Connecticut Natives

Elm-leaved Goldenrod (Solidago ulmifolia) is a distinctive North American native plant. Arching sprays of yellow flowers appear from midsummer into fall above elm-like leaves, bringing late nectar to woodland edges. It matures at approximately 36 inches tall and flowers from early to mid summer through mid to late summer through early to mid fall. Plant it in full sun to partial shade, in dry-medium to medium conditions, with loamy soil or sandy soil. Space plants 18–24 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

Bog Goldenrod (Solidago uliginosa) is a distinctive North American native plant. Sturdy stems and yellow flower clusters suit boggy ground, rain gardens, and other consistently moist native landscapes. It matures at approximately 48 inches tall and flowers from mid to late summer through early to mid fall. Plant it in full sun to partial shade, in medium through wet conditions, with loamy soil or wet soil. Space plants 18–24 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

Great St. John's Wort (Hypericum pyramidatum) is a distinctive North American native plant. Large yellow flowers top tall stems in midsummer, and spreading rhizomes help establish substantial colonies in moist sites. It matures at approximately 72 inches tall and flowers from early to mid summer through mid to late summer. Plant it in full sun to partial shade, in medium to medium-wet conditions, with loamy soil or clay soil. Space plants 24–36 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

Tall Sunflower (Helianthus giganteus) is a distinctive North American native plant. Clusters of yellow flowers crown tall purplish stems, creating late-season color and abundant food for pollinators and birds. It matures at approximately 96 inches tall and flowers from early to mid summer through mid to late summer through early to mid fall. Plant it in full sun to partial shade, in medium to medium-wet conditions, with loamy soil, clay soil or sandy soil. Space plants 36–48 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

Shrubby St. John's Wort (Hypericum prolificum) is a distinctive North American native plant. This well-behaved native shrub forms a rounded habit and covers itself with bright yellow flowers that are especially attractive to bumblebees. It matures at approximately 48 inches tall and flowers from early to mid summer through mid to late summer. Plant it in full sun to partial shade, in dry-medium through medium-wet conditions, with loamy soil, clay soil, sandy soil or poor soil. Space plants 36–48 inches apart for healthy growth and airflow.

Early Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) is a short-lived native perennial with bright yellow, daisy-like flowers from early summer into early fall. Upright clumps reach about 5 feet tall and support bees, butterflies, and seed-eating birds. Plants perform best in full sun and tolerate loam, clay, or sandy soils with medium moisture. Seed requires 30 days of cold, moist stratification before germination.

Wild Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata) is a tall native perennial with bright yellow flowers that bloom from midsummer into fall. Plants reach about 7 feet and spread by rhizomes, making them well suited to moist naturalized gardens, woodland edges, and rain-garden plantings. The flowers support bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects, while mature seed heads provide food for birds. Seed requires 30 days of cold, moist stratification and should be surface sown.

Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) is a North American native perennial that sends up graceful spikes of white, bell-shaped flowers with a soft pink blush. The upright blooms brighten prairie gardens, rain gardens and naturalized borders from late spring into early summer. Plants establish into durable clumps that tolerate a range of soils when drainage is adequate. The nectar-rich flowers attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Allegheny Monkeyflower (Mimulus ringens) is a moisture-loving native perennial with violet-blue, snapdragon-like flowers. It thrives along pond margins, in wet meadows, and in rain gardens where soil stays consistently moist. The upright plants bloom through summer and provide nectar for bees and other pollinators. Mature flowering stems typically reach about 18 to 24 inches tall.

Carex comosa is a large tufted wetland sedge. The narrow leaves are lime green and shiny. In late spring triangular culms rise above the foliage to 5’ bearing large chartreuse bottlebrush shaped spikes. Attractive warm brown seed spikes follow. This bold sedge flourishes in sun or part sun in damp or wet sites. Plants prosper in difficult wet mucky soils or even in shallow water.

A special mix of flowers that grab everyone's attention. The species in this mix are native to or naturalized to the Northeast US, east of Ohio and north of North Carolina.

Northeast Native Grass Mix balances warm- and cool-season grasses for a resilient regional meadow. Upright blades and distinctive seed heads mature between two and four feet, creating movement without overwhelming companion wildflowers. The blend spans sun-loving prairie grasses and adaptable wildryes for extended seasonal growth. Established stands provide cover, seed, and nesting structure for wildlife.

Wild quinine carries pearly white button-like flower heads above coarse gray-green foliage for much of summer. The rigid stems hold their shape beautifully in prairie gardens, pollinator borders, and dried arrangements. A deep root system helps established plants perform through heat and dry spells.

White snakeroot brings clouds of bright white flowers to shaded edges when many woodland plants have finished blooming. It adapts to clay and moist soil, forming upright clumps that supply late nectar for insects. All plant parts contain toxic compounds, so place it thoughtfully around livestock and pets.

Cup plant is a towering prairie perennial whose joined leaves form small basins around the stems. Those natural cups collect rainwater that birds and insects may use, while yellow flowers provide a generous summer nectar source. Give it a spacious site with sun and dependable moisture where its colony-forming habit can shine.

