Maryland Natives

Seedbox is a North American native of moist prairies and marsh edges, named for its distinctive cube-shaped seed capsule. Small yellow flowers appear at the leaf joints on reddish stems. Bees visit the blooms and leaf-feeding insects use the foliage. Grow it in sun to partial shade in medium-wet soil or a rain garden.

Common Rush has been cultivated more widely than other rushes and occurs across much of the world, including North American wetlands. Bright green, nearly leafless stems make a fine-textured stand beside ponds. Wetland birds forage and shelter among the stems and seeds. Grow in full sun on medium to wet 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.

Blunt Spike Rush is a small North American wetland native with a different life history from many rushes: it is an annual that reseeds. Upright stems and compact seed heads offer cover for frogs and perches for dragonflies. Aquatic beetles, leafhoppers, and shore flies also use its wet habitat. Sow in full sun on mud or consistently 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.

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.

Awl-fruited Oval Sedge, also called Blunt Broom Sedge, is a native of North American wet lowlands. Its pale green blades and July seed spikes give it a lighter look than many other sedges. Moth, skipper, and butterfly larvae use sedge foliage, and waterfowl and songbirds eat the seeds. Plant in sun or partial shade in moist to wet soil.

Short's Sedge is a native of the central and eastern United States, from Kansas toward the Atlantic coast. Its commemorative common name is part of the botanical history of Carex, while dark cylindrical seed heads make this species distinctive in summer. Moist woods and sedge meadows provide its natural habitat and support the small insects and birds associated with sedge stands. Grow it from sun to shade in medium to medium-wet 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.

Plains Oval Sedge, historically also called Shortbeak Sedge, occurs across North American open ground, from dry disturbed sites to seasonally flooded margins. Golden-brown oval seed spikes stand above a compact mound in fall. Like other native sedges, it contributes seed and cover to birds and habitat for small insects. Its wide moisture tolerance makes it useful in sunny or partly shaded restoration plantings.

Blue Joint Grass is a widespread North American wetland grass with a long natural role in streamside and meadow plant communities. Pink-green summer seed heads rise above rhizomes that help hold damp soil in place. Its dense growth offers cover for wetland insects and birds, and it can spread quickly across restoration sites. Give it full sun to partial shade and moist to wet ground.

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.

Downy sunflower forms upright colonies of silver-green foliage topped with clear yellow daisies. The soft leaves and sturdy stems give sunny prairie plantings a distinctive texture from spring through fall. Once established, it tolerates dry soil and offers seeds for birds after bloom.

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.

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.

Don't let the name fool you! This is mainly an Eastern native plant. Known botanically as Helianthus occidentalis, the Western Sunflower has a distinctive growth habit that makes it easy to recognize. Most of its leaves cluster in a rosette at the plant’s base, while a slender stalk rises from the center and can reach about three feet tall. A brilliant yellow flower head appears at the top of the stem. Because the stalk bears very few leaves, the species is also commonly called the “naked-stemmed sunflower” or “few-leaved sunflower.”

Also know as Bush Bluestem, this perennial grass is a tufting, sturdy, warm-season grass that will grow up to 4'. The foliage has a reddish tint. Interesting, beard-like flowers appear in fall. This plant prefers moist to damp sites and is not drought tolerant.

North American Wildflower Blend combines annual and perennial favorites selected to perform across many regions of the United States. The varied species create a broad tapestry of familiar colors, with annuals providing quick blooms and perennials adding longer-term persistence. Local climate and soil conditions determine which flowers become most prominent, giving each planting its own regional character.

Sunny, dry gardens gain year-round structure from Adam's Needle Yucca, a bold, evergreen native. Yucca filamentosa forms a tidy rosette of stiff, sword-shaped leaves edged with curly white threads. In early summer it sends up tall spikes of creamy white, bell-shaped flowers that are a striking focal point. It is extremely drought tolerant and thrives in sandy or rocky soils, so it is happy in spots where thirstier plants give up.

Midsummer, when few other trees bloom, is when Sourwood shines with drooping sprays of tiny, bell-shaped white flowers. This graceful native tree, Oxydendrum arboreum, has a slender, pyramidal habit and year-round interest. Bees flock to the blossoms, and sourwood honey is prized across the Southeast. In fall the glossy leaves turn brilliant scarlet to maroon while the pale seed capsules hang on, creating a striking contrast. It suits woodland edges, lawns and patios where a smaller specimen tree is wanted.

Birds can't resist the heavy bunches of bright orange-red berries that hang on American Mountain Ash in late summer and fall. This hardy native small tree brings a cheerful show through the seasons: Sorbus americana has fine, feathery compound leaves and flat clusters of creamy white flowers in late spring, and its foliage turns gold to red in autumn. It thrives in cool climates and is ideal for northern yards and naturalized plantings.

Scarlet, orange and purple fall color, often all on the same tree, makes this one of the finest native shade trees for autumn. Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica) has glossy, dark green summer leaves and a neat, pyramidal shape that matures into a spreading crown. It tolerates wet soils and urban conditions, its spring flowers are a valuable nectar source for bees, and the small blue-black fruits feed migrating birds.

Old Man's Beard is the fitting nickname for this beloved native small tree, draped in late spring with airy, fragrant clusters of fringe-like white petals. White Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus) later bears dark blue, olive-like fruits on female plants that birds enjoy, and its glossy leaves turn yellow in fall. Slow-growing and tidy, it is ideal for small yards, borders and patio plantings, and it tolerates urban conditions well.

Patchwork bark that peels away to reveal creamy white limbs makes this massive, fast-growing native shade tree instantly recognizable. American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) has broad, maple-like leaves and round, dangling seed balls that hang on through winter. It loves moist ground along streams and rivers, where it helps hold banks in place, yet adapts to many landscape sites. Give it room and it becomes a stately, long-lived landmark.

Velvety, antler-like branches give this bold native shrub or small tree its name. Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) carries long, tropical-looking compound leaves that blaze scarlet, orange and gold in fall, and upright cones of fuzzy crimson fruit that persist through winter. It thrives in dry, poor soils where little else grows, making it excellent for slopes, roadsides and naturalized areas. The fruit is also used to make a tangy, lemonade-like drink.

Privacy screens and hedges are the classic job for this native evergreen, with its soft, flat sprays of fragrant green foliage on a dense, narrow pyramid. American Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) is extremely cold hardy and tolerates wet soil and partial shade, making it a dependable choice for windbreaks, foundation plantings and living fences. It shears beautifully and stays green year-round, giving birds shelter in winter.

Grass grows right up to the trunk beneath the light, dappled shade of this tough, fast-growing shade tree. Thornless Honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos inermis) has a graceful, open crown of tiny, fernlike leaflets that turn golden yellow in fall and practically vanish into the lawn. It handles heat, drought, wind, road salt and urban conditions with ease, making it a favorite street and lawn tree. This seed is collected from thornless parents.

Peeling, cinnamon-to-salmon bark shines in every season on this fast-growing native tree. River Birch (Betula nigra) is the most heat tolerant of the birches and thrives in wet spots, along streams and in low areas where other trees struggle. Its graceful, often multi-stemmed form and buttery yellow fall color make it a standout specimen, and it is naturally resistant to bronze birch borer, which makes it an easy, rewarding choice.

Tiny magenta-pink flowers cover the bare branches before a single leaf appears, making this one of the first trees to bloom in spring. Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) then unfurls glossy, heart-shaped leaves that turn yellow in fall, on a spreading, multi-stemmed frame that suits small yards. This native beauty feeds early bees and fits beautifully in woodland edges, cottage gardens and as a patio specimen.

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.