Showy Aster, Eastern Showy Aster or Purple Wood Aster, has a large inflorescence. Disk flowers are bright yellow and ray flowers are bright blue/purple. Typically lives in sandy to loamy, and dry woodland soils. The root system is rhizomatous. Uses in the garden include rock gardens, short meadows, and heathlands. A great addition to an ornamental, short flower bed. It can act as a ground cover in areas of dry, sandy, coastal soils.

Coastal Joe Pye Weed is an herbaceous perennial that can grow up to 5 feet tall. This is one of the smaller plants in the genus. It is loved by all kinds of pollinators, such as Eastern Tiger Swallowtails and Carpenter Bees. The pale pink to purple flowers open late summer to early fall, and the fruit that follows is nutritious for songbirds before winter. It is tolerant of deer, salt, and high moisture, being found in the wild in coastal swamps. The leaves will crisp if allowed to dry out. Safe for pets.

The Sensitive Partridge Pea, Chamaecrista nictitans, is an annual wildflower in the Legume family, Fabaceae. In the wild, this legume grows with native grasses such as Little Bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium, and Indiangrass, Sorghastrum nutans. The yellow flowers are loved by pollinators, and the nutritious seeds are eaten by birds such as the Eastern Mourning Dove and the Eastern Meadowlark. It is the host plant for the Little Sulphur and Cloudless Sulphur. It readily reseeds, providing food and habitat to native fauna for many years.

Purple Milkweed is a threatened species in New York State (S2/S3 status).  Its beautiful purple flowers make it distinctive from other milkweed species.  As with other milkweeds, it hosts Monarch butterflies, is deer resistant, and thrives in full sun.

These seeds were collected from the NYC Highline and donated to LINPI for propagation.

One of the quintessential goldenrods in our wild areas.  Tall Goldenrod is also called Late Goldenrod, and blooms later than most other of its cousins.  It grows quickly and spreads both by seed and rhizomes to form colonies.  Its large clusters of yellow blooms are a great source of pollen for bees and butterflies.

Also known as the hairy white old-field aster, a common aster that grows more compact than others in the species.  Its name comes from its very hairy stems.  Many clustered small white flowers adorn its stems during late summer through fall, attracting pollinators.  Many birds such as turkey, grouse, and sparrows enjoy its seeds during the winter.

An upright, weedy wildflower, found in sandy, dry, and disturbed areas.  Its stems are quite hairy, and produces small red flowers.  This easy-going species blooms from Summer to Fall.

Also known as Summersweet, Clethra is a common flowering bush found along the shores of our freshwater features (ponds, lakes, rivers) and wetter woodland edges.  Aptly named, its narrow clusters of blooms are quite fragrant during mid to late Summer, attracting copious bees and other pollinators.  These flowers grow into peppercorn-shaped seeds in late Summer.  A great addition to any rain garden and hedgerows.

Partridge pea is a readily self-seeding annual legume that is easy-to-grow and enjoys disturbed soil areas.  It has feather-like leaves and small yellow flowers.  Great to mix amongst other plantings.  

Also known as pasture rose, this native rose is an easy-to-grow shrub.  It prefers dry, rocky, sunny locations but tolerates most conditions and is good for neglected areas.  Its flowers attract bees and butterflies.  It also provides nesting structure for bumblebees and its rose hips are food for birds.  Rose petals and hips are also edible by humans!