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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Magnolia virginiana Common Name: Sweetbay Magnolia Sweetbay Magnolia is a vigorous grower with a distinctly upright growth habit and lemon-scented, creamy white flowers bloom well after the last frost. Plants flower heavily in mid-spring then continue sporadically through summer. The foliage is shin... [ More Info ]

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Monarda didyma Common Name: Bee balm Bee balm is a tall, vigorous, long blooming bee balm with enormous red blooms and fragrant foliage. Perfect for the back of any planting, it provides nectar for butterflies and hummingbirds, seed for birds and cover for wildlife. Removing old flower... [ More Info ]

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Monarda fistulosa Common Name: Wild Bergamot Large heads of rosy purple flowers attract butterflies and bloom for many weeks in summer. The foliage is very fragrant. Benefits: Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds Deer resistant; resists powdery mildew and drought T... [ More Info ]

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Nyssa sylvatica Common Name: Black Gum Black gum is a stately, slow-growing, deciduous tree with a straight trunk and rounded crown (more pyramidal when young). Small, greenish-white flowers appear in spring and are not showy, but they are an excellent nectar source for honey bees, native... [ More Info ]

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Osmunda cinnamomea Common Name: Cinnamon Fern Cinnamon fern is a regal, upright, vase-shaped fern with lustrous green fronds. Showy, spore-bearing, stiff, fertile fronds appear in early spring and turn quickly bright cinnamon-brown, hence its common name. Ferns provide seasonal cover and hiding ... [ More Info ]