Information on this page is for plant species with scientific names starting with S.

For information on species with names starting with other letters, click on the buttons below. 

Salvia coccinea, scarlet sage

This plant has quickly become a favorite of mine.  It is a hummingbird magnet!  It blooms from summer into the fall.  It seems to be very responsive to drought.  This past year, we got little rain and it did not come up in the spring.  Towards the end of summer, we finally got a rainy spell, and it popped up and started making tons of flowers!  It paused flowering when the drought started up again, and then began to flower when we next got some rain in the fall. 

Salvia lyrata, lyre-leaf sage

This is an unassuming little spring beauty.  It thrives in poor soil in dry, sunny places and produces foot-high stalks of pale purple flowers. 

Sambucus canadensis, elderberry

This plant is a fast grower, produces clusters of tiny white flowers that are very popular with pollinators and dark purple berries the birds love.  (Many people enjoy the berries and products made from them, as well.)  It likes sun but does just fine with quite a bit of shade.  It is drought-tolerant and, with time, will sucker to form thickets. 

Solidago caesia, blue-stemmed or wreath goldenrod

This may be my favorite goldenrod.  It blooms in late summer (a bit earlier than many other goldenrods) and does not spread aggressively like some others do.  I have not seen it get to be more than 3' tall; rather, it produces more branching than some other goldenrods, resulting in many flowering stalks, as seen in the picture here.

 

Solidago odora, anise-scented or aromatic goldenrod

This goldenrod is shorter than most others, topping out around 2' tall.  It can also handle a bit more shade than many others, though it will not thrive in full shade. Like most of our goldenrods, it is great for dry clay and is a fantastic pollinator plant in late summer/early fall. You can find some nice pictures of its form here: https://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Solidago+odora 

Solidago speciosa, showy goldenrod

This goldenrod likes full to part sun and well-drained soil.  Like many goldenrods, it can get to be about 5' tall and is a wonderful plant for pollinators. This species blooms in the summer and tends to stay put-- it does not spread by runners like some goldenrod species do. This picture is from the NC Extension website: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/solidago-speciosa/

Stylophorum diphyllum, woodland poppy

These bright yellow blooms in spring will bring joy to your garden!  This poppy loves to be in a shady woodland garden.  It may self-seed to spread slowly over time. 

Symphyotrichum georgiana, Georgia aster

This bushy plant brings a burst of color to the sunny garden in the fall, providing nectar and pollen late in the season. 

Symphiotrichum pilosum, white oldfield aster

This aster puts on quite a show while thriving in dry, poor soil.  It gets to be about 4' tall and has a long flowering period in the fall.  It tolerates being cut back repeatedly throughout the growing season, getting bushier with each cutting.