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Native Plants

Featuring American Beauties Native Plants

Botanical Name     Common Name
A B C D E F-G H I J-L M-O P Q R S T U-Z ALL

Acorus americanus

sweetflag

Acorus americanus is a hardy perennial swamp or bog plant with sweet, spicy-scented leaves. Spadix-like flowers appear in June and July, followed by dark berries. Found at water's edge from Nova Scotia to Virginia to Washington to Alaska. Great for stabilizing pond edges or filling a boggy area.

Acorus americanus '' sweetflag from North Creek Nurseries

Adiantum pedatum

northern maidenhair

Dainty, bright green fronds are held aloft on shiny black stems, creating a light, airy texture in the woodland garden. In rich soil and bright shade it will spread by shallow rhizomes to form a dense groundcover. Found in the humus-rich woodlands and moist woods of Eastern North America. Easy to grow as long as the soil is loose and rich.

Adiantum pedatum '' northern maidenhair from North Creek Nurseries

Agastache foeniculum

anise hyssop

An upright, clump-forming perennial native to parts of the upper Midwest and Great Plains region. Lavender to purple flowers are densely packed along showy, cylindrical, terminal spikes mid to late summer. Medium green, lanceolate foliage remains clean throughout the season and carries a refreshing anise scent, attracting hummingbirds and butterflies.

Agastache foeniculum '' anise hyssop from North Creek Nurseries

Allium cernuum

nodding onion
Found on ledges, in dry meadows, gravel, rocky or wooded slopes, this delicate onion has gently nodding pink flowers in late spring. Beautiful in the garden or naturalized in a meadow. Easy, dependable and very drought tolerant once established.
Allium cernuum '' nodding onion from North Creek Nurseries

Amsonia hubrichtii

threadleaf bluestar

A graceful and long-lived native plant with very fine foliage, clusters of steel blue flowers in May and June on an upright, bushy plant. Excellent golden fall color. Thrives in full sun or part shade. No insect or pest problems. Found in Arkansas in 1942 by Leslie Hubricht.

Amsonia hubrichtii '' threadleaf bluestar from North Creek Nurseries

Andropogon gerardii

big bluestem

The king of native grasses, big bluestem has handsome gray to blue-green stems in spring, turning to green alternating with deep red in summer, then to coppery red in fall. Three-fingered seed heads top tall stems in August. Clump forming with excellent drought tolerance once established. Found naturally in moist meadows and along side roads and rivers from Canada to Mexico.

Andropogon gerardii '' big bluestem from North Creek Nurseries

Andropogon virginicus

broomsedge

An easy-to-grow, clump-forming, native warm season grass with incredible golden copper fall color. A pioneer soil stabilizing plant that does well in poor, infertile areas and surprisingly well in floodplains. It's wonderful for xeriscaping and restoration projects, or in coastal areas. The attractive fall and winter stems make a unique addition to cut flower arrangements!

Andropogon virginicus '' broomsedge from North Creek Nurseries

Anemone canadensis

Canadian anemone

A strong-growing plant that needs room to move. Clear white single flowers top out at 18" from mid spring to early summer. A robust and competitive native plant that brightens up woodland edges and shady corners of the garden. Combines well with other spring-blooming perennials such as Polemonium, Sisyrinchium and Mertensia.

Anemone canadensis '' Canadian anemone from North Creek Nurseries

Antennaria plantaginifolia

pussytoes

Looking for a tough groundcover that thrives in full sun, dry, and lean soils? Need it to be low-growing with an attractive but discrete foliage? Then, look no further. Antennaria plantaginifolia fills that niche with style. Native to the eastern United States, this little plant is great in an open woodland edge, rocky slope, rock gardens, or prairie.

Antennaria plantaginifolia '' pussytoes from North Creek Nurseries

Aquilegia canadensis

wild columbine

Red flowers with yellow centers hang like drifts of softly illuminated lanterns in April and May. Excellent as a shady rock garden naturalizer, it also is quite content in average garden conditions. Occurs naturally in rich rocky woods, north-facing slopes, cliffs, ledges, pastures, and roadside banks. Native to all states east of the Rockies, but not found in Louisiana.

Aquilegia canadensis '' wild columbine from North Creek Nurseries

Aquilegia canadensis 'Little Lanterns'

dwarf wild columbine

'Little Lanterns' is short in stature, but free with flowers! Numerous pendant flowers of red and yellow cover the plant in late spring. This selection resolves a few grievances that some have expressed about Aquilegia canadensis by having consistantly shorter stature and more intense color than the species.

Aquilegia canadensis 'Little Lanterns' dwarf wild columbine from North Creek Nurseries

Aquilegia canadensis 'Corbett'

wild columbine

Profuse show of butter-yellow, lantern-shaped flowers from April to May. Its short stature, delicate color and mid spring bloom time make it an ideal companion for spring bulbs! It was spotted by Lawrence Clemens who asked that it be named after the Corbett Historic District which is near Monkton in Baltimore County, Maryland. Bluemount Nurseries, of Monkton, MD was the first to offer this charming local Aquilegia to the market. 

