A Lower Midwest Sensory Garden

Indulge your senses with this sensory garden plan tailored to the Lower Midwest.

Plant List 

A. Red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) 
Alternative: Other small accent tree 

B. Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) 
Alternative: Medium-sized shrub, three to five feet tall 

C. New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus) 
Alternative: Other small shrub, two to three feet tall 

D. Green and gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) 
Alternative: Other groundcover 6 to 12 inches tall 

E. Prairie dropseed (Sporobolis heterolepis) 
Alternative: Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) or little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) or other small ornamental grass, one foot tall 

F. Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) 
Alternative: Other groundcover 6 to 12 inches tall 

G. Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) 
Alternative: Other herbaceous plant, one to two feet tall 

H. Missouri iris (Iris missouriensis)
Alternative: Other grass or fern, two to three feet tall 

I. Spotted horsemint (Monarda punctata) 
Alternative: Downy wood mint (Blephilia ciliata) or purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) or other herbaceous plant, two to three feet tall

J. Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) 
Alternative: Other herbaceous accent plant, one to three feet tall 

K. Green and gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) 
Alternative: Other groundcover, 6 to 12 inches tall

Key 

1. Butterfly house 
2. Existing patio