Choose the Perfect Plant
This online tool is designed to help you find the native plants best-suited for specific sites that provide the greatest ecological function and benefit, and that will also complement your Cape Cod landscape design. Using the dropdowns below, you have the ability to find plants based on these six criteria: Plant Type, Sunlight, Soils, Bloom Month, Size, and Nature Benefits. Based on your choices, the results will automatically populate.
Rabbit Tobacco
Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Annual
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Medium to dry
• Bloom Time: White flowers in August, September, October too?
• Size: 1-3 feet in height
Also called sweet everlasting the leaves give off a maple syrup fragrance. Appropriate for butterfly and pollinator gardens. Widespread in the eastern half of the US it has cobwebby or wooly stems and small heads. Used medicinally for many ailments by native tribes.
Garden Companions
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Spotted Bee Balm (Monarda punctata), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum), Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea)
Nature Benefits
• Larval host for the American Lady butterfly
• Flower nectar attracts bees, butterflies, wasps, and flies
Natural Habitat
Occurs in dry clearings, fields, and wood edges.
Pearly Everlasting
Anaphalis margaritacea
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Poor sandy, dry or average
• Bloom Time: White flowers in July, August, September
• Size: 1-3 feet in height; 1-2 foot spread
Plant in rock gardens or to fill wide areas on slopes. It forms pearly mounds good for garden edges. Separate male and female flowers. Blossoms keep their color and shape well and are used in dried flower arrangements. Used by Native Americans as a substitute for tobacco and as a medicinal herb and in folk medicine as a salve for burns. Widely found and native to Cape Cod.
Garden Companions
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia), Sweet Everlasting (Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium), Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)
Nature Benefits
• Food plant for painted lady butterflies
• Larval host plant to the American Lady and Skipper butterflies
Natural Habitat
Occurs in disturbed areas, fields, shores of lakes.
Common Sneezeweed
Helenium autumnale
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Average, moist to wet
• Bloom Time: Yellow flowers in July, August, September
• Size: 1-3 feet in height; 2-3 foot spread
Plant this clump-forming perennial with daisy-like flowers in borders, meadows, and wild gardens. It blooms later in the summer when other blossoms have faded. Sneezeweed pollen does not cause allergies, but the leaves were crushed for snuff to induce sneezing for congestion or headaches. Not native on Cape Cod but is found in parts of New England.
Garden Companions
Rose Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum), Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana), New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)
Nature Benefits
• Attracts bees and other pollinators.
• Foliage is toxic and bitter, so mammalian herbivores don’t feed on it.
Natural Habitat
Occurs in meadows, shores of lakes, wetlands
Appalachian Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum flexuosum
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Average, moist
• Bloom Time: White flowers in July, August
• Size: 2-3 feet in height; 1-3 foot spread
An aromatic, good soil stabilizer, it produces silvery white flowers above light green foliage. This species is not aggressive and will slowly expand. Plant in the border of a rain garden, pollinator, or native garden. Attracts throngs of desirable pollinators. Not a New England native but native to the southeast
Garden Companions
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata), Little Bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparium), Big Bluestem grass (Andropogon gerardii)
Nature Benefits
• Larval host for the Gray Hairstreak Butterfly and Wavy-lined Emerald
• Attracts bees, butterflies, moths, and wasps
Natural Habitat
Occurs in meadows, roadsides, open woodlands.
Sheep Laurel
Kalmia angustifolia
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Average, dry or moist
• Bloom Time: Pink flowers in June, July
• Size: 1-3 feet in height; 1-3 foot spread
Adaptable to a variety of sites, plant in naturalized areas, foundation plantings, or woodland gardens. The showy Sheep Laurel is allelopathic, roots exude chemicals that inhibit conifer growth, it is also toxic to many mammals. It may form large evergreen colonies. The flowers are miniatures of Mountain Laurel. Native to Cape Cod.
Garden Companions
Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), Sweet Fern (Comptonia peregrina)
Nature Benefits
• Provides winter forage and cover for birds
• Caterpillar host for the White Slant-line and the Mottled Gray Carpet moths
Natural Habitat
Found in forests, shores of ponds and lakes, bogs, and woodlands.
Selfheal
Prunella vulgaris
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Moist, rich
• Bloom Time: Purple flowers in July, August
• Size: 6-12 inches in height
Selfheal is easy to grow under most conditions and can be aggressive. The common name comes from worldwide medicinal use of this plant. The leaves can be eaten cooked or raw. The plant commonly found in lawns is thought to be the Eurasian variety. Native to Cape Cod and the US.
Garden Companions
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida)
Nature Benefits
• Flowers attract bees, small butterflies, and skippers.
• Larval host for the Clouded Sulphur Butterfly.
• Provides nectar for the Zabulon Skipper.
Natural Habitat
Occurs in meadows and fields, woodland borders, roadsides.
Slender Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Average, dry
• Bloom Time: White flowers in July, August, September
• Size: 8-20 inches in height; 12-36 inch spread
In addition to being a good garden plant with the narrow leaves and small white flower clusters Slender Mountain Mint stands out because of its above average attraction for pollinators. Plant in a perennial border, pollinator garden, rain garden, or near the vegetable garden to entice pollinators. The aromatic plant with shallow rhizomes is more aggressive than other Pycnanthemums so needs root pruning to keep from spreading. This is also called Narrow Leaved Mountain Mint and is native to Cape Cod.
Garden Companions
Sweet Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata), Little Bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparium), Big Bluestem grass (Andropogon gerardii)
Nature Benefits
• Flowers attract a wide variety of pollinators.
• Larval host plant for Gray Hairstreak Butterfly.
Natural Habitat
Occurs in meadows and fields, dry rocky, open woods, pine barrens.
Pale Purple Coneflower
Echinacea pallida
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, part sun
• Soils: Rich, dry to moist
• Bloom Time: Pale purple to pink flowers in June, July
• Size: up to 3 feet in height; 1 foot spread
Low maintenance and resilient with lance shaped drooping rays with a bold central reddish brown cone. Good planted with native grasses. Blooms earlier than purple coneflower so planted together gives many weeks of blooms. Many medicinal uses. Found on Cape Cod but not native here.
Garden Companions
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)
Nature Benefits
• Attracts bees and butterflies.
• Provides nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies.
• Goldfinches eat seeds.
• Wavy-Line Emerald Moth feeds on flower heads.
Natural Habitat
Occurs in old fields and roadsides, open wooded hillsides, and pinelands.
Purple Lovegrass
Eragrostis spectabilis
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Poor, average to dry
• Bloom Time: Bronzy purple/red inflorescence in August, September
• Size: 8-14 inches in height; 10-16 inch spread
Plant this low, bunching grass with a mounding habit in sunny open perennial borders, meadows, or along roadsides. The inflorescence exhibits a fluffy texture giving a purple haze to the landscape when planted in groups. Provides erosion control on roadsides and hillsides. Native to Cape Cod.
Garden Companions
Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia humifusa), Flowering Spurge (Euphorbia corollata), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida), White Wood-aster (Eurybia divaricata)
Nature Benefits
• Popular with insect herbivores such as leafhoppers
• Caterpillar host for the Zabulon Skipper
• Birds use dry panicles for nesting
Natural Habitat
Occurs in coastal beaches, meadows and prefers disturbed sandy areas.
Sourwood
Oxydendrum arboreum
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Tree
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Acidic, well-drained
• Bloom Time: July, August
• Size: 15 – 30 feet in height; 12 foot spread
This deciduous tree, while native to southwest Pennsylvania and states south, sourwood makes a good ornamental landscape tree on Cape Cod. It is in the heath family and its fragrant summer flowers are pollinated by insects and are a good source of nectar. Fall color is outstanding! Trees planted in the shade may grow taller and flower less. Salt tolerant and can withstand periodic droughts if established.
Garden Companions
Black Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata), Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica), Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
Nature Benefits
• Attracts pollinators and butterflies
• Attracts songbirds
• Host plant of sphinx moths
Native Habitat
In its native range, found as single trees at forest edges, often within upland oak forests.
PHOTOS
Christmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Part to full shade
• Soils: Medium to Moist, well-drained
• Bloom Time: Not a flowering plant
• Size: 1-2 feet in height
This glossy green leathery fern is green year-round. It grows in clumps. Silvery fiddleheads appear in spring. It grows happily in the Cape’s sandy soils but likes it moist and shady. It will grow successfully under walnut trees. Great choice for accent, borders, mass planting as a groundcover, or as a potted plant.
Garden Companions
Violets (Viola sororia), Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum), Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)
Nature Benefits
• Provides winter cover.
• Songbirds use parts of the plant for nesting material.
Native Habitat
Occurs in woods, stream banks, swamps, and thickets.
Hyssop-leaved Boneset
Eupatorium hyssopifolium
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun to Part
• Soils: Wet to dry soil conditions
• Bloom Time: White flowers in August, September
• Size: 2-4 feet in height
This meadow plant is a vase shaped perennial. Foliage is narrow and gray green. In late summer plants are covered with dense flat terminal clusters of white florets. The clouds of flowers attract a myriad of pollinators. This species thrives in well drained or dry sites. Good in a grouping or mass planting. Use in a cottage garden, rain garden, perennial border, or xeric-scape design. This is a true Cape Cod native.
Garden Companions
Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Goldenrods (Solidago spp), Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)
Nature Benefits
• Unappealing to deer and rabbits.
• A favorite of butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.
• Particularly important to beneficial insects.
Native Habitat
Occurs naturally in sandy soils of fields, roadsides, pondshores, and cranberry bog borrow pits.
