If you haven’t worked with many native plants, choosing the right ones for your life and landscape may seem a bit challenging. Like all our favorite landscape plants, native plants feature an array of forms and functions. There are species and varieties that thrive in a myriad of different soil types, sun and moisture levels, height requirements, shape preferences, and the local wildlife they attract and support.
Whatever goals you have for your outdoor spaces, there is a native plant waiting to fill that role and help you create the perfect landscape for your style, preferences, and needs. Here we share a list of our favorite native plants for all types of situations within your landscape.
For Blooms in Every Season
Zizia aurea – Golden Alexander (spring blooms)
Polemonium reptans – Jacob’s Ladder (spring blooms)
Geum triflorum – Prairie Smoke (spring blooms)
Agastache foeniculum – Anise Hyssop (summer blooms)
Asclepias tuberosa – Butterfly Milkweed (summer blooms)
Ruellia humilis – Wild Petunia (summer blooms)
Symphyotrichum oblonifolium – Aromatic Aster (fall blooms)
Salvia azurea – Pitcher Sage (fall blooms)
Oligoneuron rigidum – Stiff Goldenrod (fall blooms)
For Pollinators
Echinacea purpurea – Purple Coneflower
Agastache foeniculum – Anise Hyssop
Liatris ligulistylis – Meadow Blazing Star
Monarda fistulosa – Wild Bergamot
Physostegia virginiana – Obedient Plant
For Butterflies + their Caterpillars
Asclepias species (Monarchs) – Milkweeds
Symphyotrichum species (last generation of Monarchs) – Asters
Callirhoe involucrata (Skipper species) – Purple Poppy Mallow
Zizia aurea (Black Swallowtails) – Golden Alexanders
Echinacea purpurea (Painted Ladies) – Purple Coneflower
For Monarch Butterflies Especially
Symphyotrichum species (adult) – Asters
Liatris ligulistylis (adult) – Meadow Blazing Star
Solidago species (adult) – Goldenrods
Asclepias verticillata (larvae) – Whorled Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata (larvae) – Swamp Milkweed
For the Shade Garden
Anemone virginiana – Tall Thimbleweed
Polemonium reptans – Jacob’s Ladder
Hydrophyllum virginianum – Virginia Waterleaf
Viola sororia – Common Blue Violet
Symphyotrichum cordifolium – Heart-leaved Aster
For the Birds
Echinacea pallida – Pale Purple Coneflower
Aronia melanocarpa – Black Chokecherry
Silphium laciniatum – Compass Plant
Echinacea purpurea – Purple Coneflower
Baptisia alba – White Wild Indigo
For the Hummingbirds
Lobelia cardinalis – Cardinal Flower
Silene regia – Royal Catchfly
Lobelia siphilitica – Great Blue Lobelia
Salvia azurea – Pitcher Sage
Penstemon grandifloras – Large-flowered Beardtongue
For Fall Color
Amsonia hubrichtii – Thread-leaf Bluestar
Schizachyrium scoparium – Little Bluestem
Eragrostis spectabilis – Purple Love Grass
Zizia aurea – Golden Alexanders
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium – Aromatic Aster
For Your Park Strip
Asclepias tuberosa – Butterfly Milkweed
Amorpha canescens – Lead Plant
Allium cernuum – Nodding Onion
Schizachyrium scoparium – Little Bluestem
Salvia azurea – Pitcher Sage
For Groundcovers
Callirhoe involucrate – Purple Poppy Mallow
Viola sororia – Common Blue Violet
Phlox divaricate – Woodland Phlox
Polemonium reptans – Jacob’s Ladder
Campanula rotundifolia – Harebell
We love to grow and share plants that are not only beautiful but also build a more sustainable and healthy community. And when those plants bring joy and measurable benefit to your world too, that’s even better. Come see us in the Nursery Yard and let us help you find the native plants that are perfect additions to every spot in your landscape.
