Midwest Native

Common Sweet Flag is a spreading aquatic perennial that features sword-shaped leaf blades....

Delicate appearance belies Maidenhair Fern's toughness. Fronds unfurl fairly late in the spring. Can form large colonies of a pleasant medium green. A deciduous fern....

Red Buckeye is a short tree or shrub, usually single-stemmed, open habit. Fast-growing on rich, moist soils. In April, its pikes of showy red flowers are pollinated by ruby-throated hummingbirds. The palmate leaves offer great texture but the foliage...

Spring clusters of pale blue, five-petaled flowers are the primary reason most gardeners choose Narrowleaf Blue Star, a native of the southwestern U.S. But the airy golden fall foliage is just as important for an interesting landscape....

Shining Blue Star offers rounded spikes of starry, sky blue flowers emerge in spring and last for several weeks. Deep green willow-like leaves turn bright gold in the fall. The plant takes on a substantial rounded form in the garden. Swallowtail butt...

Blue Ice Blue Star is a compact, erect, clump-forming plant which features terminal, pyramidal clusters of blue, 3/4", star-like flowers in late spring atop erect, leafy stems. This long-blooming, compact Amsonia selection blooms longer and stronger ...

Columbine is an openly branching plant bears abundant red and yellow nodding flowers in spring. The distinctive flowers offer nectar to butterflies and hummingbirds. Tolerates part sun....

Goat's Beard is a bushy plant with large plumes of frothy, creamy white flowers in June for many weeks. The seed heads that form after flowering are quite ornamental. Foliage is similar to astilbe but the growth habit is much larger and shrublike....

Canadian Wild Ginger is a native plant that features two downy, heart-shaped to kidney-shaped, handsomely veined, dark green, basal leaves. Cup-shaped, insignificant, purplish brown flowers appear in spring on short, ground-level stems....

Marsh, or Swamp, Milkweed offers sweetly scented clusters of rose-pink flowers bloom in summer. All kinds of pollinators find the nectar irresistible and monarch larvae feed on the foliage. Grows naturally in swamps, along streams and ponds and in we...

Butterfly Milkweed has flat-topped umbrels of nectar-rich red-orange flowers atop fleshy stems....

Smooth Aster is an attractive and long-lived native with attractive, smooth blue-green foliage. Abundant flowers appear late in the fall, when few other plants dare risk the danger of frost. Tolerates a broad variety of soil types and moisture levels...

New England Aster is a dependable perennial which grows up to six feet tall and produces hundreds of large, bright purple flowers with yellow centers in September and October. The flowers are a favorite nectar source for migrating monarch butterflies...

Aromatic Aster has abundant blooms in late fall. Shear back through July for dense habit....

Upright spikes of creamy white pealike flowers bloom on White Wild Indigo in late spring. Blue-gray foliage and black pods offer three-season interest....

Blue WIld Indigo has deep-blue flower spikes that bloom in spring. Stunning with Coreopsis!...

Nodding Bur Marigold has bright yellow flowers and characteristic, clinging seeds are hallmarks of this wetland standard. Good companion to New England Aster and Prairie Cord Grass....

It's hard to beat Tussock Sedge for its rich green, fine-bladed foliage. The leaves of Tussock Sedge form dense mounds or "tussocks." Useful for water gardens, swales, around the edge of ponds or streams or in moist soil as a ground cover....

American Hornbeam is a handsome, small- to medium-sized tree with multiple stems that forms wide, horizontal canopy. Dark green leaves can be yellow, orange, red or purple in fall. Beautiful thin, blue-gray bark....

Hundreds of ball-shaped, creamy white flowers dangle from Buttonbush in August. Butterflies and insects find the nectar irresistable....

Upright clumps of Northern Sea Oats' green leaves turn copper in fall and brown in winter. Attractive flat seed heads are good in fresh or dried arrangements. Prefers light shade and damp soil. Northern Sea Oats can self-sow prolifically. Good ground...

Turtlehead has erect, leafy stems with clusters of white snapdragon-like blossoms. Naturally occurs along streambanks, swampy areas and moist woods....

