As natives becoming increasingly popular, homeowners are seeking the best natives to use in their landscapes.  While they still require maintenance, the list below contains natives that will require the least maintenance and are the most well behaved for a home garden.   

Herbaceous Perennials

Herbaceous perennials for shady spots:

• Actaea racemosa (black cohosh)
• Aruncus dioicus (white goat's beard)
• Cunila origanoides (Dittany)
• Heuchera parviflora (little flower alumroot)
• Polygonatum biflorum (Solomon's seal)
• Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)
• Spigelia marilandica (Indian pink)

 

Ephemeral or semi-ephemeral perennials for shady spots:
*Plant these species amonst herbaceous perennials for shady spots, as they may disappear by summer

• Erythronium americanum (yellow trout lily)
• Tradescantia ernestiana (woodland spiderwort)
• Uvularia grandiflora (largeflower bellwort)

 

Herbaceous perennials for sunny spots:

• Allium cernuum (nodding wild onion)
• Allium stellatum (fall glade onion)
• Amsonia ciliata (fringed blue star)
• Amsonia illustris (shining blue star)
• Amsonia tabernaemontana (eastern blue star)
• Anemone virginiana (thimbleweed)
• Aristolochia tomentosa (Dutchman's pipe)
• Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed)
• Baptisia australis (blue wild indigo)
• Baptisia sphaerocarpa (yellow wild indigo)
• Chelone obliqua (rose turtlehead)
• Dalea purpurea (purple prairie clover) 
• Echinacea paradoxa (yellow coneflower)
• Echinacea pallida (pale purple coneflower) 
• Filipendula rubra (queen of the prairie)
• Gentiana andrewsii (closed gentian)
• Heuchera richardsonii (prairie alum root)
• Hibiscus laevis (rose mallow)
• Hibiscus lasiocarpos (rose mallow)
• Iris fulva (copper iris)
• Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower) 
• Lobelia siphilitica (blue lobelia) 
• Manfreda virginica (false aloe)
• Monarda bradburiana (bee balm)
• Oenothera macrocarpa (Missouri primrose)
• Opuntia humifusa (prickly pear cactus) 
• Parthenium integrifolium (wild quinine)
• Penstemon cobaea (purple beardtongue)
• Penstemon pallidus (pale beardtongue) 
• Rudbeckia fulgida (showy coneflower)
• Silphium terebinthinaceum (prairie dock)
• Solidago drummondii (cliff goldenrod)
• Symphyotrichum oblongifilium (aromatic aster)
• Zizia aptera (golden Alexanders)

 

Ephemeral or semi-ephemeral perennials for sunny spots:

*Ephemerals are plants that last for a short period of time

• Dodecatheon meadia (shooting star)

 

Ground covers, grasses and sedges

Ground covers for shady spots
*ground covers will naturally spread by underground rhyzomes

• Asarum canadense (wild ginger)
• Erigeron pulchellus (Robin's plaintain)
• Packera obovata (roundleaf groundsel)
• Sedum ternatum (wild stonecrop)

 

Grasses/sedges for shady spots:
*use these species in larger quantities for use as a ground cover

• Carex albicans (oak sedge)
• Carex eburnea (bristle leaf sedge)
• Carex grayi (Gray's sedge)
• Carex pensylvanica (Pennsylvania sedge)
• Carex muskingumensis (plam sedge)

 

Ground covers for sunny spots
*Some ground covers will naturally spread by underground rhyzomes

• Antennaria neglecta (prairie pussytoes)
• Antennaria parlinii (pussytoes)
• Glandularia canadensis (rose verbena)
• Iris cristata (dwarf crested iris)

 

Grasses/Sedges for sunny spots

• Bouteloua curtipendula (side oats gramma)
• Eragrostis spectabilis (lovegrass)
• Muhlenbergia capillaris (pink muhlygrass)
• Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem)
• Sporobolus heterolepis (prairie dropseed)

 

Trees

Small Trees (under 30 feet)

• Amelanchier arborea (downy serviceberry)
• Cercis canadensis (eastern redbud)
• Chionanthus virginicus (fringe tree)
• Cornus alternifolia (pagoda dogwood)
• Cornus florida (flowering dogwood)
• Hamamelis vernalis (vernal witch hazel)
• Hamamelis virginiana (eastern witch hazel)
• Ilex opaca (American holly) *evergreen
• Rhamnus caroliniana (Indian cherry)

