Over the years, one of the biggest trends in landscaping in the Hudson Valley and Catskills region has been an explosion of interest in native plant species. Not only can they evoke a classic look for your garden or property that is based in local history, they can also thrive in our specific soil conditions and weather patterns.
When it comes to our landscape design services or landscape maintenance plans, considering the specific needs and patterns of native plants is a key consideration. With that said, here are 26 native plants that we often see in the region:
1. Black-Eyed Susan
A quintessential native wildflower that can provide a burst of sunshine in your garden. It has cheerful yellow, daisy-like flowers, and is a magnet for butterflies and bees.
2. Swamp Milkweed
It has clusters of fragrant pink to mauve flowers that emerge in the summer months. It also serves as an essential food source for caterpillars of the monarch butterfly. It’s relatively easy to grow and is resistant to deer.
3. Common Milkweed
Another food source for monarch butterflies, common milkweed is known for its ability to thrive in disturbed sites. An interesting piece of trivia is that during World War 2, common milkweed seeds were used as a filling for life jackets.
4. Joe-Pye Weed
Despite the name “weed,” this plant has large, fluffy clusters of pink-purple flowers that bloom in late summer with a subtle vanilla-like fragrance. It’s allegedly named after a Native American healer named Joseph Shauquethqueat, who used it to treat fevers.
5. Wild Bergamot
Wild Bergamot’s leaves can be used to brew a flavorful tea known as “Oswego Tea.” It has uniquely-shaped, lavender to pink “shaggy” flowers that bloom from July to September. It thrives in full sun to part shade.
6. Cardinal Flower
This striking perennial is known for attracting hummingbirds with its bright red, tubular flowers that bloom from late summer to fall. It’s named after the scarlet robes worn by Roman Catholic cardinals.
7. Smooth White Beardtongue
This features spires of white, bell-shaped flowers that bloom in the early summer. It attracts many pollinators, and prefers full sun.
8. Canada Anemone
This groundcover option has delicate, white, daisy-like flowers with golden centers that bloom in late spring. It spreads aggressively via rhizomes, so it can be well-suited for larger spaces.
9. Northern Blueflag Iris
The word “flag” in its name is derived from the Middle English word for rush or reed, which alludes to its natural wetland habitat. It’s known for its sword-like leaves that maintain an attractive appearance throughout the growing season.
10. Yarrow
This is a versatile plant that has lacy, flat-topped flower clusters in a variety of clusters. It’s easy to grow from seed, and its flowers are often dried for beautiful arrangements.
11. Culver’s Root
This provides a vertical accent in the garden with its tall, elegant spires of white, pink or blue flowers that bloom in the summer months. It’s a favorite of pollinators.
12. Coneflower
The coneflower boasts daisy-like flowers in shades of purple, pink and white. It’s known for its drought tolerance and offers resistance to deer.
13. Winterberry
This native shrub stands out for its spectacular bright red berries that persist throughout winter months, and provides a food source for birds during lean times. It has handsome foliage in the summer and tolerates a wide range of soil conditions.
14. Spicebush
Spicebush’s tiny yellow flowers along its branches announce the arrival of spring. It has aromatic leaves and twigs, and thrives in sun to shade. Early land surveyors recognized spicebush as an indicator of fertile agricultural land.
15. Buttonbush
This native shrub is characterized by its spherical, distinctive white flower clusters that resemble pincushions. It exhibits moderate deer resistance and thrives in full sun to part shade. As a honey plant, it’s a great nectar source for bees.
16. Highbush Blueberry
This native shrub has a lot of visual appeal throughout the year; it has wonderful blue-black berries in the summer, shows off white or pink flowers in the spring, and produces vibrant red foliage in the fall.
17. Bayberry
This aromatic, semi-evergreen produces clusters of berries and attracts birds; it’s a great choice for hedges and screening due to its dense growth pattern.
18. Red Twig Dogwood
It has white flowers in the spring, white berries in the summer, and its red stems provide vibrant color in the winter. It provides nesting and a food source for different birds.
19. Bottlebrush Buckeye
This shrub reaches eight to twelve feet in height, and offers unique and showy upright clusters of white flower in mid-summer that attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
20. American Hazelnut
This multi-stemmed shrub provides ornamental appeal and edible nuts that are enjoyed by birds and are edible for people. In the winter and spring, it has showy, yellow-brown male catkins, and in the fall, it turns to vibrant yellow and red shades.
21. Nannyberry
This versatile native plant can get as high as twenty-five feet in the air; it features attractive clusters of creamy white flowers in the late spring, and blue-black berries all the way into winter.
22. Nothern Bush-honeysuckle
This smaller, densely-branched shrub offers yellow and orange tubular flowers from early to late summer that attract bees, hummingbirds and butterflies.
23. Black Tupelo
This native tree, also known as black gum, can hit 30-50 feet in height and produces dark blue fruit that attracts many kinds of birds.
24. Red Maple
This very popular native tree is beloved for its bright red fall foliage. It grows quickly and can last 80 to 100 years while reaching heights of 40 to 60 feet.
25. Shagbark Hickory
This tree with shaggy bark peels away in long, thick strips, giving it a rugged appearance. It grows slowly but can live up to 200 years, reaching heights of 60 to 80 feet. It produces nuts that are coveted by squirrels.
26. Common Serviceberry
This small tree or large shrub ranges between 10 to 25 feet in height. It can burst into clusters of delicate white flowers, followed up by small, edible berries in the summer that birds love.