Dense spikes of rose-red flowers bloom on Rose Turtlehead in late summer and early fall. Butterflies and other pollinators are attracted to the nectar. The deep green, glossy foliage is handsome all season long. Rose Turtlehead grows best in full sun...

Lanceleaf Coreopsis has showy, deep-yellow flowers on tough, drought-tolerant plants. Great for naturalizing. Establishes easily from seed. Good in wildflower seed mixes...

Gray Dogwood has clusters of small white spring flowers that are followed by small white berries on short red stalks. The green foliage turns burgundy in fall. Like all dogwoods, this is a good source of food, cover and nesting sites for many birds. ...

Purple Prairie Clover has tiny, purple flowers on compact, cone-shaped heads. Nitrogen-fixing plant that is an important component of Midwestern prairie restorations....

Purple Coneflower is a perennial favorite with robust, drought tolerant perennial, native to the midwestern and southeastern United States. Prefers full sun to partial shade in fertile, well-drained soils. Easy to naturalize....

Creeping Spike Rush is a native that forms dense tufts of smooth, upright, unbranched stems, to two feet in height. Flowers from June through August. Seedheads are brown, scaly and conical and provide food for waterfowl. Distinguished from other rush...

Canada Wild Rye is a fast-growing prairie grass is not only attractive, it also serves as an excellent native nurse crop for prairie seedings. The beautiful curving seedheads on five foot tall stalks resemble cultivated rye. Grows on an incredible ra...

Horsetail offers vigorously spreading clumps of cylindrical, gray-green to bright green stems with cream-colored bands accented by black fringe. Stems turn bronze in winter; flowers are cone-like spikes at the stem tips. Adapts to full sun or part s...

Little Joe Pye Weed is a dwarf species of Joe Pye, native in moist soils from Maine south to South Carolina. In appearance, E. dubium is similar to E. purpureum, but more tolerant of light shade....

In spring, this clump-forming woodland perennial forms a mound of deeply cut, palmately-lobed, dark green foliage. Wild Geranium flowers for six to seven weeks with 1 1/4" diameter, medium-pink to lilac, saucer-shaped, five-petaled flowers....

Fowl Manna Grass is tolerant of any soil. It can grow in part shade or sun. Fowl Manna Grass requires wet soil and can grow in standing water. Plants of this genus are often planted in and around water gardens because they have attractive open flower...

From late winter into early spring Spring Witchhazel, a unique native shrub, blooms when little else is flowering. The fragrant yellow flowers can persist for three to four weeks and may be clustered or solitary. Flowers are yellow to dark red in col...

Ozark Witchhazel is a tall shrub or small tree with upright spreading branches that form an irregular crown. Ozark Witchhazel blooms with yellow, fragrant flowers that open in late fall or early winter. The flowers are a boon to migrating hummingbird...

Showy Sunflower is one of the largest and showiest of all the native sunflowers. The high contrast between the bright yellow petals and dark black centers give this sunflower a distinctive appearance....

Rose Mallow plants take shrub-like form and offer showy blooms in mid-summer for many weeks. The white or pink flowers have red centers and are four to five inches across....

Crimson-eyed Rose Mallow is multi-stemmed, shrub-like herbaceous perennial which dies back in winter and re-sprouts in spring. The leaves are velvety beneath and smooth on top. The flowers are about six inches across, with white or pink petals and cr...

Deciduous Holly is a shrub or small tree that produces white flowers in late spring and early summer followed by orange or red berries on female plants. The berries are enjoyed by birds but especially by bluebirds. A male plant is required for pollin...

Crested Iris has blue flowers that float above the foliage. Short, dense foliage remains handsome through summer. Good choice for a naturalized ground cover....

Southern Blue Flag has narrow, bright green leaves and fragrant, blue violet flowers with falls crested in yellow and white. A perfect choice for rain gardens and along pond edges....

Virginia Sweetspire is a native shrub with broad habit and slender upright branches that eventually arch over. Blooms in May or June with fragrant clusters of drooping creamy white flowers. In fall, the dark green leaves turn scarlet and remain showy...

Soft Rush is a common wetland species with unique, side stem inflorescence. Soft Rush will bloom from May through September. The plants will naturalize forming large clumps when left undisturbed....

