Some favorites, although tomorrow the list may be different......
Amsonia tabernaemontana Blue Star
I adore this one, one of the first to bloom and provides nectar for all the early pollinators, it has a long bloom time and looks good through the summer. Plus, it's as tough as nails
Aster oblongifolius Aromatic Aster
All asters are good, but this one is special. A mid-fall bloomer with rich lavender blooms that comes back year after year. Everything loves this plant.
Frangula carolinianum Indian Cherry
A small tree/large shrub with lots of tiny blooms for pollinators in the spring, shiny oval leaves that turn nice colors in the fall and red berries that deepen to a purple black.
Gaillardia aestivalis Summer Gaillardia
I have great admiration for any plant that can survive and thrive through an Oklahoma summer. This yellow Indian Blanket is annual, sometimes perennial, and blooms from mid summer until the weather starts to cool in the fall.
Helianthus angustifolia Swamp Sunflower
Tall, really tall. In a good year it may reach 10 or more feet. Explodes into bloom in September and is much beloved by Monarchs, bees and many other winged creatures. Birds, especially goldfinch, eat the seeds in winter.
Rudbeckia Black -eyed Susan
There are eight species of Rudbeckia native to Oklahoma and every single one of them has something to offer; from the huge glaucous leaves of R.maxima to the tiny blooms of R. triloba, I love them all.
Sorghastrum nutans Indian Grass
The state grass of Oklahoma, the foliage is fairly nondescript through the summer. The blooms are a lovely golden color and can be fairly tall if we've had good summer rains.
Tradescantia ohioensis Ohio Spiderwort
Tall with grass-like leaves, the blooms are a wonderful sky blue in the early summer.
Verbesina enceloides Golden Crownbeard
It's an annual, it reseeds absolutely everywhere, the foliage looks a little weedy, but I will NOT be without this plant. It starts showing color in early summer and doesn't stop until the first hard freeze of fall. Something is always happening on these blooms--butterflies, bees, wasps (the nice kind), crab spiders, all kinds of critters flock to this one.
Kens Top Selection
Asclepias curassavica Tropical Milkweed
Tropical Milkweed, Annual in Oklahoma, 3 – 5’, Moist to Well-drained, Full Sun, Hummingbird Nectar, Blooms till frost, Preferred host plant for the Monarch.
This is not a native and is an annual but the Monarchs will thrive on it during their return trip south. We've had them stripped bare by Monarch caterpillars and then grow back. Even without the Monarchs the color is well worth it.
Baptisia australis Wild Blue Indigo
Native, Perennial, 2 – 4’, Full Sun, Well-drained to Dry, Host plant for: Wild Indigo, Duskywing, Hoary Edge, and Northern Cloudywing.
Marilyn says this is "long lived, give the taproot time to become established, more blue than purple." The plant in one of our gardens is impressive, but these are really spectacular in mass in a wild setting.
Baptisia sphaerocarpa Yellow Wild Indigo
Native, Perennial, 1 ½ - 2 ½’, Full to Part Sun, Well-drained to Dry, More compact than the blue & white, May be summer dormant, Tough plant with gorgeous blooms.
Marilyn says, " ...beautiful yellow blooms, when I saw this in a bouquet at the Wildflower Workshop in Sulphur it became a must have." Even better are the stands of these astride the Chickasaw Turnpike between Sulphur and Ada.
Cassia fasciculata Partridge Pea
Native, Annual (re-seeds), 1 – 3’, Full Sun, Moist to Dry, Pretty foliage, Host plant for: Cloudled Giant Sulphur, Little Yellow & Sleepy Orange.
Marilyn says "bright yellow blooms with red throats, a soil mender on the prairie, will reseed." And it does reseed in our garden every year. You may find it being eaten by butterfly caterpillars though, but that is OK because it will come back. Aside from the color from the blooms the main benefit is the airborne color coming from Cloudless Giant Sulphur, Little Yellow, and Sleepy Orange butterflies that thrive on the plant.
Eryngium leavenworthii Leavenworths Eryngium
Unlike yuccifolium these spikes are sharp. as the plant list states prickly leaves which start off as a gray-green then turn an impossible purple. Have seen a lot of these in south central Oklahoma near Pontotoc Ridge. Impressive in groups.
Eryngium yuccifolium Rattlesnake Master
Native, Perennial, 2 – 4’, Full Sun, Moist to Dry, Nectar, Interesting seed heads and cool leaves *Old remedy for snake bites,
Marilyn says "interesting seed heads, old remedy for rattlesnake bites, the strap-like leaves have barbs that look sharp but aren't." So maybe I'm attracted to the name. But these plants are distinctive. Their bloom stalks rise up into a not colorful but very interesting bloom.
Tradescantia ohioensis Ohio Spiderwort
Native, Perennial, 1 – 3’, Full Sun to Shade, Moist to Dry, Adaptable, Nice interplanted with coneflowers and daisies.
Marilyn says "...nice to interplant with coneflowers and daisies, can tolerate many different exposures." This plant is versatile. We have these deep down in our very thick woods and out in the full sun prairie area of our yard. Blooms from April to June.
Tridens flavus Purple Top
Three to four feet tall, the height comes from the bloom, the foliage stays about 18", pretty purple color and beneficial to butterflies and wildlife, too. In quantities the texture and purple coloring are impressive in the fall.
