Add Native Plants to Your Landscape
Long before there were hybrids or cultivars, thousands of years before names were even given to them, plants grew everywhere, evolving over millennia to develop specific abilities to contend with the growing conditions of their respective geographic areas. Influenced by the amount of annual rainfall, soil type (hard-baked clay, wet clay, dry sandy, moist humus, acidic bog, etc.), general climate, amount of sunlight or shade, and the severity of winter and summer conditions, these plants represent the hardiest - and, in many cases, the most unique - choices we can introduce to our garden habitats.
Indiana native plants lend their beauty to many varieties of gardening styles, from formal to very informal, and are adaptable to acres of prairie or woodlands or to a grouping of containers on the patio. Because they need less fertilizer and watering than non-native species of perennials, natives reduce the negative impact on the environment caused by over-cultivation, depletion of resources and use of chemicals.
Your first step should be to study the environment into which you wish to introduce native plants. Take the time to study your yard closely. To be successful, you will need to introduce the natives into an environment that closely replicates their natural habitat. Pay attention to the soil, sun and shade, and the amount of moisture the ground retains.
Below is a resource list for obtaining plants and seeds
Below is a partial list of Indiana native perennials you may wish to consider for your yard. Your public library has many excellent reference books on this subject.
Sources for the information presented here are: Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society (INPAWS) and Go Native! Gardening with native Plants and Wildflowers in the Lower Midwest, by Carolyn Harstad.
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Celandine Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum). Has four fragile, round, yellow petals and a pair of pale, deeply lobed stem leaves. 10-16 inches tall. Found in damp woods. |
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Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia). Has swept-back petals and stamens joined to form a pointed beak. 10-24 inches tall. Found in meadows, open woods and prairies. |
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Wild Hyacinth (Camassia scilloides). Member of the Lily Family, has pale blue 6-pointed stars on separate stalks. 1-2 feet tall. Found in meadows and open woods. |
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FIRE PINK (Silene virginica) Star-like five-petaled flowers are brilliant red on two-foot stalks. Blooms early summer. Found throughout the state in or at the edge of woods. Prefers well-drained soil. Is very attractive to hummingbirds. |
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PURPLE CONEFLOWER (Echinacea purpurea) Member of the Aster family. Purple daisy-like ray flowers droop or spread nearly flat from the center cone. Blooms nearly all summer. Grows in full sun in average, fertile, well-drained soil with neutral pH. Nectar attracks the Mourning Cloak butterfly and the seed attracts small birds. |
Native Plant and Seed Resource List
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Acorn Ridge Nursery 22441 Bigler Road LaCrosse IN 46348 219-754-2662 Seeds |
Heartland Restoration Services, Inc. 349 Airport North Office Park Fort Wayne IN 46825 219-489-8511 |
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AgVenture D.&M. Seeds, Inc. P O Box 102 Kentland IN 47951 Native grass and wildflower seeds |
Indiana Propagation Nursery 3 Lyon Block Salem IN 47167 Native trees |
