Sun Loving Native Plants

There are some really nice native plants that love sunny landscapes. Let's take a look at a few varieties I have covered in the past. Yarrow has many small flowers that are combined into a flat-topped flower structure that is very inviting to many butterflies, bees, moths, and other pollinators. The native variety produces white frilly, showy flowers that grow on multi-branching stems. Other varieties produce pink, yellow, red, or orange flowers. The leaves are divided into smaller leaflets, giving them a delicate, fernlike, lacy appearance. One of my favorite native perennial pollinator plants is Stoke’s aster. Stoke’s Aster is low-growing with a basal cluster of dark green, lance-shaped leaves. The numerous, solitary, flower heads are 2-4 in. across, with deeply divided purple rays and very prominent purple florets from the disc. Turk's Cap boasts luxurious, deep green leaves, 4 to 6 inches in diameter, that look like baseball mitts and provide a lush backdrop for its striking flowers. Its flowers, with their unusual shape and vivid hue, add a touch of exotic allure. The blooms are a vibrant scarlet red, their unique form resembling a Turkish turban, which gives the plant its common name. The petals remain partially closed, creating a distinctive, spiraled appearance that is both eye-catching and attractive to pollinators, such as hummingbirds and butterflies. Check our website at extension.msstate.edu for more information about native plants. I'm Eddie Smith, and I look forward to seeing you next time on Southern Gardening!