Oenothera biennis Native to: All of New England Life cycle: Biennial Light: Full/Partial Sun Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet to Dry Height: 6’ Spacing: 1-2’ Blooms: June-October Bloom Color: Yellow Natural Habitat: Recently disturbed soils of prairies, old fields, roadsides and other sunny medium to dry sites. Benefits: Pollinator Favorite, Deer/Rabbit Resistant, Bird Favorite, Host Plant (Primrose Moth) “Much of the life cycle of the stunning pink Primrose Moth (Schinia florida) can be in the Common Evening Primrose plant.

Asclepias syriaca Native to: All New England Life cycle: Perennial Light: Full/Partial Sun Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet to Dry Height: 24-42" Spread: 36-60" Spacing: 24-36" Blooms: June-August Bloom Color: pink Natural Habitat: farm fields, ditches, and disturbed sites Benefits: Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite, Deer Resistant, Host Plant (eg. Monarch), Drought Tolerant, Salt Tolerant, Urban Environment Notes: Be gentle when transplanting, making sure to preserve the long taproot. “Monarch butterflies lay their eggs exclusively on Milkweed plants, making them the sole food source for their larvae.

Physocarpus opulifolius Native to: Vermont and scattered New England counties Life cycle: Perennial Shrub/Small Tree Light: Full/Partial Sun Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet to Dry Height: 4-9’ Spread: 6-10’ Spacing: 4-6’ Blooms: May-Jul Bloom Color: White Natural Habitat: Man-made or disturbed habitats, river or stream floodplains, forest edges, forests, shores of rivers or lakes Benefits: Bird Favorite, Deer/Rabbit Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Urban Environment, Host Plant (eg. ninebark beetle, Io moth), Low Maintenance, Erosion Control/Soil Stabilization

aka wild golden glow Rudbeckia laciniata Native to: All of New England Life cycle: Perennial Light: Full Sun to Full Shade Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet to Medium Height: 3-7’ Spacing: 2-4’ Blooms: July-October Bloom Color: Yellow Natural Habitat: River or stream floodplains, forests, shores of rivers or lakes, swamps, wetland margins Benefits: Bird Favorite, Pollinator Favorite, Deer/Rabbit Resistant, Host Plant, Compaction Tolerant, Low Maintenance “Cutleaf coneflower is always a striking sight, with dropping rays that set it apart from the other Susans.

Solidago puberula Native to: All of New England Life cycle: Perennial Light: Full/Partial Sun Soil Moisture: Medium to Dry Height: 1-3’ Spacing: 1-2’ Blooms: Midsummer-Fall Bloom Color: Yellow Natural Habitat: Roadsides, blueberry barrens, and disturbed areas with dry, sandy, or gravelly acidic soil Benefits: Host Plant, Attracts Songbirds, Pollinator Favorite, Benefits Other Pollinators/Wildlife, Urban Environment, Drought Tolerant, Deer/Rabbit Resistant, Salt Tolerant, Low Maintenance Pairs Well With: Spotted beebalm, seaside goldenrod, New Jersey tea, switch panicgrass, flax-leaved stiff aster, smooth blue aster, and little bluestem

Opuntia humifusa Native to: MA, CT, RI Life cycle: Perennial Light: Full Sun Soil Moisture: Dry Height: 4-8” Spacing: 6-8” Blooms: June-July Bloom Color: Yellow Fruits: Fall/Winter Fruit Color: Red Natural Habitat: Coastal beaches, dunes, grassland, meadows and fields, ridges or ledges Benefits: Host Plant, Attracts Bees, Benefits Other Pollinators/Wildlife, Salt Tolerant, Drought Tolerant, Deer/Rabbit Resistant, Edible*, Low Maintenance Caution: In addition to spines, Eastern prickly pear is covered in barbed hairs that easily lodge in the skin when touched.

Rubus odoratus Native to: All of New England Life cycle: Perennial Light: Full/Partial Sun Soil Moisture: Medium Height: 3-5’ Spacing: 4-6' Blooms: Summer Bloom Color: Purple Fruits: Summer Fruit Color: Red Natural Habitat: Woodland edges, shady roadsides, moist rocky slopes, and disturbed areas Benefits: Pollinator Favorite, Benefits Other Pollinators/Wildlife, Bird Favorite, Urban Environment, Deer/Rabbit Resistant, Fragrant, Low Maintenance, Edible, Erosion Control/Soil Stabilization Pairs Well With: Tall anemone, three-lobed coneflower, blue iris, bush honeysuckle, heart-leaved alexanders, and Virgin’s-bower clematis

Penstemon digitalis Native to: PA and further south Life cycle: Perennial Light: Full/Partial Sun Soil Moisture: Medium to Medium-Dry Height: 1-4’ Spread: 14-18” Spacing: 12-18” Blooms: June-July Bloom Color: White Natural Habitat: Dry to fertile meadows, woodland edges, roadsides, and waste areas. Benefits: Pollinator Favorite, Deer/Rabbit Resistant, Bird Favorite, Host Plant (eg. Chalcedony Midget moth), Drought Tolerant, Urban Environment, Low Maintenance Pairs Well With: New England aster, Virginia mountain-mint, wild bee-balm, scotch bellflower, little bluestem, switch panicgrass, and red columbine

Zizia aurea Native to: All of New England Life cycle: Perennial Light: Full/Partial Sun Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet to Medium-Dry Height: 1-3’ Spread: 10-14” Spacing: 1-2’ Blooms: April-June Bloom Color: Yellow Natural Habitat: Wet meadows and thickets Pairs Well With: Butterfly milkweed, foxglove beardtongue, sundial lupine, black-eyed coneflower, foxglove beardtongue, flax-leaved aster, and little bluestem Benefits: Pollinator Favorite, Deer Resistant, Bird Favorite, Host Plant (eg. Black Swallowtail), Low Maintenance “Golden alexanders are a showy addition to a moist meadow, pond’s edge, or garden.

Euthamia graminifolia Native to: All New England Life cycle: Perennial Light: Full/Partial Sun Soil Moisture: Wet to Medium-Dry Height: 3-4’ Spread: 2-6’ Spacing: 2-4’ Blooms: Jul-Sep Bloom Color: Yellow Natural Habitat: Man-made or disturbed habitats, meadows and fields, shores of rivers/lakes, wetland margins Benefits: Pollinator Favorite, Deer/Rabbit Resistant, Host Plant, Drought Tolerant, Low Maintenance, Erosion Control “Flat-topped or grass-leaved goldenrod is a striking yet common species throughout the US and Canada; this rhizomatous, colony-forming wildflower will grow in dry to moist soil so long as it gets enough light.