USDA Zone 4 Plants

Hirtella Asclepias, more commonly known as Hirtella Milkweed or sometimes grouped under Asclepias hirtella and Tall Green Milkweed, is a native prairie species historically found across the central United States in moist to moderately dry meadows, savannas, and open grasslands. It is recognized for its tall, slender stems topped with rounded clusters of pale green to yellow-green flowers that attract a wide variety of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and monarch caterpillars.

Lance Leaf Coreopsis seeds come from a hardy, drought-tolerant perennial known for its bright, daisy-like yellow flowers with a reddish center. This plant thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it an excellent choice for adding color to gardens, especially in xeriscaping or low-maintenance landscapes. Growing up to 2–3 feet tall, Lance Leaf Coreopsis attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies, while its long bloom period—typically from early summer to fall—provides continuous interest in the garden. The seeds are easy to sow and germinate quickly, making it a great option for both beginner and experienced gardeners.

Mexican Hat Ratibida, also known as Ratibida columnifera, is a striking perennial flower native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. This plant, often referred to as the "Mexican Hat" due to its distinctive flower shape, has a rich history in native gardens and landscapes. The plant is characterized by its unique, cone-shaped flowers with reddish-brown, drooping petals that resemble a sombrero hat, which contrast beautifully with its bright yellow center.

The Upright Prairie Coneflower is a beautiful meadow wildflower that produces an abundance of beautiful, vibrant yellow petals. This breathtaking variety is known for growing wild in the plains states. The Prairie Coneflower gets its name for its yellow petals surrounding tall cones. This flowering plant produces light-green foliage that creates a beautiful backdrop for the textured blooms.

Western Sand Milkweed (Asclepias arenaria), also known as Sandhill Milkweed or Dwarf Milkweed, is a hardy, drought-tolerant species native to the sandy plains and prairies of the central and southwestern United States, where it has long supported pollinators and played a role in Indigenous plant knowledge. This milkweed forms upright stems with soft, velvety, blue-green leaves and produces clusters of pale greenish-white flowers that are highly attractive to monarchs, bees, and other beneficial insects.

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.

Indian Steel is a clump-forming perennial grass with an upright, open habit typically growing upwards of 5' tall. Under the right circumstances it can be 7-8' tall. Features slender (1/2" wide), blue-green leaf blades (8-12" long) which turn yellow in fall and retain some gold color throughout the winter.

The Panorama Bee Balm is a great cutting plant for center pieces. This beautiful flower blooms from July to August on 3' foot plants. This bee balm prefers full sun or afternoon shade.

The Butterfly Asclepias is sun-loving, easy to grow and blooms brilliant, vibrant orange colored blooms that will attract may pollinators to the garden. This stunning variety and can reach 2-3' feet tall. Sow in early January for first year blooms.

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.”

The Panorama Red is a great cutting plant for center pieces. Produce vibrant red blooms from July to August on 3' foot plants. Vivid red bee balm made for cutting gardens. Three-foot plants flower generously from July through August. Fragrant foliage offers natural deer and rabbit resistance.

The Whorled Asclepias is a beautiful brilliant white flower that will grow anywhere and bees, butterflies and hummingbirds love it! This Butterfly Weed variety is native to the Midwest but can grow almost anywhere is the USA and provides nectar to many pollinators. This easy to grow, attractive perennial blooms mid to late summer and will spread easily without thinning.

The Sideoats Grama is a warm-season bunchgrass grain variety that is easy to grow and native throughout much of North America. The ornamental and distinctive seed spikes hang from only one side of the stalk, and these make good fresh or dried cuttings. This grain prefers full sun and moderate to dry soils. The Sideoats Grama is recommended for meadow and prairie plantings, beds & borders, and as a component of forage mixes for livestock and wildlife.

The Canada Wildrye is a cool-season bunchgrass grain variety that can be found throughout Canada and the U.S. except in the southeastern states. It is typically found in prairies, open woods, fields and disturbed sites. This grain tends to be short-lived but provides quick stabilization for erosion control seedings, and it makes a good, early successional component of prairie mixtures. The Canada Wildrye provides quality forage for livestock and wildlife.

