Michigan Native Plants - Displayed by Common Name in Ascending Order

Full Speed A Hedge® ‘American Pillar’ arborvitae is a sport of ‘Hetz Wintergreen’ selected for its very rapid growth rate, dense branching structure, and tall, narrow habit. It maintains this useful desirable columnar shape with minimal pruning. It has tremendous potential in both the residential and commercial landscape market, and is an excellent specimen plant.

No pruning is necessary to maintain the flattened shape of this distinctive arborvitae. The juvenile foliage turns a lovely blue hue in fall and winter.

Irresistible dwarf evergreen. Tater Tot® arborvitae is a delightful dwarf globe thuja, a bit taller than it is wide, with swirling fans of deep green foliage. A seedling of ‘Brandon,’ it is hardy and maintains good color all year round. It's also faster growing than ‘Danica’ or ‘Hetz Midget.’ Outstanding container presentation and huge appeal at retail. Formerly sold as Tiny Tot® thuja.

A distinctive evergreen with showy, dense golden-yellow foliage that maintains its color throughout the year. Thrives in humid conditions. A superb choice for use as an accent to brighten the landscape year-round. Works well for borders, a privacy screen, or any place where brilliant color is needed.

A compact plant with an upright habit. Bright green color and light bushy foliage gives the plant a textured appearance. Does well in light shade, tolerates poor drainage. A great hardy upright evergreen for the landscape.

A nearly perfectly globe-shaped shrub with fine, bright gold spring foliage and fantastic deep red fall color. This sport of the popular 'Rheingold' has deeper color and is less prone to splitting. A slow growing, low maintenance evergreen perfect for massing in a landscape foundation or as a rock garden specimen.

A very cool evergreen that adds elegance to your garden all year round! This narrow columnar selection of ‘Wintergreen’ has excellent hardiness and dark green winter foliage color. More narrow than Emerald Green. Selected by Art Boe of Faribault, MN, it is resistant to winter burn. The tight, columnar habit makes this a great specimen or screen for narrow sites. Use as a bold accent plant in mixed borders.

A very popular, tight pyramidal form with shiny, bright emerald-green foliage and good winter color. A real beauty!

Woodwardii has been a very reliable Arborvitae variety for many, many years - performs well year after year. Small to medium globe shaped evergreen with very showy, rich deep green foliage which holds its color very well in the winter. No pruning needed, will NOT become overgrown. Excellent for an accent plant. Makes an excellent foreground planting, and is also a good choice as a lower growing screen / hedge when planted closely together ( 3 ft or so ). Very low maintenance.

In fall, this classic cultivar becomes a glowing mass of vibrant pink daisy-like flowers that will stop traffic on your street. ‘Alma Potschke’ grows 4 ft. tall but can be pinched once or twice in late spring or early summer for more compact plants.

‘Purple Dome’ is less than half as tall as other New England Asters, and when it blooms in fall, it really does resemble a purple dome. The ideal companion is Sedum ‘Autumn Joy.'

Glossy bronze-red foliage is topped with masses of pink flowers in July and August. Tolerates high heat and humidity. Compared to ‘Husker's Red’ this beauty is taller and has much darker foliage which stays darker.

Bronze rosettes turn into multiple flower stems with large, lavender-pink blooms. Bronze leaves turn red in Fall. Attract hummingbirds and butterflies. A lovely addition to cut flower arrangements, patio tubs and mixed borders.

Finally, a Black Eyed Susan that's resistant to the Septoria leaf spot! Thanks to the thinner and hairier leaves, this hybrid Rudbeckia shows no signs of the fungus even in wet, humid conditions. A dome-like habit of golden yellow flowers with black centers are produced heavily from July to September here in Michigan, with some color until frost. Destined to be the new staple for landscapes! From Brent Horvath of Intrinsic Perennial Gardens.

