Best us-native plants — a quick note to anchor this piece for readers.
Best us-native plants: Quick notes
As an ecosystem enthusiast, I’m often thinking about the best native plants to plant in my garden. I look for those that support wildlife, and those that cover the soil quickly. I’m also interested in those native to my specific region. The ones that provide interest in the growing season and in winter are a plus.
Of course, you could write an entire series of books about the loveliest natives, and we can’t do that here. But we can touch on seven of the most interesting and beneficial ones. Herbaceous, woody, and shrubby perennials all apply here. Having a variety of each in your garden helps, too.
If you’ve wondered what’s best for your garden, start with your local Native Plant Society. The experts and enthusiasts who run these organizations have a keen understanding of what plants work best in your specific region.
In the case of this list, if you see something that isn’t indigenous to your ecosystem, look for plants in the same genus to see if there is another that is.
These plants are left alone by hungry rabbits and deer. However, local insects love to feed on the nectar of thimbleweed’s long-blooming flowers. While it doesn’t spread as readily as other anemones, it will fill in areas quickly, stabilizing rocky areas. Plant yours in well-draining, rich soil and watch it take off.
Christmas Fern
Give yours lots of shade and rich soil.
botanical name
Polystichum acrostichoides
sun requirements
Partial to full shade
height
1-3’
hardiness zones
3-9
This evergreen fern is showy in the warm seasons, and remains through the cold, offering dashes of green and hints of the spring to come even in snow. It has a wide range of hardiness (zones 3 through 9), and its native range is vast, from eastern Canada to northeast Mexico.
Songbirds use this fern for nesting materials, and while deer will nibble here and there, they don’t prefer Christmas fern. It’s the primary habitat for the famed ruffed grouse, a cute ground-nesting bird with an interesting call. Give yours lots of shade and rich soil, and your ferns will stabilize shady areas with ease.
Virgin’s Bower
Choose a male shrub rather than a female shrub, which drops tons of seeds.
botanical name
Clematis virginiana
sun requirements
Full sun to full shade
height
15-20’
hardiness zones
6-8
This central and eastern North American native has much smaller hardiness parameters than our first two listings, but what it does in winter makes it one of the best plants to have in a garden where you really need some winter interest. The plume-like seed heads that result in fall give the plant one of its many common names: old man’s beard.
While this clematis is in bloom in autumn, it attracts the remaining hummingbird populations in its native range. Bees also love to sip nectar from the minute, four-petaled, white blooms. If you want a tidy plant, choose a male shrub rather than a female shrub, which drops tons of seeds.
Provide a trellis or support, as virgin’s bower tends to grow vigorously. But it can be pruned down to a foot above the ground in any season if you need to shape it up.
Cock Spur Hawthorn
The white flowers bloom in mid-spring.
botanical name
Crataegus crus-galli
sun requirements
Full sun to partial shade
height
15-35’
hardiness zones
3-7
You’ve probably heard about hawthorn trees before. These eastern North American natives are both food and host to numerous insects, including the gray hairstreak, red-spotted purple, and viceroy butterflies. Add to that its red, edible fruit and ability to provide cover for wildlife, and you’re working with one of the best native plants out there.
You’ll need space for this one and sunlight. Its white corymb flowers bloom in mid-spring, and have an initially pleasant scent. However, this soon turns into a fishy scent that attracts its main pollinators – midges. If your garden is large enough, plant this one away from entryways and walkways.
Highbush Blueberry
The flowers are generally pollinated by bees, which usher in the fall-ripening blueberries.
botanical name
Vaccinium corymbosum
sun requirements
Full sun to partial shade
height
6-12’
hardiness zones
3-8
Among the best native plants for year-round interest are blueberries. That’s right! Blueberries are native to North America. In the eastern portions of the continent, highbush blueberries reign. In the west, the alpine blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum) is the predominant species.
What makes blueberry shrubs so interesting, aside from their delectable fruit, is their pink to white downward, bell-shaped flowers that bloom in spring. These are generally pollinated by bees, which usher in the fall-ripening blueberries.
But these shrubs overall host numerous butterflies, and provide shelter for birds and mammals – plant multiple plants to share blueberries with the local inhabitants.
American Wintergreen
The berries are a food source for birds and mammals.
botanical name
Gaultheria procumbens
sun requirements
Partial to full shade
height
3-6”
hardiness zones
3-7
We have discussed shrubs, trees, and an awesome herbaceous native perennial. But now we’ll touch on a plant with tons of ground cover potential, and a shade-lover at that. The American wintergreen plant is an evergreen with glossy leaves and red berries that feed wildlife in fall and winter. Its short stature makes it a great stabilizer, especially in the northeast, where it is native.
These tiny shrubs grow their minute, white flowers in spring, and when they’re pollinated by bumblebees, the fruits form. The leaves are full of minty oils that have been used for centuries to add fresh flavor to gums and candies. The berries are a food source for birds and mammals, and they’re eaten by humans, too, but not as often as blueberries.
Cenizo
As a hedge, it offers evergreen interest in winter, when other plants lose their leaves.
botanical name
Leucophyllum frutescens
sun requirements
Full sun to partial shade
height
6-12’
hardiness zones
8-11
As a Texan, I had to include one of the best native plants of the Lone Star State, known as Texas sage, or cenizo. Native to Southwest Texas and Mexico, this silvery shrub has light purple to pink flowers that have a tubular form. In late spring, through summer and fall, the flowers are simply buzzing with bees and butterflies.
If you need a drought-tolerant plant, this is perhaps one of the best. As a hedge, it offers evergreen interest in winter, when other plants lose their leaves. If you live in areas with hot summers or in the desert, plant this one. You won’t be disappointed. It can really handle the harshest climates.
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