Perennial Flowers in the Midwest

Ohio Horsemint

• Growing wild in Midwest states including Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Ohio, the Ohio horsemint plant (Blephilia ciliate) also goes by the name of downy pagoda plant. This herbaceous perennial flowers from May though August, turning out bluish-purple blooms and growing to 30 inches. Ohio horsemint grows in open forests, along roadsides and in fields. Plant it in full sun or partial shade, placing it in a dry to medium-damp soil. Ohio horsemint's basal foliage remains green through the winter months. Use this species in native wildflower gardens or in your more open woodland venues.

Blue Mistflower

• Moist areas such as stream banks, woodland borders and wet meadows support a perennial in much of the eastern Midwest called blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum). As many as 70 individual blue flowers occur in the dense clusters at the end of its branches, blooming from July into October. Blue mistflower's dark green foliage has a whitish hue to its undersides. Blue mistflower will provide a vivid backdrop for other late bloomers, such as chrysanthemums, notes the Missouri Botanical Garden. Use it as a perennial border or plant blue mistflower in naturalized areas of your land.

Spring Beauties

• One of spring's first bloomers, the spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) can grow on your lawn in big patches, creating quite a breath-taking effect when in flower. This Midwest perennial grows to less than one foot high in sun and in shade. Spring beauties will thrive if you put them in fertile, damp soil. The white to pink flowers resemble tiny stars. The small size of spring beauties makes them appropriate for rock gardens. Dig up the tubers they develop from and eat them; they taste like chestnuts.

Turtlehead

• Turtlehead (Chelone glabra) is a species of Midwest perennial that will do well in wildflower gardens, notes the "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers: Eastern Region." This leafy stemmed plant grows to 3 feet high and features flowers that bloom late in the growing season -- from August through October. Turtlehead's pinkish-white flowers occur in groupings at the top of the plant. Use this species near ponds, bogs and streams, since it easily handles wet conditions. Use supporting stakes if you plant turtlehead in deeply shaded habitats, as it will tend to droop.