This mid-sized strain produces large brown-eyed daisy flowers for months on end, in a range of bicolor shades from yellow through gold, orange and bronzy-red. An outstanding cut flower. Removing faded blossoms regularly will greatly increase the flowering time. Seed heads have good winter interest, and can be used in dried arrangements. Fairly drought tolerant, once established. Wonderful in mixed containers. Fleuroselect.

Long-lasting, 4" red and yellow bicolor blooms top very vigorous and floriferous, heat-tolerant plants.

This powerhouse of a plant is just 2 feet tall, but sends up dozens upon dozens of giant daisies over a long season, bringing butterflies and bees to pay their respects all summer long. The long-lasting blooms combine rich shades of red and maroon with that trademark big black eye, so you can imagine how terrific they look in the vase.

‘Chocolate Orange’ Rudbeckia boasts large chocolate-mahogany 4" flowers adorned with beautifully contrasting orange tips. They bloom profusely from mid-summer to frost, providing weeks of eye-catching color. An outstanding cut flower, the seed heads have good winter interest unless they are used in dried arrangements.

Denver Daisy sports enormous 6" to 8" blooms with outstretched petals of purest yellow. At the base of each petal is a dab or two of dark red, creating a halo around the chocolate-brown cone.

Flower heads are composed of bright yellow petals surrounding a green center. Suitable as a cut flower, or superb when massed in the border or wildflower garden. These cheery, easy-to-grow plants belong in every sunny garden.

A delightful mix of caramel and soft pink/red blooms. Flowers are semi double to fully double. Good heat tolerance and great for amateur cut flowers.

Spiky, dark green, grass-like foliage gives way to bright purplish-blue, star-like flowers. Though they bloom the heaviest in late spring and early summer, the plants may continue to bloom sporadically all summer long.

Big Bluestem are perfect for providing height and color to the garden, coming into prime a little earlier than other ornamental grasses. The foliage of ‘Blackhawks’ emerges deep green to dark purple in spring and deepens to near black by fall here in Michigan. This grass matures a little more than a foot shorter than ‘Indian Warrior’. One of the very best Big Bluestem from hybridizer Brent Horvath.

Dubbed the "monarch of the prairie", this native grass was once the dominant component of the American tallgrass prairie. It adapts easily to a wide range of soil and moisture conditions as long as full sun is provided. This long-lived grass has a variety of uses including screening, naturalizing, restoring prairies, and nesting materials for birds and mammals.

Generous amounts of burgundy, daisy-like flowers with brown center disks. Scores of blooms appear from summer until fall with no deadheading. Choose this variety for naturalized areas, wildflower meadows, and borders. A short-lived perennial with pleasing tendencies to reseed. It is easy to grow in average, moist, well-drained soil.

A delightful mix of free-flowering plants provides shimmering color over many weeks. Clumps perform best when left undivided. Presents a great display in a wildflower garden or natural area. Drought tolerant.

A virtually hassle-free, very long lived perennial, this cultivar of our native A. tuberosa offers three months of golden yellow blooms from early through late summer. Deadheading the flowers will stimulate another bloom cycle about a month after the first one.

The flowers, which are heavily laden with nectar and pollen, are particularly attractive to hummingbirds, Monarch butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects.

Gather bouquets of Asclepias all summer long; the long stems are wonderful for cutting and are long-lasting. Sear the ends of the cut stems over a flame to stop the milky sap from leaking out.

Following the fabulous flowers, green fruits develop which rupture to reveal seeds with long, silvery-white, silky hairs reminiscent of its cousin, common milkweed. These are great to use in dried flower arrangements.

A virtually hassle-free, very long lived perennial, offering three months of tangerine orange blooms (occasionally red or yellow) from early through late summer. Deadheading the flowers will stimulate another bloom cycle about a month after the first one. The flowers, which are heavily laden with nectar and pollen, are particularly attractive to hummingbirds, Monarch butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects.

