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Choosing what to plant in a specific location comes down to a few key considerations:
Choosing what to plant in a specific location comes down to a few key considerations:
- What will grow in this spot?
"Right plant, right place" is a common refrain in gardening. If you choose plants that fit the conditions in your garden, specifically the amount of sunlight, the soil moisture and soil acidity (pH), it increases the likelihood that your plants will thrive.
2. What function are you trying to accomplish?
2. What function are you trying to accomplish?
Plants can be chosen with specific goals in mind including privacy screening, limiting erosion, and providing shade. Thinking about what would make your yard better for YOU can help you choose plants that achieve these goals while providing habitat for wildlife.
3. What do you personally like?
3. What do you personally like?
Do you prefer a natural style, or more tidy and formal? Do you like certain colors or textures? Would you like to have plants that provide food for people as well?
4. What are your limitations?
4. What are your limitations?
Do you have a small space to work with? Is there an HOA or municipal code that limits what you can have in your front yard? Do you have pets and/or children who need space to play?
Fast-Growing Natives
Fast-Growing Natives
Given ideal growing conditions, some native plants can spread rapidly or even aggressively. Rapid, aggressive spread may be desirable if you are trying to replace invasive plants, especially over a large area (see Aggressive/Spreading Native Plants for Reclaiming and Restoring Natural Spaces). However, these same plants may not be welcome in a smaller area with slower growing neighbors. According to Missouri Department of Conservation (There’s a Plant for That, under Be Careful What You Bring Into Your Yard) “native plants that often become aggressive include goldenrod, sawtooth sunflower, and members of the mint family, such as bee balm and wild bergamot.”
The following perennials are often fast growers in full sun to part shade garden beds:
Spring flowering:
Spring flowering:
Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)
Ohio Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis)
Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens)
Summer flowering:
Summer flowering:
Curlytop Ironweed (Vernonia arkansana)
Gray-head Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)
Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium)
Redwhisker Clammyweed (Polanisia dodecandra)
Silphium Sunflower (Helianthus silphioides)
White Prairie Clover (Dalea candida)
Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Fall flowering:
Fall flowering:
Aromatic or New England Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium or Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
Blue Sage (Salvia azurea)
Elm-leaved Goldenrod (Solidago ulmifolia)
Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)
Sky Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum oolentangiense)
Some of the above plants, including many of the fall-bloomers like Blue Sage and New England Aster, can reach 6 feet tall and might flop over if not supported by adjacent plants or a physical structure. Should you want to avoid this, consider cutting them in half in late spring, a method referred to as The Chelsea Chop. Most of our fall-blooming plants can be handled this way, creating a shorter, shrubbier look.
Some other native plants that may be assertive to aggressive under ideal conditions include:
Roundleaf Groundsel (Packera obovata) on a shady slope
Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata), Sunchoke (Helianthus tuberosus), and Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata) in an edible garden bed
Milkweed Vine (Cynanchum laeve), Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans), and Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
Rose Mallow (Hibiscus lasiocarpos) and Sweet Coneflower (Rudbeckia subtomentosa) on creekbanks
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) on dry creek riprap
Finally, Grow Native notes in their Database that stiff goldenrod, common milkweed, American lotus, golden ragwort can all be aggressive.
Native Plant Finders
Native Plant Finders
Once you have an idea of what sort of plants you are looking for, you may want to explore some of the many native plant finder sites which allow you to find plants with specific traits.
Once you have an idea of what sort of plants you are looking for, you may want to explore some of the many native plant finder sites which allow you to find plants with specific traits.
Here are some we recommend:
Here are some we recommend:
This database is specific to the lower Midwest. In addition to ecological considerations, you can select species based on color, spread, height, and bloom period. Additionally, Grow Native has put together "Top Ten" lists for different needs.
Enter your zip code to generate a list of native plants along with the types of birds each plant might attract. The list can be filtered by type of plant, type of resource provided, and type of bird attracted. The database also generates a listing of local resources to help you get started.
This for-profit division of the National Wildlife Federation generates a list of native plants according to your zip code, your goals, how much space you're working with, amount of sunlight. It will ask for your email, but gives you the option to skip. The generated plant list can then be refined for specific Plant Type, Light Conditions, Soil Moisture, Plant Height, Wildlife Benefits, Flower Color, Soil Type, Animal Resistance, and Bloom Type.
NOTE: There is an option to purchase plants directly from the site, but the plants are very expensive, and the company has not been able to tell us where the plants are sourced from. We recommend sourcing plants from the list of native plant sources linked here.
Many of the local sellers have information on their website about the conditions that the plants prefer. Additionally, many of the staff are very knowledgable and can help you find a plant for your specific need.
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