Don't just confine your search for beautiful blooms to the cultivated sections of the Garden. The natural ecosystems are home to some stunning sights, as well. As just one example, look for Plectocephalus americanus, formerly known as Centaurea americana, in the Coastal Prairie. Commonly called American basket-flower because of the basket weave pattern beneath the flower head, this native annual attracts butterflies with its honey-scented, pink-and-cream blooms. At the Garden, you'll find some nearing their maximum height of about 6 feet tall! We'll take that as a sign that our efforts to rehabilitate the monoculture created for the site's former use as a golf course is achieving the desired effect. (fb)

Stokesia laevis 'Peachie's Pick' isn't peach in color. In this case, the cultivar name comes from the individual -- Peachie Saxton -- who discovered the plant. You can make this evergreen perennial native to wetlands, bottomlands, wet pinewoods, savannas, and ditches along the coastal plain your pick, if you are so inclined, by seeking it out in the Confetti Garden of the Global Collection on your next visit. (fb)