Gather bouquets of Asclepias all summer long; the long stems are wonderful for cutting and are long-lasting. Sear the ends of the cut stems over a flame to stop the milky sap from leaking out.

Following the fabulous flowers, green fruits develop which rupture to reveal seeds with long, silvery-white, silky hairs reminiscent of its cousin, common milkweed. These are great to use in dried flower arrangements.

Brilliant fire red flower spikes stand atop distinctly upright plants from late summer through early fall. The leaves are green and lance-like. This species prefers a location in partial shade.

The spikes of brilliant true blue flowers on this wetland native attract butterflies, hummingbirds and neighbors to your garden!

A new compact selection of the ever popular ‘Baileyiu’ red stem dogwood. Dark red winter twigs and a compact, nonsuckering habit. Compact in stature and easy to care for, the stem of this plant is perfect for arrangements.

Evergreen, dark, shiny green fronds are leathery and lance-shaped and divided with holly-like leaflets. Typically grows in asymmetric fountain like clump. Young fiddleheads in spring have a silver sheen. This plant is given the common name Christmas fern because its evergreen fronds maintain their vibrant green color even at Christmas time, when the weather in its native range gets extremely cold, and can thus be used in decorations.

Grass like, tufted foliage with spikes of fluffy white flowers in midsummer. Attract butterflies.

Liatris spicata, also known as Blazing Star, is an unforgettable purple perennial. Known for its grass-like foliage and tall, spiky blooms that attract butterflies, birds and bees, Liatris makes a great cut flower and is deer resistant. Plant with Bee Balm and Black Eyed Susan’s for a vibrant, colorful garden.

Multiple wands of bright violet-purple flowers open from top to bottom beginning in early summer. All together, Liatris is a very strong vertical accent for the garden. It is a staple item for cutting gardens.

An outstanding specimen plant for the partially shaded garden. Looking much like a very large white astilbe, Goat's Beard has similar foliage and feathery, creamy white flower plumes up to 1 ft. long.

Blue Heaven™ has a taller, more upright habit that does not tend to flop like the species. In the summer, the foliage color is a brighter steel blue color with purple highlights, looking almost iridescent up close. From late summer through early fall, glossy purple panicles appear with fluffy tan seeds attached.

An improvement over the species, this cultivar was discovered and selected in a field of Schizachyrium seedlings by Mary Meyer at the University of Minnesota. The fall color is also improved over the species, including a mix of purple, blue, red, pink, burgundy, and orange pigments. This color persists into mid-fall, after which snow typically arrives in the Midwest.

This ornamental grass is a result of an extensive Schizachyrium breeding program from Walters Gardens, Inc. and is the perfect option for those looking to add to their native or prairie garden. The habit is very upright and columnar, and maintains its upright habit through fall. At 3½ feet tall, this grass will be the perfect backdrop to your garden. True to its name, ‘Blue Paradise’ has striking silvery blue stems in summer. In the fall, this grass takes center stage as the leaves develop a deep wine purple color. In early fall, tiny tan seed heads appear on the top half of the stems.

Schizachyrium is a great choice if you are looking to restore an eroded site.This species can have blue, green, or purple leaves, all of which turn a beautiful cinnamon-red in the fall. Fluffy silvery-white seed heads begin to appear in midsummer.

These are the world-famous multi-colored lupines everyone loves. Spikey clusters of pea-like flowers in mixed colors. Palmate leaves are a good dark green. Flowers bloom white, pink, red and blue in late spring.

‘Tutti Frutti Mix’ is an improved bicolor mix that produces an abundant display of robust, full, tight flower spikes boasting rich color combinations. This variety produces 36" inch, well formed plants that bloom from early spring to mid summer. Colors include: rose, red, orange, yellow, cream, light green, blue, and purple. The stately flower spikes are a cut flower dream and add a dynamic patchwork of color to any garden bed planting. This variety will self sow freely and each year you will see them thrive and mutate into a rich stained glass assortment of colors. An easy keeper, Lupine are not fussy about their soil type as long as it is well drained. This sun loving variety is magnificent in a wild flower field, meadow or in large swaths in vast landscape plantings.