Photos
Black Cohosh / Bugbane
Actaea racemosa
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Partial sun, shade
• Soils: Moist, average
• Bloom Time: White spike flowers in June, July, August
• Size: 4-5 feet in height; 2-3 foot spread
Also known as black snakeroot with striking tall flower spikes and sharply divided foliage. It is an excellent choice for massing in a naturalistic garden. Flowering commences as spring wildflowers fade. Deer and rabbit resistant. Formerly Cimicifuga racemosa. Extremely rare in the wild in Massachusetts and some populations are introduced as escapes from gardens. Not found naturally on Cape Cod. Native to states west and south in the eastern U.S.
Garden Companions
Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides), Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum), Maple-leaved Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium)
Nature Benefits
• Host plant for the Spring Azure.
• Attractive to pollinators.
Native Habitat
Occurs in forest edges and shady upland woods.
Photos
Smooth Sumac
Rhus glabra
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Full Sun, Partial, Shade
• Soils: Medium to dry
• Bloom Time: June, July
• Size: 10-20 feet tall, spread 20 feet
Colony-forming shrub – most noticeable for its brilliant fall color and bright red fruit. The plant is dioecious and only the female plants produce fruit. Sumac is effective where it has room to establish in its natural drift form. Colonies can be rejuvenated by cutting to the ground in mid-winter every few years. Great for dry, tough locations, especially on slopes. Great plant for restoration projects.
Garden Companions
Other species of sumac, Common Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)
Nature Benefits
• Flowers attract pollinators
• Berries provide food for many birds
• Provides wild bees nesting materials and structure for their life cycles
Native Habitat
Occurs in old fields, hardwood forest edges, and dry uplands.
Photos
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Full Sun, Partial
• Soils: Medium to dry
• Bloom Time: June, July
• Size: 2-6 feet tall, spread 6-10 feet
Good fast growing ground cover for banks and slopes. Can be massed or used in wind breaks. It suckers and roots where stems touch the ground and forms a dense stand. The straight species is usually tall and leggy in a garden setting, but the cultivar ‘Gro-Low’ is useful as a landscape plant for ground cover and stays no higher than three feet. Like all sumacs, it is dioecious, and fruit will only appear on female plants.
Garden Companions
Sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina), Little Bluestem Grass (Schizachyrium scoparium), Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia), Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)
Nature Benefits
• Flowers attract pollinators
• Berries provide food for many birds and mammals
• Provides wild bees nesting materials and structure for their life cycles
Native Habitat
Occurs in old fields, hardwood forest edges, and dry uplands.
Photos
Spiderwort
Tradescantia ohiensis
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Full Sun, Partial
• Soils: Medium to dry
• Bloom Time: June, July
• Size: 2-4 feet tall
Its grass-like foliage grows in an upright form. The lavender blue flowers bloom from morning to midday, and close in the heat of the afternoon. This helps the plant conserve energy that can be put toward flowering for a longer period. A good choice for a rain garden.
Garden Companions
Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis), Wood Aster (Eurybia divaricata), Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis)
Nature Benefits
• Attract pollinators and butterflies
Native Habitat
Occurs in fields and along roadsides.
Photos
Staghorn Sumac
Rhus typhina
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Full Sun, Partial, Shade
• Soils: Medium to dry
• Bloom Time: June, July
• Size: 15-25 feet tall
Colony-forming shrub – most noticeable for its brilliant fall color and bright red fruit. The plant is dioecious and only the female plants produce fruit. Staghorn sumac is effective where it has room to establish in its natural drift form. Colonies can be rejuvenated by cutting to the ground in mid-winter every few years. Great for dry, tough locations, especially on slopes. Great plant for restoration projects.
Garden Companions
Other species of sumac, Common Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)
Nature Benefits
• Flowers attract pollinators
• Berries provide food for many birds
• Provides wild bees nesting materials and structure for their life cycles
Native Habitat
Occurs in old fields, hardwood forest edges, and dry uplands.
Photos
Turtlehead
Chelone glabra
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, Part Sun
• Soils: Average, moist
• Bloom Time: White flowers in August
• Size: 2-4 feet in height
White Turtlehead is named for its distinctive flowers which are said to resemble a turtle’s head. It is mostly pollinated by bumblebees. In the wild, flower color can vary from pink to green. The vibrant Pink Turtlehead (Chelone lyonii) is often found in retail nurseries; however, this species of turtlehead is introduced to New England and is native to southeastern states. It appreciates a good, composted leaf mulch, particularly in sunny locations. A good choice for a rain garden.
Garden Companions
Red Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis), Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), Rose Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor), and Coastal Plain Joe-pye Weed (Eutrochium dubium)
Nature Benefits
• Nectar source for hummingbirds and bumblebees
• Host plant for various species of moths and butterflies
Native Habitat
Occurs along shores of lakes, swamps, and wetland edges.
Meehan’s Mint
Meehania cordata
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Part shade, shade, sun
• Soils: Average, moist
• Bloom Time: Lavender blue in May, June
• Size: 4-8 inches in height; 4-32 inch spread
This rare well-behaved mint, with its trailing stems, will root as it spreads although less readily in dry shade than in moist shaded areas. Plant Meehan’s Mint as a groundcover, as living mulch under shrubs, or border edging in woodland or shade gardens. It prefers shade but tolerates dry sites in deep shade or full sun with sufficient moisture. This mint is not found in New England in the wild but is native to Pennsylvania and other states further to the south.
Garden Companions
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Plaintain Sedge (Carex plantaginea), Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum)
Nature Benefits
• Nectar source for hummingbirds and insects
Native Habitat
Occurs in rich woods and wooded slopes.
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Average, moist
• Bloom Time: Purple flowers in July, August
• Size: 12-24 inches in height; 12-18 inch spread
Also known as gayfeather it has an upright habit taking little space to grow. Well-suited for a small gardens, perennial border, natural or wildlife garden, or planted in masses. It is the most moisture-tolerant of the Liatris species. Cherokee used the plant, especially roots, in herbal medicine. Popular garden plant although not a native to Cape Cod. Native range is eastern U.S., but from Pennsylvania to the south. Good choice for a rain garden.
Garden Companions
New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana), Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Nature Benefits
• Attracts native bees and butterflies, birds, and hummingbirds
• Seeds provide forage for wildlife
• Nectar source for Silver Spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus), Painted Lady (Vanessa Cardui)
Native Habitat
Occurs in wood openings, moist prairies, and marsh edges.
Photos
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Average, well-drained
• Bloom Time: Purple in July, August
• Size: 2-3 feet in height; 18-24 inch spread
Plant this easy-to-grow, drought tolerant wildflower in the perennial border or in masses. Native range includes New York and Pennsylvania and parts west. It is not a New England native, but it is a popular garden plant that does well on Cape Cod.
Garden Companions
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata), Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana)
Nature Benefits
• Nectar plant for native bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, and wasps.
• Goldfinches eat seeds in the fall.
Native Habitat
Occurs in disturbed habitats, forest edges, and meadows.
Spotted Joe Pye Weed – ‘Gateway’
Eutrochium maculatum
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Full sun to part shade
• Soils: Average
• Bloom Time: August, September
• Size: 4-5 feet in height
Not indigenous to Cape Cod, but native to much of the rest of New England. Plants can be cut back to half its height in early summer for late summer blooms on shorter stems. This plant is best showcased in masses or dramatic accent in a cottage or wildlife garden. Flower heads are 12” wide clusters of flowers that will dry to seedheads giving interest to a winter garden. Cut back in early spring leaving 6-18” remaining to provide hollow stems for wild bees. Good choice for rain gardens and meadows. Makes a good cut flower.
Garden Companions
Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana), Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata), Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
Nature Benefits
• Pollinator magnet
• Seeds are attractive to birds
Native Habitat
Occurs naturally in openings in marshes, meadows, and fields.
Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Prefers full sun
• Soils: Prefers lean, medium-dry soil conditions
• Bloom Time: Light purple flowers in September, October, sometimes into November
• Size: 2 feet in height, stiff stems will branch out giving a bush-like appearance
Native to other parts of the country, this is an aster that can be easily found in retail nurseries to add to late flowering plants to support pollinators. It is the leaves that are aromatic on this
aster. When in bloom, the light purple flowers cover the bush-like plant and slowly bronze to a reddish purple. The plant may “open up” if it gets too top heavy, so a good prune in June is helpful. This aster does well in lean soils.
Garden Companions
Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Nature Benefits
• Highly resistant to deer and rabbits
• A favorite for butterflies and bees
Native Habitat
In its native range, it occurs in rocky and sandy soils such as those found in prairies and bluffs as well as in moist woodland habitats.
Blue Wood Aster / Heart-leaved Aster
Symphyotrichum cordifolium
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Partial shade, full shade, full sun
• Soils: Medium to medium-dry soil conditions
• Bloom Time: Light blue flowers in September, October
• Size: 3 feet in height; 1-2 foot spread
Blue Wood Aster has a wonderful array of dainty blue flowers that attract butterflies and bees. It is an excellent fall bloomer in a perennial border when others are starting to fade. It also makes an attractive cut flower and is a great naturalizer at the edge of woods.
Garden Companions
Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Blue-stemmed Goldenrod (Solidago caesia)
Nature Benefits
• Root system is an effective erosion control on hillsides.
• Offers nectar and pollen for butterflies and bees.
• Supports specialist Adrenid Bees.
• Host plant for Pearl Crescent butterfly caterpillars.
Native Habitat
Occurs at the woodland edge, upland meadows, and forests.
Photo Gallery
Scarlet Beebalm ‘Jacob Cline’
Monarda didyma ‘Jacob Cline’
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Average, moist
• Bloom Time: Red in July, August
• Size: 3-4 feet in height; 3 foot spread
Plant in a wildlife or cut flower garden or meadow and enjoy the aromatic foliage and showy blooms. The Jacob Cline is common native beebalm cultivar that is resistant to powdery mildew and thrives, sometimes aggressively, in sunny, moist, well-drained soil. Also known as Oswego Tea because the leaves were used for tea by the Oswego Indians of New York. It is native to New York State and states south.
