NURSERY HOURS
Thursday: 10-6, Friday – Saturday: 10-4, Sunday: 12-4
Dry
Phyla nodiflora
Frogfruit is a charming, rapid growing perennial that serves as a wonderful groundcover, lawn substitute, or is attractive trailing in hanging baskets, pots, or even over boulders. It naturally occurs in wetlands or disturbed areas with moist soil, and may also be planted next to water gardens or as a…
Symphyotrichum georgianum
Georgia Aster is a beautiful woody perennial in the Asteraceae family. It is typically found in dry woodlands, along sunny edges or disturbed areas. It is one of the brightest Aster’s, blooming from late September to November, creating a show through the Fall. The flowers appear as small white to…
Salvia azurea
Blue Sage is a clump-forming, perennial wildflower in the Lamiaceae family, typically found in prairies, roadsides, and other open areas. It has wandlike stalks and leaves that have prominent veins on the underside. The flowers are lipped and tubular and show off with a beautiful shade of blue from July…
Campanula rotundifolia
Harebell is characterized by it’s delicate but showy light blue to purple flower that appear in spring and summer. It likes a variety of light conditions and prefers the soil to be on the dryer side. Harebell makes a magical appearance in cottage and rock gardens. It looks beautiful planted…
Echinacea pallida
Pale Purple Coneflower is an herbaceous perennial in the Asteraceae family. This plant certainly makes a statement, with large pale purple daisy-like flowers that bloom in late spring to early summer. Since it handles dryer soil better, it can also handle being put in containers. Pale Purple Coneflower attracts an…
Centrosema virginianum
Spurred Butterfly Pea is a climbing herbaceous perennial in the Fabaceae family. Long blooming, purple flowers appear from April through November. Bees and butterflies love this plant, making it a great addition to a pollinator garden. With its long blooming time, it fits well in a patio garden and its…
Carex bicknellii
Prairie Sedge is an early spring blooming perennial in the Cyperaceae family. It can handle a variety of moisture conditions, but it can handle dry soil better than most other sedges. This sedge prefers full sun to part shade and is a cool season grower. It makes a great candidate…
Baptisia tinctoria
In the Fabaceae family, Yellow Wild Indigo is an upright, shrubby, herbaceous perennial. It is low maintenance and works well in native cottage gardens, butterfly gardens, meadows, and drought tolerant gardens. The small, pea shaped flowers are showy and gold/yellow, and bloom from late Spring into Summer. The black, pod-like…
Baptisia albescens
Spiked White Wild Indigo is a sun-loving herbaceous perennial in the Fabaceae family. This plant has obovate, three-parted leaves that is characteristic of all false indigo, that turn black when dried. In late spring and early summer, spikes of white pea-like flowers make a show. Legume shaped pods make an…
Baptisia alba
White Wild Indigo is a long-lived perennial in the Fabaceae family. In late spring, white pea- like blooms appear, followed by puffy bean pods in summer through early fall. As with many legumes, this plant can handle poor soils, and dry conditions. White Wild Indigo is a host plant for…
Optunia humifusa
Eastern Prickly Pear is an evergreen perennial in the Cactaceae family. This cactus makes a great container plant, or will do well on slopes or dry areas. Yellow, orange, or red flowers appear in summer followed by bright red/burgundy fruit. The fruit and the pads are both edible raw or…
Cornus florida
Flowering Dogwood is a 15 to 25 foot tall understory tree in the Cornaceae family. This tree likes full sun to part shade, although shade is helpful during the late afternoon in hot North Carolina summers. Flowering from March through May, it has showy pink and white flowers, and is…
Achillea millefolium
Yarrow is a deciduous perennial in the Asteraceae family. Enjoying full sun and a variety of moisture conditions, it is often found in meadows, prairies, and roadsides. Deer tend to avoid this plant due to its low toxicity, so keep that in mind when planting if you have pets. Yarrow…
Asplenium platyneuron