Aquilegia canadensis 'Corbett' wild columbine from North Creek Nurseries

Aruncus dioicus

goat's beard, bride's feathers

A fantastic native with large, fine-textured feathery blooms in late Spring. Though closely related to Spiraea, goat's beard more closely resembles a giant Astilbe. When happy, Aruncus can be a formidable garden plant, reaching a spread of 6 feet or more. It is lovely when used at woods edge and it can provide a dense screen beneath a high canopy.

Aruncus dioicus '' goat's beard, bride's feathers from North Creek Nurseries

Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet'

swamp milkweed
A marvelous long-blooming, bright white selection of swamp milkweed. Clear white flowers and dark green foliage make the colors of the hundreds of visiting butterflies glisten in the sunlight.
Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet' swamp milkweed from North Creek Nurseries

Asclepias incarnata

swamp milkweed

One of the most beautiful of native perennials with clusters of upturned pink flowers in June and July. Much underused in average garden conditions! Attracts butterflies of all kinds. Willow-like leaves are 4-5" long. Occurs in floodplains and wet meadows.

Asclepias incarnata '' swamp milkweed from North Creek Nurseries

Asclepias incarnata 'Cinderella'

swamp milkweed

She's the belle of the ball! Sweetly scented with blooms of blush pink, Asclepias incarnata 'Cinderella' from Walters Gardens lasts longer in your garden than her namesake. A perennial with beauty, grace, and staying power, this wetland native does well in average garden conditions and is a pollinator favorite!

Asclepias incarnata 'Cinderella' swamp milkweed from North Creek Nurseries

Asclepias syriaca

common milkweed

This native classic is best known as a food of larval monarch butterflies (along with its cousins A. incarnata and A. tuberosa). Robust, yet beautiful with deep pink clusters of fragrant flowers in June and July followed by lovely pods of silky seeds in October.

Asclepias syriaca '' common milkweed from North Creek Nurseries

Asclepias tuberosa

butterfly milkweed

A tough, drought-tolerant native with intense orange flowers in mid to late summer. Attracts many varieties of butterflies and is especially attractive to Monarchs. A beautiful solution for a dry sunny slope! Occurs in dry fields and roadsides in most of the US.

Asclepias tuberosa '' butterfly milkweed from North Creek Nurseries

Asclepias verticillata

horsetail milkweed, whorled milkweed

A widely adaptable and tough native that is a deer-resistant food for larval butterflies. The fine-textured foliage provides a dark green backdrop for the clusters of white flowers that appear in June and July.

Asclepias verticillata '' horsetail milkweed, whorled milkweed from North Creek Nurseries

Aster cordifolius

blue wood aster

Clouds of blue flowers in early fall in shade! A great naturalizer under trees, at the edge of woods, or as a filler among Hostas and Astilbes, which look pretty rough by September. Found in woods and dry meadows.

Aster cordifolius '' blue wood aster from North Creek Nurseries

Aster cordifolius 'Avondale'

blue wood aster

This selection of the native wood aster is a prolific bloomer, carpeting the shade garden with light blue in early fall, when little else blooms and the hostas are in decline. A quick and easy pot crop for fall sales. Beautiful and long-lasting as a filler in autumn flower arrangements!

Aster cordifolius 'Avondale' blue wood aster from North Creek Nurseries

Aster divaricatus 'Eastern Star'

white wood aster

We have grown this select form anonymously for many years and have deemed it worthy of a name. It is shorter than the species and has deep dark shining mahogany stems. It came our way from Canyon Creek Nursery, via Roger Rache, then of the Berkley Botanic Gardens's Eastern US section. Originally collected from coastal Rhode Island.

Aster divaricatus 'Eastern Star' white wood aster from North Creek Nurseries

Aster divaricatus

white wood aster

Produces a fairyland of glistening small white daisies in September and October. Lovely when naturalized in shade and average to dry soil. Found in deciduous woods and along roadsides of the Eastern US.

Aster divaricatus '' white wood aster from North Creek Nurseries

Aster ericoides 'Snow Flurry'

white heath aster

A very low, dense carpeting groundcover that is smothered with 1/2" single white flowers with gold centers in September. A good strong grower and a totally new look and use for Asters! Makes an excellent container plant.

Aster ericoides 'Snow Flurry' white heath aster from North Creek Nurseries

Aster laevis 'Bluebird'

smooth aster

'Bluebird' is a superlative selection of the native smooth aster introduced by Dr. Richard Lighty of the Mt. Cuba Center. This tall, vase-shaped wildflower has large 1" diameter blue flowers held in cloud-like clusters at the tips of the arching branches. You can pinch back the young shoots in June for denser habit and more flowers, but it is not essential. Staking is helpful by late summer if you forget to pinch. Perfectly clean foliage makes for easy maintenance in production and in the landscape. Aster laevis is a great source of nectar for migrating monarchs and other late season butterflies. Ranked #1 in Mt. Cuba Center's aster evaluations.

