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What to Plant

What to plant banner

The U.S. has many different climate zones and topographic and geographic features. Each state and even areas within states differ in their ability to support different plant species without the need for supplemental water and fertilizers. The following plant lists will help you identify plants appropriate for your location.  Before you begin, you might also want to determine your USDA plant hardiness zone.

When designing your landscape for water-efficiency, be sure to choose plants that are defined as low water use or drought tolerant for your area. These plant species will be able to survive in your climate with minimal, if any, need for supplemental watering. See these simple tips for water-efficient landscaping for more ideas on lowering water use in your yard.

Type your state into the Search bar below to explore lists of plants that are appropriate for your part of the country.  Nationwide lists also allow you to search by your local region.  [Note: WaterSense updated this list in August 2022. If you have other links you think we should include, please let us know by using the Contact Us link on this page.]

The following links exit the site.  You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more.  

State Plant List
*Nationwide USDA Plant Database
*Nationwide Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
*Nationwide Plant Native
*Nationwide North American Native Plant Society
*Nationwide Izel Native Plants for your Garden
*Nationwide Lowes Plant Search
*Nationwide Beautiful Plants for the WaterWise Garden - High County Gardens
*Nationwide Native Plant Database - Audubon 
*Nationwide Native Plant Finder - National Wildlife Federation
*Nationwide Drought Tolerant Solutions - Gardenia 
Alabama Drought Tolerant Landscapes - The Alabama Cooperative Extension System 
Alabama  Alabama Plant Atlas
Alaska Alaska Department of Fish and Game 
Alaska  Alaska Cooperative Extension Service 
Alaska  Alaska Native Plant Society 
Arizona  Trees, Lawns and Landscaping - Arizona Cooperative Extension  
Arizona  Low Water Use Plants & Landscapes - Arizona Department of Water Resources 
Arizona  The Arizona Native Plant Society 
Arizona  Plants for the Arizona Desert - Arizona Municipal Water Users Association 
Arkansas  Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service - University of Arkansas System 
Arkansas  Arkansas Native Plant Society 
Arkansas  Drought Tolerant Plants Suitable for Arkansas Landscapes - University of Arkansas system 
California  Gardening in Contra Costa County - Contra Costa Water District
California  California Native Plant Society 
California  Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants - California Native PlantWiki 
California  Water Smart San Diego County Authority
California  Water wise Gardening in Santa Barbara County 
California  Water wise Gardening in Fresno Region
California  Calscape California Native Plant Society 
California  Bloom! California - California Native Plant Society 
Colorado Plant Select - Plant Smarter 
Colorado  Colorado State University - Colorado Plant Database 
Colorado  Harlequin's Gardens, sustainable Nursery and Garden Center 
Connecticut  Gardening with Native Plants - Connecticut Botanical Society
Connecticut  Plant Database - University of Connecticut
Delaware Native Plant Center for the Chesapeake Region 
Delaware Wildlife Habitat and USFWS 
Florida Native Florida Plants for Home Landscapes - University of Florida Extension
Florida Drought Tolerant Plants for North and Central Florida- University of Florida 
Florida  Florida Plant Atlas - University of South Florida 
Florida  Guide to Plant Selection & Landscape Design - Florida-Friendly Landscaping 
Florida  Natives for Landscaping - Florida Native Plant Society
Georgia Georgia Coastal Plain Native Plants for Conservation Landscaping - University of Georgia Marine Extension Service 
Georgia  Part 1: Native Plants for Georgia - Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines - The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Georgia  Part 2: Native Plants for Georgia - Ferns - The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Georgia  Georgia Native Plant Society - Georgia's Natives Plants  
Hawaii Native Nursery Plant Guide
Hawaii Native and Introduced Plants of Hawaii - Trade Winds Fruit 
Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa Cooperative Extension Service 
Idaho  Landscaping with Native Plants - University of Idaho Extension
Idaho  Landscaping with Native Plants of the Intermountain Region - Idaho Native Plant Society
Illinois Illinois' Best Plants - Chicago Botanic Garden 
Illinois Directory of Wildflowers - University of Illinois Extension
Illinois Earth-Friendly Landscaping -The Conservation Foundation
Illinois  Natural Gardens Natives 
Indiana  Indiana Plant Atlas -  Butler University Friesner Herbarium 
Indiana  Landscape-Worthy Indiana Natives - Indiana Native Plant & Wildflower Society
Indiana  Landscape-Worthy Indiana Natives - Indiana Native Plant & Wildflower Society
Indiana  Indiana Wildlife Federation 
Iowa Tallgrass Prairie Center - University of Northern Iowa  
Kansas Water-Wise Plants Trees and Ornamentals for South Central Kansas
Kentucky Native Plant List - Kentucky and Tennessee
Kentucky  Tennessee-Kentucky Plant Atlas - Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves 
Louisiana Louisiana Ecosystems and Plant Identification- Louisiana State University 
Louisiana Plant Native List for Arkansas, Louisiana, Eastern Oklahoma, and Eastern Texas
Maine  Maine Bureau of Land and Water Quality - The Buffer Handbook Plant List
Maryland Wildlife Habitat and USFWS - Native Plants for Conservation Landscaping Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Maryland Native Plant Center for the Chesapeake Region
Massachusetts Native Plants Suitable for the Cultivated Cape Cod Landscape - Cape Cod Commission
Massachusetts North American Plants for New England Gardens - UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery & Urban Forestry