Garden Companions
Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata), Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Nature Benefits
• Nectar source for hummingbirds and swallowtail butterflies.
• Caterpillars of some moth species feed on the foliage.
Native Habitat
Occurs in moist open woods, meadows, stream banks.
Photos
Zigzag Goldenrod
Solidago flexicaulis
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, Part shade, shade, sun
• Soils: Average, dry, moist
• Bloom Time: Yellow in August, September, October
• Size: 1-3 feet in height; 1-3 foot spread
Compact pollinator plant that is shade tolerant and well-suited for a wildlife or shade garden or a natural area. Zigzag Goldenrod is good for massing and will spread by seed unless it is deadheaded. Does not require mulching because it is adapted to dry conditions. Semievergreen basal leaves provide erosion control.
Garden Companions
Goldenrods (Solidago spp.), Oxeye Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides), Blue Wood Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium)
Nature Benefits
• Seeds attract Swamp Sparrows, Pine Siskins, and Meadow Mice
• Host plants for some moth caterpillar species
• Nectar plant for native bees, wasps, butterflies, and pollinating flies
Native Habitat
Occurs in forests, protected slopes, wooded shores of rivers or lakes.
Sundrops
Oenothera fruticosa
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, Part shade
• Soils: Average, well-drained
• Bloom Time: Yellow in May, June, July
• Size: 12-24 inches in height; 24-30 inch spread
Plant as a companion in a border or meadow. Also called narrow-leaf evening primrose it grows in challenging conditions and provides yellow flowers for months. It is a rapid spreader but not usually aggressive. This evening primrose blooms during the day rather than the evening.
Garden Companions
Greater Tickseed (Coreopsis major), Goldenrods (Solidago spp.)
Nature Benefits
• Attracts wide variety of bees, birds, butterflies
• Larval host for Sphinx moths
Native Habitat
Occurs along edges of salt marshes, brackish ponds, and tidal rivers.
Photos
Showy Aster
Eurybia spectabilis
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Shade, Partial
• Soils: Medium to dry
• Bloom Time: August, September
• Size: 1-2 feet tall; 2 foot spread
Extremely drought tolerant. Plants are somewhat unpalatable to deer and rabbits. This plant will form small colonies, spreading by rhizomes, but it is not an aggressive spreader. A good addition to a pollinator garden, for mass plantings, cottage gardens and for naturalizing.
Garden Companions
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Anise-scented Goldenrod (Solidago odora), Pennyslvania Sedge (Carex pennsylvanica), Little Bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Nature Benefits
• Attracts pollinators
• Offers nectar for hummingbirds
Native Habitat
Occurs in woodlands.
Wild Blue Phlox
Phlox divaricata
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Shade, Partial
• Soils: Medium to dry
• Bloom Time: May, June
• Size: 1-2 feet in height
This true native wild phlox has five petals and opposite leaves. It is a native to Connecticut, but not indigenous to Cape Cod. It spreads by its roots, but slowly. The showy flowers of blue to lavender attract pollinators making it an excellent addition to a pollinator garden. It is also an effective, shallow-rooted cover for early spring bulbs. A good plant for a small space.
Garden Companions
Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina), Wild Columbine (Aquigelia canadensis), Calico Aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum)
Nature Benefits
• Attracts pollinators
• Offers nectar for hummingbirds
Native Habitat
Occurs in woodlands.
PHOTOS
Groundsel Bush
Baccharis halimifolia
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Light shade to full sun
• Soils: Sandy to loamy, moist to wet, well-drained
• Bloom Time: August, September, October
• Size: 3-10 feet in height
Also called sea-myrtle or saltbush, inconspicuous flowers give way to fluffy white seed heads that burst open on female plants in the fall months. This shrub is highly salt tolerant and can withstand salt spray and periodic flooding as well as drought, making it a great shrub for coastal landscapes and for use in rain gardens. When the white seed heads pop into view in the fall around our salt marshes, everyone asks, “What is that plant?”
Garden Companions
Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos)
Nature Benefits
• Erosion control
• Flowers attract pollinating insects
• Dense branches provide shelter for birds and other wildlife
Native Habitat
Occurs naturally along salt marshes edges.
Dwarf Witch Alder
Fothergilla gardenii
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Sun to part shade
• Soils: Well-drained, Average
• Bloom Time: May, June
• Size: 1 to 3 feet in height
A native to the southeastern states, this deciduous shrub does well on Cape Cod. The white fragrant flowers are a mass of stamens that appear before the leaves in brushy terminal spikes. Its dense, dark green, leathery foliage becomes bright yellow to scarlet red for brilliant fall color and is resistant to deer and rabbits. Good for a low hedge, in a mixed shrub planting, foundation planting, or rain garden.
Garden Companions
Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia), Low Bush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium)
Nature Benefits
• Attracts bees and butterflies
Native Habitat
Occurs in woods and stream banks in states of the southeast.
Yellow Wild Indigo
Baptista tinctoria
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Full sun to part shade
• Soils: Well-drained average to dry
• Bloom Time: June, July
• Size: 2-3 feet tall with 2-3 foot spread
Yellow wild indigo is also called horsefly weed. It is an upright shrubby perennial with fine textured gray- green leaves and is drought tolerant. In late spring and summer, plants are adorned with many short clusters of bright or creamy yellow pea-shaped flowers. It thrives in harsh conditions and once established is durable and long lived. All Baptisia spp. are nitrogen-fixing legumes. They have a symbiotic relationship with the Rhizobium bacteria that allows them to utilize atmospheric nitrogen.
Garden Companions
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)
Nature Benefits
• Plants host caterpillars of Frosted Elfin, Wild Indigo Duskywing and Orange Sulfur butterflies as well as the caterpillars of other moths and skippers.
Native Habitat
Occurs in dry meadows, oak barrens, pine barrens, open woods, and fields.
Black Huckleberry
Gaylussacia baccata
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
• Soils: Dry, moist
• Bloom Time: Spring blossoms – April, May, June
• Size: 1-2 feet in height
Gaylussacia baccata closely resembles the native blueberry plants (Vaccinium species) with which it grows in the same habitats. However, it can be readily identified by the numerous resin dots on the undersides of the leaves that glitter when held up to the light. Flowers are in dangling groups of 3–7, orange or red, bell-shaped. Berries are dark blue to black when ripe. Berries are sweet and tasty. People and animals eat them raw, jellied, or in baked items.
Garden Companions
Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium), Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia), Sassafras (Sassafras albidum), Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)
Nature Benefits
• The fruit and twigs on this shrub are used by many forms of wildlife and attracts birds.
• Many species of butterflies visit the bell-like flowers for nectar.
Native Habitat
Occurs in dry or moist open woods.
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Grass
• Sunlight: Full Sun, part
• Soils: Dry, average
• Bloom Time: Purplish in summer and early fall
• Size: 2-5 feet in height; 2-4 foot spread
A robust, warm season bunchgrass, switchgrass is best used as a striking accent in landscapes. Seed heads are an airy cloud in late summer with golden fall foliage. Very drought tolerant once established. Rigid stems stand upright throughout the winter. Grasses give movement to the garden design. Cultivars, “Shenandoah” and “Cape Breeze”, are commonly found at retail nurseries.
Garden Companions
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida), Goldenrods (Solidago species), Aromatic Aster (Symphotrichum oblongifolium).
Nature Benefits
• Seeds are eaten by ground-feeding songbirds and game birds.
• Provides cover and nesting material for birds.
• Host for most banded skipper butterflies and the Delaware skipper.
• Deer resistant.
Native Habitat
Occurs along roadsides and upland pond edges.
PHOTOS
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Grass
• Sunlight: Full Sun
• Soils: Dry, average
• Bloom Time: Purplish in summer and early fall
• Size: 2-5 feet in height; 2-4 foot spread
A robust, warm season bunchgrass, Big Bluestem is best used as a striking accent in meadow landscapes. Silver tufts of seeds in late summer, contrast with golden fall foliage. Very drought tolerant once established.
Garden Companions
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Goldenrods (Solidago species)
Nature Benefits
• Host plant for at least eleven native butterflies and moths
• Attracts songbirds
• Valuable to a range of insects, birds, and mammals
Native Habitat
Occurs in low meadows and moist grasslands
PHOTOS
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade, shade
• Soils: Moist, medium wet, medium, dry (once established)
• Bloom Time: White flowers in June
• Size: 6-10 feet in height
Known for its stunning red berries in the late fall over the winter. Like any holly, it is dioecious, and berries are born on female plants provided there is a male plant within about 50 feet. Pollen is carried by the wind. Popular paired cultivars are ‘Jim Dandy’ (male plant grows to 5ft) and ‘Red Sprite’ (female plant matures at 3-4ft).
Garden Companions
Ink berry (Ilex glabra), Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum), Red Osier (Cornus sericea)
Nature Benefits
• Berries are eaten by many songbirds in the winter.
• In its mature size, provides desirable nesting habitat.
Native Habitat
Occurs at wetland edges, pond edges, and vernal pools.
PHOTOS
Red Maple
Acer rubrum
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Tree
• Sunlight: Sun
• Soils: Moist to average to dry
• Bloom Time: April
• Size: Tall
Considered a keystone species because of its value to a diverse number of insect and animal species. Red maple is known for its beautiful fall color. It can tolerate a wide range of soils, variable pH and even pollution, and therefore should be considered for use as a street tree, parks, and in rain gardens.
