NURSERY HOURS
Wednesday: 10-4, Thursday: 10-6, Friday – Saturday: 10-4, Sunday: 12-4
Deciduous
Chelone glabra
Chelone glabra, also referred to as White Turtlehead, is a clumpy, erect, leafy stemmed perennial in the Plantaginaceae family. It is most commonly found in moist areas along stream banks, open woodlands and swampy areas. It prefers full sun to part shade and grows 2-3 feet tall. The white and…
Veronicastrum virginicum
Veronicastrum virginicum, also referred to as Culver’s root, is an herbaceous perennial in the Plantaginaceae family. Its native habitat is woods, marshes, along stream banks and prairies, but makes a beautiful statement planted along woodland edges, in rain gardens, meadows, and cottage gardens. It prefers full sun to part shade…
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…
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…
Aruncus dioicus
Goat’s Beard is a deciduous, clumping perennial herb in the Rosaceae family. It has erect stems with alternate and serrate dark green leaves. White flowers, male and female on separate plants, appear above the leaves in May and June. The flowers are star shaped and make great cut flowers. Not…
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…
Styrax americanus
American Snowbell is a deciduous ornamental shrub in the Syracaceae family. This is a fragrant and dense shrub, making a great addition to a patio or as a privacy screen. The white fragrant bell-shaped flowers attract many pollinators, and it is a host plant for the Promethea Silkmoth. American Snowbell…
Chasmanthium latifolium
Part of the Poaceae family, River Oats shimmers beautifully in the wind throughout summer and fall. This ornamental grass is deciduous and blooms from June through October, showing spiked panicles that start off green, fading to tan, then finally to purplish copper. Not only do birds and small mammals love…
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…
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.…
Trillium cuneatum
Sweet Betsy’s Trillium is a spring ephemeral in the Trilliaceae family. It prefers part to full shade, and moist well-drained soils. It has large ovate leaves and green, burgundy to maroon flowers. Sweet Betsy’s Trillium is a great addition to any rock garden, shade garden, or woodland garden.
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…
Tradescantia virginiana
Virginia Spiderwort is a lovely perennial in the Commelinaceae family that comes in shades of blue and purple. Although it prefers soil on the wet side, it can handle both full sun and full shade. Virginia Spiderwort has edible flowers that have sometimes been used in teas. It makes a…
Physostegia virginiana
Obedient Plant is a perennial in the Lamiaceae family that you may want to consider if you have a particularly wet area in your garden. Pink, lavender, or white tubular flowers in clusters will grace your garden in late summer to fall. Obedient Plant loves a full sun to part…
Lilium michiganense
Michigan Lily is a perennial in the Liliaceae family. It has erect stems with whorled, sword-like leaves. The stems branch off at the top, with as many as eight bright orange, downward facing flowers. This lily prefers sun to part shade, and moist well-drained soils. Michigan Lily has a bright…
Iris versicolor
Blue Flag Iris is a perennial bulb in the Iridaceae family. It has blue-green sword-like leaves surrounding an erect stem topped with a showy blue or purple flower with six petals. This iris thrives in full sun to part shade and likes a higher moisture content in the soil. However,…
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…
Caulophyllum thalictroides
Blue Cohosh is an ephemeral perennial in the Berberidaceae family, usually found in oak filled woods. Yellow green flowers appear before the leaves have developed in spring. Leaves start out blue-green then become more green as they mature. In late summer, bright blue berries appear. Although ornamental and great wildlife…
Physocarpus opufolius
Ninebark is a deciduous shrub at about five to eight feet tall. In the Rosaceae family, it has pinkish white flowers that bloom late spring to early summer. Leaves are three to five lobed and greenish yellow in the warmer months, turning golden copper in fall. Its dense multi-stemmed habit…
Rudbeckia laciniata
Cutleaf Coneflower is a deciduous perennial in the Asteraceae family. Bright yellow daisy-like flowers appear in summer through early fall. The leaves are deeply lobed or “cut” which the common name refers to. As with most coneflowers, this plant prefers full sun to part shade. It can get pretty tall,…