Ebony Spleenwort is an evergreen perennial fern in the Aspleniaceae family. A small fern, the alternate serrate fronds only come at about 8 inches to one foot and 8 inches tall. If you have a particularly dry and shady area, this is a fantastic plant to consider. Being one of…
Viola pedata
Bird’s Foot Violet is a low growing perennial in the Violaceae family. It is considered by many gardeners to be one of the more difficult violets to grow, and unlike most violets it prefers full sun. Light blueish-purple flowers bloom sometime between March and May, and sometimes again in autumn.…
Sedum ternatum
Woodland Stonecrop is the only succulent we currently offer at Rachel’s Native Plants, and it’s a special one. In spring to early summer, white flowers hover over fleshy green leaves, attracting many pollinators. Not being picky, it thrives in a variety of light conditions, as long as the soil doesn’t…
Fragaria virginiana
Wild Strawberry is a semi-evergreen groundcover in the Rosaceae family. It blooms in early spring, showing white flowers that will become edible berries by the end of the summer. Although it can handle occasionally dry soil, it prefers moist well-drained soils. Wild Strawberry, like others in the Fragaria genus, support…
Gaillardia pulchella
Blanketflower is a short-lived perennial in the Asteraceae family. Although short-lived, it has a long bloom time, from Spring until the first frost. Flowers are bright red, orange, to yellow and daisy-like. The name Blanketflower comes from the pattern on the petals resembling woven blankets. Propagation is best done by…
Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’
Switchgrass ‘Shenandoah’ is a cultivar grass in the Poaceae family. Like most grasses, it prefers full sun to part shade. This grass is clumping, dense and can get up to seven feet tall if conditions are ideal, making it a good privacy screen option. Bluish green leaves with red tips…
Oenothera tetragona
Northern Sundrops are evergreen wildflowers in the Onagraceae family. Bright yellow cup shaped flowers resembling primrose show over the reddish green leaves in summer. Given its appearance, it would look great in a cottage garden or cut flower garden. Its ability to withstand dryer, rockier soils makes it a good…
Liatris microcephala
Dwarf Blazing Star is a stunning summer blooming perennial in the Asteraceae family. This plant loves full sun and can tolerate dryer, rockier soils. This makes it a great consideration for a dry area or rock garden. Purple showy flowers cluster in an erect fashion on this flower. The bright…
Illicium parviflorum
Yellow Anise Tree is a broadleaf evergreen shrub or small tree in the Schisandraceae family. This woody shrub can get up to 10 or 15 feet tall and has light green leaves that are fragrant when bruised. With its dense mounding habit, this species makes a great privacy screen or…
Vernonia lettermannii
Ironweed is a deciduous perennial in the Asteraceae family. In summer, showy purple flowers reach above the needle-like foliage. Preferring moist, well-drained and occasionally dry soil, this plant is drought hardy. Ironweed does well in rocky soil, making it a good choice for a rock garden. If deer are a…
Symphyotrichum laeve
Smooth Blue Aster is a deciduous perennial in the Asteraceae family. In fall, lavender to blue daisy-like flowers attract butterflies and specialized bees. This plant is a host for Pearl Crescent Butterflies. Smooth Blue Aster likes full sun to part shade and can handle a variety of soil conditions, if…
Ampleaster carolinianus
Climbing Aster is a deciduous woody vine in the Asteraceae family. This plant can handle a variety of soils and moisture conditions, and is deer resistant too! Pink to lavender flowers bloom in late fall, making it the final bang of the growing season. With its dense growing habit, it…
Bouteloua gracilis
Blue Grama is a warm-season grass in the Poaceae family. It can get anywhere from six inches to two feet tall and is very drought resistant, but it will use less water if let grown taller, as it provides shade. It is one of the most drought tolerant grasses, as…
Bouteloua dactyloides
Buffalo Grass is a semi-evergreen grass in the Poaceae family. Fast spreading in full sun, this grass makes a great lawn alternative. This species is only about eight inches tall and can handle mowing. It does well in clay or loam and is drought tolerant. It can stay green with…
