Mesic Sun Design

This pollinator garden is designed for sunny locations with average soil moisture. Flagstone pathways meander through groupings of well-behaved Illinois native forbs, shrubs, and grasses that attract a wide variety of pollinators from spring through fall. Leave foliage standing through winter to provide overwintering habitat for wildlife and visual interest throughout the season. (Download a screen readable PDF.)

Mesic Sun Pollinator Garden

Orange Coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida) Backup: Wild Petunia (Ruellia humilis)
Sky Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum oolentangiense) Backup: Smooth Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum laevis)
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) Backup: Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida)
Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) Backup: New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)
Bradbury’s Bee Balm (Monarda bradburiana) Backup: Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Blue Star (Amsonia tabernaemontana) Backup: Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
Foxglove Penstemon (Penstemon digitalis) Backup: Wild Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium)
Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) Backup: Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)
Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) Backup: Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium

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