Rudbeckia subtomentosa
Sweet Coneflower is a herbaceous perennial in the Asteraceae family. This coneflower likes full sun to part shade, and would love to shine in a cottage garden or cut flower garden. Bright yellow petals surround brown disks in summer and fall, then birds enjoy the seeds after the flowers are…
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…
Mimulus ringens
Allegheny Monkeyflower is a wet-loving herbaceous perennial in the Phyrmaceae family. Purple, pink, or blue flowers are shaped like monkey faces, hence the common name. This plant does best in full sun to part shade and prefers moist conditions with rich soil. Allegheny Monkeyflower would do well next to a…
Meehania cordata
Meehan’s Mint is a deciduous perennial vine in the Lamiaceae family. Its creeping habit makes it a great groundcover or green mulch, and it would do well in a shaded pathway. This flower blooms in late spring through early summer with light purple blooms. This species prefers to be in…
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…
Filipendula rubra
Queen of the Prairie is a large perennial wildflower in the Rosaceae family. Preferring moist soil, it does well in bogs, rain gardens, and moist meadows. It can tolerate full sun, and even prefers it, as long as the soil does not dry out. The leaves are large and make a…
Actaea racemosa
Black Cohosh has showy white stamens, attracting many native bees, from May through August. It is a host plant for many butterflies, including the Spring Azure, Holly Blue, and Appalachian Azure. Given its aesthetic, it would look fantastic in a cottage garden. This perennial prefers part to full shade, and…
Zenobia pulveralenta
Dusty Zenobia is a deciduous to evergreen shrub in the Ericaceae family. It likes full sun to part shade and can get up to ten feet tall in ideal conditions. In late spring to early summer, cream to white cup shaped flowers point downward, similar to blueberries. Dusty Zenobia can…
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…
Saururus cernuus
Lizard’s Tail is a stunning deciduous perennial in the Saururaceae family. Blooming in summer, it has a unique appearance. Little fragrant white flowers cluster on a drooping spike, attracting small pollinators. Lizard’s Tail frequently occurs in wetlands, making it a good candidate for areas in your garden that are prone…
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…
Thermopsis villosa
Carolina Lupine is a deciduous perennial in the Fabaceae family. Showy yellow flowers grace this plant in late spring or early summer, making it a good cut flower. Pollinated by bees, butterflies, and moths, it is a host plant for the Persius Duskywing. It likes full sun to part shade…
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…
Coreopsis gladiata
Coastal Plain Tickseed is a deciduous perennial in the Asteraceae family. Bright yellow rays surround a purplish brown disk in summer, but it can bloom longer. Full sun to part shade is this plant’s preference, making it good for a meadow or sunny location. Naturally occurring in wetlands, this species…
Caltha paltustris
Marsh Marigold is an herbaceous perennial in the Ranunculaceae family. Found naturally in wetlands, it would do well in a sunny wet location in your garden. Yellow flowers resembling buttercups show April to June. In spring, this plant does well with more sun, but would prefer shade from the hot…
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…
Athyrium felix-femina
Athyrium filix-femina, commonly called lady fern, is a deciduous fern that features lacy-cut, erect or ascending, light green fronds which grow in a dense circular shuttlecock-like clump to 2-3′ tall. This is a circumglobal species which is found in rich moist woods, thickets, fields, meadows and ravines throughout northern North America,…
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…
Blephilia ciliata
Downy Wood Mint is a wildflower in the mint family native to the central and eastern part of the U.S.A. Plant it in the full sun to partial shade in well drained soil and enjoy its blue-purple flowers from late spring to mid-summer. Minty leaves can be eaten raw and used…
Actaea racemosa
Black Cohosh is an upright rhizomatous perennial native to eastern North America. It is found in a variety of woodland settings from Maine south to Georgia and west to Missouri and Arkansas. It prefers rich moisture-retentive soils in partial to full shade and can be slow to get established. Ideally, it…
Quercus michauxii
