Gardening Guides

Gardening Guides

Top Ideabooks

See also

Gardening 101 Flowers and Plants Regional Garden Guides Spring Gardening Summer Gardening Fall Gardening Winter Gardening Edible Gardens Container Gardens Native Plants Gardening for Butterflies Gardening for Birds Beneficial Insects Planting Ideas Saving Water

Flowers

Flowers

Top Ideabooks

Appears in

Gardening Guides → Flowers and Plants

See also

Bulbs Roses Blue Flowers Orange Flowers Pink Flowers Purple Flowers Red Flowers White Flowers Yellow Flowers

Gardening for Butterflies

Gardening for Butterflies

Top Ideabooks

Appears in

Gardening Guides

Native Plants

Native Plants

Top Ideabooks

Appears in

Gardening Guides

See also

California Native Plants Central Plains Native Plants Great Lakes Native Plants Mid-Atlantic Native Plants Northwest Native Plants Rocky Mountains Native Plants Southeast Native Plants Southwest Native Plants Texas Native Plants

What’s in a Name? See 6 Wildflowers That Aren’t ‘Weeds’ at All

Dispel the stereotypes of weeds and try these wildlife-supporting native wildflowers in your garden

Benjamin Vogt November 28, 2014

Houzz Contributor. I'm a big advocate for bringing the tallgrass prairie into our urban lives -- only 1% remains, making it more threatened than the Amazon rainforest yet also as effective at sequestering CO2. I own Monarch Gardens LLC, a prairie garden design firm based in Nebraska and working with clients across the Midwest. I also speak nationally on native plants, sustainable design, and landscape ethics while hosting online classes. I'm the author of A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future. In the coming years we want to restore a 40+ acre prairie and host an artist residency program.

Houzz Contributor. I'm a big advocate for bringing the tallgrass prairie into our... More

Click "Embed" to display an article on your own website or blog.

I don’t have many weeds in my garden anymore — there’s too much competition from mature and dense perennials. When I do see something out of place, its fate depends on my mood. Sometimes I yank it out immediately; sometimes I let it go to see what will happen. But “out of place” is a funny term, since many thriving plants are growing right where they want to be. Too often we walk by weeds in the wild with a bit of disdain, just like we maybe drive by wildflowers on the side of the road and assume they’re weeds — if they weren’t, they wouldn’t be growing in such an inhospitable, nonmanicured place, right?

What really is a weed, anyway? In our home gardens, weeds are plants we didn’t put there, things blown in on the wind or carried by wildlife. But sometimes a weed is a doorway into knowing what plants are local, what will thrive and what the insects seem to prefer. It’s unfortunate that many beneficial native plants have “weed” in their common name. Can we reprogram ourselves to see that moniker as an attribute and not a liability? As the winter garden catalogs start arriving and you make plans for next year, don’t let a weedy common name scare you off; here are six plants you can consider adding to your landscape.

Traditional Landscape by Laara Copley-Smith Garden & Landscape Design

Laara Copley-Smith Garden & Landscape Design

Sneezeweed
(Helenium autumnale)
Native to almost every U.S. state

This lovely late-summer to early-fall bloomer gets its common name from the outdated practice of snorting its dried leaves and inducing a sneeze, which was said to drive out evil spirits. Sneezeweed pollen is actually heavy, not carried by wind but by insects (just like goldenrod’s), so it won’t make you sneeze.

Sneezeweed grows 2 to 4 feet tall in medium to moist soil and prefers full sun. The winter seed heads are food for birds and create a nice form en masse. Try this plant in a rain garden or a low-lying area that has consistent moisture.

Landscape Silphium integrifolium (Rosinweed)

Rosin Weed
(Silphium integrifolium)
Native to the central U.S., from Louisiana north to Minnesota and Kansas east to Tennessee

Rosin weed gets its common name from the sticky resin that was once used as chewing gum. It’s a lovely plant that blooms earlier than common sunflowers, so it is often mistaken for milkweed early in the season. It has a deep taproot, which makes it especially drought tolerant in slightly moist to dry soil. It will slowly spread by rhizomes, but at 2 to 4 feet tall, it is never that imposing. It’s a fantastic pollinator plant, and the seeds are attractive to mammals and birds.

Photo by F.D. Richards

Landscape Anemone virginiana (Thimbleweed)

Tall Thimbleweed
(Anemone virginiana)
Native almost everywhere in the eastern half of the U.S.

You can see how this native got its common name — once the petals fall off, the bloom head elongates into a thimble-like structure. You’ll find this summer-blooming, 3-foot-tall plant anywhere from a woodland to a meadow setting, attracting all sort of bees, flies and beneficial wasps. It prefers a rich soil with consistent moisture.

Photo by Joshua Mayer

Landscape by Holm Design & Consulting LLC

Holm Design & Consulting LLC

Butterfly Weed and Milkweed
(Asclepias tuberosa and Asclepias spp)
Native from Minnesota southwest to Arizona and all points east to Maine and Florida

These plants were once the scourges of farmers and ranchers, and kids across the country grew up being told by their parents to yank out any milkweed they saw — most often common (A. syriaca) or showy milkweed (A. speciosa). Such thinking has led to a dearth of monarch butterflies and other pollinators, plus milkweed is a host plant to lots of bugs and beetles, not just the monarch. Common and showy milkweeds’ smaller sibling, orange butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) does great in dry, sunny areas; reaches no more than 2 feet tall; and has bright orange blooms.

