Hypericum kalmianum Native to: New York and Midwest Life cycle: Perennial Light: Full/Partial Sun Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet to Medium Height: 2-3’ Spacing: 1-2’ Blooms: Jul-Aug Bloom Color: Yellow Natural Habitat: Moist open woods to wet lakesides Benefits: Attracts Bees, Drought Tolerant, Low Maintenance “Kalm’s St. John’s Wort is a small shrub topping out at just a few feet. Consider using it as a native hedge in a sunny, medium-moist site. ” –Prairie Moon Nursery “This dense, evergreen shrub is an absolute metropolis for pollinators once it flowers.

Schizachyrium scoparium Native to: All of New England Life cycle: Perennial Grass Light: Full/Partial Sun Soil Moisture: Medium to Dry Height: 1-4’ Spacing: 2-3’ Blooms: July-September Bloom Color: Green, Blue Natural Habitat: Dry, sandy, or gravelly roadsides, meadows, or pine barrens Benefits: Bird Favorite, Host Plant, Benefits Other Pollinators Wildlife, Drought Tolerant, Deer/Rabbit Resistant, Salt Tolerant, Erosion Control/Soil Stabilization, Low Maintenance Pairs Well With: Spotted bee-balm, flax-leaved stiff aster, downy goldenrod, common milkweed, butterfly milkweed, and smooth blue aster

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae Native to: All New England Life cycle: Perennial Light: Full/Partial Sun Soil Moisture: Wet to Medium-Dry Height: 2-5’ Spread: 2-3’ Spacing: 2-3’ Blooms: August-October Bloom Color: Purple Natural Habitat: Meadows, roadsides, and ditches with fertile, moist soils. Benefits: Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite, Host Plant (eg. Wavy-Lined Emerald), Drought Tolerant, Urban Environment, Low Maintenance Pairs Well With: Swamp milkweed, blue vervain, closed gentian, golden alexander, and coastal Joe-Pye weed

Liatris novae-angliae Native to: MA, CT, RI, NH, ME (uncommon to extremely rare in wild) Life cycle: Perennial Light: Full/Partial Sun Soil Moisture: Medium to Dry Height: 1-5’ Spacing: 1-2’ Blooms: July-September Bloom Color: Purple Natural Habitat: Dry, sandy, disturbed soils Benefits: Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite, Host Plant, Urban Environment, Drought Tolerant, Compaction Tolerant, Low Maintenance Pairs Well With: Butterfly milkweed, spotted bee-balm, little bluestem, flax-leaved stiff aster “The only blazing-star truly native to New England, this species is native to dry, sandy, disturbed soils, and produces tall stems with flowers forming separate ‘buttons’ alternating up the spike.

Ceanothus americanus Native to: All of New England Life cycle: Perennial Shrub Light: Full/Partial Sun Soil Moisture: Medium to Dry Height: 2-3’ Spacing: 18-36” Blooms: June-August Bloom Color: White Natural Habitat: Disturbance-prone habitats like barrens or sandplains; talus and rocky slopes Benefits: Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite, Host Plant (eg. Azures), Drought Tolerant, Deer/Rabbit Resistant, Low Maintenance, Edible “This tidy, charismatic shrub blooms in midsummer, attracting bees and butterflies. It grows best in sandy or rocky well-draining sites, and will suffer with too much moisture or soil compaction.

Vernonia noveboracensis Native to: NH, MA, CT, RI Life cycle: Perennial Light: Full/Partial Sun Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet to Medium Height: 4-8’ Spread: 3-4’ Spacing: 3-4’ Blooms: July-October Bloom Color: Purple Natural Habitat: Meadows, wetlands, and roadside edges Benefits: Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite, Host Plant (eg. American Lady, Crossline Skipper), Deer/Rabbit Resistant, Low Maintenance Pairs Well With: Boneset, swamp milkweed, New England aster, tall white aster, and coastal Joe-Pye weed “A spectacular species for some vibrant, late-season interest.

aka Hairy Beardtongue Penstemon hirsutus Native to: MA, ME, VT, CT, RI Life cycle: Perennial Light: Full Sun to Full Shade Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet to Dry Height: 1-2’ Spread: 1-2’ Spacing: 10-12” Blooms: May-June Bloom Color: Purple, Pink Natural Habitat: Dry, rocky woodland edges and meadows, ledges, and disturbed areas Benefits: Pollinator Favorite, Deer Resistant, Bird Favorite, Drought Tolerant, Host Plant (eg. Baltimore Checkerspot), Attracts Hummingbirds Pairs Well With: Red columbine, small’s beardtongue, and cranesbill geranium

aka rock harlequin Corydalis sempervirens (Capnoides sempervirens) Native to: All of New England Life cycle: Annual (rarely biennial) Light: Full/Partial Sun Soil Moisture: Medium-Dry to Dry Height: 2-3’ Spacing: 12-18” Blooms: May-September Bloom Color: Pink Natural Habitat: Rocky outcrops, quarries, and disturbed dry, gravelly areas Benefits: Attracts Bees, Attracts Butterflies, Low Maintenance “An attractive annual native for rocky, shallow-soil sites and cooler climates. Easy to start from seed, it has light to dark pink tubular flowers with bright yellow tips and greenish-blue leaves - a real stand out in the garden!

Chamaecrista fasciculata Native to: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island Life cycle: Annual (self-sows) Light: Full/Partial Sun Soil Moisture: Medium to Dry Height: 6-24” Spread: 6-14" Spacing: 6-12” Blooms: July-September Bloom Color: Yellow Natural Habitat: Meadows, grasslands, and disturbed areas Benefits: Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite, Deer/Rabbit Resistant, Urban Environment, Drought Tolerant, Host Plant (eg. Io Moth) Pairs Well With: Blue iris, blue vervain, and New England aster “An annual wildflower that makes a great addition to a garden or meadow planting.

Native to: All of New England Life cycle: Perennial Light: Partial/Full Shade Soil Moisture: Medium-Dry to Wet Height: 1-2" Spacing: 10-14" Blooms: Summer Bloom Color: White Fruits: Summer Fruit Color: Red Natural Habitat: Forest edges, forests Benefits: Deer/Rabbit Resistant, Attracts Bees, Benefits Other Pollinators/Wildlife, Drought Tolerant, Low Maintenance, Edible Pairs Well With: Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense), huckleberry (Gaylussacia spp.), American wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), eastern white pine (Pinus strobus), trillium (Trillium spp.