Campanula rotundifolia
A delicate perennial with graceful, slender stems, usually in clusters, rising in height from 4-15 in. The stems can be weak so that the entire plant bends over. Its rounded, basal leaves wither early while the narrow, stem leaves remain. Blue-violet bell-shaped flowers hang singly or in clusters along the top…
Antennaria plantaginifolia
Antennaria plantaginifolia, or Pussytoes, is a herbaceous perennial, native ground cover in the Asteraceae family. The plant consists of a basal rosette of leaves and an erect stem bearing the flowers. It does best planted in full sun in lean, dry rocky soil with little organic matter. It suffers in soils…
Andropogon ternarius
Splitbeard Bluestem is an attractive grass that adds great winter texture to any garden, especially for the southern gardener. Native to open fields in the South, Splitbeard Bluestem is happiest in full sun, hot temperatures and poor soils. It can grow up to three feet tall with a spread of one…
Prunus serotina
The Black cherry is an important southern tree for both wild life and commercially. Young black cherries tend to have a conical crown but when given enough room, the mature trees develop long limbs and arching branches giving it an oval shaped crown. The Black cherry’s fall foliage is a golden…
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Pink Muhly grass is a very showy, clump-forming, warm season perennial grass that can get to two or three feet tall and just as wide, and to 4 feet or more when in flower. The stems and leaves are thin, wirelike and upright, protruding from a basal clump, sprouting up almost…
Aronia prunifolia
Aronia prunifolia or Purple Chokeberry is a natural hybrid between A. arbutifolia (Red Chokeberry), and A. melanocarpa (Black Chokeberry), a more mountainous species. All three Chokeberries have very diferent distribution maps. Purple Chokeberry is much less abundant than the Red Chokeberry. It is much like Red Chokeberry in habit, that is,…
Monarda punctata
Horsemint or Spotted Beebalm is an erect, mostly unbranched, perennial wildflower, instantly recognized by its unusual “stacked” arrangement of multiple whorls of two-lipped, cream-colored, purple-speckled tubular flowers on the same stem. Each whorl is subtended by attractive and persistent pink to lavender leaf-like bracts. Leaves are narrow with a fine grayish-white…
Allium cernuum
Nodding Wild Onion is a delightful member of the onion family, a perennial herb which is beautifull as well as hardy and well behaved in the garden. Flat, grass-like leaves emerge as a clump from rhizomatous bulbs, followed by taller, round, leafless flowering stalks which bend over, dangling clusters of dainty…
Chrysogonum australe
Green-and-Gold, of which there are several forms, is a hardy, low-growing, long-blooming herbaceous perennial found along woodland edges and clearings on the East coast from New York south to Florida and west to Louisiana. With attractive, semi-evergreen foliage, bright yellow 1.5-inch daisy-like flowers on fuzzy stalks for much of the growing…
Eryngium yuccifolium
Rattlesnake Master is a forb characteristic of the tall grass prairie but it is native to the eastern portion of the U.S. south of West Virginia. It has unusual form — some say architectural — as well as color (greyish green throughout), reminding one of a desert plant. Rattlesnake Master has…
Hydrangea quercifolia
Oakleaf Hydrangea, the quintessential flowering shrub for the native garden, is a deciduous shrub native to our southeastern states with outstanding ornamental value. Its growth form is broad, rounded, with lower stems sweeping the ground; with beautiful exfoliating bark and bold, handsomely lobed, deep green leaves, holding aloft great pyramidal, fragrant…
Viburnum dentatum
Southern Arrowwood is a dense, 8-10-foot shrub native to Eastern U.S. It is composed of many upright, spreading, straight stems and bears typical-Viburnum 3-inch, flat-topped corymbs of small creamy white flowers followed in mid-summer by blue-black seeds which generously support a range of birds and other animals. It is so useful…
Viburnum prunifolium
Smooth Blackhaw, native to much of mid-latitude Eastern and central U.S., is a large deciduous shrub or small tree which usually grows to around 15 feet tall and wide, but if grown as a single-stemmed tree form, it can reach up to 30 feet. It thrives in full sun to part…