Massachusetts  Grow Native Massachusetts 
Michigan  Northern Michigan's Native Plants - Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council
Michigan  Michigan Native Plants Database
Michigan  Regional Plant Lists - Michigan State University 
Michigan  Native Plants - City of Ann Arbor
Minnesota  Living Landscapes in Minnesota: A Guide to Native Plant scaping - USDA
Minnesota  Native Plant Encyclopedia - Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Minnesota  Blue Thumb - Planting for Clean Water
Mississippi Native Shrubs for Mississippi Landscapes - Mississippi State University Extension Service
Mississippi The Crosby Arboretum Plant List - The Crosby Arboretum
Missouri Native Plants for Your Landscape - Missouri Department of Conservation
Missouri Grow Native! - Missouri Prairie Foundation
Missouri Plant Finder - Missouri Botanical Garden
Montana  Montana Native Plant Society - Native Plant Landscaping
Nebraska   Perennials in Water Wise Landscapes - University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension
Nebraska  Wildflowers for the Home Landscape - University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension
Nebraska  Recommended Species for the Western Great Plain - Nebraska Statewide Arboretum
Nebraska  What to Plant - Nebraska Statewide Arboretum 
Nevada Truckee Meadows Water Authority
New Hampshire  A New Hampshire Plant Palette - University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension
New Jersey  Landscaping for Water Conservation - Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension
New Jersey  Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat Improvement in New Jersey’s Coastal Plain Region - Cape Atlantic Conservation District
New Jersey  Incorporating Native Plants in Your Residential Landscape - Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension
New Jersey  Jersey Friendly Yards
New Mexico New Mexico Plant List - Office of the State Engineer
New Mexico Plants for Central New Mexico - Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority 505 Outside
New York  Gardening and Landscaping - Department of Environmental Conservation
New York  New York Flora Atlas - The New York Flora Association
New York  Native Plant Center for the Chesapeake Region
North Carolina  Common Native Plant Species - Mecklenburg County Government - Trees, Shrubs, Grass and Flowers
North Carolina  Going Native - Urban Landscaping for Wildlife with Native Plants - North Carolina State University
North Carolina  Recommended Native Species - North Carolina Native Plant Society
North Carolina  Native Wildflowers for Your Garden - North Carolina Botanical Garden
North Carolina  Native Plants - Asheville Botanical Gardens
North Dakota  Living Landscapes in North Dakota: A Guide to Native Plantscaping - USDA
North Dakota  Lawns, Gardens, and Trees in North Dakota -  North Dakota State University Extension Service
Ohio Ohio Native Species for Landscape and Restoration Use - Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Ohio Plant Recommendations for Special Conditions - Ohio Landscape Association
Oklahoma Under–Utilized Native Plants of Oklahoma - OKPLANTtrees
Oklahoma Plant Selections for Oklahoma - Oklahoma Proven
Oregon  City of Ashland - Native Plant Guide
Oregon  Rod's Garden - Perennial Color
Oregon  Clean Water Services - Native Plant Finder
Oregon  Regional Water Providers Consortium - Water–Plant Guide
Pennsylvania  Wildlife Habitat and USFWS - Native Plants for Conservation Landscaping Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Pennsylvania  Native Plant Center for the Chesapeake Region
Puerto Rico Plantas de la Ilsa de Puerto Rico - The Institute for Regional Conservation
Rhode Island RI Native Plant Guide - College of the Environment and Life Sciences
South Carolina Plants that Tolerate Drought - Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service
South Carolina Native Plant List for Coastal South Carolina - South Carolina Native Plant Society
South Dakota  Living Landscapes in South Dakota: A Guide to Native Plantscaping - USDA
Tennesse  Landscaping with Native Plants - Tennessee Naturalist Program
Tennessee Landscaping with Native Plants - Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council
Tennessee  Tennessee-Kentucky Plant Atlas - Tenessee Native Plant Society 
Texas Texas A&M AgriLife Water University Plant Database for North Texas
Texas Earth-Kind Plant Selector
Texas Austin City Connection - Native and Adapted Landscape Plants
Texas Smart Scape Plant Search
Utah Utah Water Wise Plants
Utah Central Utah Gardens
Vermont  The Vermont Rain Garden Plant List - University of Vermont 
Virginia Wildlife Habitat and USFWS - Native Plants for Conservation Landscaping Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Virginia How to Landscape with Native Plants at Home - James River Association
Virginia Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation - Native Plants
Virginia Native Plant Center for the Chesapeake Region
Washington Native Plant Guide - Washington Native Plant Society
Washington Native Plants - Spokane Smartscape
Washington Saving Water Partnership - The Plant List
Washington  Native Plant List - Washington Native Plant Society
West Virginia Native Plant Center for the Chesapeake Region
West Virginia Native Plants for Conservation Landscaping Chesapeake Bay Watershed - Wildlife Habitat and USFWS
Wisconsin  A Guide to Selecting Landscape Plants for Wisconsin - University of Wisconsin-Extension
Wisconsin  Blue Thumb - Planting for Clean Water
Wisconsin  Landscape Plants of the Upper Midwest - University of Wisconsin–Madison
Wyoming Water–Wise Plants for Wyoming - University of Wyoming Extension Service
Wyoming Water - Wise and Native Plant Demonstration Garden - University of Wyoming Extension Service
Wyoming The WyoScape Xeric Demonstration Garden - University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service

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Last updated on July 24, 2024
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