As you know, I have a very wide variety of flowers in my gardens. I really don’t discriminate! I want them all!!!!

But I definitely try to include native plants whenever I find them. I’ve got a nice little collection, spread throughout the gardens.

You’ll recall that I have two typed of milkweed. First is Common Milkweed, which showed up last year as a volunteer. I had three plants at first, and now have seven. The second is Swamp Milkweed. It’s planted in the catio. Last year, it got aphids really bad, and then early this year, it developed a type of mildew. I didn’t think it was going to make it. But it did, and it’s flourished. I think it’s a little prettier than the Common Milkweed, but the monarchs don’t seem to play favourites.

We are up to four caterpillars and at least a dozen more eggs between the two patches. And that’s only the ones I can see. There’s most likely more.

Out front I have Cardinal Flower and Blue Lobelia

They are related, as Cardinal flower is a type of Lobelia. And you can see the similarities. But other than their colours there is one other big difference – the height! Cardinal Flower gets almost as tall as me (I’m 5’7″) and the Blue only gets about 15″ tall. I actually had to move it because it shaded out by the New England Aster (another native, but it’s not in bloom yet).

These are both supposed to attract hummingbirds. I’ve not seen hummingbirds at them yet, but I have seen them at the bee balm

The first is Wild Bergamot (another name for Bee Balm), and Scarlet Bee Balm. I love the Scarlet one because it makes these double decker blooms. I have a non-native pink version in the catio, but I have to find a better spot for it because it’s getting shaded out by the coneflowers.

And speaking of coneflowers. No Ontario garden is complete without Echineacea – or Purple Coneflower.

There are many varieties of Coneflower (and I have several), but the purple coneflower is just so classic. It’s not only a big favourite of butterflies and bees, but also goldfinches, who love the seedheads.

Liatris (also known as Gayfeather or Blazing Star), is another butterfly favourite. It has just started to bloom. I had some in the catio (brought from the townhouse) but I got a few more plants for out front this year. It multiplies quite nicely once established, so it will eventually be spread through all the gardens.

This neat plant is called Prairie Conflower. Eventually that centre will turn dark brown. Is it a coneflower, is it a Rudbeckia (Black-eyed susan). I’m not sure… but it’s wild! The plant is so big and heavy, I have to have supports to prop it up. I definitely need to split it up this fall (and I only planted it last fall)

I have another relative of it, commonly known as Mexican Hat. It’s not quite as tall, and as you can see the flowers are red. The centres also remain green.

And we can’t forget the Common Black-Eyed Susan

It’s one of my faves. I’ve got three clumps throughout the gardens, with several seedlings started in my greenhouse. The ones in the garden are just starting to bloom. And of course, they will bloom right to the frost. Hard not to love a flower like that!

I have a couple types of Helianthus (False Sunflower, Ox Eye Daisy). I need to move those multicoloured ones though. They get very tall and need to be moved to the back of the garden.

And this odd looking flower is Pearly Everylasting. I bought it spring of last year, and planted it in the catio. Sadly, it didn’t do well because it was in Relic’s favourite nap spot and he would not stop sleeping on it! But the roots managed to take hold, and it got going well enough before the weather got warm enough for Relic to spend all day napping outside, that he found somewhere else to sleep! IT’s just started to bloom.

I’ve told you of my love for Coreopsis (Tickseed)

And this Lanceleaf Corepsis just happens to be a native too!

There are several other natives yet to bloom – Annise Hyssop, Boneset, New England Aster, and Smooth Aster! (And of course, the ones that already bloomed – Native flag iris, Harebell, and Foxglove Beardtongue)