Sign up for News & Availability Emails
Site Search:

Landscape Plugs™

Our best low-maintenance native perennials and grasses are available in plugs designed to be planted directly in the ground. We offer a wide selection of Eastern US natives and their cultivars selected for beauty and durability. Two sizes are available for direct planting, LP50 and LP32. LP50 items are generally forb and grass species with taproots or deep fibrous root systems. Our LP50 plugs are 5.00" deep by 2.00" square and come 50 to a standard nursery liner. The LP32 plant palette contains species with lateral root systems and are generally more fibrous and shallowly rooted species. Our LP32 plugs are 4.00" deep by 2.22" square and come 32 per to a standard nursery liner. Landscape Plugs™ offer an exciting alternative for quick establishment of plants in landscapes and containers.

Plant Selection
We are very selective in our choices for the Landscape Plugs™ program so that your planting gets off to a great start. All plants in our plug program are native to the midatlantic states, well suited to this climate and tolerant of drought and extreme temperature fluctuations. Robust root systems make for quick establishment and less initial watering. Plants purchased in spring are vernalized and ready to grow.

Why Use Landscape Plugs™?

  • Plants usually reach flowering size in first season and have a high transplant success rate.
  • Quicker and more reliable than seed, with erosion control starting in weeks rather than months.
  • LP50 plugs have deep (5") roots that establish quickly.
  • Compact size is easy to transport - a real cost saver.
  • Plants are chosen for wide adaptability and ease of transplanting and establishment.
  • Excellent choices for wildlife habitat development, providing food & shelter for many species.
  • Plugs come in flats made of 100% recycled plastic and are #6 recyclable.

Many thanks to the Biota of North America Program (BONAP) for the use of their North American Plant Atlas species distribution maps, which can be found on each native Landscape Plug™ species page. Click the map image to enlarge and view the plant's distribution status by county via link to the BONAP site. All map images are courtesy: Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2013. Taxonomic Data Center. (http://www.bonap.net/tdc). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2013. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)] 

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

Matteuccia struthiopteris

ostrich fern
Large, lustrous, dark green fronds arch gracefully and give the tropical feel of a palm. Happiest in a cool moist site, it will tolerate more sun at the side of a stream or pond. Emerging fiddleheads are delectable sautéed in a bit of oil.
Matteuccia struthiopteris '' ostrich fern from North Creek Nurseries

Meehania cordata

Meehania cordata

Meehan's mint

Looking for a native substitute for Ajuga or Lamium? This could be it! Long, trailing stems run across the ground and root along the way. In late spring the green carpet gives way to hundreds of blue flowers opening to reveal spotted throats. Beautiful from a distance and under close scrutiny. Irresistible in a pot!

Meehania cordata '' Meehan's mint from North Creek Nurseries

Mertensia virginica

Virginia bluebells

You know spring has arrived when the pendulous, trumpet-shaped flowers of Mertensia return. Flower buds start off pink and slowly transition to a soft blue as flowers develop. Foliage is smooth, oval, and has an attractive bluish cast. Beautiful when used en masse and left undisturbed. The perfect spring ephemeral for the woodland garden, incorporate with native ferns and sedges. Summer dormant. Best for planting directly into the landscape, as they must root in to return to bloom the following year. These ephemerals are not ideal for finishing in a pot for spring sales.

Mertensia virginica '' Virginia bluebells from North Creek Nurseries

Monarda 'Gardenview Scarlet'

Monarda 'Gardenview Scarlet'

beebalm

'Gardenview Scarlet' is one of the most mildew resistant Monarda varieties available. A classic variety that is well-earned, it's rose-red flowers sit on stems rising to 3' tall. Blooming from June to August, this long-flowering Monarda is beautiful, especially when massed in drifts to attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. 

Monarda 'Gardenview Scarlet' beebalm from North Creek Nurseries

Monarda 'Purple Rooster'

Monarda 'Purple Rooster'

beebalm

The darkest, truest purple flowers to come out of Mt. Cuba’s bee balm evaluations—this selection has upright rigid stems, strongly verticality, and a rough, sand-papery texture to its foliage. Very resistant to powdery mildew.

Monarda 'Purple Rooster' beebalm from North Creek Nurseries

Monarda bradburiana

eastern beebalm

Tubular, two-lipped, pink to light lavender flowers carry a purple tracking and bloom from spring into summer. A member of the mint family, this native bee balm is very attractive to pollinators and occurs naturally in open and dry, rocky woods from Alabama to Texas, north to Iowa.

