THE NATIVE PLANT CENTER AT WCC
Plant Lists

WILDFLOWER & NATIVE PLANT DESCRIPTIONS

 

2007 Suggested Plant Lists
Click links below to read lists

Westchester County Dept. of Planning Brochure:
Invasive Plants
Westchester County Parks Dept. Brochure:
Go Native

Short Lists
Easy Plants for Shade
Easy Natives

Longer Lists
Plants for Shade
Plants for Sun

PLANTS SOLD AT THE NATIVE PLANT CENTER'S APRIL 2003 SALE
BOTANICAL NAME
COMMON NAME
DESCRIPTION
Aqulegia canadensis 'Corbett' Gold Dwarf Columbine Profuse show of butter yellow flowers in April-May on 12" plant.
Aruncus dioicus 'Kneiffii' Dwarf Goatsbeard Creamy white flowers in July on 24" plants whose finely cut foliate resembles a giant fern.  Prefers moist, rich soil or plenty of mulch in average soil.
Asclepias tuberosa 'Gay Butterflies' Butterfly Weed A colorful variation on the species, it produces flowers of red, orange, yellow and bronze in July. Long-lived in dry soils and adored by butterflies.
Aster dumosus 'Wood's Light Blue' Bushy Aster 12"-15" dwarf clear blue blooms with gold centers produced lavishly from Aug-Oct. Needs no staking and makes a fine con- tainer plant.
Aster oblongifolius 'October Skies' Late Aster 24" plant offers scented leaves, and medium blue blooms, needs no staking. Average soil.
Baptisia australis False Indigo Purple spikes of pea-shaped flowers on a 3' plant with gray-green leaves in average soils.  Long lived.
Cimicifuga racemosa 'Brunette' Snakeroot Dark, brownish purple leaves, dark purple stems and elegant 3-4' spikes of purple tinged, off-white fragrant flowers in mid- summer.  Prefers moist, rich soil.
Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam' Tickseed Justly famous for its amazingly long bloom from June-September.  Grows 15"-18" with threadlike leaves and pale yellow flowers for butterflies.  Highly drought resistant.
Bicentra eximia 'Stuart Boothman' Bleeding Heart Blue-gray foliage contrasts well with the pink flowers in May-June.  12" in moist soil.
Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' Pink Coneflower Large pink blooms with horizontal petals on 36" stems in July.  Drought resistant and pest free.
Eupatorium coelestinum ' Corey' Dwarf Hardy Ageratum 24" tall, this dwarf needs not staking and its blue blooms on deep red stems are a garden mainstay from August-October.  Drought resistant.
Liatris punctata Dotted Blazingstar  
Phlox paniculata Robert Poore  
Geranium maculatum Wild Geranium Rose -purple flowers in May and June on a 12"-24" plant.  Makes good groundcover as it spreads rapidly but not invasively in aver- age to dry soils.  Easy to grow.
Heliopsis helianthoides 'Summer Sun' False Sunflower Profuse bright golden double 4" flowers from July to September on 36"-48" stems.  Adaptable to average or moist soils.
Heuchera Montrose Ruby  
Phlox divaricata 'May Breeze' Woodland Phlox Good in a moist wooded site, it spreads slowly, needs little maintenance and boasts fragrant flowers of light blue on 8"-10" stems in April-May.
Mertensia virginica Virginia Bluebells  
Physostegia virginiana 'Miss Manners' False Dragonhead Non-invasice, this 18"-24" clump former produces pure white snapdragon-like flowers over glossy dark green leaves from June-September.
Polemonium reptans 'Blue Pearl' Dwarf Jacob's Ladder Bright china-blue blooms on a 12" plant in May.  Makes a good light-textured groundcover in average/moist soil.
Monarda Jacob Kline  
Stylophorum diphyllum Celendine Poppy  
Tiarella cordifolia 'Spring Symphony' Foamflower Deeply cut folliage, "painted" bronze along the midrib.  This 6" selection produces astounding numbers of soft pink flowers in May.  Prefers moist soil.
Tradescantia x 'Sweet Kate' Spiderwort Known as Blue and Gold, it offers clear yellow 18" tall foliage and dark blue-purple flowers to light up shady areas in average/ moist soils.
Viola pedata 'Eco Artist Palette' Bird Foot Violet Each flower has shades of yellow, purple, and white from April-June on a 3"-" plant with charming cut leaves.  Quite drought tolerant and adaptable.
Campsis radicans 'Indian Summer' Golden Trumpet Creeper From July on, expect hummingbirds to visit the trumpet-shaped flowers of apricot orange with orange-red throats.
Lonicera sempervirens 'Blanche Sandman' Honeysuckle Rose flowers opening to light yellow in May/June draw hummingbirds.
Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima' Red Chokeberry White May flowers, bright red persistent berries, brilliant red fall color.  This upright 8' x 4' shrub tolerates average to really wet soil.  Drought resistent and easy to grow.
Azalea viscosum ' Lollipop' Swamp Azalea Ruffled, deep pink blooms in July plus blueish-green, mildew resistant leaves turning purplish red in fall. Good in poorly drained soils andlight to medium shade. 5' x 6'
Cornus sericea 'Baileyi' Red Twig Dogwood Bright red stems on this 6' x 8' shrub glow in the winter.  Easy in average to poor, even wet soils.
Hamamelis vernalis Witch Hazel Highly fragrant yellow flowers in late February plus yellow fall foliage make this 10' x 10' shrub a winner.
Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabella' Annabella Hydrangea Huge white snowball blooms nearly 12" across in June-July.  Easy to grow in average soil and very tolerant of shade. Grows to a compact 3'-5' x 4-6'.
Ilex verticillata 'Red Sprite' Dwarf Female Winterberry Prized for its dense, dwarf growth to 4' x 4' and large red fruit which birds eat late in the season.  You need a male for fruit.
Ilex verticellata 'Jim Dandy' Male Winterberry Blooms heavily and long in May, making it a good pollinator of "Red Sprite" and others.  5' x 5'.
Arisaema triphyllum Jack in the Pulpit  
Pachysandra procumbens Allegheny Pachysandra  
Phlox subulata Emerald Blue  
Vaccinum corymbosum 'Patriot' Highbush Blueberry Tasty berries of excellent flavor that birds fight you for.  Grows 6' x 6' with white May flowers and radiant orange fall color.  Likes average, acid soil.
Arctostaphyllos uva-ursi Bearberry  
Yucca filamentosa 'Golden Sword' Gold Yucca Long green leaves with showy vertical bands of gold.  Loves poor soil in full sun. A low 2'-3' grower unlike the common green yucca.  White flowers in June.
Adiantum pedatum Maidenhair Fern Delicate, lacy foliage 12" high make this fern the most graceful.  Likes moist, sheltered sites.
Spigelia marilandica    
Polystichum acrostichoides Christmas Fern A tough evergreen fern, 12"-18" tall and wide.  Prefers moist soils but tolerates average soils better than most ferns.  Good companion for spring bulbs.
Chasmanthium latifolium Northern Sea Oats Attractive oat-like seed heads stay from late summer through winter on a compact 3' grass with deep gold fall color.  Will naturalize in dry shade.
Panicum vigatum 'Shenandoah' Switch Grass Only 3' high, it's the shortest and slowest growing panicum, partly due to less chlorophyll.  Foliage turns strongly red- maroon by late June with red flowers from August on.
Sorghastrum nutans 'Sioux Blue' Blue Indian Grass An upright 4'-6' grower with metallic steely- blue leaves turning orange-gold in fall.