keystone wildflowers virginia bluebells

Spring update due to coronavirus

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Keystone Wildflowers is committed to keeping you and our family safe during this time. Please see the following note sent to our customers and friends via email on March 18, 2020.


Hello friends,

We hope you are doing well despite the unusual start to spring. With the spread of COVID-19, we find ourselves in a time of global uncertainty. In many ways, we are rather lucky we live on-site at the nursery, and our plants are grown nestled in the woods, far away from crowds. Our heart goes out to small businesses, and people everywhere impacted.

The health and safety of you and everyone in our family is our priority. So, here is our plan for handling the upcoming season:

  • Appointment only – Typically, our business operates by appointment only to give each individual our attention and care. This will not change. 
  • Events – Our event schedule will likely change as the season progresses. If our scheduled outdoor plant sales are canceled, we plan to open the nursery on weekends.
  • Our 20th anniversary – As of now, we are celebrating our 20th anniversary on Saturday, April 18, from 9 am to 2 pm. We have increased our stock and have many new plants available this year. While we do not expect a large crowd, we will be encouraging attendees to practice social distancing. We will no longer have food available due to government direction to limit food sharing. Please check our Facebook event for updates.
  • Contactless plant orders – Our availability list is now available online. You may download it and submit an order via our contact formemail or phone at 610-750-4186. We will confirm your order and request payment via PayPal. Upon receipt of payment, we will assemble your order. You can then pick up your plant order with minimal in-person interaction at our nursery.
  • Distancing – We will greet visitors verbally, but will not shake hands. We will also maintain a safe distance of 6 feet as we interact with you.
  • Hygiene – We will be washing our hands often to keep ourselves and others safe.

Our hope is Keystone Wildflowers’ continued operation will help you safely enjoy the outdoors and give you respite from social isolation. We understand this situation brings a lot of anxiety due to its rapidly changing nature. We are closely monitoring its status and will do our best to share only necessary updates if things change. We’re all in this together. Please stay safe.

Wishing you the best,

Bill Hofmann and family

New native perennials for 2020

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For gardeners, it can be one of the most exciting times of the year. As growers announce new plants arriving in the spring, gardeners puzzle out where to squeeze in one more shrub or a few more native perennials. If you’re seeking out new native plants that work for your area, consider the native perennials we’re adding to our offering.

Asimina triloba, Paw Paw

Asimina triloba, Paw Paw, is a 15-foot, native shrub or small tree that produces a sweet, large yellow-green to brown fruit tasting of custard. Paw Paw is the largest edible fruit tree or shrub native to North America.

Baptisia alba, White Wild Indigo

Baptisia alba, White Wild Indigo, is a 2-4 foot, long-lived herbaceous perennial with an easily recognizable spike of white flowers. White Wild Indigo grows rapidly in the spring, towering over many other plants.

Gentiana flavida, Cream Gentian

Gentiana flavida, Cream Gentian, is a slow-growing but long-lived native perennial, growing 2-3 feet tall with showy white blooms. Bumblebees are the primary pollinators of Cream Gentian as they are one of the only insects strong enough to pry open the nearly-closed flowers.

Hamamelis virginiana, Witch Hazel

Hamamelis virginanum, Witch Hazel, is a 15-20 foot, native woody shrub with yellow fall foliage and fragrant yellow flowers. The leaves and bark can be used to create an astringent as a cooling agent for skincare to ease various ailments.

hierochloe odorata sweet grass

Hierochloe odorata, Sweet Grass, is an aromatic, vanilla-scented native grass, growing 1-2 feet. Sweet Grass creeps slowly to form a nice grass patch. Many North American indigenous cultures burned Sweet Grass during ceremonies to invite the presence of good spirits. 

Hypoxis hirsuta Yellow Star Grass

Hypoxis hirsuta, Yellow Star Grass, is a unique, one-foot, perennial wildflower producing yellow flowers shaped like stars. Relative to the Amaryllis, Yellow Star Grass grows best in full to part sun and dry to wet-mesic soils. 

Liatris ligulistylis, Meadow Blazing Star

Liatris ligulistylis, Meadow Blazing Star, is a 3-5 foot, native perennial producing magenta-purple blooms, making it the ultimate monarch magnet. The flower heads generally bloom at the same time, making this species an excellent fresh cut flower for an arrangement.

packera aurea golden groundsel ragwort

Packera aurea, Golden Ragwort, is a 1-2′ tall, herbaceous perennial for average, medium to wet soils in full sun to shady sites. Golden Ragwort or Golden Groundsel is valued for its ability to thrive in moist shady locations, naturalize rapidly, and produce a long spring bloom.

