Wildflower Garden Kit

A garden kit is a collection of plants pre-selected by our nursery to make gardening goals easy. They can be used as a quick way to start gardening native without having to research everything under the sun. This kit contains 38 of our showiest Michigan native plants selected for color and texture all season and into the winter.  As is true of all native flowers, these plants are also beneficial to bees, butterflies, other pollinators, and birds.
 
The Wildflower Garden Kit is designed for average garden soil and full to part sun. It will contain 2 to 5 of each species. A typical kit would contain the following mix of plants, but one way we keep the per plant costs low on garden kits is by reserving the right to substitute plants based on our current inventory. Your kit is likely to differ from the list below in exact species, however, the plants included will meet the stated goals of the kit, in this case, a full season of showy plants. If you need specific plants for your garden goals, you can supplement your garden kit with quarts. 
 
Early Sunflower or Sweet Black-Eyed Susan - large quantity of sunny yellow flowers.
Blue Lobelia or Blue Vervain - dramatic spikes of blue flowers that add texture and color,
Swamp Milkweed - no swamp required, does fine in regular garden soil, eye-catching clusters of reddish-pink blooms, monarch host plant and attracts hummingbirds.
Stiff or Showy Goldenrod - strong clusters of yellow florets provide late season color and texture.
Purple Coneflower - this poster-child of attractive native plants provides a large, vivid purple flower in early summer.
Culver's Root, Mountain Mint, or Boneset - clusters or spires of white to offset the rest.
New England Aster - prized for its  late summer blooms.
Marsh Blazingstar - strong stalks of purple flowers that prevent the late-season coneflower/daisy shapes from getting monotonous.
Wild Columbine - unique red and yellow multi-chambered bell shaped flowers,  attracts hummingbirds and blooms early.
Showy Coneflower or Pale Purple Coneflower - extending the coneflower color season.
Cardinal Flower or Rattlesnake Master - bring the drama. 
Butterfly Milkweed - one of the few orange native flowers in our area, this well-behaved plant blooms early and enthusiastically and hosts monarch butterflies. 
Spotted Bee Balm, Lupine, or Nodding Wild Onion - low, clumping plants that fill in spaces and attract hummingbirds.
 
If substitutions are necessary, they may include Bergamot, Tall Sunflower, Rose Mallow Hibiscus, Ironweed, Prairie Dock, Pale Purple Coneflower, Foxglove Beardtongue, Hairy Beardtongue, Harebell, Wild Petunia, Prairie Phlox, Sundrops, Spiderwort, Smooth Blue Aster, Panicled Aster, or others. These plants are also recommended if you wish to expand your garden kit.
 
Also consider supplementing your garden with a native clumping grass to add all-season texture, color (yes, grasses add color), and visual focal points. Little Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed, Indian Grass, and Side Oats Grama are attractive, well-behaved choices.
 
A matrix plant to fill in around the other plants is recommended instead of mulch. Try a plug flat of Spotted Bee Balm, Wild Strawberry,  or Black-eyed Susans. All three grow fast and will fill in exposed soil but will allow themselves to be crowded out when the larger plants reach maturity.
 
This economical kit includes 38 plugs that fill 38 square feet at 1-foot spacing - a 4'x9.5' bed; or up to 86 square feet at 1.5 sq. ft. spacing - a 6'x14' bed. If you need to buy two kits to fill your space, check out our "buy one, get the second identical kit for 25% off" deal.
 
Each kit comes with a planting guide. The plants are individually tagged for identification and all tags include height so you can alter the layout to suit your space.  Because species may vary depending on inventory, your actual kit may differ from the picture.