Garden Companions
Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa); American Hazelnut (Corylus americana); Anise-scented Goldenrod (Solidago odoro); New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae); Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)
Nature Benefits
• Host for over 275 species of moth and butterfly caterpillars.
• Spring flowers offer nectar and pollen for a variety of insects.
• Seeds provide food for both birds and mammals.
Native Habitat
Occurs in lowlands and wetlands but can also be found in hardwood forests.
Photos
Tulip Tree
Liriodendron tulipifera
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Tree
• Sunlight: Sun
• Soils: Average moisture
• Bloom Time: June
• Size: Tall
Considered a shade tree, the tulip tree is one of the tallest hardwoods in North America. It gets its name from the shape of its flower and the shape of the leaf looks like the outline of a tulip. If out in the open, the shape of the tree is pyramidal. This tree is fast growing and can live 175 years.
Garden Companions
Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa); American Hazelnut (Corylus americana); Anise-scented Goldenrod (Solidago odoro); Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum); Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)
Nature Benefits
• Host for 20 species of moth and butterfly caterpillars, including the tulip tree silk moth.
• Ruby-throated hummingbirds and bees seek out the flowers for early season forage.
• Seeds mature in summer and persist into winter, providing food for both birds and mammals, including finches, cardinals, quail, and small mammals.
Native Habitat
Occurs in lowlands and gentle sloping hillsides.
Photos
Cutleaf Coneflower
Rudbeckia laciniata
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, Partial, Shade
• Soils: Dry to moderate moisture
• Bloom Time: Yellow flowers July, August
• Size: 5-6 feet in height; 3 foot spread
Also called green-headed coneflower. Because it spreads rampantly by underground stems, cut-leaf coneflower is only appropriate for large sites. May need staking in garden situations but otherwise very hardy.
Garden Companions
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida or Rudbeckia hirta)
Nature Benefits
• Pollinator magnet.
• Attracts birds.
Native Habitat
Occurs on shorelines of lakes and rivers and swamps.
Ox-eye Sunflower
Helianthus helianthoides
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, Part Sun
• Soils: Average, Moist or Dry
• Bloom Time: Yellow flowers in July, August, September
• Size: 3-5 feet in height; 1-3 foot spread
Useful for accent, mass or grouping. Excellent for a wildlife garden or meadow. Plants provide showy blooms and erosion control. Appropriate for cottage gardens, water-wise landscapes, low maintenance plantings, perennial borders, and shade gardens.
Garden Companions
Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), White Snakeroot (Eupatorium coelestinum), Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)
Nature Benefits
• Pollinator powerhouse!
• Goldfinches and other songbirds relish the seeds.
Native Habitat
Occurs in open woods, woodland borders, grassy meadows, stream banks, disturbed roadsides.
White Wood Aster
Eurybia divaricata
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Part shade, Shade
• Soils: Average, Moist or Dry
• Bloom Time: White flowers in August, September
• Size: 1-2 feet in height
Plant as a groundcover, border, or accent plant—it is an especially great choice for dry shade and under trees. Readily spreads by seeds and will fill in, but easily controlled by cutting seed heads or easy weeding. This plant is unpalatable to rabbits and deer.
Garden Companions
White Snakeroot (Ageratum altissima), Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), Blue-stemmed Goldenrod (Solidago caesia), King Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum), Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Nature Benefits
• Host plant for the caterpillar stage of the Pearl Crescent and Checkerspot butterflies.
• Provides nectar for pollinators.
Native Habitat
Occurs in dry open woodlands and woodland edges.
King Solomon’s Seal
Polygonatum biflorum
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Shade, part shade
• Soils: Average, moist
• Bloom Time: White bell-shaped flowers in May, June
• Size: 12-42 inches in height; 16-24 inch spread
Arching stems and vertical character provide a refined look to woodland, wild, rock, or native plant gardens. Golden leaves in fall contrast with round fruit to add interest. Grows well at base of trees. Drought tolerant and rabbit resistant.
Garden Companions
Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense), Foam Flower (Tiarella cordifolia), Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica), Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum)
Nature Benefits
• Fruit attracts birds.
• Flowers attract pollinators.
Native Habitat
Occurs in forest edges, forests, meadows, fields, woodlands.
Photos
Swamp Azalea
Rhododendron viscosum
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Shade, part shade
• Soils: Average, moist
• Bloom Time: White in June, July
• Size: 3-5 feet in height; 3-5 feet spread
Plant Swamp Azalea as a hedge, in a mixed border, native plant garden, or in a foundation planting. The flowers appear after the leaves which have good fall color. It is one of the latest azaleas to bloom and the most fragrant. Its corolla is covered with sticky glands.
Garden Companions
Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis), Cinnamon Fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum), Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia), Inkberry (Ilex glabra)
Nature Benefits
• Attracts birds and bumble bees
• Host plant for caterpillars
Native Habitat
Occurs in shores of rivers or lakes, swamps.
Virgin’s Bower
Clematis virginiana
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Vine
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Average, moist
• Bloom Time: White in July, August, September
• Size: 3-8 feet in height; 3-5 foot spread
The most common clematis in New England, Virgin’s Bower, is a fast-growing climbing vine. It can also naturalize as a ground cover. Clusters of feathery flowers spread along the length of the vine and can be all male, all female, or all perfect (both male and female reproductive parts).
Garden Companions
Best to give it something to climb like a trellis or fence.
Nature Benefits
• Attracts bees, butterflies, hummingbirds.
• Foliage used for nesting birds.
Native Habitat
Occurs in forest edges, shores of rivers or lakes, thickets, swamps.
Foam Flower
Tiarella cordifolia
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Shade, part shade
• Soils: Average, well-drained
• Bloom Time: White in May, June
• Size: 3-12 inches in height; 12-24 inch spread
Foam Flower makes an excellent ground cover, border, or filler for shady, woodland sites. It spreads by underground stems to form colonies and is a good alternative to mulch or lily-of- the-valley. After the spring blooming flower spikes have passed the leaves provide texture and color year-round.
Garden Companions
Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra culcullaria), Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina), White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)
Nature Benefits
• Attracts pollinators.
Native Habitat
Occurs in forests, swamps, wetland margins.
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Vine
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Average, moist
• Bloom Time: Red in May, June
• Size: 4-15 feet in height; 4-8 foot spread
Also called Coral Honeysuckle, the twining vine is a good choice for a trellis or other support structure or as a ground cover. Its tubular red flowers begin to bloom in late spring and continue blooming intermittently through summer in full sun and organically rich soil. Native to the southeast, NE populations are thought to be garden escapees. A common cultivar is “Major Wheeler” shown here.
Garden Companions
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Pink Tickseed (Coreopsis rosea)
Nature Benefits
• Larval host for Spring Azure, Snowberry Clearwing Moth.
• Flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
• Fruit attracts birds.
Native Habitat
Occurs in forest edges, roadsides, woodlands.
Photos
Sassafras
Sassafras albidum
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Tree
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Average, dry to wet
• Bloom Time: Yellow in April, May
• Size: 6-15 feet in height; 6-15 foot spread
Plant or save Sassafras for texture and to attract wildlife. It has a sweet, fruity aroma and provides vibrant fall color ranging from red to orange to yellow. It can sucker into a small grove but is easily controlled. It is dioecious meaning the plant either has male or female flowers and only the female plant produces fruit. Until 1960 when banned for containing carcinogenic safrole, the roots and root bark provided sassafras tea and were used to flavor root beer.
Garden Companions
Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), Mapleleaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium), Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pensylvanica), Wavy Hairgrass (Deschampsia flexuosa), Teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens)
Nature Benefits
• Larval host for butterflies and moths including Spicebush Swallowtail and Promethea Silk Moth.
• Birds feed on the fruit.
• Attracts a variety of pollinators.
Native Habitat
Occurs in forests, forest edges, roadsides.
Photos
White Pine
Pinus strobus
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Tree
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Average, dry
• Bloom Time: Insignificant
• Size: 60-90 feet in height; 25-40 foot spread
Commonly found, White Pines grow reasonably rapidly, are tall, and have soft evergreen needles in bunches of 5, making it a good shade tree. Seedlings are more shade-tolerant than most pines and trees are long-lived, up to 450 years.
Garden Companions
Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum), Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.), Black Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata), Teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens), Sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina), Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum)
Nature Benefits
• Provides nesting habitat for Bald Eagles, cavity-nesting and other birds
• Songbirds and small mammals eat the seeds
• Caterpillar host for the Eastern Pine Elfin and Pine-devil Moth
Native Habitat
Occurs in forests, forest edges, swamps, woodlands
Witch Hazel
Hamamelis virginiana
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade, shade
• Soils: Average, wet
• Bloom Time: Yellow flowers in late October, November, December
• Size: 6-15 feet in height; 6-15 foot spread
Witch Hazel works well as a border plant, understory companion or specimen. Its frilly flowers bloom as leaves are dropping in the fall with golden foliage displays. The flowers are aromatic, and the fruit ejects its seeds as far as 30 feet from the parent tree. A Chinese hybrid flowers the wrong time of year, so don’t be fooled – make sure you seek out the straight native species.
Garden Companions
American Holly (Ilex opaca), Maple-leaved viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), Shadbush (Amelanchier canadensis), Pasture Rose (Rosa Carolina), Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera), American Hazelnut (Corylus americana)
Nature Benefits
• Birds eat the fruit and seed.
• Caterpillar host to caterpillars of these moths: Bethune’s Pinion, Drexel’s Datana.
Native Habitat
Occurs in floodplains, forests, swamps.
Photos
Lowbush Blueberry
Vaccinium angustifolium
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Full sun, part shade
• Soils: Dry to moist, Average
• Bloom Time: White flowers in May, June
• Size: 1-2 feet in height; 1-3 foot spread
Grow lowbush blueberry in a rock garden or woodland setting. Blueberries are edible and the foliage is attractive and especially vibrant in fall. Thrives in moist, highly organic, well-drained, acidic soil, but can also grow in shady, dry soils that are barren of other plants.
