Great Lakes Environment: Greenacres - Landscaping with Native Plants Factsheet

If you are landscaping in the Midwest, you may want to consider plants from the following lists. These lists include some of the species that are commonly available in nurseries and are relatively easy to grow. They are directed towards individuals doing a modest first planting. For large projects, which can accommodate a wide variety of species, you may want to consider consulting a professional with expertise in natural landscaping.

The herbaceous plant lists are divided into plants which thrive in full sun, partial sun and shade. A general rule is that prairie species need full sun; savanna species will grow in partial shade (and many will grow as well, or better, in full sun); and woodland species will grow in shade. It is very important to check catalogs and nursery information before you buy, because plants also vary in their need for moisture.

FULL SUN
Grasses:
Big Bluestem Little Bluestem Sideoats Grama Switch Grass Indian Grass Prairie Dropseed Prairie Cord Grass Porcupine Grass	Andropogon gerardii Andropogon scoparius Bouteloua curtipendula Panicum virgatum Sorghastrum nutans Sporobolus heterolepis Spartina pectinata Stipa spartea
Forbs (flowers):
Lead Plant Pasque Flower Heath Aster Silky Aster Cream Wild Indigo Sand Coreopsis Prairie Coreopsis Pale Purple Coneflower Rattlesnake Master Prairie Smoke Western (or Naked) Sunflower False Boneset Round Headed Bush Clover Rough Blazing Star Cylindrical Blazing Star Pale Spiked Lobelia Wild Quinine Prairie Cinquefoil Gray Goldenrod Riddell's Goldenrod Golden Alexanders	Amorpha canescens Anemone patens Aster ericoides Aster sericeus Baptisia leucophaea Coreopsis lanceolata Coreopsis palmata Echinacea pallida Eryngium yuccifolium Geum triflorum Helianthus occidentalis Kuhnia eupatorioides Lespedeza capitata Liatris aspera Liatris cylindracea Lobelia spicata Parthenium integrifolium Potentilla arguta Solidago nemoralis Solidago reddellii Zizia aurea
FULL SUN-PART SHADE
Forbs:
Nodding Wild Onion Prairie Thimbleweed Butterfly Weed Smooth Blue Aster Sky Blue Aster New England Aster White Wild Indigo Showy Tick Trefoil Shooting Star Purple Coneflower Wild Bergamot (Beebalm) Foxglove Beard Tongue Obedient Plant Black-Eyed Susan Ohio Goldenrod Spiderwort Heart-Leaved Meadow Parsnip	Allium cernuum Anemone cylindrica Asclepias tuberosa Aster azureaus Aster laevis Aster novae-angliae Baptisia leucantha Desmodium canadense Dodecatheon meadia Echinacea purpurea Monarda fistulosa Penstamon digitalis Physostegia virginiana Rudbeckia hirta Solidago ohiensis Tradescantia ohioensis Zizia aptera
Grasses:
Common Wood Reed Canada Wild Rye Virginia Wild Rye Fowl Meadow (Manna) Grass Bottlebrush Grass	Cinna arundinacea Elymus canadensis Elymus virginicus Glyceria striata Hystrix patula
SHADE
Woodland:
Wild Columbine Jack-in-the-Pulpit Wild Ginger Dutchman's Breeches Yellow Trout Lily Wild Geranium Virginia Waterleaf Virginia Bluebells Mayapple Solomon's Seal Bloodroot Trillium	Aquilegia canadensis Arisaema triphyllum Asarum canadense Dicentra cucullaria Erythroniuim americanum Geranium maculatum Hydrophyllum virginianum Mertensia virginica Podophyllum peltatum Polygonatum canaliculatum Sanguinaria canadensis Trillium spp.
Oak Savanna:
Big Bluestem Grass Little Bluestem Grass Shagbark Hickory New Jersey Tea American Hazelnut Purple Love Grass June Grass Rough Blazing Star White Oak Bur Oak Black Oak Indian Grass	Andropogon gerardii Andropogon scoparius Carya ovata Ceanothus americanus Corylus americana Eragrostis spectabilis Koehleria cristata Liatris aspera Quercus alba Quercus macrocarpa Quercus velutina Sorghastrum nutans
GENERALLY WET CONDITIONS
Marsh:
Swamp Milkweed Blue Joint Grass Sedges Spotted Joe-Pye Weed Common Boneset Rice Cut Grass Common Water Horehound Dark Green Rush Great Bulrush Prairie Cordgrass Common Cattail	Asclepias incarnata Calamagrostis canadensis Carex sp. Eupatorium maculatum Eupatorium perfoliatum Leersia oryzoides Lycopus americanus Scirpus atrovirens Scirpus validus Spartina pectinata Typha latifolia
Lake and Pond:
Hornwort Common Rush Rice Cut Grass Small Duckweed Pickerel Weed Common Arrowhead	Ceratophyllum demersum Juncus effusus Leersia oryzoides Lemna minor Pontederia cordata Sagittaria latifolia

More Information

State Resources Fact Sheet on native plants. These documents are in Portable Document Format (PDF) only (about PDF files)

Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC)
Under a U.S. EPA grant, NIPC developed a natural landscaping tool kit for local officials which includes Natural Landscaping for Public Officials: A Source Book, 1997, a poster illustrating the benefits of natural landscaping and an annotated slide show. Call NIPC at (312) 454-0400, or U.S. EPA at 800-621-8431 to receive a copy of the tool kit. The Source Book is available on U.S. EPA's Internet site.

Wild Ones

A non-profit organization encouraging natural yards in harmony with nature. Contact them at:

Prairie Nursery

Helpful information on planting with native plants is available at: