Prairie Alumroot (Heuchera richardsonii)
Prairie alumroot, according to Brown, is "a great cover for part-sun places" and has esthetic appeal almost all year round. During spring and summer, cream-colored bell-shaped flowers hang on two-foot stems
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
According to Brown, "this one has the most vibrant bloom of all the milkweeds that support monarchs." They may bloom throughout the summer months after emerging rather late in the spring.
Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)
Brown like using this fall-flowering plant as a 2-foot groundcover when combined with butterfly weed and prairie dropseed. It thrives in a variety of soil types with good drainage.
Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida)
The delicately languid, light pink petals resemble swishing skirts and promote a plethora of color combinations in the garden. It blooms most heavily in the early to midsummer and sometimes reblooms.
Rough Blazing Star (Liatris aspera)
In the summer heat, these Barbie-toned rockets "are like magnets for hungry Monarch butterflies migrating south in late summer and fall. Hummingbirds are drawn to its later blooming period compared to other Liatris species
Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium)
Amidst other blowsy natives, Brown admires the architecture of this structural plant. Its distinctive thistle-like blooms, which bloom from late spring through autumn and continue into winter
Hoary Vervain (Verbena stricta)
During the summer, the blue-purple spiked perennial hoary vervain opens its blooms from the bottom to the top. It is a powerful and striking plant. In bulk, it gleams brilliantly.
Wild Petunia (Ruellia humilis)
According to Brown, this hardy tiny plant can "thrive in very harsh conditions," such as rocky, sandy, or arid slopes. It produces lilac trumpets that resemble petunias