Windbreaks, screens and erosion control plantings rarely get a better candidate than this tough, adaptable native evergreen. Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) has dense, aromatic foliage and a neat pyramidal to columnar shape, and it shrugs off cold, heat, drought, wind and poor soil. Female trees carry dusty blue berries through fall and winter that birds love, and the fragrant reddish wood has been prized for generations.

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.

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.

Living Christmas trees, windbreaks and striking specimens are all within reach of this classic, symmetrical evergreen. Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens glauca) has stiff, silvery blue-green needles and a dense pyramidal form, and it is extremely cold hardy. This Apache seed source grows faster than many other blue spruce sources, and a good share of seedlings develop the prized silvery blue color as they mature. It is a rugged native of the Rocky Mountains that tolerates wind and dry spells.

In the Appalachian Mountains, this is the beloved Christmas tree, with soft, dark green needles that show silvery undersides and a sweet, fresh fragrance. Fraser Fir (Abies fraseri) grows into a narrow, symmetrical pyramid with excellent needle retention, making it a top choice for Christmas tree growers and for landscapes in cool, high-elevation or northern gardens. Its late spring bud break helps young growth avoid frost damage.

Homemade syrups, jams, pies and wines all start with the dark purple berries of this fast-growing native shrub. American Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is crowned in early summer with broad, flat clusters of creamy white flowers, which are used for cordials and teas, before heavy clusters of berries follow. It thrives in moist soil, spreads into an attractive thicket, and is a magnet for pollinators and songbirds. This northern collection is especially cold hardy.

Rustling softly in the wind, golden bronze leaves often hang on through winter on this majestic native shade tree. American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) has smooth, silver-gray bark and a broad, rounded crown, and its silky green leaves turn golden bronze in fall. Its small triangular beechnuts are edible and feed a wide range of wildlife. Slow but long-lived, it makes a legacy tree for large yards, parks and woodland gardens.

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.

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.

Acorns from this handsome tree are a key food for wildlife, and it supports an enormous variety of native insects and birds. Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) is a fast-starting native shade tree with a broad, rounded crown and glossy, pointed-lobed leaves that turn russet to bright red in fall. It is one of the most widely planted oaks for lawns, parks and streets, valued for its strong wood and tolerance of urban conditions.

Rows of white, bell-shaped flowers dangle from the branches in mid-spring, just as the leaves unfurl, on this charming native tree. Carolina Silverbell (Halesia carolina) has a naturally rounded to pyramidal form, attractive striped bark, and distinctive four-winged seed pods that follow the blooms. It fits beautifully at woodland edges, in shade gardens and as a small specimen near patios, where its delicate flowers can be admired up close.

From the northern plains to mountain foothills, this hardy, adaptable native thrives. Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) bears fragrant, bottlebrush-like spikes of white flowers in spring, followed by clusters of glossy, dark red to black cherries in late summer. The tart fruit makes wonderful jelly and syrup, and birds flock to it. Its suckering, thicket-forming habit is excellent for windbreaks, wildlife plantings and stabilizing slopes.

Among the tallest trees in eastern North America, this towering native hardwood has straight trunks and uniquely shaped, four-lobed leaves that turn golden yellow in fall. Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) blooms in late spring with tulip-like flowers of yellow-green banded in orange, rich in nectar for bees. Fast growing and long lived, it is a superb shade tree for large properties, parks and reforestation projects.

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.

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.

Translucent scarlet berries that look like cranberries follow the late spring lacecap clusters of white flowers on this hardy native viburnum. American Cranberrybush (Viburnum trilobum) has maple-like, three-lobed leaves that turn red to purple in fall, and its fruit hangs on into winter for birds. Tough, cold hardy and adaptable to moist soils, it makes an outstanding hedge, screen or wildlife shrub for northern gardens.

Fragrant white blossoms cover this tough, thicket-forming native in early spring, before the leaves emerge. American Plum (Prunus americana) follows its flowers with small, sweet-tart red to yellow plums in late summer, perfect for fresh eating, jams and pies. It is extremely hardy and drought tolerant, and its dense growth makes a great windbreak, wildlife shelter or edible hedge on farms and larger properties.