Planting Natives

I've decided to plant more natives and wildflowers in my Virginia suburban garden (Zone 7-A).

No, I'm not getting rid of all non-native ornamentals  (such as Russian Sage, Brazilian Verbena, and others)-- as many of them can be workhorses in the garden, are not threats to the environment, and attract birds, bees and butterflies...which is my ongoing goal. But I have pulled out some 'known' invasives, such as Butterfly Bush, Vinca, Burning Bush, English Ivy (among others) and have been introducing (and learning about) many native plants that will (hopefully) thrive here in my northern Virginia gardens.

I plan to document all of the native plants that I have added, and invite you to come along and share my discoveries as I learn to plant native! Feel free to share your knowledge and experiences with me by leaving a comment!

Here are a few North American native plants that I have planted and are currently in my garden, with highlighted links directed to posts I've written or featured a particular North American native in my garden. (I'm still working on locating and ID'ing more in the garden to add that are not yet here on the list...I did not always keep records in the past!)


Achillea Moonshine/Yarrow (hybrid cultivar)
Actaea pachypoda A.alba/White Baneberry
Actaea racemosa/Cimicifuga ramosa (Black Snakeroot, Black Bugbane)
Agastache 'Blue Fortune' Agastache x hybrid: A native cultivar, Anise Hyssop is a cross between: ( A.          rugosum and A. foeniculum)
Agastache foeniculum, aka 'Anise Hyssop, Blue Giant Hyssop
  also : 'Blue Boa', 'Purple Pygmy', 'Summer Glow'

Amelanchier canadensis (Serviceberry; Eastern Shadbush)
Amelanchier arborea (Serviceberry; Downy Shadbush
Amsonia x 'Blue Ice'
Amsonia tabernaemontana 'Montana'/Blue Star
Anemone multifida (Windflower) Annabella 'Deep Rose'
Anemone virginiana  (Thimbleweed)
Anemone thalictroides (Rue anemone)

Aquilegia caerulea (Rocky Mountain Blue Columbine)
Aquilegia canadensis (Wild Columbine)
 'Corbett' / Columbine,Dwarf Yellow 

  "Little Lanterns"..Dwarf columbine, Red
Arisaema triphyllum - Jack in the Pulpit
Aronia melanocarpa (Black Chokeberry)
Aruncus (Goatsbeard)
Asarum arifolium/Wild Ginger
Asarum canadense/Canadian Wild Ginger or Snakeroot
Asclepias (Milkweed)
  Asclepias incarnata 'rose'
  Asclepias-exaltata
  Asclepias-purpurascens
  sclepias-tuberosa-yellow/gold
  Asclepias-variegata

Aster nova-angliae/New England Aster

Baptisia australis (Blue False Indigo)
  also: 'Purple Smoke'
  
Callicarpa americana (American Beautyberry bush)
Cephalanthus occidentalis (Common Buttonbush)
Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud)
Chelone lyonii/Turtlehead
Chionanthus virginicus (White Fringetree)
Chrysogonum virginianum (Green and Gold)
Claytonia virginica (Spring Beauty)
Clematis virginiana (Virgins Bower)
Clintonia umbellulata/Bead Lily, White Clintonia
Conoclinium coelestinum (Mist Flower)
Coreopsis
Corylus americana (American Hazelnut)
Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood, white & pink forms)
Cornus sericea (Redosier Dogwood, aka Red Twig Dogwood)


Dicentra eximia/Fringed Bleeding Heart
Dodecatheon meadia / Shooting Stars
Dryopteris marginalis (Woodfern)

Echinacea purpurea
 varities: and cultivars:
  'pixie meadowbright'
  'kim's knee high'
 'magnus'
  'coconut lime'
  'pink double delight'
Erythronium americanum/Trout Lily
Erythronium albidum (White Trout Lily)
Eupatorium purpureum ("Little Joe" -- Dwarf Joe Pye Weed)
Eurybia divaricata (White Wood Aster)
Eutrochium purpureum (Sweet Joe Pye Weed)

