How to Add Native Plants to Your Garden

Text by Hannah Nance

When it comes to cultivating native plants, let’s start with the basics. Native plants are those that are indigenous to a region and have evolved to grow naturally there. Therefore, these plants have a host of benefits to the ecosystem. For starters, they attract natural pollinators, like honeybees and butterflies, which is good for the environment. Wildlife also depends on these native plants, from birds down to the tiniest bugs. Not to mention, native plants aren’t nearly as susceptible to common diseases and pests. They’ve grown to adapt to their ecosystem and can tolerate the climate well, requiring less maintenance than non-native plants. Basically, native plants are a win-win for both the environment and your garden.

So, you want to start growing native plants? Good news—it’s easier than you might think! Many garden favorites are native in different areas of the US, and as mentioned before, these plants are incredibly easy to grow and maintain. Below, we’ve listed a few common plants that are native to different regions, but for a more accurate list, contact your local botanical garden or nursery. Plants beneficial to your ecosystem can vary greatly based on your exact location; for example, native plants found in a river basin are quite different than those in a mountainous area within the same region.

Northeast

Shrubs:

Sweet Pepperbush

Winterberry

Common Juniper

Pussy Willow

Japanese Snowball

Rhodora Azalea

Sweet Fern

Trees:

Balsam Fir

Sugar Maple

Birch

White Spruce

Cedar

Flowers:

Bee Balm

Windflower

New England Aster

Yellow Marsh Marigold

Coneflowers

Crested Iris

Virginia Bluebells

Phlox

Black-eyed Susan

Southeast

Shrubs:

Beautyberry

Carolina Rose

Oakleaf Hydrangea

Sweet Azalea

Sweetshrub

Mountain Laurel

Trees:

Carolina Silverbell

Flowering Dogwood

Carolina Laurel Cherry

American Holly

Southern Magnolia

Southern Live Oak

Flowers:

Bee Balm

Black-eyed Susan

Coneflower

Phlox

Sunflower

Cardinal Flower

Wild Geranium

Hardy Hibiscus

Crested Iris

Helen Flower

Swamp Lily

Midwest

Shrubs:

Spicebush

Chokeberry

New Jersey Tea

Nannyberry

Trees:

Serviceberry

Redbud

White Birch

Red Oak

Swamp White Oak

Alternate-leaf Dogwood

Flowers:

Coneflower

Cardinal Flower

Swamp Milkweed

Black-eyed Susan

Tall White Beardtongue

Blazing Star

Oxeye Daisy

New England Aster

Goldenrod

Columbine

Blue Sage

Spiderwort

Windflower

West

Shrubs:

Dwarf Pinyon Pine

Fern-bush

Prickly Pear Cactus

New Jersey Tea

Trees:

Ponderosa Pine

California Bay Laurel

Quaking Aspen

Big-leaf Maple

Pacific Dogwood

Joshua Tree

Flowers:

Denver Gold Columbine

Great Camas

Mojave Sage

Pink Butterfly Mint

Northwest

Shrubs:

Red Flowering Currant

Vine Maple

Red Huckleberry

Western Serviceberry

Oceanspray

Oregon Grape

Clustered Rose

Snowberry

Trees:

Douglas Fir

Indian Plum

Oregon White Oak

Incense Cedar

Big-leaf Maple

Grand Fir

Western Crabapple

Quaking Aspen

Western Balsam Poplar

Western Red Cedar

Plants:

Western Wallflower

Broadleaf Lupine

Camassia

Blanket Flower

Douglas Aster

Common Camas

Candy Flower

Oregon Sunshine

Fawn Lily

Oregon Iris

Tiger Lily