Phlox pilosa, Prairie Phlox

Phlox pilosa, Prairie Phlox, is a 1-1.5 foot perennial with pink blooms and slight fragrance that prefers fertile, moderately dry to moist soils and full to part sun. Prairie Phlox has flat, broad petals that serve as excellent landing areas for butterflies and moths, as well as deep and narrow tubes in the center for their tongues.

pycnanthemum incanum hoary mountain mint

Pycnanthemum incanum, Hoary Mountain Mint, produces clusters of tiny white flowers from July to August, growing to a height of 3 feet. The flowers are a favorite of butterflies and moths, and the plant emits a strong, spearmint scent when crushed.

Rosa carolina, Pasture Rose

Rosa carolina, Carolina Rose, is a three-foot, native shrub with fragrant pink flowers in early summer. Carolina Rose grows best in open, sunny locations, and the fruit (rosehip) can be eaten raw or cooked.

smilacina racemosa false solomon's seal

Smilacina racemosa, False Solomon’s Seal, is a two-foot perennial with white flowers appearing in late spring to early summer, followed by red berries. False Solomon’s Seal makes an excellent plant for woodland gardens or a shady border.

Solidago caesia, Bluestem Goldenrod

Solidago caesia, Bluestem Goldenrod, grows to a height of 2-3 feet and prefers moist, well-drained soils in part sun to shade. Bluestem Goldenrod produces small clusters of bright yellow flowers in the leaf axils along the length of the stems.

Thalictrum dasycarpum, Purple Meadow Rue

Thalictrum dasycarpum, Purple Meadow Rue, is a 3-5 foot, herbaceous perennial with purplish-white flowers. The mass effect of the Purple Meadow Rue can be quite striking and prefers full to part sun in medium to moist soils.

verbena stricta hoary vervain

Verbena stricta, Hoary Vervain, is 2-4 foot, native perennial with lavender flower spires, preferring full sun in dry to medium well-drained loamy soils. Hoary Vervain gets its common name from the white pubescence on its gray-green leaves and stems.

hybrids cultivars vs native plants

Cultivars and hybrids vs. native plants

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Let’s talk about what you’re planting in your garden! Cultivars and hybrids offer gorgeous, elaborate flowers. Plus, they are readily available at your local retail nurseries and big box stores. You probably already have quite a few in your garden. These plants are intentionally bred by horticulturalists to enhance a desirable trait: size of flowers, height of plant, color, growing habitat, disease resistance and fruit or nut size. A lot of these plants are alien species from other countries. Many of these plants have become invasive pests, outcompeting native species and degrading habitat in remaining natural areas.

Native plants, on the other hand, occur naturally in a region in they evolved, providing genetic diversity and supporting local ecosystems. Since they are best adapted to local environmental conditions, they are low maintenance, requiring less water and improving air quality. Native bees, honey bees and other pollinators are facing serious challenges. With true open-pollinated native wildflowers, your garden can attract and provide nectar and pollen resources for pollinators.

You don’t need to rip out all your cultivars just yet. Instead, slowly start adding a variety of native plants, so your garden is in bloom over a wide period of time. Better yet, plant in floral clumps, or circular groups of at least three. Rather than just one of a lot of different plants, try planting with an odd number of the same kind of attractive plant. This gives the appearance of a more natural grouping.

If you want to sustain biodiversity, you just need to be more mindful of the ecological function of the plants you’re planting.

Our new perennials for 2019

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Spring is finally here! After a long winter, we’re excited to share the new additions to this year’s native plant offerings. Many of these perennials would make excellent additions to your pollinator garden.


20 percent off native plant sale

Save 20% off select native plants

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We’re clearing out the greenhouse here at Keystone Wildflowers to make room for next season! Naturalize your meadow or garden with native plants that support pollinators, and save 20% off select native plants for a limited time only.

Plant varieties available for a limited time only

  • Cardinal Flower
  • Showy Goldenrod
  • White Aster
  • Boneset
  • Butterfly Weed
  • Wild Petunia
  • Virginia Mountain Mint
  • Dog-Toothed Daisy
  • Yellow Coneflower
  • Evergreen Goldenrod
  • Blue Mist Flower
  • Smooth Blue Aster
  • Sweet Black-Eyed Susan

  • Old Field Goldenrod
  • False Aster
  • Foxglove Beardtongue
  • Hair Penstemon
  • Great St. John’s Wort
  • Doll’s Eyes
  • Turtlehead
  • New Jersey Tea
  • Brown-Eyed Susan
  • Spotted Joe Pye Weed
  • Lance-leaf Coreopsis
  • Showy Mountain Mint

Discounted native plants are available in various container sizes: 72 or 30 count trays, trade gallons or quarts. 

For more details or to place an order, please contact us at bill@keystonewildflowers.com.