Garden Companions
Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia), Teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens), Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), Intermediate Fern (Dryopteris intermedia)
Nature Benefits
• Host plant for the Brown Elfin butterfly.
• Pollen and nectar source for a variety of bees and other insects.
• Offers fruit for mammals and birds.
Native Habitat
Occurs in forest understory, upland bogs, pastures.
Photos
Cinnamon Fern
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Shade, part shade
• Soils: Moist, rich to average
• Bloom Time: Non-flowering
• Size: Size: 2-4 feet in height; 2-3 foot spread
A vase-shaped clump of green leaves provides height and texture to a woodland garden, pond edge, bog garden, or wetland. The cinnamon-colored fertile fronds grow upright out of the center of the plant. Tolerates some sun if soil kept moist. Deer resistant.
Garden Companions
Teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens), Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea), Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)
Nature Benefits
• Downy wool used by hummingbirds and other birds as nest lining.
Native Habitat
Occurs in forests, shores of rivers or lakes, swamps, wetland edges.
Photos
Ostrich Fern
Matteuccia struthiopteris
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Shade, part shade
• Soils: Moist, rich
• Bloom Time: Non-flowering
• Size: Size: 2-3 feet in height; 2-4 foot spread
Ostrich Fern fronds look like ostrich feathers and provide a striking bright green display as a background planting. The tall size of this fern allows use as a foundation planting on the northern side. With rich moist soils in a shady location, it can form a colony. Fiddleheads are edible. Deer resistant.
Garden Companions
Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), Cinnamon fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum), Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum), Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina), Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis)
Nature Benefits
• Larval host for several moth species.
• Fiddleheads offer food for herbivores.
Native Habitat
Occurs in rich woods, swamps, river or lake shores.
Photos
Evening Primrose
Oenothera biennis
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun to shade
• Soils: Dry, sandy
• Bloom Time: Yellow in July, August, September
• Size: Size: 2-6 feet in height; 3 foot spread
The lemon-scented large yellow flowers open in the evening and close by noon. Grows vegetatively its first year then flowers its second year but does not persist. Seeds germinate if soil is disturbed. Can become weedy but it is an important native plant with a long and late bloom time supporting many insects. Drought tolerant and good for naturalizing.
Garden Companions
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Nature Benefits
• Host plant for the pink Primrose Moth (Schinia florida).
• Attracts wide variety of other moths, birds, hummingbirds and specialized bees.
• Birds eat seeds – especially goldfinches.
• Small mammals eat roots and leaves.
Native Habitat
Occurs in meadows, fields, floodplains, river or lake shores.
Photos
Wild Strawberry
Fragaria virginiana
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Dry, average
• Bloom Time: White flowers in April, May, June
• Size: Size: 2-5 inches in height; 12-24 inch spread
A fast-spreading ground cover which suppresses the establishment of invasive species, Wild Strawberry tolerates foot traffic. Tasty edible fruit appear in early to mid-summer. This species is one of the parent plants to cultivated strawberries.
Garden Companions
Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense), Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum), Sessile-leaved Bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia), Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum)
Nature Benefits
• Supports 75 species of moths and butterflies.
• Provides food for caterpillars and nectar for adult insects.
• Flowers accessible to short-tongued bees.
• Fruits attract chipmunks, squirrels, and birds.
Native Habitat
Occurs in meadows and fields.
Photos
Beach Plum
Prunus maritima
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Sun
• Soils: Dry, average
• Bloom Time: White flowers in April, May
• Size: Size: 3-6 feet in height; 3-6 foot spread
Plant in a sunny, sandy site as a shrub border, wild hedge, foundation planting, or ornamental. Beach Plum provides showy displays of white flowers in spring. Cross pollination is needed to produce the flavorful fruit, which is used to make jams and jellies or feed wildlife. Beach Plum is a rounded, dense, suckering shrub member of the rose family. Drought tolerant. Salt spray tolerant. Does not like to be crowded by other plants. Beach plum is quintessential Cape Cod!
Garden Companions
American Beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata), Beach Pea (Lathyrus maritimus), Seaside Goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens), Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica), Evening Primrose (Oenothera perennis), Virginia Rose (Rosa virginiana)
Nature Benefits
• Attracts butterflies, moths, birds, and bees.
• Fruit feeds wildlife.
Native Habitat
Occurs in sandy openings near the coast, dunes, meadows, fields.
Photos
Rose Mallow
Hibiscus moscheutos
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun
• Soils: Wet, average
• Bloom Time: White to pink with dark centers in July, August, September
• Size: 3-6 feet in height; 2-4 foot spread
Shrub-like growth, mallow can be planted as a late summer living fence, in a wetland edge, or rain garden. Dramatic large flowers last only one day, but once established a clump of Rose Mallow will flower for weeks. Also called Swamp Mallow.
Garden Companions
Inkberry (Ilex glabra), Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), Sweet Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia subtomentosa), Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
Nature Benefits
• Rose Mallow bee (Ptilothrix bombiformis) only collects pollen from this and a few other Hibiscus species.
• Attracts hummingbirds.
Native Habitat
Occurs in borders of saline and brackish marshes wetlands.
Photos
Royal Fern
Osmunda regalis
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Wet
• Bloom Time: Non-flowering
• Size: 24-42 inches in height; 24-36 inch spread
Plant Royal Fern as a visual attraction in a moist to wet woodland or native shade garden. In spring the red fronds unfurl then mature to orange then green. Fertile fronds grow late in the season. Great fall color of gold and brown. Deer resistant.
Garden Companions
Blue flag (Iris versicolor), White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra), Cinnamon Fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum), Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
Nature Benefits
• Multiple plants provide protective cover for animals and birds.
Native Habitat
Occurs in swamps, shorelines, riparian forests.
Photos
Woodbine
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Vine
• Sunlight: Full sun, part shade
• Soils: Acidic, well-drained, average
• Bloom Time: May, June, although flowers are inconspicuous
• Size: 30 feet in height
Also called Virginia Creeper and American Ivy. The vine has adhesive pads that enable it to climb. It will also crawl as groundcover. It provides exceptional red fall color.
Garden Companions
Best grown on trellis, garden arbors or fences.
Nature Benefits
• Blue or black berries are important fall and winter food for songbirds and game birds.
• Berries are also eaten by small mammals.
• Host plant for the Pandora sphinx moth caterpillar, the Virginia Creeper Sphinx
Native Habitat
Occurs in woodland edges, roadsides and open forests.
Photos
Baptisia
Baptisia australis
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Full sun, part shade
• Soils: Acidic moist, well-drained, average
• Bloom Time: Blue flowers in May, June
• Size: 3-5 feet in height; 2-4 foot spread
In the legume family, also called Wild Blue Indigo and Blue False Indigo. Flowers are pea shaped. Foliage is bluish green. Drought and salt tolerant. Does well in the Cape’s poor soils. Dark seed pods are good for winter interest in the garden used in dried flower bouquets.
Garden Companions
Yellow Baptisia (Baptisia tinctoria), Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Nature Benefits
• Attractive to butterflies, bees, and other insects.
• Is a larval host plant for a variety of butterflies including: Orange Sulphur, Clouded Sulphur, Frosted Elfin, Eastern Tailed Blue, Hoary Edge, and Wild Indigo Duskywing.
Native Habitat
Occurs in forest edges, shady upland woods, and wetland edges.
Photos
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Average to dry moisture
• Bloom Time: White to pinkish bell-shaped flowers in April, May
• Size: 12 inches tall, spreading to 15 feet
Woody plant that is slow growing but can form large mats in the toughest of places. Technically speaking, it is a sub-shrub and is also called kinnikinick, sandberry, and hog cranberry.
Garden Companions
Inkberry (Ilex glabra), Eastern Woodfern (Dryopteris marginalis), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Nature Benefits
• Birds and mammals eat the fruit.
• Host plant for several butterfly species including Hoary Elfin and Brown Elfin.
Native Habitat
Occurs in roadsides, bog roads, dune edges and woodland edges.
Photos
Arrowwood
Viburnum dentatum
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Acidic moist, well-drained, average
• Bloom Time: White flowers in May, June
• Size: 6-10 feet in height; 5-10 foot spread
Upright growing shrub that turns shades of yellow, orange, and red in the fall. It can be used for borders, hedges or screens, or as mass plantings and groupings, foundation plantings, or as a backdrop to a pollinator or wildlife garden. Fruits are dark blue. If you must prune, do so immediately after flowering since flower buds form in the summer for the following year.
Garden Companions
Eastern Wood Fern (Dryopteris marginalis), Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina), White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra), Golden Groundsel (Packera aurea)
Nature Benefits
• Attracts Red Admiral, Eastern Comma and Question Mark butterflies
• Host plant providing food for the caterpillar stage of Spring Azure Butterfly and Hummingbird Moth.
• Fruit is food for a variety of songbirds.
Native Habitat
Occurs in forest edges, shady upland woods, and wetland edges.
Photos
Inkberry
Ilex glabra
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Moist to Average
• Bloom Time: May, June – flowers called cymes are inconspicuous
• Size: 3-8 feet tall, 3-6 foot spread, depending on cultivar
As like other hollies, Inkberry is dioecious: need male pollinator plant to get female fruit set. Berry-like drupes are black and the size of a pea. It’s an upright grower that works well in a hedge and can be pruned. A good native option to boxwood. It is a broadleaf evergreen that is a slow grower.
Garden Companions
Teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens)
Nature Benefits
• Birds and mammals eat the juicy fruit
• Provides nectar for pollinators.