In July and August, the unbranched stalks of Prairie Blazing Star bear dense spikes of fuschia flowers on strong stems creating dramatic landscape statement. Prairie Blazing Star's nectar-rich flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds....

Spicebush is a broad, rounded multi-stemmed native shrub covered with fragrant, yellow-green flowers in March and April. In fall, the aromatic light green leaves of Spicebush turn a deep yellow-gold. Birds feed on the small, brilliant red fruits prod...

Dozens of brilliant red flowers on Cardinal Flower's strong, upright stems in late summer. Hummingbirds enjoy Cardinal Flower's nectar....

Blue Lobelia has stout spikes of two-lipped flowers bloom in fall. In optimum growing conditions, Blue Lobelia may self-seed forming attractive colonies....

Ostrich Fern is one of our tallest native ferns. Its bright green deciduous fronds provide a dramatic backdrop to the shady border. Spreads by underground runners, so it's an excellent choice for naturalizing in dappled shade. Prefers shady sites wit...

Pink flower buds open to sky blue on Virginia Bluebells, a spring ephemeral. Ephemeral plants are those whose foliage goes dormant in summer. Virginia Bluebells are pretty when combined with Celandine Poppy....

Switch Grass is a clump-forming, warm season native grass. Switch Grass plants provide cover for wildlife; birds feed on the seeds. Spreads both by rhizomes and seed....

Purple Beardtongue presents show-stopping spikes of loosely spaced flowers. The large violet to deep purple tubular flowers grace erect stems. Purple Beardtongue flowers bloom in late spring and are larger than other penstemon flowers. Grows easily i...

Garden Phlox offers large, fragrant magenta flower clusters that attract butterflies and hummingbirds....

Native Ninebark blooms for weeks in summer with clusters of white to pinkish flowers resembling Bridalwreath Spirea. In fall, seed is formed in reddish drooping clusters which are enjoyed by birds. On Ninebark's mature stems, the bark provides additi...

Sycamore develops a massive trunk with an open, wide-spreading crown. Sycamore has leaves that can grow to nine inches in width. In winter, the tree's characteristic large patches of creamy white inner bark are prominent making it a winter landscape...

Small, greenish-white flowers hang from Solomon's Seal's arching stems giving way to blue summer berries. Solomon's Seal's fall foliage turns golden. Develops handsome stands in shady environments, spreading slowly by creeping rhizomes....

Christmas Fern has glossy, deep-green, fronds that emerge upright and arch gently. They eventually lay down to cover the ground as they mature....

The blue-violet flower spikes of Pickerel Plant stand out at the edge of a pond or in a small pool from June through October. Large stands of this hardy water plant make a very showy statement. Pickerel Plant has glossy green, lance-shaped leaves tha...

Wild Plum is grown as a single trunk tree or a multi-stemmed shrub. Wild Plum is a native tree that spreads to form large thickets and is among the first to bloom in spring with pure white, fragrant flowers....

Common Chokecherry is a small suckering tree or large shrub forms large upright clumps. Attractive white spring flower clusters are followed by red fruits that ripen to purple. Common Chokecherry has an unusual tolerance for shade and can be grown in...

Swamp White Oak is a large and imposing tree forms coarse outline with a broad crown. Leaves turn varied shades in fall from yellow-bronze to red-purple. The broad, shallow-lobed leaves of Swamp White Oak are dark green and usually gray-green underne...

Indian Cherry is a small tree or shrub with dark-green, lustrous leaves that bears beautiful, sweet, round fruit that ripens red to black between August and October. In the fall, the foliage of Indian Cherry is yellow to orange yellow and will someti...

Smooth Sumac has compact clusters of dark red, velvety fall berries and brilliant red fall foliage to make a striking focal point. Smooth Sumac plants spread to form large, dense thickets. The fruit is eaten by a wide variety of birds and the leaves ...

Clssic Black-eyed Susan is an asy-to-grow, highly adaptable annual or biannual native wildflower. Does best with regular moisture as do its cultivars such as 'Prairie Sun' or 'Indian Summer.'...

Sweet Coneflower is a native superstar! In late summer, Sweet Coneflower puts on a dazzling display of typical golden yellow flowers with dark brown dome-shaped centers. The foliage of this long-lived resilient plant is medium green and forms a tidy ...