Viburnum rafinesqueanum
This Viburnum — with its showy, flat-topped or domed white flowers and opposite, toothed leaves typical of Viburnums — stands out from its cousins because in addition to being handsome, it is a well behaved, small (6-foot) shrub that plays well with others. Two of them have volunteered on our property…
Viburnum rufidulum
Rusty Blackhaw is one of our Southern woodland viburnums whose range is central and southeastern U.S. In NC it occurs mostly in piedmont and coastal plain counties. It is a deciduous, dense, showy, highly arching understory shrub or small tree. Mature height is about 18′, but can be taller if grown…
Yucca filamentosa
Adam’s Needle is a broadleaf evergreen, suckering shrub from the Southeastern states. Although stemless, it has a rosette of stiff, sword-shaped leaves with loose filaments attached at the leaf margins, which distinguish it from other members of the genus. While these leaves reach only 2-3 feet in height, the flower stalks…
Vaccinium darrowii ‘Rosa’s Blush’
Rosa’s Blush’ is a cultivar of a small Vaccinium species native to sandy pinelands and sand dunes in counties along the Gulf Coast as far West as Louisiana, and frost tolerant to zone 8a (some say, zone 7). There is disagreement as to whether this shrub should be grown for its…
Solidago caesia
Wreath (or Bluestem) Goldenrod could have been so named for its plant form, growing to 2-3′ in gracefully arching, mostly unbranched shoots with bright flowers positioned in the axils of leaves all along the stems. It is smaller and less aggressive than most of its cousins, and more suitable for cultivation…
Solidago odora
Sweet Goldenrod is found in open woods and savannahs in coastal states from New Hampshire south to Florida and over to east Texas, and inland as far as Missouri. (In northern Florida there is a separate subspecies, Chapmanii.) It occurs in most of the counties of NC. Sweet Goldenrod grows to…
Asclepias verticillata
Whorled Milkweed is a tough, attractive herbaceous perennial easily grown in dry, sunny locations in naturalistic as well as garden settings. It is on the small side, reaching 2.5 feet high and wide, with bright white flowers and delicate, whorled foliage. Like all Milkweeds, it is toxic to livestock, so it…
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus
Coralberry is a very showy colonial shrub native in the eastern and central United States, as well as central Canada (Ontario) and northeastern Mexico. It reaches 4+ feet, with smooth, opposite, dull green, oval-shaped leaves and shreddy bark. Greenish white flowers are tucked under the leaves in early summer, developing later…
Symphyotrichum cordifolium
The common Blue Wood Aster (of which ‘Avondale’ is a cultivar) is an herbaceous perennial native to a huge swath of north-central-eastern North America, and the counties in NC where it is reported represent the southeastern tip of its range. Found in dry to moist (well drained) deciduous woodlands and woodland…
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ‘October Skies’ and ‘Raydon’s Favorite’
Aromatic Aster is a tried and true source of stunning blue color in the late season perennial garden, where it is seen to play dramatically against rich fall yellows and golds and oranges. It is shrub-like and bushy, compact, reaching 1-2+ feet and usually totally covered in blooms for up to…
Uvularia perfoliata
This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use. Bellwort is a beautiful understory wildflower that sprouts up delicate green in early spring (April) in shady, dry-to-mesic woods or wooded gardens in piedmont and mountain counties in North Carolina. Found from Massachusetts southward, it…
Vaccinium arboreum
This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use. Sparkleberry or (Farkleberry) is an attractive, tough, underused woodland shrub usually eight to ten feet in height, though occasuinally it takes on a tree form. It is found in dry woods and open forests from…
Rhododendron viscosum
Swamp Azalea is a shrub up to 8 ft tall at maturity with an upright, loosely branched, multi-stemmed habit and a tantalizing, musky floral scent in late spring. Clusters of very fragrant bright white (often with pink accents), trumpet-shaped flowers with five petals, slender tubes and elegant, exserted stamens appear in…
Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-low’
Rhus aromatica, or Fragrant Sumac, is a deciduous, thicket-forming shrub found in dry, open woods in most states of eastern U.S. (In NC, it is found mostly in piedmont counties.) Fragrant Sumac has a variable, sprawling, irregular form. It is reported by some to grow as tall as 12 feet in…
Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’
This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use. Black-Eyed Susan ‘Goldsturm’ — sometimes called “Orange Coneflower” even though it is neither orange nor an Echinacea — is one of the most popular, tried and true garden perennials. These beautiful golden flowers are easy…
Rudbeckia fulgida ‘fulgida’
This natural variety of Black-Eyed Susan is found in meadows and on roadsides in the eastern United States from New York to the Florida panhandle and west to Illinois and Mississippi. It is a lovely wildflower, hugely useful in the garden. The plant is 2-3′ high x 1.5 – 2′ wide…
Passiflora incarnata
Purple Passion Flower is an attractive, fast -growing perennial vine reported to occur in most counties of NC and in most Southeastern states. Climbing by means of axillary tendrils, it grows to 12 feet (some say up to 25 feet, but we have not seen that) and is naturally found in…
Penstemon smallii
Small’s Beardtongue is a bright perennial wildflower which naturally grows in the rocky soils of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Green to purplish stems rise from an attractive bronzy-tinted winter rosette. In early summer, it has tubular, snapdragon type bright pinkish-purple blossoms that attract hummingbirds and beneficial insects. They are lavender on…
Phlox nivalis
Phlox nivalis, or Traliling Phlox, is a low growing, early flowering, sun-loving species of Phlox which presents as a mound-forming mat of stiff, needle-like, evergreen foliage. Although reported in all three NC zones (mountains, piedmont, coastal plain) its strongest presence appears to be in sandhill and dry habitats of the central…
Marshallia obovata
Piedmont Barbara’s Buttons is found in moist, well drained roadsides and fields from south-central Virginia to Florida. That said, it is truly our own wildflower as in NC, it is actually only reported in the very central counties of the state. A basal rosette of narrow leaves gives rise in early…
Mitchella repens
Partridgeberry is a beautiful, trailing, evergreen, mat-forming woody vine, no taller than two inches, reported in all states of eastern North America, and thriving in our piedmont Oak Hickory forest understory. Its leaves are rounded, paired, rich dark green with white markings, 1/2 to 3/4-inch long. Its tiny white, fragrant, tubular…
Monarda fistulosa
Wild Bergamont is a fantastic wildflower native to almost every state in the country! Like other members of the mint family, it has square stems with coarsely toothed and slightly hairy opposite leaves. Wild Bergamont flowers are…well, kind of wild; they are lavender to pink, with irregular tubular petals, protruding from…
Morella cerifera
Wax Myrtle is an amazingly versatile evergreen shrub or small tree which is such a great wildlife plant that it could be useful for increasing the pollinators and birds in your yard. Its foliage is very fragrant, and evergreen, and the blue berries are attractive to people as well as to…
Nyssa sylvatica
This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use. Blackgum is a stately, medium-sized hardwood tree extremely desirable for its spectacular scarlet fall foliage and its wildlife appeal. It is adapted to a very wide range of habitats from standing water to dry…
Oenothera fruticosa
Southern Sundrop is a day-flowering perennial (from the Evening Primrose family) native to much of Eastern North America and reported nearly throughout NC. Its habit is upright, (two feet tall x 1.5 feet wide), a little sprawling, with an overwintering evergreen basal rosette. It’s obvious value in the garden is from…
Ilex vomitoria ‘Taylor’s Rudolph’
‘Taylor’s Rudolph’ is a cultivar of a beautiful and hardy native species of Holly that grows in coastal NC as well as other Southeastern states. Both ‘Taylor’s Rudolph’ and the species are evergreen; both are very adaptable, thriving in a range of cultural conditions from moist to dry, in full sun…
Juniperus virginiana
Eastern Red Cedar is a sturdy, aromatic, evergreen, pyramid-shaped or columnar tree which usually grows to about 60 feet, though it can reach 90 feet. This species is considered a pioneer tree that colonizes sunny areas that are relatively dry and sterile. Adapted to dry habitats, it is native throughout central…
Juniperus virginiana ‘Blue Arrow’
‘Blue Arrow’ is a cultivar of Eastern Red Cedar, an evergreen tree of wide variability in form, seen on roadsides and hedgerows throughout the eastern U.S. ‘Blue Arrow’ was selected to provide a reliable, vertical evergreen accent in a more formal landscape. Red Cedar (the species) is dioecious, with seed cones…
Juniperus virginiana ‘Poyo’
Juniperus virginiana is a tough, widely distributed native evergreen tree with many outstanding attributes (see our listing for the species) and ‘Poyo’ is a dwarf, spreading cultivar which displays most of the attributes of the species, but answering a need for a shrub-like form. Since it is asexually propagated (is a…
Liatris squarrosa
Scaly Blazing Star is un upright herbaceous perennial found in high quality natural habitats including openings in upland rocky woodlands, dry ditches and and barren savannas from the eastern Great Plains eastward to Virginia and south. In NC it is reported mostly in piedmont counties. Scaly Blazing Star is one funky…
Lindera benzoin
Spicebush is a shrubby tree — five to ten feet-tall (and often wider than tall) — which has a great many attributes, beginning with its wonderfully spicy-citrusy aromatic foliage. The blooming period for Spicebush occurs during the mid-spring and lasts about 2 weeks. The males (yes, it is dioecious) have showier,…
Maianthemum racemosum
Solomon’s Plume is a widespread perennial, reported in all of the U.S. mainland states, but conspicuously almost entirely absent from the coastal plain from NC down to Florida and over to Texas and throughout the great plains. It is abundant here in the piedmont, with gracefully arching, unbranched stems reaching up…
Ilex glabra
Ilex glabra, or Inkberry Holly, is a colonial evergreen shrub with an erect but rounded form, 8 – 10 feet high. If you are not normally fond of prickly holly leaves, Inkberry may be the holly for you: it differs from all other evergreen hollies by lacking spines on the leaves.…
Ilex vomitoria
The Yaupon Holly is a distinctive evergreen native holly found in coastal counties in NC and other Southeastern states over to Texas. It tolerates a whole range of moisture regimes (wet to dry), soil types and pH, sunlight conditions (full sun to shade, but more sun makes more berries), and is…
Ilex vomitoria ‘Schilling’s Dwarf’
This cultivar of Yaupon Holly, fully embraced by the nursery trade like few other native plants, is very popular as a foundation plant around homes and office buildings and it functions admirably in this role.’Schiling’s Dwarf’ is included in our inventory specifically for those who want a formal hedge, but with…
Eupatorium perfoliatum
Boneset or Thoroughwort is a hardy perennial which is found throughout the Eastern half of North America in sunny, low, wet roadsides and fields. The plant grows three to four feet in height with multiple, hairy stems branched only near the top. These terminate in bright white clusters, up to eight…
Eurybia divaricata
White Wood Aster is a two foot-tall, rhizomatous, drought-tolerant herbaceous perennial which grows in open, dry woods and shady clearings in much of the Eastern U.S., including many mountain and piedmont couties in NC. This plant lights up shady, dry woodland sites with delicate white daisy-like flowers from September to November.…
Heuchera americana
Heuchera, or Alumroot, or Coral Bells is a wonderful, low, evergreen perennial with beautiful foliage which remains attractive year ’round if its cultural requirements are met. It does flower, but is often grown purely for its rich, patterned foliage which shows a wide array of leaf colors, patterns, shapes, and sizes.…
Hypericum frondosum ‘Sunburst’
