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Garden Suggestions

Not every plant is suited for every garden. Some like hot and dry locations. Others prefer moisture. Some like to live with other plants. Others are aggressive and want to dominate the space. When planting a garden, it is really critical to choose the right plant for the right space. Below are our suggestions for plants for specific garden types. 

Rain Gardens
  • Swamp Milkweed (asclepias incarnata)
  • Flat Topped Aster (aster umbullatus)
  • Nodding Beggarticks (bidens cernua)
  • White Turtlehead (chelone glabra)
  • Common Boneset (eupatorium perfoliatum)
  • Grass leaved Goldenrod (euthamia graminifolia)
  • Joe-Pye Weed (eutrochium maculatum)
  • Blue Flag Iris (iris versicolour)
  • Dense Blazing Star (liatris spicata)
  • Cardinal Flower (lobelia cardinalis)
  • Great Blue Lobelia (lobelia siphilitica)
  • Obedient Plant (physostegia virginiana)
  • Bog Goldenrod (solidago uliginosa)​​
  •  New England Aster (symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
  • Swamp Aster (symphiotricum puniceum)
  • Blue Vervain (verbena hastata)
  • Common Ironweed (vernonia fasciculata)
  • Culver's Root (veronicastrum virginicum)
  • Big Bluestem grass (andropogen gerardii)
  • Northern Sweet Grass (veronicastrum virginicum)
  • Fringed Brome (Bromus ciliatus)
  • Canadian Blue Joint Grass (calamagrostis canadensis)
  • Bebb's Sedge (carex bebbii)
  • Brown Fox Sedge (carex vulpinoidea)
  • Rattlesnake Grass (Glyceria canadensis)

Pollinator Gardens​
Most of our native plants are great for pollinators. However, there are some plants that seem to attract a wide variety of pollinators. It is important to remember that some pollinators are specialists, meaning they only gather pollen and nectar from certain flowers, while others are generalists and will go to whatever source of pollen and nectar they can find. But certain plants pack a punch when it comes to food! 
  • Anise Hyssop (agastache foeniculum)
  • Purple Giant Hyssop (agastache scrophularifolia)
  • Swamp Milkweed (asclepias incarnata)
  • Common Milkweed (asclepias syriaca)
  • Tall Thistle (cirsium altissimum)
  • Pasture Thistle (cirsium discolor)
  • Grass-Leaved Goldenrod (euthamia graminifolia)
  • Joe-Pye Weed (eutrochium maculatum)
  • Tall Sunflower (helianthus giganteus)
  • Maximilian's Sunflower (helianthus maximiliani)
  • Stiff Sunflower (helianthus pauciflorus)
  • False Sunflower (heliopsis helianthoides)
  • Dense Blazing Star (liatris spicata)
  • Early Figwort (scrophularia lanceolata)
  • Prairie Dock (silphium terebinthinaceu)
  • Blue-Stemmed Goldenrod (solidago caesia)
  • Early Goldenrod (solidago juncea)
  • Field Goldenrod (solidago nemoralis)
  • Upland White Goldenrod (solidago ptarmicoides)
  • Stiff Goldenrod (solidago rigida)
  • Bog Goldenrod (solidago uliginosa)
  • Heart Leaved Aster (symphyotrichum cordifolium)
  • Smooth Blue Aster (symphiotricum laeve)
  • New England Aster (symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
  • Sky Blue Aster (symphyotrichum oolentangiense)
  • Swamp Aster (symphiotricum puniceum)
  • Blue Vervain (verbena hastata)
  • Hoary Vervain (verbena stricta)

Shade Plants
Shady areas can sometimes be challenging to fill with colour. However, there are many native plants that do very well in shade. ​
  • White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima)
  • Hairy Wood Mint (blephilia hirsuta)
  • Bottlebrush Rye Grass (elymus hystrix)
  • Large-leaved aster (eurybia macrophylla)
  • Blue-Stemmed Goldenrod (solidago caesia)
  • Zigzag Goldenrod (solidago flexicaulis)

Native Ground Covers
  • Canada anemone (anemone canadensis)
  • Field Pussytoes (antennaria neglecta)
  • Northern Sweetgrass (anthoxanthum hirtum)
  • Bebb's Sedge (carex bebbi)​​
  • Plains Oval Sedge (carex brevior)
  • Brown Fox Sedge (carex vulpinoidea)
  • Northern Bush Honeysuckle (diervilla lonicera)
  • Large-leaved aster (eurybia macrophylla)
  • Wild strawberry (fragaria virginiana)
  • Wild Geranium (geranium maculatum)
  • Golden Ragwort (packera aurea)
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Last updated June 2025
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  • Home
  • All about Native Plants
  • Available Plants
    • Order Online for Pick-Up
    • Photos of Plants
    • Garden Suggestions
  • Garden Consults
  • About Us
    • Location & Hours
    • Our Philosophy
    • Our Growing and Production Process
    • Contact Us
  • Other
    • Newsletters
    • Photography >
      • Seasons >
        • Spring
        • Summer
        • Fall
        • Winter
      • Lake Superior
      • Abstract & Painterly
      • Other >
        • Urban and Abandoned
        • Black & White
        • Animals
        • Beyond the North
        • Hiking Photo Blog
        • Collections