• Host plant for Henry’s Elfin.
Native Habitat
Occurs in low wet woods, sandy sites, edges and openings in forests.
Photos
White Oak
Quercus alba
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Tree
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Dry, average
• Bloom Time: April, May – pollen is windblown
• Size: 60-80 feet in height; 30-40 foot spread
Plant the majestic, long-lived White Oak for shade and stately structure as a backbone in the garden. It prefers full sun. Fall color of purple to wine-red. Oaks are a keystone species in the Cape’s ecosystem because they support more wildlife than any other plant found in our landscape.
Garden Companions
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida), Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum), Rosebay Rhododenron (Rhododendron maximum)
Nature Benefits
• Supports the caterpillars of over 535 species of butterflies and moths.
• Acorns are food source for birds, deer, squirrels, and other rodents.
Native Habitat
Occurs in woods, dry upland slopes, well-drained loam in bottomlands.
Photos
Sweet Pepperbush
Clethra alnifolia
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Wet, average
• Bloom Time: White to pinkish flowers in July, August
• Size: 4-8 feet in height; 4-6 foot spread
Plant Sweet Pepperbush where you are able to smell the spicy, sweet scent of its profuse late summer blooms. It can be planted in a mixed shrub hedge or border. Tolerates drought well once established.
Garden Companions
Inkberry (Ilex glabra), Eastern Woodfern (Dryopteris marginalis)
Nature Benefits
• Birds and mammals eat the fruit.
• Flowers attract butterflies, bees, hummingbirds.
Native Habitat
Occurs in seashores, stream banks, wet woods.
Photos
Eastern Red Cedar
Juniperus virginiana
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Tree
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Dry, average
• Bloom Time: Non Flowering
• Size: 15-30 feet in height; 3-10 foot spread
Long-lived Eastern Red Cedar can be used for screening with its conical or columnar dense habit. It has peeling red bark, fragrant foliage, and blue fruit on the female plants. Tolerates drought, salt spray, deer, erosion, heat, and cold.
Garden Companions
Inkberry (Ilex glabra), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), White Oak (Quercus alba)
Nature Benefits
• Berries eaten by mammals and many songbirds such as Cedar Waxwing and Bluebirds.
• Favorite nesting site for some birds.
• Dense protective shelter valuable for birds in winter.
Native Habitat
Occurs in woodland edges, meadows, pastures, coastal lowlands.
Photos
American Holly
Ilex opaca
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Tree
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Moist, well-drained, average
• Bloom Time: White flowers in April, May, June
• Size: 12-30 feet in height; 8-14 foot spread
Plant American Holly as an evergreen specimen, massed, or for hedges. Red berries persist through the winter but are only found on female plants when there is a male plant nearby.
Garden Companions
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida), Mapleleaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium)
Nature Benefits
• Berries eaten by many songbirds, gamebirds, and mammals
• Larval host for Henry’s Elfin butterfly
Native Habitat
Occurs in shaded woods, stream and riverbanks, uplands, and lowlands.
Photos
Pitch Pine
Pinus rigida
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Tree
• Sunlight: Sun
• Soils: Dry, average
• Bloom Time: May, June
• Size: 30-60 feet in height; 15-25 foot spread
The hardy Pitch Pine is suitable for planting in dry soil that other plants don’t tolerate. It grows rapidly once established in bare, sandy, poor soil. It is resistant to fire, deer, salt, and injury. It sends out shoots from the trunk in response to stress.
Garden Companions
Bayberry (Morella caroliniensis), Black Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata), Scrub Oak (Quercus ilicifolia), White Oak (Quercus alba)
Nature Benefits
• Larval host for Pine-devil moth.
• Seeds feed squirrels, birds, and other wildlife.
Native Habitat
Occurs in sandy barrens, coastal plains, and part of the pitch pine-oak plant community.
Photos
Wild Ginger
Asarum canadense
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Shade
• Soils: Dry to moist
• Bloom Time: Inconspicuous, burgundy-colored flowers in May, June
• Size: 1-2 feet in height, spreads by rhizomes
Also called American Ginger, Asarum canadense differs from the non-native European Ginger in that its foliage is dull and the non-native’s foliage is shiny. Flower are hidden beneath the leaves, almost laying on the ground.
Garden Companions
Cinnamon Fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum), Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis)
Nature Benefits
• Seeds have an elaiosome, a sticky residue attractive to ants that help with seed dispersal.
• Flowers have scent of carrion to attract tiny flies who are responsible for pollination of the ginger flowers.
• Serves as an alternate host plant for the caterpillar of the Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly.
Native Habitat
Occurs in shady deciduous forests.
Photos
Heath Aster
Symphyotrichum ericoides
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun
• Soils: Dry, average
• Bloom Time: White flowers in August, September, October
• Size: 1-3 feet in height; up to 1.5 foot spread
Colony forming Heath Aster provides profuse, bloom for a border, rock, wildflower, or native plant garden. Tolerates poor soil and drought. Sometimes sold as Aster ericoides which is likely to be a cultivar or hybrid of other aster species.
Garden Companions
Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolius), Frost Aster (Symphyotrichum pilosum)
Nature Benefits
• Good plant for a large variety of late season pollinators.
• Host plant for the Banded Woolly Bear caterpillar, the larval form of the Isabella Tiger Moth.
Native Habitat
Occurs along roadsides, sandy, open areas, fields.
Scrub Oak
Quercus ilicifolia
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Sun
• Soils: Dry, average
• Bloom Time: Insignificant
• Size: 12-20 feet in height
Scrub Oak is also called Bear Oak and is one of the smaller and more gnarled oaks in New England. It recolonizes dry sites that have been repeatedly cut or burned.
Garden Companions
Black Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata), Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica), Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida)
Nature Benefits
• Larval host for Sleepy Duskywing and Eastern Buckmoth.
• Attracts large number of diverse insects in stands of Scrub Oaks.
• Acorns are food source for wildlife.
Native Habitat
Occurs in disturbed areas, woodlands, dry sandy barrens.
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Sun to shade
• Soils: Wet, average
• Bloom Time: Yellow flowers in April, May
• Size: 6-12 feet in height; 6-12 foot spread
Plant in naturalized woodland gardens with both male and female plants for showy red berry production. Fast-growing shrub in moist, shady areas. Some sun yields better form and berries. Dazzling yellow foliage in fall.
Garden Companions
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)
Nature Benefits
• Host plant for Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly, Promethea silkmoth
• High wildlife value for songbirds, butterflies, and small mammals.
Native Habitat
Occurs in low deciduous woods, stream banks, swamps.
Photos
Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun to shade
• Soils: Average, dry
• Bloom Time: Non-flowering
• Size: 6-12 inches in height; 12-18 inch spread
Plant fine-textured Pennsylvania Sedge as a shade ground cover, border, or underplanting for shade perennials – grows in containers. Drought tolerant. Deer resistant.
Garden Companions
Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium), Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadense), White Wood Aster (Eurybia divaricata), Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), Huckleberry (Gaylussacia spp.)
Nature Benefits
• Forage and habitat for butterfly larvae, birds, and small mammals.
• Used by ducks for nesting material and some cover.
Native Habitat
Occurs in grasslands, woodlands, forests.
Shadbush
Amelanchier canadensis
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Acidic moist, well-drained, average
• Bloom Time: White flowers in April, May
• Size: 10-18 feet in height; 5-10 foot spread
Also called Serviceberry, it is good for height in mixed borders or foundation plantings. Called shadbush because its spring flowers coincide when the herring and shad are running. Good fall color. Drought tolerant. Deer and rabbit resistant. Birds love the fruit.
Garden Companions
Pasture rose (Rosa Carolina), American Hazelnut (Corylus americana), Bayberry (Morella caroliniensis)
Nature Benefits
• Host plant for larvae of tiger swallowtail, viceroy, admiral, and striped hairstreak butterflies
• Fruit feeds at least 40 bird species
• Pollinator powerhouse
Native Habitat
Occurs in forest edges, upland woods, meadows and fields.
Photos
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Grass
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Dry, sandy, average
• Bloom Time: Pink and brown tints in June, July, August
• Size: 1-3 feet in height; 1-3 foot spread
Plant as a groundcover, border, or accent plant in hot and dry sites. It has ornamental fine- textured bunches with fragrant flowers which become delicate seed heads that appear above the tufts of grass in mid-summer. Slow to establish and mature. A native listed as rare in MA. Not indigenous to Cape Cod.
Garden Companions
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Purple Lovegrass (Eragrostis spectabilis), Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), Narrowleaf Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium), Slender Goldentop (Euthamia caroliniana)
Nature Benefits
• Larval food plant for Leonard’s Skipper, grasshoppers, and leafhoppers.
• Provides nesting materials/structure for native bees and small mammals.
• Seeds eaten by songbirds.
Native Habitat
Occurs in dry prairies, fields, and roadsides.
Photos
Bayberry
Morella caroliniensis
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade
• Soils: Moist to dry
• Bloom Time: Inconspicuous flowers appear in early spring- May
• Size: 5-10 feet in height
Ubiquitous on Cape Cod, it is adapted to the Cape’s poor soils and salt spray. Does well in drought and deluge. The leaves are aromatic when crushed. Bayberry is dioecious, being there are male and female plants, and it is the female plant that bears the berries. Makes a good backdrop to a garden.
Garden Companions
Beach Plum (Prunus maritima), Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida), Scrub Oak (Quercus ilicifolia)
Nature Benefits
• Berries are important food for birds.
• The foliage provides cover for birds.
• It has nitrogen-fixing microbes associated with its roots and therefore improves nutrient value of soils for other plants.
Native Habitat
Occurs in dunes, fields, forest edges, roadsides, coastal banks, beach edges.
