Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Monday - June 03, 2013
From: Commerce Township, MI
Region: Midwest
Topic: Herbs/Forbs, Wildflowers
Title: Showy Low Growing Perennial for Michigan
Answered by: Anne Van Nest
QUESTION:
I have been looking for a native perennial that would do well in full sun and moist to dry soil. It would have to be at most 2.5' tall and have showy pink, purple, or red flowers. Is there such a plant that will grow here in Michigan?ANSWER:
There are plenty of great native perennials that will fit your requirements. The first place to go to find a list of potential plants is our Native Plant Database. Use the Combination Search feature instead of Recommended Species. This will provide a bigger selection with much more choice to narrow down. The volunteers and staff at the Wildflower Center who maintain the database have partners in different regions to help with these recommended species lists based on what is easy to access in local nurseries.
Under Combination Search, select the following categories: State – Michigan, Habit – herb, Duration – perennial, Light Requirement – full sun, Soil Moisture – dry and moist, Size Characteristics – 0-3 ft, and bloom colors – pink, purple, and red. This will give you a list of 54 potential plants.
Some of the possibilities from this list for you to consider include:
Anemone multifida (Pacific anemone)
Asclepias sullivantii (prairie milkweed)
Callirhoe involucrata (winecup)
Echinacea purpurea (Eastern purple coneflower)
Gentiana puberulenta (downy gentian)
Hedysarum alpinum (alpine sweetvetch)
Liatris cylindracea (Ontario blazing star)
Lupinus perennis (sundial lupine)
Monarda didyma (scarlet beebalm)
Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot)
Phlox pilosa (downy phlox)
Symphyotrichum laeve var. laeve (smooth blue aster)
From the Image Gallery
More Herbs/Forbs Questions
Propagation of Blackfoot daisy seed
July 21, 2015 - I have a three yr old Blackfoot daisy. How do you root Blackfoot daisy seeds? When is the best month to grow these seeds?
view the full question and answer
Forget-me-nots choking a spring in Bethlehem PA
June 20, 2013 - Hi Mr. Smarty Plants,
I am restoring a native plant area along a spring that feeds directly into our local creek.
Right now the spring is becoming choked with forget-me-nots, that I am trying ...
view the full question and answer
Problems in germination of Asclepias tuberosa in New York
August 31, 2006 - I am a member of the Native Plant Center at Westchester Community College and I need information on Acleptis tuberosa. I am in USDA zone 6.
Last year I planted fresh seeds purchased from Johnny's S...
view the full question and answer
Native plants for full sun and low maintenance
May 13, 2006 - I have volunteered to plant flowers/bushes around a sign at my church. I want to plant indigenous plants so the maintenance is low but I also want attractive plants. The soil is clay and the locatio...
view the full question and answer
Want a ground cover instead of St. Augustine to fill in gaps in stone pathway.
November 19, 2012 - I'm considering using Silver Ponyfoot (instead of St. Augustine) to fill in the 6" gaps between my 24"x24" cut limestone blocks footpath and patio. Do they run long that may cover the blocks, whi...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |