SustainFloyd will host a native pollinator perennial plant giveaway at the Floyd Farmers Market on Saturday, October 24th, 2026. Plants will be available from 10:30am until they are gone. The plants are free to good homes, with donations accepted.
Asclepias incarnata (Swamp/Rose Milkweed) bears dusty pink flowers in July-August, grows 4′-6′ tall, requires average to wet soil, and dislikes grass and weed competition. In nature, it forms colonies in marshy soil that effectively stabilize stream banks. Can be grown as a specimen in the garden if kept weeded and watered. Regularly attracts a variety of bee, wasp, and butterfly pollinators, including the Monarch butterfly, for which it is a preferred host plant. Deer resistant.
Coreopsis lanceolata (Lanceleaf Coreopsis) is an easy, showy, sun-loving, semi-drought tolerant short-lived perennial, 2-3 ft tall, with bright orange-yellow flowers that can bloom all summer with persistent deadheading. Coreopsis lanceolata provides important late spring nectar (late May/early June) when few other flowers are in bloom. It can help to establish a breeding population of Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies who emerge just when these flowers begin to bloom. Birds may eat the seeds in the fall. Self-sows steadily but not aggressively, easy to transplant. Though short-lived, it is useful for larger scale pollinator projects because it usually blooms during its first year where many perennials may not bloom for a year or more. Somewhat deer resistant.
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) is not native to Virginia, but often included in pollinator gardens for its showy purple flowers June-July and overall pollinator appeal. Can bloom into the fall with dead heading. Plains Indians used the root to treat rattlesnake bites, bee stings, headaches, toothaches, sore throats, and distemper in horses; the root is still used in herbal remedies today. Echinacea purpurea matures to 4′ in height, prefers full or part sun, and medium moisture, rather drought-tolerant once established. Grows best in fertile loam, but tolerates some gravel or clay. Somewhat deer resistant, see notes on deer browse below.
Helenium autumnale (Helen’s Flower, Sneezeweed) blooms profusely with medium-sized yellow flowers in fall after most flowering has ended, adding a beautiful finish to the bloom season. Can quickly grow 3′-5′ tall x 2′-3′ wide in moist rich soil, with a tendency to spread by rhizome. May flop if soil is not deep and moist enough (prune in summer to encourage denser branchy growth). Not at all drought tolerant. Attracts many pollinators. Despite its name, it does not cause fall allergies as its pollen is too heavy to become airborne, thus the necessity for pollinators. Deer resistant.
Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot) is a rhizome-spreading perennial that typically grows 3 to 4 feet tall. Pretty lilac or pink flowers bloom in summer, attracting a great diversity of butterflies and bees, a must for any pollinator garden. Monarda fistulosa performs best in full sun and average soils. Although drought tolerant, water-stressed plants are more susceptible to mildew. A member of the mint family, it is almost never browsed by deer.
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium (Aromatic Aster) can grow 3′ x 3′ into a nice dense shrub-like mound of bright green leaves, while being extremely drought tolerant. In the late fall, it blooms profusely, usually nearly completely covered in bluish-purple medium-sized ray flowers. Provides late season color after most flowers have faded. Despite its name, it does not have a noticeable fragrance. Deer resistant.
Deer browse: Protect new plants with at least temporary fencing because deer will always “try” new plants, and young plants are at their most tender and delicious. Mature plants 2-3 years old tend to be far more deer resistant. Planting many of the same kind of plant offers a different kind of protection beyond the juvenile phase, as deer tend to seek out unusual solo plants. Deer spray during the spring when foliage is new and tender may help. Discontinue strong-smelling applications after foliage hardens and prior to flowering so as not to deter pollinators.