West Virginia Planting Tool

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Gardening with West Virginia Native Plants

This list represents native plants found in many counties in West Virginia. You will find those locations in The Checklist and Atlas of the Vascular Flora of West Virginia.

Herbaceous Perennials

Oswego Tea/Bee Balm-Monarda didyma – scarlet flowers, blooms July-August, 2-3’ tall, partial shade. *

Wild Bergamot – Monarda fistulosa - lavender flowers, blooms mid- Summer, 2-3’ tall, full sun.*

Blazing Star-Liatris spicata – lavender flowers in a spike, blooms July-August, 2-3’ tall, full sun. *

Cardinal Flower – Lobelia cardinalis – red flowers in a spike, blooms in July-August, 3’ tall, partial shade.*

Butterfly weed – Asclepias tuberosa – orange flowers, blooms June-July, 2’ tall, full sun. *

Common Milkweed – Asclepias syriaca – pink fragrant flowers, blooms in June, 3’ tall, full sun. * **

New England Aster – Symphyotrichum novaeangliae – purple flowers in Sept., 3- 4’tall, full sun. * **

Smooth Aster – Symphyotrichum laeve – pale blue flowers in September, 3-4’ tall, full sun. * **

Wild Blue Indigo – Baptisia australis –indigo blue flowers, blooms in May, 3’ tall, full sun.

Virginia Bluebells – Mertensia virginica – blue bell-shaped flowers, blooms in April, 2’ tall, partial shade.

Wild Geranium – Geranium maculatum – lavender flowers, blooms in April-May, 2’ tall, partial shade. *

Wild Columbine – Aquilegia canadensis – reddish –yellow flowers, blooms in May, 2- 3’tall, partial shade.

Joe-Pye Weed – Eupatorium purpureum - to 8’tall, flowers pink and globular, blooms in Sept., full sun. *

Jerusalem Artichoke – Helianthus tuberosus – 6-9’ tall, yellow showy flowers, blooms in Sept., full sun.

Spiderwort – Tradescantia virginiana – blue-purple flowers, plants 2’ tall, blooms in May-June, full sun.

Culver’s Root – Veronicastrum virginicum –spiked pinkish-white flowers, blooms in mid-summer, plants 6’tall, full sun.

Wild Senna – Senna marilandica – yellow legume flower, blooms in July, 4’ tall, full sun.

Great Blue Lobelia – Lobelia siphilitica – blue flowers in a spike, blooms July-Aug., plants 3’ tall, partial shade.

Mist Flower – Conoclinium coelestinum – small light flowers, blooms in Sept. to 2’ tall, partial shade.

Ironweed – Vernonia altissima - purple flowers in August -September, plants up to 6 “, full sun. *

Sweet Goldenrod- Solidago odora – aromatic, yellow spiked blooms in September, 4’ tall, full sun.

Tall Bellflower -Campanulastrum americanum – blue flowers, blooms in mid-Summer, 3-4’ tall, partial shade.

Goatsbeard – Aruncus dioicus – white feathery flowers, blooms in June, 4-5’ tall, partial shade. *

Brown-eyed Susan - Rudbeckia triloba – yellow flowers with dark center, mid –Summer bloomer, 2’ tall plant in full sun.

Swamp Milkweed – Asclepias incarnata – pink flowers, blooms in July, plants 3’ tall, partial shade. * **

Smooth Beardtongue – Penstemon laevigatus – light purple flowers, blooms in June, plants 2-3’ full sun.

Cup Plant – Silphium connatum – yellow flowers, blooms in July-August, 6’ tall, full sun. *

Shrubs

Spicebush – Lindera benzoin – dainty yellow flowers in April, red berries and yellow foliage in September, reaches height of 10’. **

Black Haw – Viburnum prunifolium- to 12’ tall, white flowers in May, bluish-black fruit ripens in Fall.

Witchhazel – Hamamelis virginiana – shrub with yellow Fall foliage and yellow fringed flowers in November.

Bursting Heart – Euonymus americana – reddish Fall foliage, with showy red fruit in Fall.

Common Hazelnut – Corylus americana – catkin-bearing shrub in March, plants are 4-5 ‘tall.

Eastern Wahoo – Euonymus atropurpurea – reddish Fall foliage with showy red fruit in Fall.

Smooth Arrowwood –Viburnum recognitum – to 6’ tall, white flowers in clusters, scarlet Fall foliage.

Chioanthus virginicus – Fringetree – shrub to small tree, a showy white bloom with fringed petals in May. *

Fragrant Sumac – Rhus aromatica – to 6’ tall, yellow flowers in April, red berries in the Fall with reddish foliage.

Maple-Leaf Viburnum – Viburnum acerifolium – to 3 ‘tall, white flowers in late Spring, full sun.

Ferns

Christmas Fern – Polystichum acrostichoides – evergreen, prefers moist soil, open or shade, fronds to 1’.

Royal Fern – Osmunda regalis – clumps to 3’tall, moist to wet soils, full sun, showy.

Maidenhair Fern – Adiantum pedatum – fan shaped leaves, 1-2’ high, prefers moist shady habitat.

Hay-scented Fern – Dennstaedtia punctilobula – lacy leaves, 1-2’, prefers open areas, foliage when crushed has a scent like fresh hay.

Southern Lady Fern – Athyrium filix-femina - leaves 1-2’, prefers moist soil, shade to partial shade. (var. asplenoides)

* Attracts butterflies as nectar source. ** Host plants for butterfly caterpillars.