Teixeira Park Plantings in Early September

The native grass, Eragrostis spectabilis, adds a light frothy texture to the Ruin Garden. 

I didn't know Parthenium integrifolium, known as American feverfew, until a gardening friend shared a division. The white flat-topped, terminal corymbs are a useful contrast in color and texture at the Ruin Garden. It has a sturdiness that reminds me of cauliflower.

I added Sanguisorba officinalis to the mix at the West Rain Garden several years ago. It is indispensable for the red dots floating in the breeze. The goldenrod in the foreground is Solidago speciosa. Its common name is Showy Goldenrod. It is a good source for nectar for pollinators late in the summer. The ironweed in the back is Vernonia 'Bay State Border Selection'  from a local nursery in northwestern Massachusetts called Bay State Perennial Farm.

My favorite liatris is Liatris ligulistylis. It is about 4 feet tall and is robust. I was hesitant to plant the gargantuan  Silphium perfoliatum, known as the cupplant, but when I read the description in the Prairie Nursery website I had to include it in this bird/butterfly/pollinator garden. They claim that it was the "single best species for attracting birds! It provides food, water and cover. The leaves clasp the stems to form cups that catch rainwater. Songbirds, butterflies and hummingbirds come for a drink, and in fall, goldfinches descend upon the plants to devour the seeds."