Postage : Seeds only $4 / Plants $20
Wand like stems lightly dressed in small divided leaves spring from a deep perennial taproot and are topped with small cone like heads of bright magenta flowers. Found throughout central North America and a natural component of the tall grass prairies, it is an appealing companion for your choice grasses, I might suggest Little blue stem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and/or Big blue stem (Andropogon gerardii) which are both natural and stunning associations, scatter it through a gravel garden to exemplify its form or simply mass it for a swathe of unadulterated summer colour.
A nitrogen fixing legume well regarded for its ability to thrive in hot dry summers and poor soils in its native home. I will reserve my judgement until I have known it a little longer but strongly suspect we have a winner.
Winter dormant and attractive in seed. For any sunny reasonably well drained soil, some amount of summer irrigation will be appreciated.