Fothergilla gardenii (dwarf Fothergilla)

Gaillardia aristata 'Arizona Sun'/Blanket Flower
Gaura lindheimeri 'Whirling Butterflies'
Geranium maculatum (Wild Geranium or Wood Geranium)

Hamamelis virginiana/Witch Hazel (fall blooming)
Helenium x 'Rubinzwerg'/Dwarf Helen's Flower, Sneezewood

Helianthus salicifolius 'Low Down'/Dwarf Perennial Sunflower; Willow Leafed Sunflower

Helianthus angustifolia 'Gold Lace'/Swamp Sunflower
Helianthus angustifolia 'Shorty'
Heliopsis scabra 'Summer Sun'/False Sunflower, Oxeye Daisy

Hepatica acutiloba f. rosea/Sharp-lobed hepatica

Hepatica nobilis (var. obtusa)/Round-lobed hepatica;Anemone americana

Hepatica nobilis (var. acuta)

Heuchera/Coral Bells

  many varieties:

  micrantha ‘Palace Purple’

Heucherella 'Stoplight' (Hybrid Cross between Heuchera and Tiarella)

Hydrangea arborescens (Smooth Hydrangea)
Hydrangea quercifolia (Oak Leaf Hydrangea)
Hypoxis hirsuta (yellow star grass)

Ilex verticillata (American Winterberry, male & female)
Iris cristata (dwarf crested iris)

Iris virginica (Virginia iris)
Itea virginica/Sweetspire 'Little Henry' 


Kalmia latifolia (Mountain Laurel)

Liatris spicata (Blazing Star, Gayfeather)
  also: 'Kobold'
Lindera benzoin (Spicebush)
Lobelia cardinalis/Cardinal Flower (Red Lobelia)
Lobelia siphilitica/Cardinal Flower (Great Blue Lobelia)
Lonicera sempervirens (Coral Red Honeysuckle)

Magnolia virginiana (Sweetbay Magnolia)
Mertensia virginica/Virginia Bluebells
Monarda didyma (Bee Balm)
Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergemot)
Muhlenbergia capillaris (Pink Muhly Grass)

Oenothera fruiticosa (Sundrops, Narrowleaf Evening Primrose)
  also: ssp glauca 'Fireworks' and 'Cold Crick'
Oenothera kunthiana 'Glowing Magenta'*Native to Texas & Arizona/introduced elsewhere
Oenothera speciosa 'Siskiyou'*Native to Central US, introduced elsewhere
Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitive Fern)
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum (Cinnamon Fern)

Packera aurea (Golden Ragwort, Golden Groundsel) *aka Senecio aureus
Penstemon ''Fireworks' and 'Prairie Twilight' and 
  "Husker's Red"
Phlox divaricata (Sweet William,Woodland Phlox)
Phlox paniculata (Summer Phlox)
Phlox pilosa (Downy phlox)
Phlox stolonifera (Creeping Phlox)...shade.
Phlox subulata (Moss Phlox)...sun.
Photinia melanocarpa (Black Chokeberry)
Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant)
Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple)
Polygonatum biflorum. Native Solomon's Seal
Polymonium reptans(Jacob's Ladder)
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas Fern)
Pycnanthemum tenuifolium (Narrow-leaved Mountain Mint)

Rhododendron arborescens (Smooth azalea)
Rhododendron atlanticum x R. periclymenoides x R. austrinum (Azalea "My Mary")
Rhododendron austrinum (Florida azalea) *died
Rhododendron calendulaceum (Flame azalea) 
Rhododendron catawbiense (Native evergreen Rhododendron) *died
Rhododendron periclymenoides (Pinxterbloom azalea)
Rhododendron prunifolium (Plumleaf azalea)
Rhododendron viscosum (Swamp azalea)
Rhododendrun  'Rocket' (Eurasian and US Hybrid)
Rhus copallina/Dwarf sumac *died
Rudbeckia hirta (Black-eyed Susan)
Rudbeckia fulgida (Orange Coneflower)
Rudbeckia laciniata (Cut-leaved Coneflower)

