Anise Hyssop Agastache foeniculum Anise Hyssop has very showy flowers, fragrant foliage and seems Planting Instructions to be of little interest to deer. It self-seeds readily and often blooms the first year. New seedlings are hardy and can be Pre-treatment transplanted easily. It's a bee, hummingbird, and butterfly magnet Cold moist stratification for 30 days and makes an excellent addition to herb gardens, borders, perennial gardens, and prairies. When the leaves of the Anise Sowing Hyssop are crushed they smell like licorice and have been used to Surface sow make tea and cold remedies. Other common names in use: Lavender Hyssop or Blue Giant Hyssop. Sun Exposure Full, Partial Soil Moisture Medium, Medium-Dry Germination Rate 1-4 weeks Source: www.prariremoon.com Lead Plant Amorpha canescens Growing in shrubs up to three feet tall, Lead Plant is topped by Planting Instructions spike-like masses of tiny purple blossoms. Each flower has a single 1/4"-long petal curling around 10 orange-tipped Pre-treatment stamens. It prefers full sun but will tolerate part shade. The Cold stratification for 10 days, branches will reach for light in partial shade conditions inoculum added however, giving it a more sprawling form with less flowers. It is not picky about soil type, and will grow in all types of medium Sowing Surface sow to very dry sandy, gravel, loam, and clay. Abundant bees, butterflies, moths, beetles and other beneficial insects will be Sun Exposure attracted to Lead Plant. Full, Partial The plant's tough roots made pioneer plowing difficult, causing Soil Moisture early settlers to dub it "Devil's Shoestrings." Its deep roots Medium, Medium-Dry, Dry enable the plant to survive prairie fires and times of drought. After very tough winters, it may die back to the ground but the extreme long-lived nature of Lead Plant and its deep tap root will usually allow it to recover. Speculative accounts about its common name credit the dusky hue of the foliage or an old belief that the plant's presence was an indicator of sub-surface lead ore. Source: www.prariremoon.com Thimbleweed Anemone spp. Planting Instructions Pre-treatment Thimbleweed has a tall, upright stem rising from clumped basal Cold moist stratification for 60 days leaves with a whorl of three or more deeply-lobed leaves. The greenish white flowers fruit into a greenish white elongated Sowing cluster that resembles the rough part of a thimble. In Greek mythology, a jealous goddess transformed the nymph Sun Exposure Anemone into a flower, eternally at the mercy of the north Full, Partial wind. Also called Long-Fruited Thimbleweed, Anemone cylindrica prefers dry, open spaces. Soil Moisture Medium, Medium-Dry, Dry Tall Thimbleweed (Anemone virginiana), which is also found in Dakota County, is similar to its cousin Anemone cylindrical. However, the fruiting cluster or "thimble" of virginiana is shorter than that of cylindrica. Both have lobed leaves, but the leaves of the cylindrica are wedge shaped while those of virginiana are rounded with fine teeth. Source: www.prariremoon.com Columbine Aquilegia canadensis Planting Instructions Pre-treatment Cold moist stratification for 60 days Aquilegia canadensis, Columbine, also called Red or American Sowing Columbine, is one of the first plants to provide nectar in the Surface sow spring for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The colorful Sun Exposure flowers are red flowing into yellow. Full, Partial, Shade Besides being an early bloomer, Columbine will tolerate a large Soil Moisture range of soil and sun types, so you'll have success with it in full Medium, Medium-Dry, Dry sun as well as shade. It can grow in pine tree areas and is deer- resistant. The seeds of Aquilegia are shiny black pearls and can be easily collected and planted. Source: www.prariremoon.com, www.noddingoniongardens.com Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata Planting Instructions Pre-treatment Cold moist stratification for 30 days Asclepias incarnata is known as Swamp Milkweed or Rose Sowing Milkweed. That lovely vanilla fragrance you detect coming from 1/4” into soil and cover lightly large rosy pink flowers possibly hosting several Monarch or Swallowtail butterflies is Rose Milkweed. This deer-resistant Sun Exposure plant grows in moist to average soils, and blooms in July and Full sun to part shade August. Later, large pods form which will break open to reveal seeds that will float away in the wind. If growing Swamp Soil Moisture Milkweed from seed, try fall planting - or if planting in spring be Wet, Medium-Wet, Medium sure to first moist-cold stratify the seeds for a month. Large numbers of Swamp Milkweed can often be seen growing in wetland settings. Source: www.prariremoon.com Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa Planting Instructions Asclepias tuberosa, Butterfly Weed, is most often a distinctive Pre-treatment bright orange but there is some