 

Large Trees (over 30 feet)

• Acer rubrum (red maple)
• Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
• Betula nigra (river birch)
• Carpinus caroliniana (American hornbeam)
• Carya ovata (shagbark hickory)
• Cladrastis Kentukea (yellowwood)
• Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
• Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree)
• Nyssa sylvatica (black gum)
• Quercus bicolor (swamp white oak)
• Quercus lyrata (overcup oak)
• Quercus macrocarpa (bur oak)
• Quercus muehlenbergii (chinkapin oak)
• Taxodium distichum (bald cypress)

 

Shrubs and Vines

Shrubs for Shadier spots

• Dirca palustris (leatherwood)
• Hydrangea arborescens (wild hydrangea)
• Lindera benzoin (spice bush)

 

Shrubs for Sunny spots

• Amorpha canescens (lead plant)
• Amorpha fruticosa (indigo bush)
• Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey Tea)
• Cephalanthus occidentalis (buttonbush)
• Hypericum prolificum (shrubby Saint John's Wort)
• Ilex verticillata (winterberry)
• Physocarpus opulifolius (ninebark)
• Ribes odoratum (golden currant)
• Spiraea alba (meadow sweet spiraea)

 

Vines

• Berchemia scandens (supplejack)
• Bignonia capreolata (cross vine)
• Celastrus scandens (American bittersweet)
• Clematis crispa (swamp leather flower)
• Clematis pitcher (Pitcher's leather flower)
• Clematis versicolor (leather flower)
• Lonicera sempervirens (coral honeysuckle)
• Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)

 

 

The list below contains equally great natives for your home garden, but they will require a little more maintenance than those above to keep their formal appearance or to keep them from creeping around your landscape. 

Herbaceous Perennials

Herbaceous perennials for shady spots:

 

• Aralia racemosa (American spikenard)
• Coreopsis pubescens (star tickseed)
• Polygonatum biflorum (Solomon’s seal)

 

Ephemeral or semi-ephemeral perennials for shady spots:

*Ephemerals are plants that last for a short period of time

• Mertensia virginica (bluebells) 
• Stylophorum diphyllum (celandine poppy) 

Herbaceous perennials for sunny spots:

• Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed)
• Asclepias verticillata (whorled milkweed)
• Campanula rotundifolia (harebell)
• Conoclinium coelestinum (mist flower)
• Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower)
• Echinacea simulata (glade coneflower)
• Eryngium yuccifolium (rattle snake master)
• Eutrochium fistulosum (hollow stem joe pye weed)
• Liatris aspera (rough blazing star) 
• Liatris mucronata (bottlebrush blazing star) 
• Liatris pycnostachya (prairie blazing star) 
• Liatris scariosa (eastern blazing star) 
• Solidago speciosa (showy goldenrod)

Trees

Small Trees (under 30 feet)

• Cephalanthus occidentalis (buttonbush) *Can be pruned into a small tree

Large Trees (taller than 30 feet)

• Gymnocladus dioica (Kentucky coffee tree)

 

 

 

 

