Native Plant Profile - Northern Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor)

kerry — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:18:44 -0600

This showy plant is a gorgeous addition to a shoreline, rain garden or even a wet perennial bed. I love it both for the bright color of the flower and the graceful leaves that add an appealing vertical accent to the landscape. The rhizomatous root has been used medicinally by many cultures, although it is considered to be toxic.

The Facts:

Zones: 3-9
Native to: all of Minnesota
Height: 2 to 3 feet
Spread: can spread up to 2 feet a year

Native Plant Profile - Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

kerry — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:54:08 -0600

This is one of my absolute favorite plants, with its compact form and
vibrant orange flowers. Plus there’s the added benefit of attracting
butterflies, hummingbirds and bees, due to the copious amounts of
nectar it produces. In fact, it’s one of the larval food plants for
the Monarch Butterfly. Butterfly weed is a member of the milkweed
family, and has the characteristic seedpods filled with silky-tufted
seeds, but is unique in that it does not contain milky sap like most of
the other members.

kerry's blog

Native Plant Profile - Northern Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor)

Native Plant Profile - Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)