Following many years of breeding and selecting, Thompson & Morgan has succeeded in developing a fantastic new mixed selection of Lupines. They exhibit the high quality flower spikes of expensive varieties from cuttings, but at the much more affordable cost of a seed grown variety.

Common Milkweed is the sole source of food for Monarch butterfly larvae. Large amounts of lavender buds open to reveal fragrant pink flowers in midsummer. This is one of the easiest and fastest to establish of the milkweeds, as it spreads rapidly by rhizomes and grows readily from seed.

A virtually hassle-free perennial, offering three months of vanilla scented, rose pink flowers in large, compact clusters from midsummer to early fall. Deadheading the flowers will stimulate another bloom cycle about a month after the first one. The flowers, which are heavily laden with nectar and pollen, are particularly attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects.

A virtually hassle-free perennial, offering three months of vanilla-scented, white flowers in clean clusters from midsummer to early fall. Deadheading the flowers will stimulate another bloom cycle about a month after the first one. The flowers, which are heavily laden with nectar and pollen, are particularly attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects.

Following the fabulous flowers, typical milkweed seed pods develop which rupture to reveal seeds with long, silvery-white, silky hairs. These are great to use in dried flower arrangements.

This species grows in loose clumps by means of slowly creeping rhizomes. It is not invasive and can safely be mixed in with other perennials in the border. Ascelpias incarnata is native to North America.

A colorful, dwarf, native plant that has lots of appeal, this improved ‘Dart's Gold’ has a chunky, compact growth habit and thicker, heavier stems. The result is a sturdy plant with lots of easy color. It maintains its yellow color throughout the season.

Stand out from the crowd! Ginger Wine® ninebark is imbued with truly exceptional color: rich hues of orange red in spring and fall, and sparkling burgundy in summer. Large white flowers in late spring give way to bright red seed-heads. Sturdy stems and a compact upright habit make this an excellent plant in the container and the landscape. In our trials, it has demonstrated excellent mildew resistance. Native to North America.

A new smaller version of purple-leafed Ninebark. This shrub has very compact branching and fine, deeply cut leaves. A very hardy shrub that requires little pruning, this unique native plant has pinkish-white, button-like flowers in mid-summer.

A beautiful selection with unique apricot-colored flowers and a neat, compact habit. Blooms cover the plant from top to bottom all summer. Easy to grow, highly adaptable, hardy and drought tolerant when established, this is an ideal shrub for minimal care gardens. Deciduous.

 

The flowers are so big and bright the flowers will stand out from all others! It produces an abundance of big yellow flowers from spring until late summer. Its dense habit and dark, healthy foliage add to its appeal. This is a wonderful, low-maintenance plant for adding bright color to the summer landscape.

Considered by many to be one of the most refined of all native prairie grasses, Prairie Dropseed has a soft, fountain-like look about it. The green leaves are very narrow, almost threadlike, and grow to form an 18 inch tall clump. It often turns rich shades of gold or deep orange in the fall and then light copper to creamy tan in winter.

In late summer, soft pinkish brown flowers are produced atop thin, arching stems held high above the foliage. These panicles are filled with distinctly sweet smelling seeds which smell like ground coriander. Though it produces an abundance of seeds, it is not known to seed invasively in the landscape.

This grass is very heat and drought tolerant because it is deep rooted. It is often planted en masse as a groundcover or as a specimen.

This handsome tree bears small pink flowers in spring before leaves appear. Later brown fruit pods form. It does well in sun and part shade.

This handsome tree bears small pink flowers in spring before leaves appear. Later brown fruit pods form. It does well in sun and part shade.

