Our Lady of Mercy Parish
Environmental Stewardship Committee’s Native Plant List
Our Lady of Mercy’s Environmental Stewardship Committee hopes you will consider using the plants,
shrubs, and trees on the following pages, in your gardens and yards, as alternatives to non-native
species.
Montgomery County is in the Northern Piedmont, which includes other parts of Maryland, as well as,
New York and Pennsylvania. The Northern Piedmont has a wide range of native plants that are
attractive alternatives to species imported from other geologic regions. Native plants create interesting
and colorful gardens that help insects and birds, while protecting local streams from chemical pollution,
because native plants require fewer chemicals and less watering.
Finding Native Plants
Most nurseries carry some native plants, and some specialize and carry a greater selection. Many
native plant societies and arboreta also have plant sales featuring or specializing in native plants.
For very large projects, purchasing large quantities of natives may be a challenge, but if you plan
in advance, many native plant nurseries can grow your plants to order.
If you have a favorite plant that you can’t obtain, be sure to ask your local nursery to consider
adding it to their stock.
Help to preserve natural areas by purchasing plants that have been grown, not collected: ask
nurseries about the source of the native species sold – did they come from seed or cuttings of plants
found growing locally, or are they from another region? Ideally, the plants you use should come from
stock from the same region—say, within about a 200-mile radius in the same physiographic province
(coastal plain, piedmont, or mountain). Differences do exist from region to region even in the same plant
species, due to differences in climactic conditions between distant locations. For example, a plant grown
in Maine may flower at a different time than the same species grown in Maryland, or they may have
slight physical differences. These characteristics make a difference in designing gardens and they matter
to wildlife seeking food sources. The more consumers ask for locally grown plants or seed, the more
likely it is that nurseries will carry local stock.
The US Fish & Wildlife Service provides online information in its brochure, Native Plants for Wildlife
Habitat and Conservation Landscaping, Chesapeake Watershed. This is a good beginning step to learn
about the benefits of “conservation landscaping.” Click here to visit this website.
SUGGESTED NATIVE PLANTS
Herbacious Plants:
Early Saxifrage
Saxifraga virginiensis
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Maryland State Flower
Blue-eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium graminoides
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Grey Goldenrod
Solidago nemoralis
Rigid Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Bird's Foot Violet
Viola pedata
Tickseed Sunflower
Coreopsis tinctoria
Starry Campion
Silene stellata
Blue-stem Goldenrod
Solidago caesia
Thread Leaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis verticillata
Ferns: (Need wind protection)
Cinnamon Fern
Osmunda cinnamomea
Royal Fern
Osmunda regalis
Marsh Fern
Thelypteris palustris
Shrubs (low):
Allegheny Blackberry
Rubus allegheniensis
Dense St. John's Wort
Hypericum densiflorum
Maple-leaved Arrowwood
Viburnum acerifolium
Pasture Rose
Rosa Carolina
Shrubs (medium):
Red Chokeberry
Aronia arbutifolia
Southern Arrowwood
Viburnum dentatum
Common Elderberry
Sambucus Canadensis
Witch Hazel
Hamamelis virginiana
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Buttonbush
Swamp Azalea
Cephalanthus occidentalis Rhododendron viscosum
Highbush Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosu
Swamp Rose
Rosa palustris
Shrubs (tall):
Smooth Alder
Alnus serrulata
Sweetbay
Magnolia virginiana
Possom Haw
Lex deciduas
Black Haw
Viburnum prunifolium
Mountain Laurel
Kalmia latifolia
Trees (small/medium)
White Fringetree
Chionanthus virginicus
Cockspur Hawthorn
Crataegus crus-galli
American Wild Plum
Prunus Americana
Easter Redcedar
Juniperus virginiana
Trees (tall):
Pignut Hickory
Carya glabra
Common Persimmon
Diospyros virginiana
Black Gum, Sourgum
Nyssa sylvatica
Northern Red Oak
Quercus rubra
Chestnut Oak
Quercus prinus
Black Oak
Quercus velutina
Evergreens:
Shortleaf pine
Pinus echinata
Pitch pine
Pinus rigida
Virginia pine
Pinus virginiana