By Mary Ann Fink

	Ilex opaca American holly Broadleaf evergreen Pollution tolerant. Berries poisonous if ingested in large quantities.
	Allium cernuum nodding onion Bulb Said to be high in vitamin A.
	Hymenocallis caroliniana spider lily Bulb Moisture tolerant.
	Aesculus pavia red buckeye Deciduous shrub Blooms at a young age.
	Aronia melanocarpa black chokeberry Deciduous shrub Fruit tastiest after frost.
	Callicarpa americana beautyberry Deciduous shrub Greek for "beautiful fruit."
	Cephalanthus occidentalis buttonbush Deciduous shrub Tolerant of wide range of conditions--flowers fragrant.
	Hamamelis vernalis Ozark witch hazel Deciduous shrub Plant of Merit native
	Hamamelis virginiana common witch hazel Deciduous shrub This native is admired in other countries as well--fragrant.
	Hydrangea arborescens smooth hydrangea Deciduous shrub Plant of Merit native
	Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet' Virginia sweetspire Deciduous shrub Plant of Merit.
	Lindera benzoin spice bush Deciduous shrub Twigs aromatic when crushed.
	Rhus aromatica fragrant sumac Deciduous shrub Another "touching-fragrance" mostly when bruised.
	Rosa carolina Carolina rose Deciduous shrub Pasture rose--spreads by runners.
	Rosa setigera prairie rose Deciduous shrub  The vitamin C content of rose hips is 60 times greater than lemons.
	Spiraea alba meadowsweet Deciduous shrub Uncommonly beautiful and just as tough.
	Viburnum lentago nannyberry viburnum Deciduous shrub Songbird favorite.
	Viburnum prunifolium blackhaw viburnum Deciduous shrub Prune as small tree for best display.
	Athyrium filix-femina lady fern Fern  A low maintenace plant.
	Osmunda cinnamomea cinnamon fern Fern You may already know it as a reliable ornamental but maybe you didn't know this is a native.
	Osmunda regalis royal fern Fern This fern has two kinds of fronds.
	Amsonia tabernaemontana var. salicifolia blue star Herbaceous perennial Willow-like narrow leaves.
	Anemone virginiana thimbleweed Herbaceous perennial Seed heads look like Q-tips. Not over vigorous.
	Asarum canadense wild ginger Herbaceous perennial Not like the ginger in the grocery store but a drought tolerant ground cover for shade.
	Asclepias incarnata swamp milkweed Herbaceous perennial The seed floss has good insulation qualities.
	Asclepias syriaca common milkweed Herbaceous perennial Fragrant.
	Asclepias tuberosa butterfly weed Herbaceous perennial The butterfly weed has an unfortunate name for a wonderful perennial.
	Callirhoe digitata fringed poppy mallow Herbaceous perennial More shade tolerant than other species--frequently foliage persists during mild winters.
	Callirhoe involucrata purple poppy mallow Herbaceous perennial Plant of Merit native
	Claytonia virginica spring beauty Herbaceous perennial A native bulb--sometimes difficult to get started but very durable once established.
	Coreopsis tripteris tickseed Herbaceous perennial Great for songbirds and butterflies.
	Echinacea purpurea purple coneflower Herbaceous perennial "Echino" is Greek for hedgehog--referring to the disk's spiny appearance.
	Filipendula rubra queen of the prairie Herbaceous perennial The queen of the prairie does not require royal treatment.
	Helianthus salicifolius willow-leaved sunflower Herbaceous perennial Cut back by half in June or wrap stems around a post for a vine-less wonder that doesn't get out of hand.
	Heuchera americana coral bells Herbaceous perennial Where all the coral bells began and a great place to start.
	Liatris aspera blazing star Herbaceous perennial Butterflies love this late gay feather because it is such a late bloomer.
	Liatris pycnostachya prairie blazing star Herbaceous perennial Hardy.
	Lobelia cardinalis cardinal flower Herbaceous perennial A place too wet for anything else is perfect for this plant--hardier than many cultivars.
	Monarda bradburyana eastern beebalm Herbaceous perennial Not as delicate as it looks--bee balm is loved by butterflies and hummingbirds.
	Phlox maculata wild sweet William Herbaceous perennial More mildew resistance than most cultivars on the market and still fragrant.
	Ruellia humilis wild petunia Herbaceous perennial Summer blooming beauty- each flower lasts a day. Reseeds but not invasive.
	Salvia lyrata cancer weed Herbaceous perennial A salvia for the shade--cultivars available but species has bigger flowers.
	Sedum ternatum three-leaved stonecrop Herbaceous perennial A sedum for the shade.
	Solidago rigida goldenrod Herbaceous perennial One of the best for butterflies.
	Solidago speciosa goldenrod Herbaceous perennial Full heads of flowers--enough for everybody.
	Phemeranthus calycinus fameflower Herbaceous perennial A native that looks more like it is from a marriage of a sedum and a poppy mallow--wonderful.
	Tradescantia virginiana spider lily Herbaceous perennial A great and versatile perennial.
	Verbena hastata American blue vervain Herbaceous perennial A native with a presence in the garden.
	Nyssa sylvatica black gum Tree Plant of Merit native
	Lonicera sempervirens trumpet honeysuckle Vine A honey of a honeysuckle with no problems other than some mildew.