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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Juniperus virginiana Common Name: Eastern Red Cedar This evergreen conifer is the best bird attracting tree in Eastern North America. Its 25' pyramidal form provides dense cover year round, and its shredding bark is used by many birds for nest construction. Female trees produce round, gray or bluish b... [ More Info ]

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Kalmia latifolia Common Name: Mountain Laurel One of our best loved native shrubs, mountain laurel is a hardy broadleaf evergreen that blooms in late spring. It sets flower buds well, even at a young age. Benefits: Large showy flower clusters Lustrous evergreen foliage ... [ More Info ]

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Lindera benzoin Common Name: Spicebush This is a wonderful broad, rounded multi-stemmed shrub covered with fragrant yellow flowers in early spring. The flowers open before the leaves emerge and are held close to the branches. Aromatic light green leaves turn yellow-gold in fall. Birds fee... [ More Info ]

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Lobelia cardinalis Common Name: Cardinal Flower Brilliant red spikes set against green and purple bronze colored foliage. Each individual spike of scarlet flowers opens from bottom to top and stays in bloom for several weeks. Hummingbirds and swallowtail butterflies love the nectar. Benefits: ... [ More Info ]

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Lonicera sempervirens Common Name: Trumpet Honeysuckle When it comes to providing nectar for hummingbirds, trumpet honeysuckle is one of the earliest and longest blooming plants you can grow. Hummers flock to the tube-shaped deep red flowers with yellow throats as soon as they begin to bloom. Whorls of b... [ More Info ]