See how to grow milkweed

by Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Ironweed
(Vernonia spp)
Native to most of the eastern half of the U.S.

Its common name comes from the rusty color of its seed heads, not from its wind resistance — even though it is quite stout in a strong breeze. There are several species, but the most common might be tall ironweed (Vernonia altissima); it reaches 5 feet or taller in full sun and moist to medium soil and is a boon to late-season pollinators.

Other species include: common ironweed (V. fasciculata), Missouri ironweed (V. missurica), New York ironweed (V. noveboracensis) and western ironweed (V. baldwinii).

See how to grow ironweed

Eclectic Landscape by groundworks studio

groundworks studio

Joe Pye Weed
(Eupatorium purpureum)
Native from Minnesota south to Arkansas and east to the East Coast

Joe Pye Weed and butterfly milkweed (and their cultivars) are two of the most common “weeds” you’ll see for sale in nurseries. Joe Pye Weed reaches 5 to 7 feet tall and loves medium to moist soil in full sun to partial shade. Butterflies flock to it in mid to late summer while it’s in bloom, as do several bee species.

Other Joe Pye Weeds include: spotted Joe Pye Weed (E. maculatum), native to most of the northern U.S., and hollow Joe Pye Weed (E. fistulosum), native from Maine to Florida and west to Indiana and Louisiana.

See how to grow Joe Pye Weed

Tell us: Do you have any “weeds” that you like to grow? What wildlife benefits do they offer?

Sponsored

Thereron Interiors

Loudon County's Experienced Interior Design Consultant

We offer a variety of services for renovations, upgrades and new design for your home! We also do small... Read More

Sponsored

48" Metal Wind Wheel Garden Stake With Rooster Ornament

48" Metal Wind Wheel Garden Stake With Rooster Ornament

$36.54

Iron Flag Pole Holder, Star Design

Iron Flag Pole Holder, Star Design

$16.99

Large Pyramid Torchs, Set of 2, Jungle

Large Pyramid Torchs, Set of 2, Jungle

$119

Flowers and Plants Foldable Wooden Plant Stand, 6 Seed Boxes

Flowers and Plants Foldable Wooden Plant Stand, 6 Seed Boxes

$69.99

Pure Garden Box Planter - White

Pure Garden Box Planter - White

$21.99

Beads and Bells Yard Art

Beads and Bells Yard Art

$28.99

Sponsored

The Suite Shoppe Interiors

Beautiful Residential Interior Transformations in Northern Virginia

An extensive list of exclusive trade relationships with quality manufacturers, vendors, artisans, and contractors... Read More

Sponsored

Comments (20)

See 17 more comments

Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo

PRO

Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Lauren H -- I think you mean tickseed, right? :)

Like December 2, 2014 at 6:06AM

Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo

butterflygardener

I have learned so much from you! I love your articles!! Currently I have Swamp & Tuberosa Milkweed, native Liatris. Cardinal Flower and Purple Coneflower. Next spring I'll be adding Asters, native Bee Balm, Goldenrod, Geranium, Virginia Bluebells and more native violets. The best thing about having Milkweed is, it's beautiful and we had Monarch cats on the plants all summer long. Monarchs were born in our garden throughout the summer.

2 Likes December 7, 2014 at 12:44PM

Thank you for reporting this comment. Undo

Dar Eckert

These are on my list of must haves. They grow wild in wetlands and road ditches near our cabin. I just need to get some started for my yard.

1 Like January 4, 2015 at 7:52AM

Related Stories

Most Popular 8 Native Shrubs for Year-Round Bird Feeding

By Benjamin Vogt

It’s not just about berries. These plants provide insects for birds and seasonal interest for gardeners

Full Story

Flowers and Plants Garden-Friendly Native Alternatives to Overplanted Exotics

By Benjamin Vogt

There are lots of gorgeous, wildlife-friendly native plants ready to make an appearance in your garden

Full Story

Most Popular 15 Native Flowers That Feed Native Bees

By Benjamin Vogt

These perennials offer superfood to hundreds of bees and are gorgeous in their own right

Full Story

Landscape Design Garden Overhaul: Which Plants Should Stay, Which Should Go?

By Falon Mihalic

Learning how to inventory your plants is the first step in dealing with an overgrown landscape

Full Story

Native Plants Oh, Deer! 10 Native Flowers That Stand Up to the Herds

By Benjamin Vogt

Keeping a garden amid hungry deer can be hard, but these plants should fare well

Full Story

Texas Native Plants Great Design Plant: Lobelia Siphilitica Keeps Its Cool

By Benjamin Vogt

Great blue lobelia, a flowering native that prefers moist soil, adds a calming blue hue to the late-summer garden

Full Story

Native Plants 7 Native Wildflowers to Make You an Awesome Butterfly Host

By Benjamin Vogt

Offer the leaves of these and you’ll get more butterflies than with flower nectar alone

Full Story

Most Popular What Monarch Butterflies Taught Me About Garden Design

By Benjamin Vogt

Thinking like a butterfly leads to fresh perspectives in the garden and in life

Full Story

Northeast Native Plants Great Design Plant: Dicentra Eximia Brightens Shady Gardens

By Curtis Adams

This North American bleeding heart species blooms from spring to fall and welcomes bees and hummingbirds

Full Story