New Jersey Tea
Ceanothus americanus
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade
• Soils: Well-drained, moderate to dry
• Bloom Time: White flowers in June, July, August
• Size: 2-3 feet in height; 2-3 foot spread
This low growing shrub can serve as ground cover or as a tidy, fragrant, blooming shrub to attract bees and butterflies. Once established, its deep roots make it drought tolerant but difficult to move. Plant may die back in winter but will return in spring.
Garden Companions
Pasture Rose (Rosa carolina), False Indigo (Baptisia australis)
Nature Benefits
• Host plant for the caterpillars of the Spring Azure, Summer Azure, and Mottled Duskywing.
• Offers nectar for a variety of pollinating insects and hummingbirds.
Native Habitat
Occurs in dry fields and roadsides, woodland edges.
Photos
Culver’s Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Moist, average
• Bloom Time: Flowers light pink to white in July, August
• Size: 3-5 feet in height; 1-3 foot spread
Candelabra-like flower spikes top an erect stem providing a good accent plant in a perennial garden or plant Culver’s Root in a mixed border, meadow, pollinator garden, or naturalized area. Deadhead flowers to extend bloom time or cut the plant to the ground for a second flush of growth. Not a Cape Cod native but found in the wild in western Massachusetts.
Garden Companions
Eastern Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Yellow Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata), Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris pycnostachya), Broomsedge Bluestem (Andropogon virginicus), New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis)
Nature Benefits
• Host plant for Buckeye butterfly.
• Pollen and nectar used by bees, wasps, flies, moths, and butterflies.
Native Habitat
Occurs in forests, meadows, fields.
Photos
Pasture Rose
Rosa carolina
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Average to wet
• Bloom Time: Showy pink flowers in June, July, August
• Size: 2-4 feet in height; 3-4 foot spread
Plant the low maintenance native rose shrub in borders, mass plantings, and use for naturalizing in spots with good air circulation. Most prolific in full sun. Drought tolerant and deer and rabbit resistant. The rose hip turns bright red as it ripens. It’s also called the Carolina Rose.
Garden Companions
Sweet fern (Comptonia peregrina), Little bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparium), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum)
Nature Benefits
• Offers nectar for bumble bees and other native bees.
• Native bees nest beneath, within, or harvest parts to construct their nests.
• Rosehips support birds in winter.
Native Habitat
Occurs in sandy areas, thickets, roadsides, open woods.
Photos
Sweet Fern
Comptonia peregrina
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Sun, part shade
• Soils: Sandy, acidic, dry to moist
• Bloom Time: Inconspicuous yellowish green flowers in April, May, June
• Size: 1-3 feet in height; 4-8 foot spread
Plant the nitrogen-fixing shrub as a ground cover for erosion control, foundation planting, mixed border, or massing. Colony forming, little management is needed. Fern-like leaves smell sweet and are deer resistant. Nice fall color.
Garden Companions
Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica), Beach Plum (Prunus maritima), Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Nature Benefits
• Larval host for several sphinx moths, gray hairstreak butterfly, and others.
• Nutlets attract butterflies and birds.
Native Habitat
Occurs in clearings, pastures, edges of bog roads, and woodlands.
Photos
American Elderberry
Sambucus nigra L. ssp. canadensis
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Sun to part shade
• Soils: Wet to dry
• Bloom Time: White flowers in May, June, July
• Size: 5-8 feet in height; 3-8 foot spread
Plant this native as a hedge or alone. Berries and flowers are edible, but other parts of the plant contain toxic calcium oxalate crystals and are poisonous. Individual plants are short-lived, but root masses produce new shoots. Fast grower. Notice the white flowers on wild elderberry along wetland edges in late spring—it loves the Cape’s acidic soils.
Garden Companions
Shadbush (Amelanchier canadensis), American Hazelnut (Corylus americana)
Nature Benefits
• Fruit attracts birds who then spread seeds.
• Berries relished by mammals.
• Attracts pollinators.
Native Habitat
Occurs in alluvial forests, bogs, ditches, drier old fields.
Photos
Highbush Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Sun – Shade
• Soils: Moist to dry
• Bloom Time: White flowers in May, June
• Size: 3-12 feet in height; 3-7 foot spread
Highbush Blueberry is excellent for naturalized landscaping. Provides brilliant red fall color and is a great alternative to the harmful invasive Burning Bush.
Garden Companions
Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia), Teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens)
Nature Benefits
• Host to the Frosted Elfin butterfly.
• Berries highly favored by numerous bird species and other wildlife.
• Excellent pollinator plant.
Native Habitat
Occurs in wooded and open areas, wetland edges, dry pitch pine and oak woodlands.
Black Chokeberry
Aronia melanocarpa
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Shrub
• Sunlight: Sun, Part Shade
• Soils: Moist to dry, average
• Bloom Time: White flowers in May, June
• Size: 3-10 feet in height; 3-6 foot spread
Plant this multi-stemmed shrub in a wildlife or mixed shrub border to show its small masses of flowers followed by showy fruit. When planted in full sun, foliage will be deep red in fall. It can spread by root suckers forming colonies. Drought tolerant once established and tolerates occasional flooding.
Garden Companions
Cinnamon Fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum), Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis), Steeple Bush (Spirea tomentosa), Speckled Alder (Alnus incana), Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), Grass-leaved Goldenrod (Euthamia graminifolia)
Nature Benefits
• Showy fruits attract birds in winter.
• Offers nectar for bees and other pollinating insects.
Native Habitat
Occurs in bogs, wet thickets, margins of ponds and lakes, woods.
Photos
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Grass
• Sunlight: Sun, Part Shade
• Soils: Average, dry
• Bloom Time: Non-flowering
• Size: 1-3 feet in height; 8-24 inch spread
This ubiquitous Cape Cod grass makes a beautiful native choice for an ornamental grass in the landscape. Blue-green stems in summer are followed by golden brown stems with airy seed heads in fall and winter. Drought tolerant but can do well in moist situations.
Garden Companions
Big Bluestem grass (Andropogon virginicus), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Black- eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta)
Nature Benefits
• Larval host for several skipper butterflies.
• Seeds are eaten by songbirds.
• Food source for grasshoppers, leaf-mining beetles, thrips, spittlebugs, and leafhoppers.
• Provides cover for bumble bee queens to make their underground nests.
Native Habitat
Occurs in meadows, fields, roadsides, open areas.
Photos
Teaberry
Gaultheria procumbens
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Shade, Part Shade
• Soils: Average, dry
• Bloom Time: White flowers in June, July, August
• Size: 1-4 inches in height; 6-12 inch spread
Plant evergreen Teaberry as a low, woody, ground cover. Grows and flowers best in sunny openings with light shade during midday. Showy red fruits may persist through the winter on the colony forming plants. Wintergreen flavoring originated with this plant. Drought tolerant.
Garden Companions
Hillside Blueberry (Vaccinium pallidum), Partridge-berry (Mitchella repens), Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia), Common Star-grass (Hypoxis hirsuta), Canada-mayflower (Maianthemum canadense), Flax-leaved Stiff-aster (Ionactis linariifolia)
Nature Benefits
• Provides food for birds, foxes, and small mammals in winter.
Native Habitat
Occurs in forest edges, pine and oak forests, meadows or fields, bogs.
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial • Sunlight: Sun, Part Shade • Soils: Average to moist • Bloom Time: Deep violet to pink flowers appear in August, September • Size: 3-4 feet in height Two adaptations of being a meadow plant are that it wants to grow tall and the lowest leaves will die out at the bottom. However, it can be pinched back a few times before mid-July so it will blossom on shorter stems.
Garden Companions
Small Yellow Wild Indigo (Baptisia tinctoria), Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Anise Scent Goldenrod (Solidago odoro), Little Bluestem Grass (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Nature Benefits
• Supports pollinators in late summer fall when they need sustenance most. • Host plant for the caterpillars of the Pearl Crescent. • Songbirds and small mammals eat the seeds. • Supports bee specialists in the Adrena genus.
Native Habitat
Occurs in meadows, old fields, and stream banks. Download Plant Datasheet
Photos
Barren Strawberry
Waldsteinia fragarioides
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun, Part Shade
• Soils: Sandy, well-drained to clay and medium loam, dry to moist
• Bloom Time: Yellow flowers in May, June
• Size: 3-6 inches in height; 6-12 inch spread
Plant the tough, semi-evergreen Barren Strawberry as a woodland ground cover. It will naturalize via rhizomes and out-compete weeds. Although called strawberry, the fruit is neither fleshy nor edible. Deer resistant.
Garden Companions
Small Yellow Wild Indigo (Baptisia tinctoria), Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Mapleleaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), White Wood Aster (Eurybia divaricata), Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), Slender Woodland Sedge (Carex digitalis)
Nature Benefits
• May support pollinators.
• Provides cover for ground-nesting bees.
Native Habitat
Occurs in woods, thickets, fields, and uplands bordering calcareous wetland communities.
Photos
Seaside Goldenrod
Solidago sempervirens
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Sun
• Soils: Sandy, average moisture to dry
• Bloom Time: Yellow flowers in August, September, October
• Size: 2-6 feet in height; 2-3 foot spread
Perennial with low maintenance is perfect in a pollinator garden and ornamental flower bed. Spreads easily by seeds but does not become invasive. This goldenrod has almost succulent leaves to protect against winds and salt spray. Drought tolerant. Salt spray tolerant. Pinch the growing tips in June for a more compact plant in gardens.
Garden Companions
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae), Brown Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba)
Nature Benefits
• Food source for migrating monarch butterflies.
• Attracts songbirds, other butterflies, and small mammals.
Native Habitat
Occurs on coastal beaches, dunes, and marshes.