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Beineke’s Nursery 513 Sharon Road West Lafayette IN 47906 765-463-2994 Seeds |
J. F. New & Associates 708 Roosevelt Road Walkerton IN 46574 219-586-2412 |
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Crystal Palace Perennials P O Box 154 St. John IN 46373 219-374-9419 |
Jasper-Pulaski State Nursery 15508 W 700 N Medaryville IN 47957 |
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Designs on Nature 202 Lincolnway East Mishawaka IN 46544 219-256-2242 Seeds |
Madeline E. Elder Greenhouse Indianapolis Museum of Art 1200 W 38th Street Indpls IN 46208 Seeds |
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Earthly Goods, Ltd. 620 East Main Street New Albany IN 47150 812-944-3283 www.earthlygoods.com Wildflower seeds, seed mixtures, herb & grass seed and other garden related products |
Munchkin Nursery & Garden 323 Woodside Drive NW Depauw IN 47115 812-633-4858 Woodland flowers |
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Edge of the Prairie Wildflowers 1861 Oak Hill Road Crawfordsville IN 47933 765-362-0915 Seeds |
Salsbery Brothers Landscaping 4317 E 146th St Carmel IN 46033 317-843-0100 Seeds |
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Spence Restoration Nursery 2220 E Fuson Road Muncie IN 47308 765-286-7154 |
Springcreek Landscaping & Nursery Inc 1860 N 525 E Logansport IN 46947 219-722-1128 Seeds |
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Vallonia State Nursery 2782 W County Road 540 S Vallonia IN 47281 |
Prairie Nursery P O Box 306 Westfield WI 53064 608-296-3679 |
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Wildseed Farms P O Box 3000 Fredericksburg TX 78624 1-800-848-0078 Seeds |
Indiana Native Perennials
| Botanical Name | Common Name | Use/Description/Growing Conditions |
| Actea pachypoda | White Baneberry | Woodland |
| Adiantum pedatum | Maidenhair Fern | Moist loam in partial to full shade |
| Allium cernuum | Nodding Onion | Prairie/meadow |
| Andropogon gerardii | Big Bluestem | Prairie grass |
| Anemonella thalictroides | Rue Anemone | Woodland |
| Antennaria plantaginifolia | Pussytoes | Ground cover for woods edge |
| Aquilegia canadensis | Columbine | Light woodland or open slope |
| Asarum canadensis | American Ginger | Ground cover for shade |
| Asclepias rubra | Swamp Milkweed | Prairie |
| Asclepias tuberosa | Butterfly Weed | Prairie/meadow |
| Aster laevis | Smooth Aster | Prairie |
| Bouteloua curtipendula | Side Oats Gamma | Prairie grass |
| Callirhoe involucrata | Wine Cups or Poppy Mallow | Prairie or meadow ground cover |
| Caltha palustris | Marsh Marigold | Marshy, wet soil |
| Camassia scilloides | Wild Hyacinth | Meadows & open woods |
| Carex cristatella | Crested Sedge | Open woods, marches, meadows |
| Carex intumescens | Shining Bur Sedge | Wet woods or moist prairies |
| Carex pennsylvanica | Pennsylvania Sedge | Ground cover under trees |
| Carex vulpinoidea | Fox Sedge | Marshes, low open woods |
| Cassia fasciculata | Partridge Pea | Prairie |
| Caulophyllum thalictroides | Blue Cohosh | Woodland |
| Chelone glabra | White Turtlehead | Prairie |
| Claytonia virginica | Spring Beauty | Woodland ephemeral |
| Coptis groenlandica | Goldthread | Ground cover for acid soil |
| Delphinium tricorne | Spring Larkspur | Woodland |
| Dentaria laciniata | Cut-leaved Toothwort | Woodland ephemeral |
| Dicentra canadensis | Squirrel Corn | Woodland ephemeral |
| Dicentra cucullaria | Dutchman’s Breeches | Woodland ephemeral |
| Dodecatheon meadia | Shooting Star | Meadows & open woods |
| Dryopteris intermedia | Intermediate Shield Fern | Moist woodland or shade garden |