Amsonia tabernaemontana Blue Star
I adore this one, one of the first to bloom and provides nectar for all the early pollinators, it has a long bloom time and looks good through the summer. Plus, it's as tough as nails
Aster oblongifolius Aromatic Aster
All asters are good, but this one is special. A mid-fall bloomer with rich lavender blooms that comes back year after year. Everything loves this plant.
Frangula carolinianum Indian Cherry
A small tree/large shrub with lots of tiny blooms for pollinators in the spring, shiny oval leaves that turn nice colors in the fall and red berries that deepen to a purple black.
Gaillardia aestivalis Summer Gaillardia
I have great admiration for any plant that can survive and thrive through an Oklahoma summer. This yellow Indian Blanket is annual, sometimes perennial, and blooms from mid summer until the weather starts to cool in the fall.
Helianthus angustifolia Swamp Sunflower
Tall, really tall. In a good year it may reach 10 or more feet. Explodes into bloom in September and is much beloved by Monarchs, bees and many other winged creatures. Birds, especially goldfinch, eat the seeds in winter.
Rudbeckia Black -eyed Susan
There are eight species of Rudbeckia native to Oklahoma and every single one of them has something to offer; from the huge glaucous leaves of R.maxima to the tiny blooms of R. triloba, I love them all.
Sorghastrum nutans Indian Grass
The state grass of Oklahoma, the foliage is fairly nondescript through the summer. The blooms are a lovely golden color and can be fairly tall if we've had good summer rains.
Tradescantia ohioensis Ohio Spiderwort
Tall with grass-like leaves, the blooms are a wonderful sky blue in the early summer.
Verbesina enceloides Golden Crownbeard
It's an annual, it reseeds absolutely everywhere, the foliage looks a little weedy, but I will NOT be without this plant. It starts showing color in early summer and doesn't stop until the first hard freeze of fall. Something is always happening on these blooms--butterflies, bees, wasps (the nice kind), crab spiders, all kinds of critters flock to this one.
Kens Top Selection
Asclepias curassavica Tropical Milkweed
Tropical Milkweed, Annual in Oklahoma, 3 – 5’, Moist to Well-drained, Full Sun, Hummingbird Nectar, Blooms till frost, Preferred host plant for the Monarch.
This is not a native and is an annual but the Monarchs will thrive on it during their return trip south. We've had them stripped bare by Monarch caterpillars and then grow back. Even without the Monarchs the color is well worth it.
Baptisia australis Wild Blue Indigo
Native, Perennial, 2 – 4’, Full Sun, Well-drained to Dry, Host plant for: Wild Indigo, Duskywing, Hoary Edge, and Northern Cloudywing.
Marilyn says this is "long lived, give the taproot time to become established, more blue than purple." The plant in one of our gardens is impressive, but these are really spectacular in mass in a wild setting.
Baptisia sphaerocarpa Yellow Wild Indigo
Native, Perennial, 1 ½ - 2 ½’, Full to Part Sun, Well-drained to Dry, More compact than the blue & white, May be summer dormant, Tough plant with gorgeous blooms.
Marilyn says, " ...beautiful yellow blooms, when I saw this in a bouquet at the Wildflower Workshop in Sulphur it became a must have." Even better are the stands of these astride the Chickasaw Turnpike between Sulphur and Ada.
Cassia fasciculata Partridge Pea
Native, Annual (re-seeds), 1 – 3’, Full Sun, Moist to Dry, Pretty foliage, Host plant for: Cloudled Giant Sulphur, Little Yellow & Sleepy Orange.
Marilyn says "bright yellow blooms with red throats, a soil mender on the prairie, will reseed." And it does reseed in our garden every year. You may find it being eaten by butterfly caterpillars though, but that is OK because it will come back. Aside from the color from the blooms the main benefit is the airborne color coming from Cloudless Giant Sulphur, Little Yellow, and Sleepy Orange butterflies that thrive on the plant.
Eryngium leavenworthii Leavenworths Eryngium
Unlike yuccifolium these spikes are sharp. as the plant list states prickly leaves which start off as a gray-green then turn an impossible purple. Have seen a lot of these in south central Oklahoma near Pontotoc Ridge. Impressive in groups.
Eryngium yuccifolium Rattlesnake Master
Native, Perennial, 2 – 4’, Full Sun, Moist to Dry, Nectar, Interesting seed heads and cool leaves *Old remedy for snake bites,
Marilyn says "interesting seed heads, old remedy for rattlesnake bites, the strap-like leaves have barbs that look sharp but aren't." So maybe I'm attracted to the name. But these plants are distinctive. Their bloom stalks rise up into a not colorful but very interesting bloom.
Tradescantia ohioensis Ohio Spiderwort
Native, Perennial, 1 – 3’, Full Sun to Shade, Moist to Dry, Adaptable, Nice interplanted with coneflowers and daisies.
Marilyn says "...nice to interplant with coneflowers and daisies, can tolerate many different exposures." This plant is versatile. We have these deep down in our very thick woods and out in the full sun prairie area of our yard. Blooms from April to June.
Tridens flavus Purple Top
Three to four feet tall, the height comes from the bloom, the foliage stays about 18", pretty purple color and beneficial to butterflies and wildlife, too. In quantities the texture and purple coloring are impressive in the fall.