variation in flower color, from Cold moist stratification for 30 days deep red-orange to yellow. This distinctive color and the absence of the typical milky white sap make identification easy. Sowing 1/4” deep into moist soil and cover Butterfly Weed needs a drier, well-drained location to lightly successfully seed into and grow well. In older mature plants the long tap root can extend down a foot or more. They can be Sun Exposure transplanted if dug carefully during dormancy but if enough Full, Partial root material is left behind they will regrow. The leaves are somewhat narrow, up to 1” and tapered, with no stem. Soil Moisture Medium, Medium-Dry, Dry This is a great Milkweed for a sunny location in a dry area. Germination Rate Mature plants in ideal locations can make as many as 20 stems 10-15 days at an average height of 2’. The vivid orange color, low mounded profile, and ability to attract and sustain butterflies make this plant a well-known favorite for all types of gardens. Source: www.prariremoon.com Whorled Milkweed Asclepias verticillata Asclepias verticillata (Whorled Milkweed) has very skinny, Planting Instructions "whorled" leaves. There are clusters of approximately 20 flowers near the top of each plant. Whorled Milkweed can Pre-treatment bloom anytime between July and September, which is later in Cold moist stratification for 30 days the year than many other Milkweeds. The white flowers can be Sowing a greenish-white on some plants. When the Whorled Milkweed 1/4” deep into moist soil and cover is mature it reaches a height around 2'. lightly The nectar of the flowers attracts many kinds of insects, Sun Exposure including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, full sun to part shade butterflies, skippers and beetles. Whorled Milkweed is deer and rabbit-resistant. Note that It is rhizomatous, and will spread. Soil Moisture Medium to dry Germination Rate 10-15 days Source: www.prariremoon.com, www.davesgarden.com Hairy Grama Bouteloua hirsuta Planting Instructions Pre-treatment No pre-treatment necessary Hairy Grama is a warm-season, short grass that grows from 8-10 Sowing inches in height. It is found on shallow, sandy or rocky sites and Surface sow grows in tufts or clumps. The seed heads look somewhat like eyebrows. The leaves have long white hairs scattered on both Sun Exposure surfaces and along the edges, especially near the base of the Full, Partial blade. Soil Moisture It is a dry prairie species that reaches the northern edge of its Dry range in Minnesota. It is easily confused with the related Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis), which is less hairy overall and has longer spikes with more spikelets per branch (40 to 130). Source: www.prariremoon.com, www.minnesotawildflowers.com Side-oats Grama Bouteloua curtipendula Planting Instructions Bouteloua curtipendula, or Side-oats Grama, is a rarity among Pre-treatment native grasses in that it sports tiny attractive flowers during its No pre-treatment necessary summer bloom time (see detailed photos.) Bracts hang uniformly from one side of the stem while brilliant red-purple Sowing anthers dangle below and delicate white stigmas protrude 1/4” deep into moist soil and cover lightly above. When the seed heads dry, they have a distinctly oat-like appearance. Sun Exposure Full sun to part shade Side-oats is a warm-season grass that grows actively during the summer months when soil temperatures are warm. Its current Soil Moisture range is throughout North America and south to Argentina, and Medium to dry it is cited as a food source or larval host for at least five types of skipper moths. Bouteloua curtipendula’s rhizomatous clumping tendency and moderate height make it a good companion for spring-blooming wildflowers like Shooting Stars or Prairie Smoke. Source: www.prariremoon.com, www.seedsource.com White Turtlehead Chelone glabra Planting Instructions Pre-treatment Cold moist stratification for 120 days Turtlehead is named for its pretty white blossoms which resemble a turtle head poking out from its shell. It is an Sowing important host plant providing larval food for the lovely orange 1/4” deep into moist soil and cover and brown Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly. Its nectar also lightly attracts other butterflies, bumblebees, and ruby-throated hummingbirds. Sun Exposure Full sun Turtlehead likes wet to moist soils and full to part sun. The Soil Moisture plants have deep green foliage of lance-shaped leaves on Wet to medium wet upright stems and grow to 5 feet tall. They make a good choice for border and wet meadow plantings and will provide for a late summer bloom. Source: www.prariremoon.com Rattlebox Crotalaria sagittalis Planting Instructions This modest legume sparsely produces yellow, pea-like summer Pre-treatment flowers that give way to plump seed pods. When dry and Cold storage + inoculum shaken, the pods can produce a rattling sound.