With its velvety, deep burgundy foliage, Midnight Express® Redbud beautifies your landscape well beyond bloom time! Enjoy the bright pink, pea-shaped spring blooms of redbud with the bonus of healthy, richly colorful foliage and an appealing rounded shape. Winner of the Peoples' Choice Award at the 2022 Farwest show!

Long and curling, spiraling coils of rush-like leaves burst up, out, and sideways from the base of this clumping marsh plant. A true oddity.

Sunny rays of petals show flashes of their red undersides, creating a unique look. Charming summer color for a cottage, wildlife, or cutting garden, or a small urban border.

Countless small daisy-like flowers on well branched, upright stems. Vibrant flowers are excellent for late-season color in the garden or bouquet. A beautiful addition to butterfly gardens.

Deep brick red with a bright golden halo, each ruffled bloom will add color and dimension to your late summer border. Flowering a week to ten days later than the rest of the Mariachi series, Bandera will extend your summer bloom display.

This compact variety is part of the Mariachi™ Series and features bright yellow petals surrounding a yellow cone, over dark green foliage. Good branching habit, terrific for cutting, and , valued for their late summer display of bright daisy-like flowers.

This selection forms a tall, narrow mound of olive-green leaves, bearing airy heads of tiny green flowers in late summer. Fall color is golden, fading to tan. Usually attractive in the garden all winter long. Flowers are good for cutting, fresh or dried. Trim back to the ground in early spring. Clumps are easily divided in spring. Drought tolerant once established.

Neither rain nor wind will knock this solid grass down! ‘Apache Rose’ has a dense, upright, columnar habit with grey-green leaves. In the fall, the tips of the leaves are flushed with a hint of rosy-red. While other green-leaved Switch Grass typically have cream or tan inflorescences, ‘Apache Rose’ has unique rose-colored flower panicles—a welcome color in the fall garden.

Notably wide for a Panicum, ‘Niagara Falls’ is excellent for filling space in the landscape. This native ornamental grass appears like a Miscanthus in the landscape with arching foliage, but adds the powder blue color characteristic of Switch Grass. In fall, sprays of cream seed heads pack the top of the plant. Compared with the other Panicum of the PRAIRIE WINDS® collection, ‘Niagara Falls’ is the broadest of the group, but halfway in height between ‘Apache Rose’ and ‘Totem Pole’.

Shenandoah forms an upright clump of green leaves with distinctive red tips appearing by midsummer. Airy heads of tiny reddish flowers appear in August, followed by amazing deep purple-red fall color. Usually attractive in the garden all winter long. Flowers are good for cutting, fresh or dried. Trim back to the ground in early spring. Clumps are easily divided in spring. Drought tolerant once established.

Absolutely ideal for growing in decorative containers, this hardy Red Switch Grass is a perennial substitute for Pennisetum ‘Rubrum’. It forms a compact, vase-shaped clump of blue-green foliage which turns wine red in early summer.

A refined cultivar of our familiar native tulip tree, this uniform growing selection is straighter and more upright, with a dominant central leader and deeper green, slightly glossy foliage. Flowers in May and early June with attractive greenish-yellow blossoms that have a tangerine tint at the base of the petals. Attractive yellow fall color. Prefers moist, well-drained soil and slightly acidic soil.

Chelone ‘Black Ace’ has very dark foliage with an amazing black cast. Growing rapidly in moist soils, it quickly reaches a mature height of 6’. In hot summer climates, the black foliage coloration will change to green by late summer. Also in very late summer, the clumps are topped with terminal clusters of white, snapdragon-like flowers...a favorite of butterflies and landscape designers.

Winterberry is unmatched for winter interest, but many homeowners don't have room for a traditional variety. Enter Berry Poppins®: an excellent, heavy fruiting dwarf cultivar. Ideal for those who want bright winter color and fruit for cutting but don't have room for a conventional I. verticillata. It is heavier fruiting than ‘Red Sprite’. For berries on this female selection, a male pollinator is required; use Mr. Poppins® winterberry holly. Fruit is not edible.