Native Plants for the Hopewell Valley

A sample of native wildflowers, grasses, and ferns for Hopewell Valley Gardens. Selected for value to wildlife, deer resistance, beauty, and adaptability.

Monkeyflower in a wildflower meadow Photo: Rachel Mackow

Black cohosh hosts the Applacian azure butterfly

Foamflower can create a beautiful groundcover. Photo: Rachel Mackow

Bottlebrush grass adds a tall element to a part-shade to shade garden

Hard to maintain areas of the yard can be beautified and naturalized with native plants

Many native plants host spectacular caterpillars and butterflies. Here, a Baltimore checkerspot nibbles on white turtleheads. Photo: Rachel Mackow

Native grasses can be used to create neat borders and structure to the garden

Blueberry species draw native pollinators to their white blooms

Click on the plant’s name to be directed to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s online database to learn more about each of these plants. This database is searchable by common, scientific, or family name. Each plant is thoroughly described, including planting requirements, wildlife value, and multiple images.

Common Name (follow clickable link with full plant description)	Scientific Name	Sunlight Requirement	Moisture Requirement	Deer Resistant?
FERNS
Christmas Fern	Polystichum acrostichoides	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Cinnamon Fern	Osmunda cinnamomea	Sun to Partial Shade	Wet to Average	Yes
Hay-scented Fern	Dennstaedtia punctilobula	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Lady Fern	Athyrium filix-femina	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Wet	Yes
Maidenhair Fern	Adiantum pedatum	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Marginal Wood Fern	Dryopteris marginalis	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Marsh Fern	Thelypteris palustris	Sun to Partial Shade	Wet to Average	Yes
Sensitive Fern	Onoclea sensibilis	Sun to Partial Shade	Wet to Average	Yes
Ostrich Fern	Matteuccia struthiopteris	Partial Shade to Shade	Wet to Average	Yes
GRASSES
Big Bluestem	Andropogon gerardii	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Bottlebrush Grass	Elymus hystrix	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	Yes
Broadleaved Sedge	Carex platyphylla	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Broomsedge Bluestem	Andropogon virginicus	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Wet	Yes
Indian Grass	Sorghastrum nutans	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Little Bluestem	Schizachyrium scoparium	Sun to Partial Shade	Dry to Average	Yes
Northern Sea Oats	Chasmanthium latifolium	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	Yes
Panic Grass	Panicum virgatum	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Pennsylvania Sedge	Carex pensylvanica	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Purple Lovegrass	Eragrostis spectabilis	Sun to Partial Shade	Dry to Average	Yes
SHRUBS
American Hazelnut	Corylus americana	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	No
Bayberry	Morella pensylvanica	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Wet	Yes
Beach Plum	Prunus maritima	Sun to Partial Shade	Dry to Average	No
Black Chokeberry	Photinia melanocarpa	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Wet	No
Black Huckleberry	Gaylussacia baccata	Sun to Partial Shade	Dry to Average	Yes
Buttonbush	Cephalanthus occidentalis	Sun to Partial Shade	Wet to Average	No
Carolina Rose	Rosa carolina	Sun to Partial Shade	Dry to Average	No
Common Elderberry	Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis	Sun to Partial Shade	Wet to Average	No
Flowering Raspberry	Rubus odoratus	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Gray Dogwood	Cornus racemosa	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Wet	No
Highbush Blueberry	Vaccinium corymbosum	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Wet	No
Lowbush Blueberry	Vaccinium angustifolium	Sun to Partial Shade	Dry to Average	Yes
Meadowsweet	Spiraea alba var. latifolia	Sun to Partial Shade	Avearge to Wet	Yes
Nannyberry	Viburnum lentago	Sun to Partial Shade	Avearge to Dry	No
New Jersey Tea	Ceanothus americanus	Sun to Partial Shade	Avearge to Dry	No
Northern Arrowwood	Viburnum dentatum	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Wet	No
Red Chokeberry	Photinia pyrifolia	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Wet	No
Red-osier Dogwood	Cornus sericea	Sun to Partial Shade	Wet to Average	No
Serviceberry	Amelanchier canadensis	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	No
Silky Dogwood	Cornus amomum	Sun to Partial Shade	Wet to Average	No
Smooth Alder	Alnus serrulata	Sun to Partial Shade	Wet to Average	No
Spicebush	Lindera benzoin	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Wet	No
Sweet Pepperbush	Clethra alnifolia	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Wet	No
Sweetfern	Comptonia peregrina	Sun to Partial Shade	Dry to Average	Yes
Virginia Rose	Rosa virginiana	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	No
Virginia Sweetspire	Itea virginica	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Wet	Yes
Wild Hydrangea	Hydrangea arborescens	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	No
Winterberry	Ilex verticillata	Partial Shade to Shade	Wet to Average	No
Witch-hazel	Hamamelis virginiana	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	No
TREES
American Basswood	Tilia americana	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	No
American Holly	Ilex opaca	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	No
American Sycamore	Platanus occidentalis	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Wet	No
Black Tupelo	Nyssa sylvatica	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Wet	No
Eastern Red Cedar	Juniperus virginiana	Sun to Partial Shade	Dry to Average	Yes
Flowering Dogwood	Cornus florida	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	No
Ironwood	Carpinus caroliniana	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	No
Pawpaw	Asimina triloba	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	No
