Plant Give-Away List

The list below includes an image of each plant with information about light requirements, height, bloom period, moisture requirements, and general notes.

The images below show mature plants. You will be receiving small plants that are primarily developing their root system. They may not bloom this year, but should take off next year and beyond.
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Light: Full-Part Sun
Height: 1-2 ft
Bloom Period: June-August
Moisture Req.: Medium-Dry
  • Deer resistant.
  • Beneficial to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
  • Host plant for 12 species of butterflies & moths including: ​Monarch Butterfly, Unexpected & Delicate Cycnia moths, Milkweed Tussock Moths, Area Katydids
  • ​Has a thick woody taproot that goes several feet deep.
  • Difficult to transplant once established. 
  • Not an aggressive spreader. Can spread by seeds if seedpods are not removed.
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Light: Full-Part Sun
Height: 3-4 ft
Bloom Period: June-August
Moisture Req.: Wet-Medium
  • Deer resistant.
  • Beneficial to numerous pollinators.
  • Host plant for 12 species of butterflies & moths including: Monarch Butterflies, Unexpected & Delicate Cycnia Moths, Milkweed Tussock Moths, ​Area Katydids
  • Sweet fragrance. 
  • The root system is fibrous and rhizomatous. 
  • Colonies of plants occasionally develop. Can spread by seeds if seedpods are not removed.
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) 
Light: Full-Part Sun
Height: 3-5ft
Bloom Period: June-August
Moisture Req.: Medium-Dry
  • Deer resistant
  • Beneficial to many pollinators
  • Host plant for 12 species of butterflies & moths including: Monarch Butterfly, Unexpected & Delicate Cycnia moths, Milkweed Tussock Moths, Area Katydids
  • Has a deep tap root. Check out this video on common milkweed roots: https://youtu.be/z5XdBxeKkOI
  • Choose location carefully, spreads aggressively by underground runners. Can also spread by seeds if seedpods are not removed. 
Purple Polly Mallow (Callirhoe involucrata)
​Light: Full Sun
Height: 1 ft
Bloom Period: June-August
Moisture Req.: Medium-Dry
  • Edible. Both roots and leaves are tasty when cooked. Deer and rabbits will eat foliage, especially when young.
  • Beneficial to bees, including one rare specialist bee, Diadasia afflicta.
  • Host plant for the Gray Hairstreak and Checkered Skipper butterflies.
  • Grows a very long taproot that goes several feet deep, making it very drought tolerant, but difficult to transplant once established.
  • Not tall, but wide. Branches will ramble over three feet, forming a lovely ground cover. 
​Upland White Goldenrod (Oligoneuron album)
image: iNat (public domain)
Light: Full Sun
Height: 1-2 ft
Bloom Period: July-September
Moisture Req.: Medium-Dry 
  • ​Deer resistant
  • Beneficial for late season pollinators. Goldfinches love to eat the seeds.
  • Host plant for 3 species of moths.
  • The root system consists of a branching caudex, a structure specialized to store water, nutrients and energy for the plant, making it drought tolerant once established.
Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum)
Light: Full-Part Sun
Height: 3 ft
Bloom Period: June-August
Moisture Req.:  Wet-Medium
  • Deer resistant
  • Pollinator magnet! Very attractive to numerous pollinators.
  • Host plant for 5 species of moths
  • The foliage is lovely and fragrant when crushed. It is also tasty and can be used in salads or to make a refreshing tea.
  • The root system is fibrous and short rhizomatous. Small colonies of plants can develop over time to form a clump.
  •  Spreads readily by seed if surrounded by bare ground.
  • Not fussy and very easy to grow. ​
Early Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)
Light: Full-Part Sun
Height: 3-5 ft
Bloom Period: June-August
Moisture Req.: Medium
  • Deer Resistant