Swamp Chestnut oak is a tall tightly crowned oak with a very large trunk. The common name of the chestnut oak comes from the resemblance of the leaves to those of a chestnut. Generally growing between fifty and one hundred feet tall, the Swamp Chestnut Oak has been know to reach…
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…
Lyonia mariana
Piedmont Staggerbush is a cute little shrub, averaging three to six feet tall. It is an upright shrub with alternate, simple, and oblong leaves. The flowers bloom in clusters of racemes of columnar-shaped, white to pink flowers. It grows well along marshes and shrubby swamps, but also wood edges and well-drained…
Kosteletzkya pentacarpos, previously known as Kosteletzkya virginica
Seashore Mallow is a lovely, salt tolerant herbaceous perennial (some call it a subshrub) native to the Eastern shore of the U.S. The toothed, roughly triangular leaves and stems are softly hairy with tiny stellate (star-shaped) hairs. An obligate wetland plant, it thrives in full sunlight and wet soil. It is…
Mertensia virginica
Virginia Bluebells is a magical spring ephemerel plant, an absolute must for every garden with a spot of shade! It is an early spring riser with soft, floppy, grey-green, oval shaped leaves. The flower buds are pink, bluish pink or lavender as they uncoil near the top of each stem, then…
Erythronium americanum
Recognized by its paired, green-and-brown/maroon spotted leaves (like trout), the Trout Lily is sometimes called Dogtooth Violet for its white underground corm. Trout Lily is a lily, not a violet. It is a common spring ephemeral wildflower that grows in woodland colonies in Eastern North America, except for Florida. In North…
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,…
Adiantum capillus veneris
Southern Maidenhair Fern is a clumping, deciduous fern cultivated worldwide for its delicate, frilly looks and hardy nature. It is native to a huge part of the Earth, in temperate and tropical regions from the Southern half of the U.S. to Central America, South America, Europe, large parts of Asia and…
Arisaema triphyllum
Jack in the Pulpit is easily recognizable and is a unique spring ephemeral. The fleshy stalk and leaves lend an almost tropical aura to the plant. This perennial plant is about 1-2′ tall and wide. It loves part to full shade in woodland gardens and moist to wet conditions. Flowering plants…
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…
Diervilla ‘Troja Black’
Mountain or Georgia Bush Honeysuckle is a selection of our native Bush Honeysuckle, a small shrub endemic to our southern Appalachians. This low, spreading shrub (3-4’h x 3-5’w) with an arching habit grows well in full sun to part shade at lower elevations like our Piedmont as well as in the…
Franklinia alatamaha
One reason the Ben Franklin tree is grown is because it is attractive: fragrant, 3-inch flowers with delicate white petals and thick, bushy golden stamens, and foliage that is handsome, with outstanding fall coloration (red, purple, orange). But mostly it is grown because it is rare and has a great story.…
Hamamelis virginiana
Common Witchhazel is a deciduous shrub 12-18′ tall, and sometimes taller, famous for producing its aromatic, crinkly yellow flowers as it drops its foliage in late October/early November. Seeds from the previous season are ready for dispersal at the same time, and are expelled with some force from their capsules. Witchhazel…
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…
Lonicera ‘John Clayton’
This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use. John Clayton’ is a cultivar of Coral Honeysuckle’s forma sulphurea (yellow form). It has the same charming leaf forms as Coral Honeysuckle and lovely warm yellow 2-inch trumpet-shaped flowers. It blooms in late spring,…
Phlox ‘Jeana’
Garden Phlox is a staple of the late summer and early fall garden and ‘Jeana’ is a super-rewarding cultivar of it to grow. It provides wonderful color with its bright pink, aromatic flower clusters, attractive to people, butterflies and hummingbirds alike. Named after a woman in Nashville who identified this genotype,…
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…
Wisteria frutescens ‘Amethyst Falls’
Wisteria frutescens is a deciduous, woodland flowering vine 25 – 30′ in length, native to the coastal plain along our southeastern states, around along the Gulf coast over to Louisiana and up the Mississippi Rivery valley to Arkansas and Kentucky. It grows in damp habitats. The forest-threatening, thuggish Asian wisterias (both…
Xanthorhiza simplicissima
