Easy to Grow Natives

EASY TO GROW NATIVE PLANTS

Recommended by the Wild Ones Greater DuPage Chapter

Perennials for Sun (some can take part shade too)

Short:  to 18″

Allium cernuum, nodding wild onion
Coreopsis palmata, prairie coreopsis, can become aggressive so use sparingly
Dalea (Petalostemum) purpurea, purple prairie clover
Dodecatheon meadia, shooting star
Zizia aptera, Heart-leaved Parsnip

Medium:  18″ to 36″

Asclepias incarnata, swamp milkweed, prefers moist areas
Asclepias tuberosa, butterfly milkweed, prefers well drained soil, may not last in clay
Aster oblongifolia, aromatic aster
Echinacea pallida, pale purple coneflower
Parthenium integrifolium, wild quinine
Penstemon digitalis, foxglove beard tongue
Pycnanthemum virginianum, common mountain mint; mints do spread
Tradescantia ohiensis, Ohio spiderwort
Zizea aurea Golden Alexander

Tall:  over 36″

Aster nova-angliae, New England aster
Baptisia leucantha, white wild indigo
Coreopsis tripteris, tall coreopsis; can become aggressive, so use sparingly
Eryngium yuccifolium, rattlesnake master
Monarda fistulosa, beebalm, wild bergamot; mints do spread
Ratibida pinnata, yellow coneflower, gray-headed coneflower
Rudbeckia subtomentosa, Sweet Black-eyed Susan
Silphium laciniatum, compass plant
Silphium terebinthinaceum, prairie dock
Solidago rigida, stiff goldenrod; can be aggressive, so use sparingly

Grasses and Sedges for sun (some can take part shade too)

Short:  to 18″

Carex pensylvanica, Penn sedge, common oak sedge
Carex vulpinoidea, Brown Fox sedge

Medium:  18″ to 36″

Bouteloua curtipendula, Side Oats Grama
Schizachyrium scoparium, Little bluestem; prefers well drained soil, may not last in clay
Sporobolus heterolepis, prairie dropseed

Tall:  over 36″

Andropogon gerardii, big bluestem; can be aggressive, use sparingly or add once garden is established
Panicum virgatum, switch grass; can be aggressive, use sparingly or add once garden is established
Sorghastrum nutans, Indian grass; use sparingly or add once garden is established

Perennials for Shade (some can take part sun too)

Aquilegia canadensis, wild columbine
Asarum canadense, wild ginger
Aster shortii, Short’s aster
Athyrium filix-femina var. michauxii, lady fern
Geranium maculatum, wild geranium
Mertensia virginiana, Virginia bluebells
Podophyllum peltatum, Mayapple
Polemonium reptans, Jacob’s ladder
Polygonatum canaliculatum/biflorum, Solomon?s seal
Sanguinaria canadensis, bloodroot
Smilacina racemosa, Solomon’s plume
Solidago flexicaulis, zig-zag goldenrod
Stylophorum diphillum, Celadine Poppy

Grasses and Sedges for Shade (some can take part sun too)

Short:  to 18″

Carex gracillima, purple-sheathed graceful sedge
Carex grayi, common bur sedge
Carex rosea, curly-styled wood sedge

Medium:  18″ to 36″

Chasmanthium latifolium, spike grass
Hystrix patula, bottle-brush grass

Shrubs for Dry Soils

Corylus americanus, American hazelnut
Lonicera prolifica, yellow honeysuckle
Diervilla lonicera, Northern Bush Honeysuckle? spreads
Rhus aromatica, aromatic sumac
Viburnum acerifolium, maple-leaved viburnum

Shrubs for Medium Soils

Aronia (melanocarpa) prunifolia, black chokeberry
Hamamelis virginiana, witch hazel
Rosa setigera, Illinois rose
Rubus odoratus, purple-flowering raspberry
Sambucus canadensis, common elderberry
Viburnum prunifolium, black haw viburnum

Shrubs for Moist Soils

Cephalanthus occidentalis, buttonbush
Cornus stolonifera (sericea), red-osier dogwood
Lindera benzoin, spice bush
Physocarpus opulifolius, ninebark

Small Trees for Colorful Accent

Amelanchier laevis, Allegheny shadblow
Carpinus caroliniana, musclewood (moist)
Cercis canadensis, red bud
Cornus alternifolia, pagoda dogwood (moist)

Large Trees for Making Shade

Acer saccharum, sugar maple
Gymnocladus dioica, Kentucky coffee tree
Liriodendron tulipifera, tulip tree
Quercus macrocarpa, bur oak
Quercus muhlenbergii, chinquapin oak
Taxodium distichum, bald cypress (moist)
Tilia americana, American linden, basswood