native perennials

Mary's Top 5 Plants

What makes you LOVE a certain plant? Do you look for COLOR? Texture? The shape? Do certain plants have special meaning for you? Or maybe you have memories of plants that your grandparents had in their yard growing up?

All of us here at Natural Plus love helping you find the perfect plants for your yard that you will love for years to come. And, after being in business for 42 years, we have figured out what plants do well and are our favorites!

If you’re in the market for some new trees, shrubs, or perennials, you’re going to want to follow along with these blog posts, I’ll be sharing each of our top 5 favorite plants with all of you!

Next up is me (Mary), co-owner of Natural Plus. I am drawn to some of the more unique plants that people don’t always know about.

  1. Sequestered Sunshine Yellow peony: We planted the yellow peony in memory of our first son David Holtan, and I love watching it come up and bloom each year. Read more about peonies HERE.

2. Coneflowers: I love all things coneflowers, the color varieties and that they are native and attract butterflies and bees. They are one of my favorite things to photograph too.

3. Weeping Caragana Tree: We have one planted on the east side of our front door, and it reminds me of a Dr. Seuss tree. I love the yellow buds in the early spring and it’s unique foliage.

photo from Bailey’s Nursery

photo from Bailey’s Nursery

4. Black eyed Susans: another native perennial that just makes me smile. The black eyes with the contrasting yellow are pleasing to my eye.

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5. Globe thistle: this is such a unique and cool bloom. I don’t usually like anything with thorns, but this bloom makes up for it.

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And, in case you missed them, here are owner Dave’s Top 5 Plant Picks and employee Mike Watson’s and Ree’s.

What's Blooming 8.8.19

What’s Blooming 8.8.19

What’s Blooming 8.8.19

It’s hard to believe it’s been 2 months since the last post about What’s Blooming at Natural Plus Nursery.

I love these posts, because who doesn’t love to look at photos of beautiful blooms?!

I also love to use these posts to help me plan my landscape to ensure blooms in my yard all season long. Just simply look back on the previous months to help you decide what to plant to get blooms in May and June.

Many varieties of daylilies available at Natural Plus Nursery

Many varieties of daylilies available at Natural Plus Nursery

CINDERELLA MILKWEED: A favorite of butterflies

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CONEFLOWERS

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BLACK EYED SUSAN or RUDBECKIA

Read about more Prairie Plants favorites HERE

AUTUMN JOY SEDUM: A butterfly and bee favorite

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GLOBE THISTLE

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Previous What’s Blooming Posts:

6.20.19

5.22.19

5 Must-Have Prairie Plants

5 MUST HAVE PRAIRIE PLANTS

5 MUST HAVE PRAIRIE PLANTS

You may have noticed the colorful blooms along the highways and in many ditches around North Iowa right now. Native prairie plants are really putting on a show, each week adding more beautiful blooms to the mix. it’s easy to add these to your yard, so you can enjoy these showy blooms without leaving home.

Here are 5 Must Have prairie plants to add to your landscape.

  1. Blazing Star, Gayfeather or Liatris

    Blooms mid to late July, easy to care for, a bee and butterfly favorite, and makes an interesting cut flower

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2. Yarrow or Achillea

Commonly used in butterfly gardens, drought resistant, colors vary from pinks, reds, to yellow

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3. Coneflower or Echinacea

prolific bloomers from midsummer into fall, grow 2-4’ high and available in many colors

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4. Bee balm or Monarda

attracts hummingbirds, bees and butterflies, blooms look like a firework, blooms around the 4th of July each year

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5. Black eyed Susan or Rudbeckia

attracts butterflies, bees, and other insects, great as cut flowers, blooms from June to fall

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These are just a few of the amazing native prairie plants that we see growing around North Iowa.

READ MORE

More about planting to attract butterflies HERE

More about planting to attract birds HERE

More on Summer Perennials HERE

Tips for Summer planting HERE