Rudbeckia triloba (Three-lobed Coneflower)

Salvia greggi 'Flame '/Autumn Sage

                    'Wild Thing' 

Salvia longispicata x farinacea 'balsalmisp'/Mystic Spires, Blue Salvia
Sambucus canadensis (American Elderberry)
Sanguinaria canadensis/ Bloodroot

Senecio aureus (Golden Grounsel, Squaw Weed)
Sisyrinchium angustifolium  -- Blue-eyed Grass
Solidago caesia (Wreath Goldenrod/Bluestem Goldenrod)
Solidago flexicaulis (Zigzag Goldenrod)
Solidago nemoralis (Dwarf Goldenrod)
Sphaeralcea coccinea/Scarlett Globe Mallow

Spigelia marilandica/Woodland pinkroot, Indian Pink

Stylophorum diphyllum / Celandine Poppy, Wood Poppy

Symphyotrichum laeve (Smooth Blue Aster)

Tiarella cordifolia  / Foamflower
  a few native cultivars, as well: 'Elizabeth Oliver' and "Brandywine".
Thalictrum thalictroides -- Rue Anenome
Tradescantia virginiana (Spiderwort)
Trillium catesbaei/Rosy or Pink Wakerobin
Trillium cuneatum / Trillium, Little Sweet Betsy

Trillium erectum/Red Wakerobin or Stinking Benjamin
Trillium flexipes / Trillium, Bent

Trillium grandiflorum/White Wakerobin
Trillium luteum / Yellow Wakerobin

Trillium pusillum/Dwarf Wakerobin

Trillium recurvatum/Bloody Butchar, Red Trillium

Trillium sessile/Red Trillium or Sessile Flowered Wake Robin, also called Toad Shade

Uvularia perfoliata (Bellworts)

Vaccinium corymbosum (Highbush Blueberry)
Vibernum dentatum (Arrowwood viburnum)
Viburnum trilobum (American cranberrybush viburnum)
Viola canadensis (White Violet)
Viola pedata (Birdsfoot Violet)
Viola sororia (Blue Violet)
Viola striata (Striped Violet)

Zizea aurea (Golden Alexander)

There are many more North American native plants in my gardens, which I will gradually feature in posts and  link them here. Some I have already included in posts but it takes a great deal of time to sort through them and list them here, so for now this page remains incomplete.

I'm also thinking a lot about the differences between:

• Native cultivars and hybrids
• Non-natives that are workhorses in my garden and I wouldn't do without.

The Virginia Native Plant Society lists the following as Alien Invasive Species here in Virginia. I have done my best to rid my yard of them. Unfortunately, I'm never going to be completely free of the vinca. You can't kill it!

Landscape Plants That Are Alien Invasive Species in Virginia 

The following list contains alien invasive plants that are grown and/or used in  the Horticulture/Nursery industry. Plants that are not grown and distributed through the industry (such as Alliaria petiolata, Garlic Mustard) do not appear on this list.  This list was composed from the Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council list of alien invasive plant species. Please see http://www.invasive.org/maweeds.cfm for the complete list. A majority of the following plants are reported as invasive in Virginia. The few that are not reported appear on this list because they are reported as invasive in multiple neighboring states (Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and/or Pennsylvania). Please note that cultivars of these plants also can be invasive. 