Hypericum frondosum, or Golden St. Johnswort (the species) is a small, semi-woody shrub which grows in states all across the Southeast, but is not common. In NC, it is reported to occur in only two counties (in the mountains). Nevertheless, it thrives in our hot and humid piedmont, and should be…
Hypericum stragulum
In spite of its intimidating scientific appellation, St. Andrew’s Cross is a humble little “subshrub”, one that is not found elsewhere in the trade. It occurs in dry woods from Long Island south and over to Texas and Oklahoma. We are very fond of it as it volunteers along paths inside…
Ilex decidua
Possomhaw Holly is a deciduous shrub or small, understory tree, averaging fifteen to thirty feet tall (shorter when grown in full sun), with gray, twiggy, horizontal branches. In nature, it occurs in dry woods but more often in river bottoms and wet habitats, from Maryland south to Florida and west to…
Corylus americana
American Hazelnut is a medium-sized, deciduous shrub found in moist to dry-mesic woodlands throughout Eastern North America. It is notably absent in the deep South. In North Carolina it is reported only in piedmont and mountain counties. This shrub is valued for its sweet nuts, which are edible either raw or…
Diervilla sessilifolia
This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use. Southern Bush Honeysuckle is a low-growing (3′-5′) deciduous shrub native to the Southern Appalachians and Great Smokey Mountains. Its arching stems are square in outline, its leaves opposite, lustrous, medium green, and lance-shaped, with serrated…
Diospyros virginiana
Eastern persimmon is a lovely small- to medium-sized tree (up to sixty feet tall x thirty feet in spread) with lustrous foliage, dark green in summer and rich golden in fall, and beautiful bark. A member of the Ebony family, it is prized for its high quality, hard heartwood (used to…
Echinacea purpurea
Purple Coneflower is found naturally in meadows and roadsides throughout the Central U.S. The few western counties of NC where Purple Coneflower is reported to occur consitute the easternmost edge of its natural range at our latitude. However, this plant must be the all-time favorite native wildflower for sunny pollinator gardens…
Euonymus americanus
Strawberrybush, or Hearts-a-Bustin’, is a unique, rhizomatous shrub with an unusual form that occurs in shady woodlands throughout the Southeast to Eastern Texas. Plants are 4-6 feet tall and multi-stemmed. The individual shoots are pencil-like and green with little branching. Leaves are long (~2 inches), opposite, and lance-shaped, colorful in fall.…
Catalpa bignonioides
This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use. Southern Catalpa is a medium-sized (twenty-five to forty feet, sometimes taller) highly ornamental tree bearing large, heart-shaped leaves and strikingly beautiful flowers after about 6 years of age. The leaves are barely expanded in…
Ceanothus americanus
New Jersey tea is a compact, deciduous shrub that most often grows to only three feet tall and equally wide. It is common on dry plains, prairies, or similar open areas, on soils that are sandy or rocky, throughout Eastern North America and in the majority of NC counties. Leaves are…
Chrysopsis mariana
Maryland Goldenaster is a Southeastern short-lived herbaceous perennial about 2.5 feet tall which occurs on roadsides, in dry, open, rocky woods and sandhills throughout NC. It thrives in full sun and well drained soils and is considered drought tolerant. Each plant is short-lived, but persists in the garden by seeding out…
Chrysogonum virginianum
Green-and-gold is a hardy, low-growing, long-blooming herbaceous perennial found along woodland edges and clearings on the East coast from New York south to Florida and west to Louisiana. With attractive, semi-evergreen foliage, bright yellow 1.5-inch star-like flowers on fuzzy stalks for much of the growing season, and an unfussy attitude about…
Cladrastis kentukea
In North Carolina, Yellowwood is found only in a few of our western-most counties bordering Tennessee, and is among the rarest of our native trees. It is thirty to fifty feet high and nearly that wide at maturity and is prized as an ornamental for its form, for its smooth, Beech-like…
Carex appalachica
Not all sedges are the same and this one is a beauty! The finely textured, medium green leaves of Appalachian Sedge grow between 12-18 inches in length, but the clumps arch gracefully over to the ground, actually only 6 to 10 inches tall. It can be grown as a specimen, where…