Redbud	Cercis canadensis	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	No
Sassafras	Sassafras albidum	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	No
Sugar Maple	Acer saccharum	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	No
Sweetbay Magnolia	Magnolia virginiana	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Wet	No
White Oak	Quercus alba	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	No
VINES
Coral Honeysuckle	Lonicera sempervirens	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	Yes
Groundnut	Apios americana	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Wet	Yes
Virgin’s Bower Clematis	Clematis virginiana	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	Yes
WILDFLOWERS
Adam’s Needle	Yucca filamentosa	Sun to Partial Shade	Dry	Yes
Alumroot	Heuchera americana	Partial Shade to Shade	Average	Yes
Anise Hyssop	Agastache foeniculum	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	Yes
Bearberry	Arctostaphylos uva-ursi	Sun to Partial Shade	Dry	Yes
Beebalm	Monarda didyma	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Wet	Yes
Big Leaf Aster	Eurybia macrophylla	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	No
Black Cohosh	Actaea racemosa	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Blue False Indigo	Baptisia australis	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	Yes
Blue Flag	Iris versicolor	Sun to Partial Shade	Wet to Average	No
Blue Wood Aster	Symphyotrichum cordifolium	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	No
Boneset	Eupatorium perfoliatum	Sun to Partial Shade	Wet to Average	No
Butterfly Milkweed	Asclepias tuberosa	Sun to Partial Shade	Dry to Average	Yes
Cardinal Flower	Lobelia cardinalis	Partial Shade to Shade	Wet to Average	Yes
Clustered Mountain-Mint	Pycnanthemum muticum	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Common Milkweed	Asclepias syriaca	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	Yes
Culver’s Root	Veronicastrum virginicum	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	Yes
Eastern Red Columbine	Aquilegia canadensis	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Foamflower	Tiarella cordifolia	Partial Shade to Shade	Average	Yes
Foxglove Beardtongue	Penstemon digitalis	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Golden Alexanders	Zizia aurea	Partial Shade to Shade	Average	No
Golden Ragwort	Packera aurea	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Wet	Yes
Great Blue Lobelia	Lobelia siphilitica	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Wet	Yes
Green-and-Gold	Chrysogonum virginianum	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Hairy Beardtongue	Penstemon hirsutus	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Helen’s Flower	Helenium autumnale	Partial Shade to Shade	Wet to Average	Yes
Horsemint	Monarda punctata	Sun to Partial Shade	Dry to Average	Yes
Hyssop-leaved Boneset	Eupatorium hyssopifolium	Sun to Partial Shade	Dry to Average	Yes
Jack-in-the-pulpit	Arisaema triphyllum	Partial Shade to Shade	Average	No
Joe Pye Weed	Eupatorium fistulosum	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Wet	No
Late Boneset	Eupatorium serotinum	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Marsh Marigold	Caltha palustris	Partial Shade to Shade	Wet to Average	No
Mayapple	Podophyllum peltatum	Partial Shade to Shade	Average	Yes
Mitrewort	Mitella diphylla	Partial Shade to Shade	Average	Yes
Monkey Flower	Mimulus ringens	Partial Shade to Shade	Wet to Average	Yes
New England Aster	Symphyotrichum novae-angliae	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	No
New York Ironweed	Vernonia noveboracensis	Sun to Partial Shade	Wet to Average	Yes
Paleleaf Woodland Sunflower	Helianthus strumosus	Sun to Partial Shade	Dry to Average	No
Prickly Pear Cactus	Opuntia humifusa	Sun to Partial Shade	Dry	Yes
Purple Blazing Star	Liatris spicata	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	No
Purple Giant Hyssop	Agastache scrophulariifolia	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	Yes
Purple Joe-Pye	Eutrochium purpureum	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Purple Mistflower	Conoclinium coelestinum	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Wet	Yes
Rose Mallow	Hibiscus moscheutos	Sun to Partial Shade	Wet to Average	Yes
Rue Anemone	Thalictrum thalictroides	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Solomon’s Seal	Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	No
Spikenard	Aralia racemosa	Partial Shade to Shade	Average	No
Spotted Joe-Pye	Eupatoriadelphus maculatus	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Wet	Yes
Stoneroot	Collinsonia canadensis	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Sundrops	Oenothera fruticosa	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	Yes
Swamp Milkweed	Asclepias incarnata	Sun to Partial Shade	Wet to Average	Yes
Turk’s Cap Lily	Lilium superbum	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	No
Virginia Mountain-mint	Pycnanthemum virginianum	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Virginia Spiderwort	Tradescantia virginiana	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Orange Coneflower	Rudbeckia fulgida	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	No
Cutleaf Coneflower	Rudbeckia	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	No
White Turtlehead	Chelone glabra	Sun to Partial Shade	Wet to Average	Yes
White Wood Aster	Eurybia divaricata	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	No
Wild Bergamot	Monarda fistulosa	Sun to Partial Shade	Average	Yes
Wild Bleeding Heart	Dicentra eximia	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Wild Geranium	Geranium maculatum	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Wild Ginger	Asarum canadense	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Wild Leek	Allium tricoccum	Partial Shade to Shade	Average	Yes
Wild Stonecrop	Sedum ternatum	Partial Shade to Shade	Average	Yes
Wild Strawberry	Fragaria virginiana	Sun to Partial Shade	Average to Dry	Yes
Woodland Sunflower	Helianthus divaricatus	Sun to Partial Shade	Dry to Average	Yes
Wreath Goldenrod	Solidago caesia	Partial Shade to Shade	Average to Dry	No