Xantho (yellow) rhiza (root) simplicissima (most simple, as the stems are unbranched) — what a wonderful name!! — is a very interesting, deciduous, rhizomatous subshrub native to shady, damp depressions and stream banks in wooded habitats throughout the mountains and piedmonts of our Southeastern states. It has lacy foliage to a…
Vaccinium corymbosum
The beloved Highbush Blueberry is a deciduous shrub native to much of Eastern North America, with outstanding landscape value over three seasons. It’s clusters of dainty, hanging, bell-shaped, white-pink flowers are lovely in spring, followed by tasty blue berries that ripen in summer. These are valued by humans, birds, and smaller…
Viburnum acerifolium
Mapleleaf Viburnum is native to much of Eastern North America, inhabiting upland, dry woods. In NC, it is reported in mountain and piedmont counties only. It is a smaller member of the Viburnum genus, averaging only 4-6 feet tall. It suckers strongly, however, and forms colonies of sparsely branched shoots, and…
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 nudum
Possumhaw Viburnum is a 12-15-foot tall (some report up to 20 feet) x 12-15-foot wide, deciduous, wet-tolerant shrub of surprising ornamental value found in Eastern states from Texas north to Canada. It ioccurs in all three NC zones, mountains, piedmont and coastal plain, though in the mountains the quite similar Viburnum…
Viburnum opulus
This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use. Cranberrybush Viburnum or Highbush Cranberry is a dense, arching, deciduous shrub six to ten feet (or even taller) native all across Canada and our northern states down as far as a couple of counties…
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…
Spiraea tomentosa
Our area (NC and surrounding states) represents the southern tip of the range for this shrub, which is much more common to the north. In NC and Va it occurs in some mountain counties and some coastal plain/lower piedmont counties. The common name “Steeplebush” reflects it’s pink steeple-like blooms in late…
Staphylea trifolia
American Bladdernut is an interesting understory shrub or small tree found in sometimes large colonies in Piedmont bottomlands and woodland thickets from the eastern mountains and piedmont into the midwest as far as Kansas and Oklahoma. It is not difficult to identify: Bladdernut typically grows 10-15′ tall, with opposite, trifoliate leaves,…
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…
Taxodium ascendens
Pond Cypress is a deciduous conifer of our Southeastern states which roughly resembles (and is considered by some to be a variety of) Taxodium distichum, or Bald Cypress (See our entry for T. distichum). There are similarities between the two, such as their amazing soil moisture adaptability from standing water to…
Taxodium distichum
Bald Cypress is a stately and long-lived deciduous conifer found throughout the swamps and riparian areas of the southeast, famous for its knobby “knees” and flared or buttressed trunks. It is important for most of us non-swamp dwellers, though, because Bald Cypress can also thrive in well drained upland soils. Since…
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…
Sambucus canadensis (synonym Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis)
Elderberry is a vigorous, beautiful shrub commonly observed on roadsides and in hedgerows and disturbed areas in most NC counties and most states as well. It is a a vigorous grower, 5-12′ in height and spread, with arching branches which support numerous flat-topped white flower clusters in mid-summer. These retain their…
Sarracenia flava
Yellow Pitcherplant is an herbaceous perennial up to 3′ tall found in sandy bogs in the coastal plain regions of Virginia and south to Florida and west to Alabama. Like all pitcherplants, S. flava thrives in full sun. The long throat or tube is quite slender, and the hood is reflexed,…
Pinckneya bracteata (formerly Pinckneya pubens)
Fevertree is a large, graceful, deciduous shrub or small tree valued in the landscape for its rich green foliage and a long lasting display of beautiful pink in midseason. While the actual flowers of the Fevertree are greenish yellow and inconspicuous, these are surrounded by large, showy, whitish to deep rose…
Polemonium reptans
Jacob’s Ladder is a sweet herbaceous perennial wildflower not common in N.C. (only in 2 counties), but native to rich, moist woodlands in much of Eastern North America. The flowers are a dainty, bright shot of blue on 1 -1.5 foot high spray of foliage in a spring garden. From April…
Polygonatum biflorum