Arrowhead leaves can vary considerably in appearance. Flowers are borne in whorls on leafless stems, each bearing three small, white petals. Arrowhead's round tubers provide an important food source for small mammals....

Elderberry is a dramatic, thicket-forming shrub with bright green leaves. Showy clusters of fragrant white spring flowers followed by clusters of dark purple fall fruits....

Lizard's Tail has long, creamy-white flowers that rest over heat-shaped leaves above six to eight inch long spikes. Grayish nutlets, similar to a lizard's tail, cover the spike when the flowers go to seed. All parts of the Lizard's Tail smell like ci...

Little Bluestem is one of the best small, non-spreading, clump-forming native grasses. Little Bluestem's blue-green leaves turn reddish orange in the fall. Fluffy silver seed heads are ornamental through winter. Easy to establish and perfect in short...

Hardstem and Softstem Bulrushes are tall, stout, perennial plants. Both have round, olive green stems, drooping brown flower clusters near the stem tips, and a few inconspicuous leaves at the stem bases. Common in marshes and along shorelines in wat...

Olney's Bulrush is a robust sedge with triangular pale green stems....

Soft-stemmed Bulrush's rounded, triangular-shaped, smooth stems are up to one inch wide at the base, gradually tapering upward. There are no leaf blades, just sheaths, with inflorescence at stem tip....

Downy Skullcap has deep blue summer flowers that are held above large square-stemmed stalks, typical of mint family plants. The six inch leaves are toothed and covered with fine hairs....

Squawweed has loose umbels of bright yellow flowers that bloom atop 12" stems. Foliage basal rosettes are semi-evergreen, with rounded and serrated leaves. Grows well in dry shade and spreads by underground stems....

Showy Goldenrod is a midwest native that is found on dry sites. Showy Goldenrod features tiny, bright late summer yellow flowers borne in dense, erect clusters atop stiff reddish stems. Flowers bloom mid to late summer. Showy Goldenrod is one of the ...

Long, graceful blades are sharply serrated and can easily cut skin. Forms a sod with its heavy, multi-branched root system which can reach a depth of ten feet. Spreads by seed and creeping rhizomes to form dense, monotypic patches. Offers both food a...

Prairie Dropseed is one of the most beautiful native grasses. Very thin, emerald green leaves form a dense arching tuft. Seed heads form in August and give off a distinct aroma. The graceful clumps of Prairie Dropseed turn yellow or deep orange in fa...

Celandine Poppy is an early spring bloomer perfect for the shade garden with showy, yellow flowers above lobed green leaves. Foliage attractive into the summer....

Bald Cypress is a deciduous conifer, with medium-fine, needle-like leave that are soft green in summer but turn rusty brown in winter before they drop. The bark of Bald Cypress is brown and fibrous. Great choice for compacted, urban sites as are othe...

Foam Flower is a native clump-forming plant that spreads by runners. Tiny, white flowers with very long stamens appear in airy racemes in spring for about six weeks on numerous wiry stems....

American Basswood is a tall stately tree has dark green leaves. In late spring, American Basswood has fragrant yellow flowers with fine, high-quality nectar attract bees and other pollinators. In the fall, color may be a deep yellow....

Woodland Spiderwort is a tough species of native spiderwort. Woodland Spiderwort sports long and narrow green leaves with no whitish coating like other spiderworts. From late spring into early summer, bright clusters of flowers are produced prolifica...

Nannyberry is an important food plant for winter wildlife. Fruits are deep-blue with a whitish coating. Nannyberry fruits ripen in late fall and turn glossy when the coating wears off. The leaves, oval with a pointed tip, emerge a soft yellow-green t...

Large attractive native shrub that is often found in the wild in bogs. They are showy in spring for their large clusters of small white flowers. In late summer, the fruit turn bright red and remain on throughout the winter or until harvested by birds...

Barren Strawberry is a good, general-purpose groundcover for full sun to partial shade. Barren Strawberry is a native that forms a slow spreading mat with small, yellow early spring flowers. Foliage is evergreen, but tends to turn bronze cold winter ...