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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Salvia lyrata Common Name: Lyre-leaf Sage Showy flowers grow 1224" tall and bloom with lavender blue, nectar-rich flowers in spring. The American Goldfinch and other songbirds go for the seed in summer and early fall. Benefits: Provides nectar for butterflies and other pollinators... [ More Info ]

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Sambucus canadensis Common Name: Elderberry American elderberry is a thicket-forming shrub with large flat-topped clusters of small, fragrant white flowers in spring. The flowers are a good source of nectar for small insects. Big clusters of dark purple to black, berry-like fruits follow in l... [ More Info ]

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Schizachyrium scoparium Common Name: Little Bluestem This is an excellent native grass for the garden. It is an upright, clump-forming grass with slender, blue-green leaves. The foliage turns a striking red-orange in the fall, excellent in massed plantings or mixed with other native grasses and wildflo... [ More Info ]

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Sedum ternatum Common Name: Whorled Stonecrop Pure white, starry flowers smother this little sedum for a few weeks every spring. The small fleshy green leaves are arranged in whorls of three around the stem. The foliage is often evergreen. Makes a nice little ground cover at the foot of shrubs o... [ More Info ]

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Sisyrinchium angustifolium Common Name: Blue-eyed Grass Bright blue, star-shaped flowers with gold centers rise above fine, semi-evergreen, iris-like foliage from May to June. Use it at the front of a border, in rock gardens, to line pathways or at the woodland's edge. Excellent for edging. Benefits: ... [ More Info ]

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Solidago rugosa Common Name: Goldenrod A lacy dome of golden flowers looks like exploding fireworks providing nectar and pollen for bees and butterflies in early fall. Benefits: Seeds used by finches, juncos, sparrows and ruffed grouse Clump forming so it won't spread... [ More Info ]

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Sorghastrum nutans Common Name: Indian Grass Upright clumps of slender, blue-green leaves turn golden yellow in fall. Stiff, vertical flowering stems topped with 12" long, narrow, auburn flower heads rise well above the foliage in late summer. Indian grass is a good vertical accent in borders a... [ More Info ]

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Symphyotrichum laeve (Aster laevis) Common Name: Smooth Aster Smooth Aster, Symphyotrichum laeve, has cone-shaped clusters of violet-blue flowers with golden yellow centers that appear on the top half of a vase shaped clump. Unlike many other asters, this one has perfectly clean foliage. Tolerates a ... [ More Info ]

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Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (Aster novae-angliae) Common Name: New England Aster New England Aster is a bushy plant with a profusion of dark purple, semi-double flowers which cover the plant entirely from September thru October.... [ More Info ]