Solomon’s Seal is a graceful plant which enriches the woodland haitat without competing with the larger specimens there. It grows slowly but surely in the deer-protected understory to be a beautiful show throughout the growing season. The individual plant is an arching single stem with alternate, shiny leaves and pairs of…
Pycnanthemum virginianum
Virginia Mountain Mint is an herbaceous perennial of the Mint family found mostly in north central and north eastern U.S. Two counties in NC are among a very small handful of counties reporting this plant in the southeast. Nevertheless, we are respectful of its potential value in our landscape for a…
Rhododendron atlanticum
Dwarf Coastal Azalea, one of the smaller native azaleas at about 6 feet (with more exposure to light, usually on the order of 4 feet), occurs in sand hill and coastal communities from southern New Jersey to Georgia. It is adorned in spring (April, May) with clusters of wonderfully aromatic, funnel-shaped…
Rhododendron flammeum (synonym Rhododendron speciosum)
The Oconee or Piedmont Azalea is a beautiful deciduous shrub native to woods, slopes, sandhills and edges of stream banks in a few counties in the piedmont of South Carolina and Georgia. It is easy to remember this shrub: Native to a hot area, it is exceptionally heat and drought tolerant…
Rhododendron periclymenoides (synonym R. nudiflorum)
The Pinxter Azalea is a deciduous native azalea famous for it’s stunning flowers all the way from New Hampshire to Alabama. In NC, it is present in most counties of the state except for the highest mountain counties and the swampiest counties in the northeast corner. Pinxter Azalea’s funnel-shaped flowers, with…
Monarda didyma
Beebalm is a showy herbaceous perennial herb in the Mint family, very popular in Southeastern gardens for its long bloom time and easy nature. Bright red, somewhat coarse flowers are supported by sturdy, three-foot tall, square stems in July and August here in the piedmont, making excellent cut flowers.Our southern Appalachians…
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…
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…
Onoclea sensibilis
Sensitive Fern is a very handsome, very vigorous, running deciduous perennial fern. It is “sensitive” only to the first frost in the late fall, and perhaps to drought — but very hardy otherwise! It is widely reported to be two- to three-foot tall and taller in wet soil, but we have…
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum
Cinnamon Fern is an ancient, widespread and handsome fern native to North and South America as well as to Asia. It is found in swamps and moist woodlands as well as in upland gardens, in acidic soils from wet to moist/well drained. The fiddleheads of the fertile fronds, covered with cinnamon-colored…
Oxydendrum arboreum
Sourwood is a small to medium (30-70’) deciduous, understory tree found throughout the Carolinas in mixed hardwood forests It is the only member of its genus (Oxydendrum) and has no known subspecies, varieties or forms. It is in the Ericaceae family, and its closest relatives are in the genera Pieris and…
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…
Phlox maculata
Speckled Phlox is an upright, clumping, herbaceous perennial with beautiful bright clusters of small, aromatic, tubular flowers. It grows in moist meadows, along riverbanks and in bottomland woodland openings in the eastern mountains and piedmont and in the midwest, although it is not really common in the wild. Generally unbranched, the…
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…
Juglans nigra
This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use. Black Walnut or American Walnut is a large tree of central and eastern North America which can grow well over 100 feet, but which averages fifty to seventy five feet. The trunk is straight and…
Liatris spicata
Dense Blazing Star is a clump-forming perennial found naturally in moist meadows in Eastern North America. In the Carolinas it is reported mostly in coastal counties. Dense Blazing Star gets its name from its spectacular bottle brush flower stalks, which rise straight and sturdy to four or five feet from grass-like…
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,…
Liriodendron tulipifera
This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use. Tulip Poplar is a superbly shaped deciduous canopy tree, one of the tallest of the eastern hardwoods. Individuals have reached 190 feet in height, but the average Tulip Poplar is only on the order…
Lonicera sempervirens
