Native Wildflowers:

Aster laevis
Smooth Blue Aster

Plant height: 3-5 ft.

Blooming period: September-October
Light requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Soil type: Dry Mesic to Wet Mesic
Smooth Blue Aster is found in quality northwest Iowa prairie remnants. Like other asters, it provides striking color late in the growing season, when other forbs and many grasses are changing to shades of red and gold. Asters also provide late summer sustenance for butterflies and other insects.
Ounce of seed: CALL
4" pot: $5.00
1/2 Gallon pot: $8.00
1 gallon pot: $15.00
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Aster sericeus
Silky Aster

Plant height: 3-5 ft.

Blooming period: September-October
Light requirements: Full Sun
Soil type: Dry to Mesic
Silky Aster will attract butterflies and add color to a garden or prairie late in the season. The plant was once used to treat arthritis by soaking the body in a bath in which the leaves, stems and flowers had been steeping.
Ounce of seed: CALL
4" pot: $5.00
1/2 Gallon pot: $8.00
1 gallon pot: $15.00
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Bidens cernua
Bur Marigold

Plant height: 2-5 ft.

Blooming period: August-September
Light requirements: Full Sun
Soil type: Wet
Bur Marigold is an annual found in wet pastures and sloughs. The seeds of this plant are sometimes referred to as "stick-tights" because of the barbed awns that cause them to cling to fur and clothing.
Ounce of seed: CALL
Bare root transplant: Not Available
Potted plant: Not Available
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Cassia fasciculata
Partridge Pea

Plant height: 6-36 in.

Blooming period: July-September
Light requirements: Full Sun
Soil type: Dry
Partridge Pea is an annual often found in disturbed areas . It brightens a first-year prairie planting and reseeds itself.
Ounce of seed: CALL
Bare root transplant: Not Available
Potted plant: Not Available
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Ceanothus americanus
New Jersey Tea

Plant height: 1.5-3 ft.

Blooming period: June-September
Light requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Soil type: Dry to Mesic
New Jersey Tea is a low shrub. It's leaves, gathered while the plants are in full bloom, may be dried and used as a caffeine free tea. A tea made from the roots and bark is high in tannins and was once used to tan hides.
Ounce of seed: CALL
4" pot: $5.00
1/2 Gallon pot: $8.00
1 gallon pot: $15.00
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Coreopsis palmata
Prairie Coreopsis

Plant height: 18-30 in.

Blooming period: June-July
Light requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Soil type: Dry Mesic to Wet Mesic
Prairie Coreopsis attracts butterflies and bees, and is considered by beekeepers a good source of nectar.
Ounce of seed: CALL
4" pot: $5.00
1/2 Gallon pot: $8.00
1 gallon pot: $15.00
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Echinacea pallida
Pale Purple Coneflower

Plant height: 2-4 ft.

Blooming period: June-July
Light requirements: Full Sun
Soil type: Dry to Mesic
Pale Purple Coneflower is locally common in prairie remnants throughout Iowa. The striking flower appears on a single stalk from each plant and attracts butterflies. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), often found in perennial gardens, is native to the southern tallgrass region, which includes only a few counties in southeastern Iowa.
Ounce of seed: CALL
4" pot: $5.00
1/2 Gallon pot: $8.00
1 gallon pot: $15.00
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Eryngium yuccifolium
Rattlesnake Master

Plant height: 3-5 ft.

Blooming period: July-August
Light requirements: Full Sun
Soil type: Dry Mesic to Wet Mesic
Rattlesnake Master adds unique texture to a garden or prairie. The root was used medicinally by Native Americans and pioneers to treat snakebite, among other uses.
Ounce of seed: CALL
4" pot: $5.00
1/2 Gallon pot: $8.00
1 gallon pot: $15.00
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Eupatorium maculatum
Joe Pye Weed

Plant height: 4-6 ft.

Blooming period: July-August
Light requirements: Full Sun
Soil type: Wet Mesic to Wet
Joe Pye Weed attracts butterflies with its rose-colored blooms. The fresh leaves were used by the Potowatomi people to make poultices for healing burns. Other Native Americans and pioneers used the plant for a wide variety of medicinal purposes.
Ounce of seed: CALL
4" pot: $5.00
1/2 Gallon pot: $8.00
1 gallon pot: $15.00
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Geum triflorum
Prairie Smoke

Plant height: 6-14 in.

Blooming period: April-May
Light requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Soil type: Dry to Wet
Prairie Smoke may be the most unique of prairie flowers. It is an early bloomer that covers the prairie in a blanket of pink smoke-like plumes. This hardy, long-lived perennial is well suited to gardens and borders. The rosette of foliage remains attractive through summer.
Ounce of seed: CALL
4" pot: $5.00
1/2 Gallon pot: $8.00
1 gallon pot: $15.00
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