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Landscaping with Plants Native to Indiana

Landscape Uses - Perennials, Trees & Shrubs, Butterfly Food, Bird Habitat, Rain Garden, Autumn Color, Winter Interest, Ground Covers, Erosion Control

Perennials - Tidy, showy natives to mingle with other ornamentals in the perennial bed
Scientific Name Common Name
FLOWER
Allium cernuum Nodding onion
Amsonia tabernaemontana Blue star willow
Aquilegia canadensis Columbine
Asclepias incarnata Marsh milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly weed
Baptisia australis False blue indigo
Dodecatheon meadia Shooting star
Echinacea purpurea Purple coneflower
Eutrochium (Eupatorium) maculatus Joe-pye weed
Filipendula rubra Queen-of-the-prairie
Geranium maculatum Wild geranium
Hibiscus moscheutos Swamp rose mallow
Liatris pycnostachya Prarie blazing star
Liatris spicata Dense blazing star
Oenothera tetragona Sundrops
Penstemon digitalis Penstemon
Phlox paniculata Garden phlox
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium Aromatic aster
Solidago flexicaulis Zigzag goldenrod
Tradescantia ohiensis Spiderwort
Veronicastrum virginicum Culver's root
   
GRASS
Bouteloua curtipendula Sideoats gramma
Carex emoryi Riverbank tussock sedge
Sisyrinchium angustifolium Blue-eyed grass
Sporobolus heterolepsis Prairie dropseed

 

Trees & Shrubs - Garden-worthy natives for solo display or to cluster in a hedge or foundation planting
Scientific Name Common Name
Amelanchier laevis Serviceberry
Cercis canadensis Redbud
Crataegus viridis Hawthorn
Hydrangea arborescens Smooth hydrangea
Ilex verticillata Winterberry holly
Lonicera reticulata Grape honeysuckle
Physocarpus opulifolius Ninebark
Rhus aromatica Fragrant sumac
Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis(Sambucus canadensis) Elderberry
   

 

Butterfly Food - Host plants for butterfly larvae and nectar plants to feed the adults
Scientific Name Common Name
FLOWER
Asclepias incarnata Marsh milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly weed
Coreopsis tripteris Tall coreopsis
Eutrochium (Eupatorium) fistulosus  Hollow joe-pye weed
Eutrochium (Eupatorium) purpureum  Sweet joe-pye weed
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae New England aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium Aromatic aster
Vernonia gigantea ssp. gigantea Ironweed
SHRUB
Cephalanthus occidentalis Buttonbush
Hydrangea arborescens Smooth hydrangea
Lindera benzoin Spicebush
Viburnum dentatum Arrowwood viburnum
Viburnum lentago Nannyberry
Viburnum opulus var. americanum (Viburnum trilobum) American cranberrybush
GRASS
Elymus hystrix (Hystrix patula) Bottlebrush grass
VINE
Aristolochia tomentosa Woolly dutchman's pipe
Bignonia capreolata Crossvine

 

Bird Habitat - Dense cover and berries offering shelter and sustenance to our feathered friends
Scientific Name Common Name
Amelanchier laevis Serviceberry
Cornus drummondii Roughleaf dogwood
Cornus racemosa Gray dogwood
Photinia melanocarpa Black chokeberry
Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis(Sambucus canadensis) Elderberry
Thuja occidentalis Eastern arborvitae
Viburnum dentatum Arrowwood viburnum
Viburnum lentago Nannyberry
Viburnum opulus var. americanum (Viburnum trilobum) American cranberrybush

 

Autumn Color - Natives whose leaves blaze with color in the fall
Scientific Name Common Name
Amelanchier laevis Serviceberry
Cornus drummondii Roughleaf dogwood
Hydrangea arborescens Smooth hydrangea
Lindera benzoin Spicebush
Parthenocissus quinquefolia Virginia creeper
Photinia melanocarpa Black chokeberry
Rhus aromatica Fragrant sumac
Rhus copallinum Winged sumac
Viburnum dentatum Arrowwood viburnum
Viburnum lentago Nannyberry
Viburnum opulus var. americanum (Viburnum trilobum) American cranberrybush

 

Winter Interest - Shapes, textures and seed pods to enliven the winter landscape
Scientific Name Common Name
Amsonia tabernaemontana Blue star willow
Bouteloua curtipendula Sideoats gramma
Carex stricta Tussock sedge
Chasmanthium latifolium Northern sea oats
Cornus drummondii Roughleaf dogwood
Cornus racemosa Gray dogwood
Echinacea purpurea Purple coneflower
Elymus hysrix (Hystrix patula) Bottlebrush grass
Hamamelis virginiana Witchhazel
Ilex verticillata Winterberry holly
Juncus effusus Soft rush
Panicum virgatum Switch grass
Rudbeckia hirta Black-eyed susan
Schizachyrium scoparium Little bluestem
Sorghastrum nutans Indian grass
Sporobolus heterolepis Prairie dropseed

 

Ground Covers
Scientific Name Common Name
SUN
Callirhoe triangulata Clustered poppy mallow
SHADE
Asarum canadense Wild ginger
Parthenocissus quinquefolia Virginia creeper
Polemonium reptens Jacob's ladder
Sedum ternatum Wild stonecrop
Sisyrinchium albidum White blue-eyed grass
Sisyrinchium angustifolium Blue-eyed grass

 

Erosion Control
Scientific Name Common Name
Rhus aromatica Fragrant sumac

 

Rain Garden - Deep-rooted natives that enable stormwater to percolate naturally into the soil
See Water's Edge plant list