It is a joy to write about Scarlet Honeysuckle today because as I write, the intensely scarlet flowers are brightening up the green world along my driveway. Because it is a climber, the deep crimson color meets the eye at different elevations (although it does not seem to flower on the…
Lobelia cardinalis
Cardinalflower is a handsome wildflower known for it vibrant red (occasionally white or rosie pink) floral spikes on sturdy, upright stems three to four feet tall and occasionally taller. It is valued by gardeners not just for the deep scarlet color and relatively tall, erect form but also because it attracts…
Lobelia siphilitica
The Great Blue Lobelia is a colony-forming, clumping perennial which is well known for its long-lasting, deep violet-blue floral spires from late summer to mid-autumn. The deep blue floral racemes play exceedingly well against the dominant yellows of other fall garden greats, and draw their own share of butterflies, bees and…
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…
Fagus grandifolia
American Beech is one of the most beloved trees of Eastern North America, a late-successional tree reported in many counties of NC from the mountains to the coast. It is a medium to large tree, growing usually to 80 feet (but observed also at 100 feet tall or more), and can…
Fothergilla gardenii
Dwarf Fothergilla is a marvelous, slow-growing, deciduous shrub typically about three feet tall at maturity. In nature it is found in bogs (pocosins) and moist lowlands and savannahs in coastal areas of the Southeast from North Carolina to the Florida panhandle and Alabama. The soft, white bottle brush inflorescences are strongly…
Hydrangea radiata
Until recently, Hydrangea radiata was considered a subscpecies of Hydrangea arborescens, and they are very similar. Both are fast-growing and short-lived woody shrubs 3-6 feet high and wide. Both present a rounded form, with many, scarcely branched, twisting stems, shreddy bark, and white, flat-topped floral assemblages called corymbs, 3-6 inches across,…
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…
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…
Ilex verticillata
Winterberry is a handsome deciduous shrub, averaging twelve to fifteen feet tall, with gray, twiggy, horizontal branches and spectacular red berries in winter.. It is native to swampy, wet areas of Eastern North America. Winterberry prefers full sun and moist, well drained, acidic, organic upland soil. However, it can also tolerate…
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.…
Clethra alnifolia
Sweet Pepperbush is a beautiful, multi-stemmed woody shrub native to our East coast from Nova Scotia and Maine down to Florida and over to Texas. In NC it is found in swamps and moist woods on the coastal plain and outer piedmont. Clethra is rhizomatous by nature, and if allowed, can…
Clethra ‘Ruby Spice’
‘Ruby Spice’ is a cultivar of one of our most beautiful native shrubs, Clethra alnifolia or Sweet Pepperbush. They are deciduous shrubs of medium stature with rich, dark green foliage, and flowers with head-turning, sensuous, honey-sweet scent in mid- to late-summer when few other shrubs are flowering. The flowers of ‘Ruby…
Clethra ‘Sixteen Candles’
Sixteen Candles’ Clethra is a more compact cultivar of Clethra alnifolia, a wet-tolerant and beautiful coastal shrub all along the eastern seaboard and southern coastal states. Like the species, ‘Sixteen Candles’ is long-blooming, having sweet-fragrant flowers in the heat of the summer against a rich, medium-to-dark green foliage. But the plant…
Cornus amomum
Silky Dogwood is a hardy, spreading shrub that grows in moist habitats, mostly by stream banks and wet lowlands in the eastern U.S. While attractive, its ability to draw wildlife to it is also a very strong attribute. It is a medium-size shrub, growing up to ten feet tall and wide,…
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…
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…
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…
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Buttonbush is an open, woody, deciduous shrub usually 5-8′ tall (sometimes taller), with an irregular crown graced with many white, golf ball-sized, spherical flower clusters in June. The shrub is very ornamental, and the white, long lasting, pin-cushion like flowers are more often than not being visited by enthusiastic butterflies and/or…
Cercis canadensis
Eastern Redbud is a lovely, small, (15-20 feet tall x 15-20 feet across) understory tree occurring along streams and wet bottoms as well as on dry slopes and ridges in the Piedmont and some of the mountain counties of the Carolinas. Eastern Redbud is deciduous, very hardy (tough as nails) and…