| Dryopteris marginalis | Leatherwood Fern | Woodland or shade garden |
| Echinacea purpurea | Purple Coneflower | Prairie/meadow |
| Eryngium yuccifolium | Rattlesnake Master | Prairie/meadow |
| Eupatorium purpureum | Joe-Pye Weed | Moist meadow |
| Filipendula rubra | Queen-of-the-Prairie | Moist meadows or prairies |
| Fragaria virginiana | Wild Strawberry | Ground cover for sun or partial shade |
| Geranium maculatum | Cranesbill High | woodland |
| Hepatica acutiloba | Sharp-Lobed Hepatica | East or north-facing slopes in woods |
| Hierochloe odorata | Sweetgrass | Prairie grass |
| Hydrastis canadensis | Golden Seal | Woodland |
| Hypoxis hirsuta | Yellow-Eyed or Star Grass | Meadows or open woods |
| Iris cristata | Crested iris | Woods, riverbanks |
| Iris versicolor | Blue Flag Wet | meadows, pond edges |
| Iris verna | Dwarf or Vernal Iris | Woods, riverbanks |
| Isopyrum biternatum | False Rue Anemone | Woodland |
| Jeffersonia diphylla | Twin Leaf | Woodland |
| Liatris aspera | Rough Blazing Star | Prairie |
| Liatris spicata | Gayfeather or Blazing Star | Prairie/meadow |
| Lobelia cardinalis | Cardinal Flower | Prairie |
| Lupinus perennis | Lupine | Prairie |
| Mertensia virginica | Virginia Bluebells | Woodland ephemeral |
| Mitchella repens | Partridge Berry | Ground cover for shade |
| Mitella diphylla | Miterwort | Woodland |
| Monarda fistulosa | Wild Bergamot | Prairie |
| Osmunda cinnamomea | Cinnamon Fern | Wet areas in partial shade |
| Osmunda regalis | Royal Fern High | open shade |
| Panicum virgatum | Switchgrass | Prairie grass |
| Pathenocissus quinquefolia | Virginia Creeper | Woodland vine & ground cover |
| Penstemon digitalis | Foxglove or Beardtongue | Prairie/meadow |
| Phlox divaricata | Wild Sweet William | Ground cover for shade |
| Phlox stolonifera | "Home Fires" Creeping Woodland Phlox | Mat-forming plant for shade |
| Phlox subulata | Moss Phlox | Clump-forming cover for sunny slopes |
| Polemonium reptans | Creeping Jacob’s Ladder | mat-forming plant for shade |
| Podophyllum peltatum | Mayapple | Woodland ephemeral |
| Polystichum acrostichoides | Christmas Fern | Partial to full shade |
| Potentilla simplex | Common Cinquefoil | Ground cover for sun or partial shade |
| Rudbeckia hirta | Black-eyed Susan | Prairie |
| Sagittaria latifolia | Arrowhead | Ponds, mucky soil |
| Sanguinaria canadensis | Bloodroot | Woodland ephemeral |
| Schizachyrium scoparium | Little Bluestem | Prairie grass |
| Sedum ternatum | Wild Stonecrop | Damp rocks & banks |
| Silene regia | Royal Catchfly | Prairie |
| Silene virginica | Fire Pink | Open woods, rocky slopes |
| Sisyrichium albidum | Blue-eyed Grass | Prairie |
| Smilacina racemosa | False Solomon’s Seal | Woodland |
| Solidago rigida | Stiff Goldenrod | Prairie |
| Solidago speciosa | Showy Goldenrod | Prairie |
| Sorghastrum nutans | Indian Grass | Prairie |
| Spartina pectinata | Prairie Cordgrass | Prairie |
| Stylophorum diphyllum | Celandine Poppy | Woodland |
| Tiarella cordifolia | Foam Flower | Lightly wooded or open slopes |
| Tiarella wherryi | Wherry’s Foam Flower | Lightly wooded or open slopes |
| Tradescantia ohiensis | Spiderwort | Prairie/meadow |
| Trillium erectum | Wake Robin Trillium | Woodland ephemeral |
| Trillium grandiflorum | Large-Flowered White Trillium | Woodland ephemeral |
| Trillium luteum | Yellow Trillium | Woodland ephemeral |
| Trillium nivale | Snow or Dwarf Trillium | Woodland ephemeral |
| Trillium recurvatum | Prairie Trillium | Woodland |
| Uvularia sessilifolia | Merry Bells or Bellwort | Woodland |
| Viola pedata | Bird Foot Violet | Meadows or open woods |
| Waldsteinia fragarioides | Barren Strawberry | Ground cover for sun or partial shade |