Monarda bradburiana '' eastern beebalm from North Creek Nurseries

Monarda didyma 'Jacob Cline'

Monarda didyma 'Jacob Cline'

beebalm

Named for the son of Georgia plantsman and garden designer Jean Cline. This is the ticket as far as mildew resistant Monardas. Wonderfully aromatic foliage and stems with enormous red tubular flowers from June to August. A Saul Nursery introduction. Cherished by butterflies and hummingbirds. Also makes an excellent cut flower!

Monarda didyma 'Jacob Cline' beebalm from North Creek Nurseries

Monarda fistulosa

wild bergamot

Lovely lavender flowers top aromatic foliage. Easy to grow in a perennial border, wildflower garden or meadow. Wild bergamot is a great naturalizing wildflower and a magnet for butterflies and hummingbirds. Monarda fistulosa is more tolerant of drought and resistant to powdery mildew than M. didyma.

Monarda fistulosa '' wild bergamot from North Creek Nurseries

Monarda fistulosa 'Claire Grace'

Monarda fistulosa 'Claire Grace'

wild bergamot
This great plant was named by Mike and Barbara Bridges, of Southern Perennials and Herbs, for their daughter. Soft lavender pin cushion-like flowers. Quite mildew resistant, with excellent, shiny foliage. Extremely showy. A must for the avid butterfly gardener!
Monarda fistulosa 'Claire Grace' wild bergamot from North Creek Nurseries

Monarda punctata

spotted beebalm

A valuable ecological species, Monarda punctata is the equivalent of a juice bar at the gym for nectar loving/needing insects! BONUS, it also resists all other kinds of mites that could impact the bees because it is incredibly high in thymol. If you are in the area where the endangered Karner Blue still resides, you will be helping restore them to safe status by planting a stand of Monarda punctata, as this is their food mothership.

Monarda punctata '' spotted beebalm from North Creek Nurseries

Oenothera fruticosa

sundrops

A tough and reliable perennial, well-suited to hot dry sites. The stems of Oenothera fruticosa are thin, hairy, and reddish with similar leaves. The buds begin as red but open into beautiful bright yellow flowers in early summer. Easy, dependable, a strong grower that can spread a bit, particularly in sandy soils. Great color for a meadow! Native to dry soil, open fields, and open woods from Nova Scotia to Florida.

Oenothera fruticosa '' sundrops from North Creek Nurseries

Oenothera fruticosa 'Fireworks'

Oenothera fruticosa 'Fireworks'

sundrops
Confused for many years in the trade, we are proud to carry the true 'Fireworks'. Deep bronze foliage and red stems are contrasted by red buds opening to canary yellow blooms in June. The individual flowers may not last for more than a day or two, but they open in succession leaving the plant in continuous bloom. Burgundy rosettes in winter. More compact and darker than 'Summer Solstice'. The most popular cultivar of the Oenotheras!
Oenothera fruticosa 'Fireworks' sundrops from North Creek Nurseries

Oenothera speciosa

pink evening primrose

A vigorous, tough perennial that spreads readily to from dense mats of low-growing foliage. In late spring to summer, its covered with fragrant, pink to white blooms! Easy, dependable, a strong grower that can spread significantly, particularly in well-drained soils. Native to rocky prairies and plains, this plant spreads by seed and rhizome and is a great candidate for naturalizing an area.

Oenothera speciosa '' pink evening primrose from North Creek Nurseries

Onoclea sensibilis

sensitive fern
A freely running, deciduous fern with broad, deeply pinnatifid, smooth leaves. It spreads in moist soil and stays low to the ground, usually not more than 12-18", though heights of up to 3' are possible in ideal conditions. Very effective as a moist shade groundcover.
Onoclea sensibilis '' sensitive fern from North Creek Nurseries

Osmunda cinnamomea

Osmunda cinnamomea

cinnamon fern
Brilliant green lacy fronds gracefully arch outward in stately vase-shaped clumps. In early summer narrow fronds emerge as vertical spikes of cinnamon red brown in the center. Especially striking when planted in groups. Prefers a moist shady site, but tolerates more sun in cooler zones.
Osmunda cinnamomea '' cinnamon fern from North Creek Nurseries

Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis

royal fern
Royal fern is truly one of the most distinctive and spectacular bold-textured deciduous native ferns with its light green, leathery leaves and graceful architectural stature. With adequate moisture, royal fern can reach 6' tall and create a lush, tropical feel along a stream or beside a pond.
Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis '' royal fern from North Creek Nurseries