Native Plants and Calculators

Use Regionally Native Plants

Native plants are species that are indigenous to a specific region, for example, the Chesapeake Bay watershed. They are adapted to the local soil and climate. As people moved from the Old World to the Americas, they brought exotic plants, and frequently changed the landscapes to resemble those that they knew in Europe and elsewhere. The result of the tendency to try to reproduce plants and plant arrangements from other countries is that thousands of acres of turf grass and many alien invasive species have been introduced.

Native plant benefits include:
• Best adapted to local conditions, for example, no need to use chemical fertilizers.
• Water conservation, that is, once plants are established in the right place, no need for supplemental watering.
• Reduced maintenance over the long run. While native plants are not maintenance-free, if they are placed in the landscape based on their preferred conditions, they require less care than non-native species.
• Won't harm natural areas, e.g., won't become invasive.
• High habitat value provides food, shelter, and nesting areas for wildlife.
• Great variety of species for all conditions and create a "sense of place."

Click here for the on-line version of Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Select Plant Type: View All Types Fern Grass, sedge, carex Perennial Rain Garden Plants Shrub Shrub: deciduous Shrub: evergreen Tree Tree: deciduous Tree: evergreen Vine Xeriscape Plants

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Ilex glabra Common Name: Inkberry Inkberry has a broad upright habit and holds its foliage at the base of the plant. This evergreen holly tolerates heat, drought, sun, shade and transplanting and grows exceptionally well in urban areas. It is pest and disease resistant. Flowers give... [ More Info ]

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Ilex verticillata Common Name: Winterberry Winterberry is a deciduous holly that is slow growing, with an upright-rounded habit. In the wild, it often suckers to form large thickets or colonies but can be pruned to form a small tree. Inconspicuous greenish-white flowers appear in late spring ... [ More Info ]

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Iris versicolor Common Name: Blueflag Very robust, dramatic display of boldly veined, sword-like leaves with large, violet-blue flowers. This is a great plant beside a pond in the transition area between water and land. Benefits: Clump forming iris that thrives along the margi... [ More Info ]

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Itea virginica Common Name: Virginia Sweetspire Fragrant, white flower spikes, 3-6" long, cover the shrub with bloom in early summer. Dark green leaves turn scarlet and crimson in fall, sometimes persisting on the shrub until December. Benefits: Fragrant white flowers attracts butterflie... [ More Info ]