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.

Unlike Blazing star (dense), my pink, mauve flowers are in clusters. I am compact (less than 60 cm), very drought tolerant and grow in poor soils. I also look like grass my first year so beware when weeding.

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 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 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.