null

Native Perennials

helenium-2.jpg

A native plant is any plant growing in an area which arrived, developed and is growing in that region without the aid or interference of man. For instance, the red geranium comes from South Africa and the forsythia grows wild in Asia. American gardens are filled by and large with exotic or non-native plants. Today, there is a renewed interest in using plants native to the United States. We are beginning to appreciate the beauty and usefulness of our native flora. There are many good reasons to incorporate more of our native plants in our landscapes.

Native plants are often better suited to our climate.  And why? They've been growing here for so many years and have naturally adapted to fit perfectly into the local ecosystem. They can survive the difficult northeastern climate of cold winters and hot humid summers. Thus, most native plants perform better and require less maintenance than exotic plants. Native plants are hardier than exotic cultivars, less demanding of scarce water and not dependent on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Cultivating native plants will benefit wildlife. Many local animal species are dependent on native plants for food, shelter, and survival. Anyone interested in attracting wildlife, such as birds and butterflies, to their backyard should incorporate native species into their garden.

Among the hundreds of perennials offered at Esbenshade’s are many fine native species. These species can be used in a variety of landscapes, from the formal border to a more natural setting such as a woodland or meadow garden. Below is a list of native plants we recommend. Please contact our stores if you are looking for a certain plant to confirm its availability.

Actaea pachypoda (White Baneberry)
Amsonia tabernaemontana (Bluestar)
Aquilegia Canadensis (Wild Columbine)
Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-Pulpit)
Aruncus dioicus (Goatsbeard)
Asarum canadense (Canadian Wild Ginger)
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)
Asclepias incarnata (Swamp milkweed)
Aster divaricatus (Wood Aster)
Botisia australis (False Indigo)
Boltonia asteroides (Star Flower)
Chelone glabra (White Turtlehead)
Chelone lyonnii (Pink Turtlehead)
Chrysoganum virginianum (Goldenstar)
Cimicifuga racemosa (Bugbane)
Coreopsis verticillata (Tickseed)
Dicentra eximia (Fringe Bleeding Heart)
Dodecantheon meadia (Shooting Star)
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Erythronium americanum (Trout Lily)
Eupatorium maculatum (Joe-Pye Weed)
Ferns (many varieties)
Gaura lindheimeri (Whirling Butterflies)
Helenium autumnale (Sneezeweed)
Heliopsis helianthoides (False Sunflower)
Heuchera sanquinea (Coral Bells)
Iris cristata (Dwarf crested Iris)
Lobelia cardinals (Cardinal Flower)
Lobelia syphilitica (Blue Lobelia)
Mertensia virginica (Virginia Blue Bells)
Monarda didyma (Bee Balm)
Penstemon digitalis (Bearded Tongue)
Phlox divaricata (Woodland Phlox)
Phlox paniculata (Garden Phlox)
Phlox stolonifera (Creeping Phlox)
Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant)
Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple)
Polemonium reptans (Jacob’s Ladder)
Rudbeckia maxima (Great Coneflower)
Sanquinareia Canadensis (Bloodroot)
Solidago spp. (Goldenrod)
Stokesia laevis (Stoke’s Aster)
Thermopsis caroliniana (False Lupine)
Tiarella cordifolia (Faomflower)
Tradescantia virginiana (Spiderwort)
Trillium spp. (Wakerobin)