Late Figwort, also called Maryland Figwort, is an eastern and central North American perennial whose genus name recalls its long history in herbal use. Tall square stems carry small reddish-green, nectar-rich flowers from midsummer into fall. Native bees, wasps, butterflies, and hummingbirds visit the blooms, while birds use the plant for food and shelter. Grow it in loamy or sandy soil from full sun to shade after 60 days of cold, moist stratification, and surface sow the tiny seeds.

Water Horehound is native to nearly all of the contiguous United States and has long occupied open marshes, fens, and wet meadows. Although it belongs to the mint family, its foliage lacks the strong mint scent; small white flowers sit in the leaf axils. Those flowers can serve small pollinating insects, while the stems add cover in wetland habitat. Give it sun or partial shade and moist to wet soil.

Rice Cut Grass has a wide history across world wetlands and is native to North American floodplains and pond margins. Its sharp-edged leaves explain the common name and can form dense stands. Least Skipper larvae use the grass, adults feed in its habitat, and waterfowl eat the seed. Plant in sun or partial shade on wet, preferably silty soil.

Fowl Manna Grass is one of North America's most widespread wetland grasses, occurring from shaded woodland pools to open marshes. Its airy panicles and soft foliage provide cover for small animals. Geese graze the leaves, and the moth Elachista irrorata uses it as a host plant. Grow it in sun or shade on moist to wet soil.

Silky Wild Rye is a native grass of eastern North American deciduous woods, where its nodding, bristly heads rise above the understory. Like other Elymus grasses, it grows most strongly in cool spring and fall weather and may be relatively short lived. Its stems give woodland birds and insects cover, and the grain can add forage for seed eaters. Plant in partial or full shade with medium moisture.

Riverbank Wild Rye is native to the eastern United States and has long occupied streambanks and other riparian corridors. Its roots help hold soil, making it useful in modern erosion-control plantings. Songbirds and waterfowl use the stems for cover and nesting material and feed among the seeds. Give this cool-season grass partial shade and medium to wet soil.

Wood Reed Grass is native from eastern Canada through the eastern and central United States, where it grows in damp woods and thickets. Its tall, wavy seed panicles turn tan late in summer, adding movement to shaded plantings. Seed heads and dense stems give birds forage and cover, while deer usually leave mature stands alone. Grow it in partial to full shade and moist, fertile soil.

Brown Fox Sedge takes its name from the fox-tail appearance of its midsummer seed heads. This abundant North American native grows across wet meadows and other moist open habitats. Fruiting clumps provide bird forage and cover for small wetland animals. It adapts to sun or partial shade and soils ranging from wet to moderately dry.

Hairy-fruited Lake Sedge has a long natural role in North American marshes and lake-edge sedge beds. Underground rhizomes create extensive stands that shelter wetland insects and waterbirds. Because this cool-season sedge spreads strongly, it fits restoration-scale plantings better than small beds. Give it full sun and wet ground.

Common Tussock Sedge is a North American wetland perennial whose raised clumps have shaped sedge meadows over generations. It offers larval food to Black Dash and Mulberry Wing skippers, Eyed Brown and Appalachian Brown butterflies, and the Bog Lithacondia moth. Birds also forage within the dense wetland stands. Grow in sun to partial shade on consistently wet ground.

Awl-fruited Sedge has several long-used names, including Prickly Sedge and Fox Sedge, reflecting its pointed seed heads. It is native to North American riverbanks, floodplain forests, and marshes and establishes quickly in disturbed wetlands. Caterpillars feed on the foliage; woodcocks, ducks, and swamp sparrows eat the seeds. Plant in sun or shade with reliably moist to wet soil.

Narrow-leaved Cattail Sedge, also called Squarrose Sedge, comes from North American wet meadows, floodplains, and lakeshores. Its cattail-like spikes rise from narrow foliage during the cool-season growth cycle. Wetland insects use sedge foliage, and waterfowl feed among the seed heads. Give it sun or partial shade and moist soil that can flood seasonally.

Lance-fruited Oval Sedge has also been called Broom Sedge, a name linked to its broom-like fruiting form. It belongs to sunny North American marshes, floodplains, and wet sandy ground. Moths and skipper caterpillars use the foliage, while waterfowl, songbirds, turtles, and small mammals eat the seeds. This clumping, cool-season perennial suits wetland gardens and restoration sites.

Broad-leaved Woolly Sedge is native to North American wet meadows and mineral-rich wetlands, where calcareous soil is common. Its broad, softly textured leaves and June seed spikes distinguish it from finer sedges. Native sedge foliage can host insects, while its seeds contribute to wetland bird forage. Plant it in sun or partial shade with consistently moist to wet, often alkaline soil.

Spreading Oval Sedge, also known as Greater Straw Sedge, belongs to North American moist fields, thickets, and open forests. This cool-season perennial flowers in early summer and tolerates sun through shade. Its seed-bearing clumps add cover and forage for small insects and seed-eating birds. Grow it in medium to medium-wet soil where a flexible woodland-edge sedge is needed.

Field Oval Sedge is a North American native of open woods, swamps, and prairies; the older name Troublesome Sedge reflects its vigorous spread. Triangular green stems carry compact, yellow-brown seed clusters. Dense growth can shelter small insects and birds in rough habitat. Use it where a strong colonizing sedge is welcome, from sun to shade and medium-moist to dry soil.