Aster laevis 'Bluebird' smooth aster from North Creek Nurseries

Aster lateriflorus 'Lady in Black'

calico aster

Who can resist plants with great names? Aster 'Lady in Black' is an elegant 3-4' mound of purplish-black strappy leaves smothered in red-centered tiny white daisies in late summer and early fall. A stronger, more statuesque sister of Aster 'Prince' that will thrive in average soil in sun or part shade, but shows best foliage coloration in full sun. Thousands of flowers per planta butterfly's dream!

Aster lateriflorus 'Lady in Black' calico aster from North Creek Nurseries

Aster novae-angliae

New England aster

Blooms ranging from blue-purple to lavender-pink pop in the late summer and fall landscape. A large, showy native aster that is a must-have autumn nectar source for pollinators.

Aster novae-angliae '' New England aster from North Creek Nurseries

Aster novae-angliae 'Pink Crush' PP33628

New England Aster

A dark pink fall-blooming aster with a tidy habit and smothered in flowers? Oh man, we think we may have developed a crush. A 'Pink Crush' that is. An introduction from Walters Gardens, this New England aster is a shorter variety that doesn't splay in the late season like other aster cultivars. 

Aster novae-angliae 'Pink Crush' New England Aster from North Creek Nurseries

Aster novae-angliae 'Grape Crush' PP33612

New England Aster

'Grape Crush' is a deep purple New England aster introduction by Walters Gardens. Growing into a neat mound 30" high by 40" wide, this fall blooming aster does not splay open as other aster cultivars can, providing a beautiful profusion of saturated flowers for a great fall display.

Aster novae-angliae 'Grape Crush' New England Aster from North Creek Nurseries

Aster novae-angliae 'Vibrant Dome' PP19538

New England aster

Vibrant, hot-pink, star-shaped flowers with yellow center accents adorn lance-shaped green foliage through autumn. The compact, mounding habit of this sport of Aster 'Purple Dome' has proven mildew resistance. Reaching between 18 and 20 inches, 'Vibrant Dome' performs best in fertile, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. A beautiful performer for late season color.

Aster novae-angliae 'Vibrant Dome' New England aster from North Creek Nurseries

Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome'

New England aster

A naturally compact form with deep purple flowers in August and September. Eye-popping with Solidago 'Golden Fleece'. One of the most garden-worthy native selections out there. A fine introduction from the Mt. Cuba Center.

Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome' New England aster from North Creek Nurseries

Aster novi-belgii

New York aster

Local Mid-Atlantic native of moist to wet meadows. Flowers may vary in shades of pink, purple and white and bloom in early fall, which is late August and early September here in PA.

Aster novi-belgii '' New York aster from North Creek Nurseries

Aster oblongifolius 'October Skies'

aromatic aster
Shorter, bushier, bluer sister of 'Raydon's Favorite'. A strong growing low mound of bushy foliage covered in lavender blue flowers in mid fall. Highly tolerant of drought and poor soils. This Primrose Path introduction has excellent groundcover potential.
Aster oblongifolius 'October Skies' aromatic aster from North Creek Nurseries

Aster oblongifolius 'Raydon's Favorite'

aromatic aster

Medium blue, fine textured single ray flowers in September and October, aromatic foliage. Irresistable, a really tremendous plant. Introduced by Holbrook Farm.

Aster oblongifolius 'Raydon's Favorite' aromatic aster from North Creek Nurseries

Athyrium filix-femina

lady fern

Handsome crowns of feathery fronds are typical of this genus. Delicate and lacy with arching fronds and dark red stems at maturity. Strong-growing and dependable, lady ferns are great garden plants. Tough and easy to grow, this beauty is the right choice for perennial borders and woodlands alike. A breathtaking flush of new fronds appears in the spring, with new leaves appearing throughout the season for a continuously fresh look. Found in swamps, thickets and damp woods east of the Rockies.

Athyrium filix-femina '' lady fern from North Creek Nurseries

Athyrium filix-femina 'Victoriae'

lady fern

"This is the most spectacular of all cultivars in its magnificent frond architecture. It is really the Queen of Green", according to Dr. John Mickel, former curator of ferns at the New York Botanical Garden and author of "Ferns for American Gardens". As with other forms of lady ferns there is so much variability with spore production that it is necessary to produce this form in tissue culture, so its clones are identical to the parent. This superb selection has fronds whose pinnae (leaflets) crisscross to form x's and has crested pinnae tips. Another superior cultivar in the Mickel Collection™.

Athyrium filix-femina 'Victoriae' lady fern from North Creek Nurseries
Botanical Name     Common Name
A B C D E F-G H I J-L M-O P Q R S T U-Z ALL