Native Plants

Most Common Native Perennials
What is a “native plant?” Native plants are varieties that were growing here naturally when the European settlers came.

Bleeding Heart:  (Dicentra )  Half to full shade  Zones 3-9.  This North American native loves shade and evenly moist soil.  Clusters of pink, rose, or white heart shaped pendants bloom from mid spring to summer on dainty arching stems.  Bleeding Heart prefers slightly acidic soil, moist and rich.

Columbine:  (Aquilegia)  Full sun to part shade  Hardy in zones 3-9.  Columbine have graceful flowers with spurs extending from the base of the bloom that attract butterflies and hummingbirds.  They also resists deer and rabbits making them an outstanding variety for any garden.  However not all cultivars have spurs.   Pick them when half open for a lovely cut flower.  They are very adaptable and easy to grow in average well drained soil.  Columbine will not tolerate heavy, poorly drained soil.  The Latin word aqulinum means “eagle like” – the spurs of the bloom suggesting talons of an eagle.

Ferns:  Part to full shade, some in full sun  Hardy in zones 3-9.  There are literally hundreds of species of hardy ferns.  Ferns can add a light and airy texture to your shade garden; foliage in silvery whites to bright limes add easy color to an otherwise dark area.  They prefer well drained, organic soil that is slightly acidic.  Mulching will help maintain consistent moisture.

Geranium, hardy:  (Crane’s bill)  Sun to part shade  Hardy in zones 3-8.  This is not the hothouse annual!  There are many cultivars; all have mounded foliage with cup shaped flowers.  Most are long bloomers, some self seed.  Full sun is preferred but some can tolerate light shade, especially further south.

Coneflower:  (Echinacea)  Full sun  Hardy in zones 3-9.  This North American native comes from the daisy family.  Droopy daisy-like flowers are produced from late June until frost, in a variety of bright colors.  They are very easy to grow, requiring only ordinary soil, and are quite tolerant of heat, drought, cold, and poor soil.  Cut flowers are long lasting, or if left on the plant, the cone in the flower head supplies nourishment for birds.

Yarrow:  (Achillea)  Full sun  Hardy in zones 3-8.  There are many varieties and colors of yarrow with a wide range of characteristics.  Some spread aggressively while others are biennial.  They are sun loving, hardy perennials with long bloom times.  Carefully selected, they are a wonderful addition to the perennial garden.  Achillea is a drought tolerant plant and should not be in moist conditions.  Rich soil, moist conditions, and part shade may cause the usually strong stems to flop over.  Yarrow makes an excellent flower for drying or accenting floral arrangements.  Resistance to salt also makes yarrow and exceptional choice for roadside plantings.

Bauer’s Market & Garden Center
Native Perennial Listing

Wintercreeper – Euonymus
Ostrich fern
Fiddlehead fern
Multiple Pennisetum grass varieties
Multiple sedge grass varieties
Multiple hosta varieties
Blackberry varieties
Raspberry varieties
Blueberry varieties
Both garden and creeping phlox varieties
Columbine varieties – Aquilegia
Burning hearts varieties – Dicentra
Astilbe varieties
Beebalm varieties – Monarda
Black-eyed Susan varieties – Rudbeckia
New England Aster
Coreopsis varieties
Pincushion Flower – Scabiosa
Butterfly Weed – Asclepias
Coneflower varieties – Echinacea
Cranesbill Geranium
Poppy varieties – Papaver
Bellflower varieties – Campanula
Butterfly Bush – Buddleia