  • Beneficial to a multitude of pollinators including Holcopasites heliopis and other Aster family specialist bees.
  • Seeds provide fall and winter food for birds.
  • Host plant for 2 species of moths and a variety of other insects.
  • Root system is fibrous.
  • Cheerful, easy to grow and quick to develop. A short-lived perennial​ that can spread by seed, but not aggressively. ​
Tall Larkspur (Delphinium exaltatum)
image: Wiki Commons (public domain)
Light: Full Sun-Filtered Shade
Height: 3-5 ft
Bloom Period: July-August
Moisture Req.: Medium
  • Deer resistant
  • Favorite of bumble bees, butterflies and humming birds.
  • Host plant to 10 species of moths.
  • Fibrous root system. Propagate by seeds or division.
  • A very showy flower for the wood edge or border. Likes fertile, cool, moist soils.  Appreciates afternoon shade. Looks stunning when blooming in groups.
  • Like all Larkspurs, this plant is poisonous if ingested and can cause skin irritation.
Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana)
Light: Full-Part Sun
Height: 3 ft
Bloom Period: May
Moisture Req.: Medium
  • Deer resistant
  • Attracts hummingbirds, hummingbird moths, long-tongued bees and butterflies.
  • Host plant for the Coral Hairstreak Butterfly
  • The root system consists of a taproot.
  • It can reproduce by seeding itself under the right conditions, but it is not at all aggressive.
  • This slow-growing wetland plant takes about three years to mature into a beautiful shrub-like form. It is well worth the wait! Leaves have a lovely yellow color in the fall.
​Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)
Light: Part Sun-Light Shade
Height: 2-3 ft
Bloom Period: August -September
Moisture Req.:  Wet-Medium
  • Deer resistant
  • Beneficial to butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.
  • Host plant to the Pink-washed Looper Moth
  • The root system consists of a central taproot, from which occasional offshoots are produced.
  • A short-lived plant, but regularly replaced by seeded offspring.
  • A delightful fall bloomer.
  • Will tolerate full sun only in situations where the soil is consistently moist. Low tolerance for drought. 
Calico Beardtongue (Penstemon calycosus)
Picture
image: Emily P Davis (public domain)
Light: Full Sun-Light Shade
Height: 1-3 ft
Bloom Period: June-July
Moisture Req.: Medium
  • Deer resistant
  • Beneficial to numerous pollinators, including hummingbirds and two specialist bees: the Beardtongue Mason Bee and the Distinct Mason Bee.
  • Host plant for 10 species of butterflies and moths including:
  • Common Buckeye
  • Baltimore Checkerspot
  • Confused Haploa
  • Has a deep tap root which makes it somewhat drought tolerant, once established.
  • Spreads by seed to form colonies.
Shrubby St. John’s Wort (Hypericum prolificum)
Light:  Full to Part Sun
Height:  2-4 feet
Bloom Period:  June-July
Moisture Req.:  Medium

 
 
  • Deer resistant
  • This small deciduous, flowering shrub is loved by bumble bees.
  • Host plant for 23 species of butterflies and moths including: Gray Hairstreak, Wavy-Lined Emerald, Burgundy St. John’s Wort Moth, Gray Half-Spot Moth.
  • Develops slowly, but is extremely easy to grow with a nice compact habit. Highly recommended for home landscaping.
  • The root system is woody and branching.
  • Spreads by seeds.
Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Light: Light Shade-Full Sun
Height: 2 ft
Bloom Period: May
Moisture Req.: Medium-Dry

​
  • Deer resistant.
  • Beneficial to hummingbirds and bumble bees.
  • Host plant for 11 species of butterflies & moths including: Columbine Duskywing, Pink-patched Looper Moth, ​Smoky Carpet Moth
  • Has deep fibrous roots.
  • Spreads by seed to form attractive groundcover.
  • Very easy to maintain once established. Will need protected from drought the first year. ​
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Christ the King Lutheran Church
7393 Dimmick Rd., West Chester, OH  45069
Office: (513) 777-4370