Chionanthus virginicus
Found in moist woods, stream banks, limestone glades and rocky bluffs from Virginia south to East Texas, Fringe Tree is an outstanding ornamental shrub or small tree (twelve to twenty feet) well adapted to our climate in the Carolina piedmont. It thrives in moist, fertile, well-drained soils in full sun to…
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…
Calycanthus floridus
Sweetshrub, or Carolina Allspice, is a deciduous woody shrub six to ten feet in height and equally wide famous for its heady aromas. In nature it is found on streamsides and in moist woodlands from Western NC into Tennessee and south into Alabama (Southern Appalachians and Piedmont), but being an old…
Calycanthus floridus ‘Michael Lindsey’
Sweetshrub, or Carolina Allspice, is a deciduous woody shrub six to ten feet in height and equally wide, famous for its heady aromas. In nature it is found on streamsides and in moist woodlands from Western NC into Tennessee and south into Alabama (Southern Appalachians and Piedmont), but being an old…
Carpinus caroliniana
Ironwood is a small to medium-sized (twenty to thirty-five feet) deciduous, understory tree that grows in woods throughout Eastern North America. It has handsome, smooth-textured, rippling bark (“Musclewood”) and alternate, doubly-serrated, oval leaves with a corrugated texture. The timber of Ironwood is of greater-than-average hardness and durability as suggested by its…
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,…
Acer leucoderme
Chalk Maple is a small, deciduous tree native in the Southeast from NC to Texas. In NC, it occurs in slightly acid to circum-neutral rocky soils, in full sun, part shade and full shade, on riverbanks and ravines in the Piedmont counties. Chalk Maple is desirable because it has all the…
Aesculus parviflora
Although not actually native to NC (it naturally occurs in mid-Alabama), Bottlebrush Buckeye is a favorite shrub in our area because of its show-stopping, 8-12-inch tall panicles of white, feathery flowers with prominent reddish anthers and pinkish filaments. These attract numerous butterflies and other pollinators in early summer and then are…
Aesculus pavia
Aesculus pavia or Red Buckeye is a deciduous, clump-forming shrub or small tree (ten to fifteen feet) native to the Southeast from Virginia over to Texas and Oklahoma. In NC it is found in central Piedmont and southern Coastal counties. This shrub has much to offer in the mesic garden: its…
Aesculus sylvatica
Aesculus sylvatica, or Painted Buckeye, is a shrub about 6 feet tall commonly observed along streams and on open forest slopes of the Piedmont counties of NC and other Southeastern states. Painted Buckeye’s appeal lies in the variety of subtle colors displayed by the tender leaves as they emerge in an…
Alnus serrulata
Tag Alder is a multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub or small tree found on stream banks and in wet meadows in Eastern North America (Main to Florida; as far west as Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois). Leaves are alternate, elliptical, with serrated margins, deep green turning to yellow tinged with red in the fall.…
Amelanchier canadensis
The Shadblow Serviceberry is a large shrub in the Rose family native to moist woods in the Eastern seabord of the U.S. and up into Canada. In NC it is found in counties of the lower Piedmont and Coastal plain. Serviceberry is beloved by native plant lovers for its many fine…
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…
Asimina triloba
The Pawpaw is a fun little tree (25-35 feet) to cultivate. In a favorable place, it will send out rhizomes and colonize. In spring there are lovely, dark red flowers emerging just as the leaves begin to unfurl. If there is another genetically distinct individual nearby, these flowers will give rise…
Betula nigra
River Birch is a graceful, medium-sized (fifty to eightyt feet) deciduous tree with an irregular, open, spreading crown. It is the most heat tolerant of the birches and the only birch that grows in lower elevations in NC. Although it is often found in floodplains and river bottoms, and tolerates wet…
Callicarpa americana
If you think the outrageous color of Beautyberries is as much fun as we do, do not hesitate to grow this loosely open shrub on your property. It is robust and trouble-free, spectacular to look at, and attracts all manner of butterflies and birds. At the same time, it is highly…
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