Photos
Lady Fern
Athyrium filix-femina
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Part Shade, Shade
• Soils: Well-drained soils, moist to dry
• Bloom Time: Non-flowering
• Size: 1-2 feet in height; 12-18 inch spread
Plant low maintenance Lady Fern in perennial borders, moist nooks, low spots, and woodland gardens. Typically grows in full to part shade in drier soils than most ferns, and it can tolerate full sun if kept cool and soil is moist. Like most ferns it is deer resistant. Upright stems are green or red.
Garden Companions
Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense), Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum), Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis), Jack-in-the Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)
Nature Benefits
• No known direct benefits to wildlife.
Native Habitat
Occurs in river or stream floodplains, forests, swamps, woodlands.
Photos
Partridge Pea
Chamaecrista fasciculata
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Annual
• Sunlight: Sun, Part Shade
• Soils: Sandy, well-drained, dry to moist
• Bloom Time: Yellow flowers in July, August, September
• Size: 1-3 feet in height; 6-12 in spread
This is a native annual. Plant to establish disturbed sites, as part of a wildflower meadow or border. Partridge Pea is also called Sensitive Plant because its leaves collapse when touched. The annual readily self-seeds. It is easily shaded out by larger plants. As a legume, Partridge Pea fixes nitrogen.
Garden Companions
Small Yellow Wild Indigo (Baptisia tinctoria), Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Mapleleaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), White Wood Aster (Eurybia divaricata), Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), Slender Woodland Sedge (Carex digitalis)
Nature Benefits
• Seed pods provide food for birds and small wildlife
• Offers nectar for bumble bees, butterflies, and ants
• Larval host for cloudless giant sulphur, orange sulphur, and sleepy orange butterflies
Native Habitat
Occurs in dry fields and clearings, meadows, and roadsides
Photos
Golden Groundsel
Packera aurea
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Prefers full sun to shade.
• Soils: Moist to dry
• Bloom Time: Spring blossoms – April, May, June
• Size: 1 foot in height
Also called Golden Ragwort and Butterweed, this rugged plant can handle tough places like rain gardens. It self-seeds and spreads by rhizomes. The foliage is green most of the year and stays low to the ground. In early spring, the aster-like flowers present on 1ft stems above the foliage in a stunning display of yellow-gold.
Garden Companions
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis), Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)
Nature Benefits
• Nectar and pollen attract small bees, such as little carpenter bees, cuckoo bees, and various halictid bees.
Native Habitat
Occurs naturally in openings in moist to dry woodlands, areas along woodland paths and abandoned fields.
Photos
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Full to part sun
• Soils: Medium to Moist
• Bloom Time: July, August
• Size: 3-4 feet in height
Short-lived, doesn’t compete well with more aggressive vegetation. It self-seeds readily and is easy to germinate.
Garden Companions
Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum), Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum), Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana), Turtlehead (Chelone glabra)
Nature Benefits
• Pollinators will visit.
• Seeds are valuable to small mammals and birds.
Native Habitat
Occurs in marshes, swamp margins, and ditches.
Photos
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Full sun, partial shade
• Soils: Well-drained sandy soils
• Bloom Time: Pink to purple flowers in June, July, August
• Size: 3-4 feet in height
Drought tolerant. Fragrant flowers! Plant in area where rhizomes can spread. Seed pods release seeds in late summer and fall.
Garden Companions
Rose Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)
Nature Benefits
• Pollinator magnet! Attracts a variety of insects including Milkweed Bugs and Oleander Aphids that don’t hurt the plant.
• Host plant for the caterpillars of the Monarch Butterfly and the Tussock Moth.
Native Habitat
Occurs naturally in fields, meadows, abandoned lots and roadsides.
Photos
Common Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Full to part sun
• Soils: Sandy to clay, needs consistent moisture
• Bloom Time: White flowers from June, July, August
• Size: 3-6 feet in height, 2 foot spread
Use in border and wildflower gardens, around banks of a pond, wildflower meadow, pollinator garden, rain garden. Useful in habitat restoration projects.
Garden Companions
Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata), Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum), Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum)
Nature Benefits
• Pollinator magnet. Butterflies and bees are attracted to the flowers.
• Host plant for caterpillars of the Lined Ruby Tiger Moth (Phragmatobia lineate), Burdock Borer Moth (Papaipema cataphracta), Three-lined Flower Moth (Schinia trifascia).
Native Habitat
Occurs in marshes, swamp margins, stream banks, and shores of rivers or lakes.
Photos
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Partial to full shade
• Soils: Dry to moist
• Bloom Time: Lavender or pink flowers in April, May, June
• Size: 1-2 feet
Also called Cranesbill. Its seed capsule is explosive. As a woodland native, Geranium maculatum does prefer some shade.
Plants grow in clumps and can form a groundcover. Its seed capsule is explosive.
Garden Companions
Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense), Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum), Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum)
Nature Benefits
• Seed heads attract songbirds.
• Value to bumble bees and other native bees, butterflies, and other insects.
Native Habitat
Occurs in woods, roadsides, and fields. Download Plant Datasheet
Photos
Mistflower
Conoclinium coelestinum
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Prefers full sun to part shade.
• Soils: Prefers medium to wet soils, rich in organic matter which do not dry out.
• Bloom Time: Lavender-blue flowers in July, August, September
• Size: 1-2 feet in height
The root system will spread to form colonies and can spread aggressively in moist open ground, but not problematic. Flowers have no scent. Flower resembles the annual purple ageratum. Taller plants can be cut back in summer to prevent flopping.
Garden Companions
Blue Stemmed Goldenrod (Solidago caesia); White Wood Aster (Eurybia divarcatus)
Nature Benefits
• Attracts long-tongued bees, butterflies, skippers, short-tongued bees, various flies, moths, and beetles. Insects seek nectar primarily, although the bees often collect pollen.
• Host plant for caterpillars of such moths as the Clymene Moth (Haploa clymene), Lined Ruby Tiger Moth (Phragmatobia lineata), Three-lined Flower Moth (Schinia trifascia).
Native Habitat
Occurs naturally in wet meadows, along streams, in ditches.
Golden Alexanders
Zizea aurea
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Prefers full sun to part shade.
• Soils: Moist to average moisture
• Bloom Time: Spring blossoms – April, May, June
• Size: 1-2 feet in height
Tolerates drier summer soils, provided it receives moist soils in early spring. In the carrot family, the plant is care-free, and is capable of self-pollination. It is an important early flowering plant for beneficial insects.
Garden Companions
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis), Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)
Nature Benefits
• May host caterpillars of the Black Swallowtail butterfly
• Flowers are attractive to many kinds of insects seeking pollen or nectar, especially short-tongued bees, such as green metallic bees and andrenid bees, wasps, flies, and beetles. Other insects include valuable predator wasps, small butterflies, and long-tongued bumblebees.
Native Habitat
Occurs naturally in openings in moist to dry woodlands, areas along woodland paths and abandoned fields.
Photos
Wild Quinine
Parthenium integrifolium
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Full sun to partial shade
• Soils: wide range of soil types
• Bloom Time: Summer- June, July, August – dense clusters of pure white flowers
• Size: 3-5 feet in height
Makes a great cut flower. Foliage is aromatic. Native Americans used wild quinine for medicinal and veterinary purposes. The leaves contain tannin, which is thought to be beneficial for treating burns.
Garden Companions
Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa); Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Nature Benefits
• Attracts pollinators
Native Habitat
In Massachusetts occurs naturally in central part of the state, found in dry fields, open wooded areas, rocky woods, and hillsides.
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Prefers full sun to part shade.
• Soils: Moist, well-drained soils
• Bloom Time: Late summer blossoms – July, August, September; vivid blue flower
• Size: 1-3 feet in height, 1 foot spread
In average soil conditions, you may need to water occasionally—don’t let it dry out. Most striking when planted in mass, rather than a single plant. Pollinators love it.
Garden Companions
Flowering Spurge (Euphorbia corollata); Flat-topped Aster (Aster umbellatus); Spotted Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum); White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra)
Nature Benefits
• Bumblebees, other bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies
Native Habitat
Occurs naturally in swamps and wet meadows.
Photos
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Part shade to full shade
• Soils: Well-drained and average moisture
• Bloom Time: Spring blossoms – April, May, June; flower is bell-shaped red spurs with a yellow center
• Size: 1-2 feet in height, 1 foot spread
May go dormant in mid-summer. Although a perennial, it readily self-seeds. Leave the seed heads or collect and spread the seeds where you want more Columbine in your garden.
Garden Companions
Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea), Wild Geranium (Geranium maculata), Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)
Nature Benefits
• The spurs contain nectar that attracts long-tongued bees and moths, and hummingbirds who are specially adapted to reach the nectar.
• Seeds are consumed by finches and buntings.
• Host to the caterpillar of the Columbine Duskywing (Erynnis lucilius)
Native Habitat
Occurs naturally in rich rocky woods, north-facing slopes, cliffs, ledges, pastures, and roadsides.
Photos
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Full sun to part shade
• Soils: A wide range from moist to dry, organically rich, well-drained sand, loam, clay.
• Bloom Time: Lavender flowers bloom in July, August, September
• Size: 1-3 feet in height; 3 foot spread
Easy to grow in a perennial border, wildflower garden or meadow. A great naturalizing wildflower and a magnet for butterflies and hummingbirds. Leave the seed heads.
Garden Companions
Spotted Bee Balm (Monarda punctata), Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum), New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), Blue Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis)
Nature Benefits
• Attracts long-tongued bees, bee flies, butterflies, skippers, and hummingbird moths
• Birds eat the seeds
• Host plant for the Raspberry Pyrausta Moth
Native Habitat
Occurs in dry open woods, fields, wet meadows and ditches, edges of woods and marshes
Photos