Native Species in the Lake Simcoe Watershed
100 natives species you can source
When you add native plants to your landscape, they won’t be the only colourful and amazing things you’ll see! That’s because native plants will attract birds, butterflies and other wildlife to your garden, drawn by their natural food and habitat sources.
Need some help getting started? Your native plants will depend on the conditions in your garden. Take a look at some of your options by clicking each category below:
Sunny Meadows: full sun, dry soils
- Anise Hyssop, Agastache foeniculum
- Black Snakeroot, Ageratina altissima
- Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta
- Butterfly Weed, Aslecpias tuberosa
- Calico Aster, Symphyotrichum lateriflorum
- Cylindrical Blazingstar, Liatris cylindracea
- Dense Blazingstar, Liatris spicata
- Early Goldenrod, Solidago juncea
- Evening Primrose, Oenothera biennis
- Fireweed, Chamaenerion angustifolium
- Golden Alexander, Zizia aurea
- Hairy Beardtongue, Penstemon hirsutus
- Hoary Vervain, Verbena stricta
- New England Aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
- Nodding Wild Onion, Allium cernuum
- Pearly Everlasting, Anaphalis margaritacea
- Prairie Smoke, Geum triflorum
- Red Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis
- Scarlet Beebalm, Monarda didyma
- Sky-Blue Aster, Symphyotrichum oolentangiense
- Smooth Aster, Symphyotrichum cordifolium
- Spotted Geranium, Geranium maculatum
- Spotted Joe Pye Weed, Eutrochium maculatum
- Wild Bergamot, Monarda fistulosa
- Wild Blue Lupine, Lupinus perennis
- Wild Strawberry, Fragaria virginiana
- Woodland Sunflower, Helianthus divaricatus
Woodland Wonderland: part shade, drier soils
- Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis
- Blue-stemmed Goldenrod, Solidago caesia
- Canada Violet, Viola canadensis
- Canada Wild Ginger, Asarum canadense
- Downy Yellow Violet, Viola pubescens
- Dutchman’s Breeches, Dicentra cucullaria
- Foamflower, Tiarella cordifolia
- Foxglove Beardtongue, Penstemon digitalis
- Giant Solomon’s Seal , Polygonatum biflorum
- Heartleaf aster, Symphyotrichum cordifolium
- Jack in the Pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum
- Large-flowered Bellwort, Uvularia grandiflora
- Mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum
- Red Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis
- Red Trillium , Trillium erectum
- Round-lobed hepatica, Hepatica americana
- Sensitive Fern, Onoclea sensibilis
- Sharp-lobed Hepatica, Hepatica acutiloba
- Trout Lily, Erythronium americanum
- Upland White Goldenrod, Solidago ptarmicoides
- Virgin’s Bower, Clematis virginiana
- Virginia Waterleaf, Hydrophyllum virginianum
- White Trillium, Trillium grandiflorum
- White Wood Aster, Eurybia divaricata
- Wood ferns, Dryopteris spp.
- Wood Poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum
- Woodland Strawberry, Fragaria vesca
- Woodland Sunflower, Helianthus divaricatus
- Zigzag Goldenrod, Solidago flexicaulis
We like wet feet: full sun to partial shade, wetter soils
- Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis
- Blue Flag Iris, Iris versicolor
- Blue Vervain, Verbena hastata
- Bog Goldenrod, Solidago uliginosa
- Canada Anemone, Anemonastrum canadense
- Canada violet, Viola canadensis
- Cardinal Flower, Lobelia cardinalis
- Common boneset, Eupatorium perfoliatum
- Culvert’s Root, Veronicastrum virginicum
- Cup plant, Silphium perfoliatum
- Fireweed, Chamaenerion angustifolium
- Great Blue Lobelia, Lobelia siphilitica
- Green headed Coneflower, Rudbeckia laciniata
- Grey headed coneflower, Ratibida pinnata
- Large-flowered Bellwort, Uvularia grandiflora
- Marsh Marigold, Caltha palustris
- New England Aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
- Obedient Plant, Physostegia virginiana
- Spotted Jewelweed, Impatiens capensis
- Spotted Joe Pye Weed, Eutrochium maculatum
- Swamp Aster, symphyotrichum puniceum
- Swamp Milkweed, Asclepias incarnata
- Tall Meadow-rue, Thalictrum pubescens
- Virginia Mountain Mint, Pycnanthemum virginianum
- White Turtlehead, Chelone glabra
- Yellow Ladies Slipper, Cypripedium parviflorum
Fancy a fern?
- Christmas Fern, Polystichum acrostichoides
- Cinnamon fern, Osmundastrum cinnamomeum
- Maidenhair Fern, Adiantum pedatum
- Ostrich Fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris
- Sensitive Fern, Onoclea sensibilis
- Wood ferns, Dryopteris marginalis
Gimme some Grasses
- Big Bluestem, Andropogon gerardii
- Indian Grass, Sorghastrum nutans
- Little Bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium
- Pennsylvania Sedge, Carex pensylvanica
- Prairie Dropseed, Sporobolus heterolepis
- Side Oats Grama, Bouteloua curtipendula
- Switchgrass, Panicum virgatum
Devine Vines
- Purple Clematis, Clematis occidentalis
- Riverbank Grape, Vitis riparia
- Virgin’s Bower, Clematis virginiana
- Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Goodbye Grass, Hello Groundcover!
- Bladder Sedge, Carex intumescens (Foot-traffic friendly)
- Pennsylvania Sedge, Carex pensylvanica (Foot-traffic friendly)
- Wild Strawberry, Fragaria virginiana (Foot-traffic friendly)
- Bearberry, Arctistaphylos uva-ursi(Perfect for lining driveways! Berries for the birds, winter interest, tolerates salt)
- Wild blue phlox, Phlox divericata (Spring colour, good for pollinators)
- Common Violet, Viola sororia (Spring colour, good for pollinators)
- Wild Geranium, Geranium maculatum (Drought tolerant, good for pollinators)
- Wild Ginger, Asarum canadense (Velvety heart-shaped leaves)
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