Trees 

Acer platanoides Norway Maple

Albizia julibrissin Mimosa 

Melia azedarach Chinaberry 

Morus alba White Mulberry 

Phellodendron amurense Amur Corktree 

Populus alba White Poplar 

Pyrus calleryana Callery, Ornamental or Bradford Pear 

Quercus acutissima Sawtooth Oak 

Salix alba White Willow 

Ulmus pulmia Siberian Elm 

Shrubs 

Berberis thunbergii Japanese Barberry *I have removed this bush from my yard

Buddleja davidii Butterfly Bush *I have removed mine

Cytisus scoparius Scotch Broom 

Deutzia scabra Fuzzy Deutzia 

Elaeagnus angustifolia Oleaster or Russian Olive 

Elaeagnus pungens Thorny Olive 

Elaeagnus umbellata Autumn Olive 

Euonymus alatus Burning Bush *I have removed this shrub from my yard

Euonymus europaeus European Spindletree 

Hibiscus syriacus Rose of Sharon 

Lespedeza bicolor Shrubby Lespedeza 

Ligustrum amurense Amur Privet 

Ligustrum obtusifolium Border Privet 

Ligustrum ovalifolium California Privet Shrubs Cont’d 

Ligustrum sinense Chinese Privet 

Ligustrum vulgare European or Common Privet 

Lonicera fragrantissima Winter Honeysuckle 

Lonicera standishii Standish or Fragrant Honeysuckle 

 Lonicera tatarica Tatarian Honeysuckle 

Rhodotypos scandens Jetbead 

Rosa wichuraiana Memorial Rose 

Spiraea japonica Japanese Spiraea 

Viburnum dilatatum Linden Viburnum 

Vitex rotundifolia Beach Vitex 

Vines/Groundcovers 

Akebia quinata Chocolate Vine or Five-leaf Akebia 

Ampelopsis brevipedunculata Porcelain Berry or Amur Peppervine 

Clematis terniflora Sweet Autumn Virgins Bower 

 Or C. dioscoreifolia, C. maximowicziana, C. paniculata 

Euonymus fortunei Wintercreeper *I have tried to remove, although it is difficult to totally eradicate

Hedera helix English Ivy *I have removed mine from fence line and trees. Keeping watch.

Ipomoea purpurea Common Morning-glory 

Lonicera japonica Japanese Honeysuckle

 Lysimachia nummularia Creeping Jenny or Moneywort 

Vinca major Large Periwinkle *I have tried to remove but difficult to thoroughly eradicate

Vinca minor Common Periwinkle *Tried to remove, it's an ongoing process...difficult to remove entirely

Wisteria floribunda Japanese Wisteria 

Wisteria sinensis Chinese Wisteria 

Perennials 

Ajuga reptans Carpet Bugle *Still have small patches of  v. 'Chocolate Chip' and a pink variety that both stay contained

Artemisia vulgaris Mugwort 

Polygonum cuspidatum Knotweed or Fleeceflower 

 or Fallopia japonica

Iris pseudacorus Yellowflag Iris 

 *Lythrum salicaria Purple Loosestrife 

 *Lythrum virgatum European Wand Loosestrife 

Myriophyllum aquaticum Parrot Feather 

Grasses 

Arundo donax Giant Reed 

Imperata cylindrical Cogongrass or Japanese Blood Grass 

Miscanthus sinensis Maiden Grass or Chinese Silvergrass 

Phalaris arundinaceae Ribbon Grass or Reed Canarygrass Grasses Cont’d 

Phragmites australis Common Reed 

Phyllostachys sp. Bamboo 

Annuals/Biennials 

Hesperis matronalis Dame’s Rocket 

Perilla frutescens Beefsteak Plant or Perilla Mint 

* These plants are state wide noxious weeds in accordance with the Code of Virginia Chapter 8 that states “No person shall move, transport, deliver, ship, or offer for shipment into or within the commonwealth any noxious weed, or part thereof, without first obtaining a permit from the Commissioner.” 

List compiled by the State Arboretum of Virginia at Blandy Experimental Farm, 400 Blandy Farm Lane, Boyce, VA 22620 -- 12/2010