Your Zip Code:

Log In | Register Now | Help Center

Home » Help Center » Scotts Article Library » Garden & Landscape Articles & Videos » Rose & Flower Care » Tall, Tough Beauties, from the Prairie to Your Garden

Help Center

Send to a Friend

close

Please type your email address and your friend's email address. Then type a message and click send to a friend.

One or more errors have occurred:






    Hooray, it's on its way and should arrive shortly.

    Tall, Tough Beauties, from the Prairie to Your Garden

    For Contrast and Hardiness, these Plants Make Great Backdrops

    blue false indigo

    You have many perennials to choose from when planting a flower garden, but some stand out for their height as well as their beautiful blooms. Many natives of the prairie will contrast with your squattier plants and exhibit a tolerance for tough conditions. Purple coneflower, Kansas gayfeather, black-eyed Susan, and New England aster are among the more common ones. Here are some less-familiar plants that will also thrive in most sunny transition zone gardens as well as in natural plantings:


    queen-of-the-prairie

    Queen-of-the-prairie

    When you see this plant in bloom, you'll know how it got its name. The upright spires reach 4-6 feet tall and are topped with fluffy 6-inch plumes of pink flowers in summer. It's easy to grow and spreads by rhizomes to form wide clumps.

    »  See our project on planting a perennial garden


    culver's root

    Culver's Root

    Spikes of densely clustered, tiny white blooms top stems that grow to a height of 5-6 feet, giving the appearance of flowery candelabra. Whorls of leaves are an attractive deep green. The plant's name probably comes from a pioneer physician who prescribed the plant as a laxative.


    sunflower heliopsis

    Sunflower Heliopsis

    Also known as false sunflower or oxeye, this sunny perennial bears daisylike yellow flowers with a yellow central disk from mid-summer to early fall. The plants will grow to 3-6 feet tall, depending on the cultivar or species.


    blue false indigo

    Blue False Indigo

    At a mature height of 3-5 feet topped with clusters of deep blue blooms, this perennial stands out in a border or wild garden. It offers full-season appeal with deeply divided green leaves, prolific blooms in late spring to early summer, and pea-like green seedpods that eventually turn black. The pods and flowers are used in cut arrangements.

    »  See our project on planting a prairie garden


    For Best Blooms, Start with the Best Soil

    While most of these plants will adapt to a variety of soil types, they all will grow bigger and produce better blooms if planted in soil that's rich in organic matter. An excellent source is Miracle-Gro® Garden Soil for Flowers & Vegetables, which also contains Miracle-Gro® Continuous Release Plant Food to feed for up to 3 months.


    coneflowers

    A Tip for Bird-Lovers

    Many native prairie perennials such as blue false indigo, black-eyed Susan, and New England aster are also useful in gardens to attract and feed wild birds. Purple coneflower and prairie blazingstar attract hummingbirds as well as songbirds. If you let the stalks stand all winter, goldfinches and other over-wintering birds feast on the seeds.

    »  Find out about planting purple coneflowers


    Related Products

    Miracle-Gro® Garden Soil for Flowers & Vegetables

    » Miracle-Gro® Garden Soil for Flowers & Vegetables


    Lawn App
    My Scotts Lawn App Manage your lawn right from your phone. Get friendly care reminders, exclusive offers, helpful tips and more.
    iTunes Store Google Play
    Ortho App
    Ortho Problem Solver AppHave lawn, garden or home pest control problem?
    Get the solution with the new Ortho Problem
    Solver App.
    iTunes Store Google Play