Native Plant Food Garden

Ground Covers:

Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) 

Meadow Garlic (Allium canadense)* – adaptable plant with white and pink blossoms. Leaves and small bulbs can be used like onions.

Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum) – use like chives

Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia humifusa)

Perennials:

Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata) - Also known as Cutleaf Coneflower or Sochan. Spreads aggressively by rhizomes and tends to crowd out smaller plants. The leaves and shoots are edible and have a pleasant flavor that grows stronger through the growing season. Forager Chef Alan Bergo considers it a favorite leafy green.

Sunchoke (Helianthus tuberosus) – Edible tuberous roots are best when harvested in winter. Known to be aggressive and form colonies; best for naturalized areas where it can spread or contained areas where it can be regularly harvested. 

Native Mints:

There is a wide variety of native mints, all of them are edible with different flavor variants and all are great for pollinators.

Clustered Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) 

Common Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum)

Hairy Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum verticillatum)

Slender Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium)

Lemon Bee Balm (Monarda citriodora) – an annual, but reseeds easily.

Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) 

Shrubs and Small Trees:

Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) – The common name of chokeberry is in reference to the tart and bitter taste of the fruits which are often used to make tasty jams or jellies. 

Blackberry or Raspberry (Rubus spp.) – like sun and well-drained soil, but are widely adaptable. Where they receive more shade, they may be less aggressive and less productive. Plants with thorns are also attractive locations for many birds to seek nesting or shelter opportunities. They can readily sprout from their roots while also rooting from the canes/stems that arc over to the ground. To maximize space, it is possible to train raspberries to grow on a trellis.

Blackhaw Viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium) – produces small fruit that resembles dates or prunes and can be eaten off the bush.  

Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) – tolerates a wide variety of wet to dry soils but prefers rich, moist soil. 

Golden Currant (Ribes odoratum) – thornless, arching shrub with spring flowers that emit strong, clovelike fragrance. It is best to plant more than one to increase flowering and fruit production. 

Gooseberry (Ribes missouriense) – upright arching shrub with stout thorns and showy flowers that produce tart, juicy, green fruits that ripen to purples; can be eaten fresh off the plant or used in jellies, preserves, or pies. 

Hazelnut (Corylus americana) – dense shrub for nesting/roosting; will spread; edible nuts.

Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago) – with large clusters of drooping dark purple drupes that have a taste similar to raisins. Watch for the large seeds. 

Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) – produces edible fruit called “Missouri banana;” for significant fruit production, the plant requires cross-pollination between genetically varied plants.

Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) – white flowers in early spring yield edible fruit in mid-summer.

Based upon our research, the tastier plum fruit is found on the Bigtree Plum (Prunus mexicana) – host plant of the Tiger Swallowtail and the Cecropia moth. Both the Bigtree Plum and the American Plum (Prunus americana) reach between 15 and 25 feet tall. You can train either one to become a single-stem trunk or allow them to grow in the multi-stemmed shrub habit. The American Plum is a more prolific spreader by sucker roots than the Bigtree Plum. 

Vine:

Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata) – dramatic fragrant, purple flower June-Aug, attracts butterflies and bees; produces edible fruit; an aggressive perennial spreader best kept in check by mowing around it or growing it in containers.

Water Plants:

American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea) – grows in about 3 feet of water. Every part is edible, but somewhat bitter uncooked.

Arrowhead aka Wapato (Sagittaria latifolia) – edible tubers also known as duck potato.

Large Trees:

Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) – tall ornamental shade tree best on large properties. Multiple trees result in better nut production; this slow growing tree may take 8 to 10 years to bear nuts.

Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) – requires male and female plants to produce fruit 

Red Mulberry (Morus rubra) – like persimmon, it requires male and female plants to produce fruit.

Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata) – the nuts are edible, larval food for numerous caterpillars; the shredding bark may provide shelter for the Indiana bat and the migrating silver-haired bat.

Native Plant Agriculture:

Lincoln University's Specialty Crops Program in Jefferson City, MO studies and provides education about the use of native plants as food crops. Indigenous Landscapes LLC in Cincinnati has a number of resources on the topic of native plant agriculture. They have a book on the topic and this video provides an overview of plants and techniques that can be used: The Potential of Native Plant Agriculture. For professional help getting started in your own landscape, we recommend two local companies, Custom Foodscaping, and Confluence Habitats that have developed a specialty for incorporating native plants into food gardens.