Carex pensylvanica
Carex pensylvanica, or Oak Sedge (or Pennsylvania Sedge) is found in dry woods mostly in Northeastern U.S. In North Carolina it occurs naturally in the mountain counties. This is one of the more popular sedges for gardeners and landscapers in our area because of its versatility. Plants are about 8 inches…
Carex retroflexa
This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use. Old Field Sedge, or Reflexed Sedge, is a clump-forming, evergreen, grasslike plant usually found in dry, deciduous forests throughout Eastern North America. In NC it occurs in some of the piedmont counties, including our own…
Carya glabra
This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use. The Pignut Hickory is one of the tallest (eighty to one hundred-foot range) hickory trees comprising the Oak-Hickory Forests of Eastern North America. The trunk is generally straight and the crown of the tree slender,…
Carya ovata
This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use. The Shagbark Hickory is a stately deciduous tree important in the Oak-Hickory Forests of Eastern North America. It is easily recognizable due to its bark, which peels off in large, loose strips. It commonly has…
Carya tomentosa
This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use. Mockernut Hickory is the most abundant of the Hickories in its range in the Eastern U.S., and one of the most long-lived, reaching up to 500 years of age. This is a fifty- to…
Castanea pumila
Allegheny Chinquapin is a colonial, multi-stemmed shrub or small tree usually around 15 feet tall, taller if grown with single stem or cultivated with little competition. It is native to dry woods and ridges in the Southeastern states, and grows well where summers are hot. It is considered undervalued as a…
Amsonia hubrichtii
Native to the Ouachita Mountains of Oklahoma and Arkansas, Bluestar is an upright, broad-spreading herbaceous perennial ~3′ tall and wide, with clusters of terminal sky-blue flowers in spring. The leaves are very fine when compared to other members of the genus, creating a cloudlike texture. When grown in the sun, the…
Amsonia tabernaemontana
Eastern Bluestar, or Willow Amsonia, is a showy, dependably beautiful, clump-forming hardy perennial about three feet in height and spread. The leaves are shiny, medium-green and willow-shaped, and can turn yellow in the fall. The flowers of Eastern Bluestar are a bright unusual blue color. They are star-shaped, and borne in…
Aquilegia canadensis
Generous, easy to grow, cheerful and carefree, Wild Columbine is a favorite in perennial gardens from the simplest to the most sophisticated. Native to the entire eastern half of North America, it thrives in partial shade, but tolerates full sun (if not too hot or dry) as well as full shade.…
Aronia arbutifolia
Red Chokeberry is a charming, multi-stemmed, deciduous woody shrub native to Atlantic and Southeastern states. It is found in swamps and wet places, and is therefore very useful for wet areas, but is happy in upland gardens as well and established plants even tolerate drought. This shrub is hard to beat…
Asclepias tuberosa
Butterfly Weed, famous for its relationship to the endangered and beloved Monarch butterfly, nevertheless deserves a place in a perennial garden purely on aesthetic merits. It is a sun-loving, 1-2-ft, mound-shaped plant with dark green foliage and contrasting, bright orange, long-lasting flower clusters. These, in time, produce lovely pods of silky-threaded…
Baptisia albescens
This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use. Baptisia albescens is a bushy, leguminous herbaceous perennial with foliage about two feet high supporting much taller spikes of white, pea-like flowers, hence the common name of “Spiked Wild Indigo”. Wider than it is…
Baptisia australis
Wild Blue Indigo is a tall (three to four feet), sturdy, sun-loving, shrub-sized perennial with upright racemes of pea-like flowers ranging from bright blue to deep indigo held above the foliage. Being a legume, it can fix nitrogen and therefore tolerates poor soils gracefully. It blooms in May and June. The…
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