollinators in summer and become a bird feeder over winter. I might spread with rhizomes so pick your location wisely.

I'm one of the prettiest grasses in tall grass prairies, where my deep roots have excellent drought & fire tolerance. I'm really important for restoration sites but I'm an aggressive runner who may return your urban garden back into wilderness. Do you have space & invasive species? I'll fight them back and look pretty.

Do you wish you had a goldenrod that thrives in shade? I may look delicate with my zig/zag oriented leaves and my pretty yellow flowers, but I'm really tough. I will grow 90cm & slowly fill out but I'm not aggressive and I feed a large amount of pollinators. I'm a larval host plant for nearly 50 moths (who do the heavy lifting pollination of your veggie garden) but I'm not a great swimmer so keep me out of poorly drained areas.

Our full sun mix with dry soils includes stiff goldenrods, hoary vervain, smooth aster and lanceleaf coreopsis.*this will arrive in 4 separated seed packages

This seed mix includes calico aster, swamp milkweed, boneset & spotted Joe Pye weed. They have similar growing patterns and will be fantastic pollinator superstars! *This will arrive in 4 separated packages

Our bright colour mix includes blue vervain, cardinal flower, great blue lobelia and golden Alexanders will all enjoy moisture and full sun! *This will arrive in 4 separated packages

Our dry shade mix has some pollinator superpower keystone species of blue stem goldenrod, bigleaf aster, white snakeroot and zig zag goldenrod. *this will arrive in 4 separated packages

Our shorter full sun & dry soil mix includes foxglove beardtongue, dotted mint, little blue stem & pearly everlasting.

I'm unusual with my yellow/green-highlighter flowers in 90cm plants with fern-like leaves. I prefer sun but don't care if your garden is wet or dry. I am great for pollinators but I'm really important because I am a larval host for a few really cool butterflies, like the Clouded Sulfur.

I'm a native tree that explodes with bright pink blooms in early spring making me an essential food source for pollinators and hummingbirds. I grow up to 9m tall. I'm usually an understory tree that can handle some shade and would prefer moisture if possible. ****For this species, there will be only about 20 seeds/package.

I may tower over you at 2m tall but my delicate leaves and stems will not block your view as I sway gently in the breeze! My flowers look fantastic with the morning dew. I love shade and moisture. My pollen feeds pollinators & I raise a few charming moth species.