Gardening with New York City Native Plants Smooth Rose Flowering dogwood City of New York Parks & Recreation Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor Adrian Benepe, Commissioner Bill Tai, Director, Natural Resources Group www.nyc.gov/parksSolomon’s seal Jack in the pulpit Violet Wild ginger Butterﬂy weed Columbine
What is a native plant? Why go native in the garden?A native plant is one that naturally occurs in a region without having Sense of place: Why do yards and window boxes across thebeen introduced from elsewhere by people. New York City natives country hold the same impatiens, begonias and mums? Most ofinclude mosses, ferns, grasses, sedges and rushes, wildﬂowers, trees, America’s favorite garden plants hail from places like Europe and Asia.shrubs, and vines. The New York area has its own regional ﬂavor and distinct assemblage of native plants. We should seek out alternatives to hardware stores,Over thousands of years, native plants have adapted to the climate, corner delis and other outlets that oﬀer “one size ﬁts all”. The NYCsoils, and environmental conditions of our area. They have developed Greenmarkets, with their emphasis on locally grown greenery, canthe ability to thrive in our humid summers and freezing winters and to help you cultivate a sense of home by sowing local seeds.entice local insects, birds, and other animals to pollinate their ﬂowersand disperse their fruits. Native plants are responsible for clean air, Ease of care: When installed in the appropriate habitat, nativepure water, soil stability, ﬂood abatement, and wild animal habitat. plants require less maintenance than the exotic alternatives. OnceHumans depend on these ecological processes every day. Thus native established, they usually need less water. They require no fertilizer andplants are the building blocks of our biological diversity and essential little pest control, having evolved with the area’s insects and diseases.to healthy, functioning ecosystems. Native plants will save you money (on supplies) and time (on garden care) and will also curtail the amount of toxins (pesticides, fertilizers)Unfortunately, many of these plants are in decline. Of 2,179 species used to maintain artiﬁcial conditions.currently found in New York City, only 1,359 are native (62%).Additionally, many of our native species are now gone from the ﬁve Wildlife bonanza:boroughs. Such locally extinct plants include beautiful wildﬂowers Create habitat havens for our native birds, bees, butterﬂies and otherlike white milkweed and pink ladyslipper orchid. Besides habitat critters. Native plants are critical sources of food and lodging forprotection, one of the most important ways to give nature a hand is wildlife. For many locally rare animals, native plants are essential toto use native plants in the garden and landscape. their survival. For example, the Federally-endangered Karner blue butterﬂy feeds exclusively on wild blue lupine, both of which areTo determine whether a plant species naturally occurs in New York native to New York State. As forests, wet meadows and grasslandsCity, you may use a number of sources. Consult a good ﬁeld guide are continually lost, gardeners can play an important role in creatingsuch as Peterson or Audubon series. Visit a nearby park nature center, habitat for our wild fauna and ﬂora.arboretum, or botanical garden. Or join a local native plant club;attending frequent ﬁeld trips will teach you about the local ﬂora. See Added beauty:the Resources section for more information. New York City has hundreds of native species, most of which would be a gorgeous addition to any garden. These attractive plants meetWhat is an introduced plant? every horticultural need from ground covers to lovely foliage and hardy bloomers, and all plant shapes: ferns, wildﬂowers, vines, shrubs,Every plant species is native to somewhere. Introduced (exotic, alien, and trees. A native garden could bloom from March to November,non-native) plant species hail from other states, regions, or countries. providing year round beauty and interest.This exotic ﬂora was moved to new areas by people for food (apples, rice)or ornamentation (lilacs, peonies, Queen Anne’s lace) or by accident, Preserve natural heritage:as stowaways on commercials ships or packing materials. Over the Our local biological diversity has suﬀered from an onslaught of exoticpast 350 years, thousands of plant species have been introduced to the invasive species. Some introduced garden plants, like dame’s rocket,New York area. Most live peacefully with the indigenous ﬂora that was Oriental bittersweet, privet and purple loosestrife have becomealready here. noxious weeds. Adding homegrown greenery to your garden gives natives a chance to reclaim the landscape.What is an invasive plant? Cleaner waterways:Unfortunately, a small but signiﬁcant number of these introduced species are Native grasses and wildﬂowers provide excellent erosion control.out of control. They travel from where they were planted (often through bird- Increased biological diversity encourages rainwater to enter the soil.dispersed seeds) and run rampant through our parks, damaging local forests, Monocultures of groundcover such as lawn, periwinkle, pachysandrameadows and wetlands. These green bullies smother our native plants, shading and English ivy create high levels of water runoﬀ, thus encouragingthem from the sun and eﬀectively starving them to death. Some invasives are so local drought conditions and polluting waterways during stormclosely related to our indigenous ﬂora that their pollens mix, producing hybrids events.that overwhelm the local gene pool. This alters the plant’s biology, aﬀectingﬂoral shape, color, or blooming time. Such dramatic change is potentiallydevastating for the wildlife that depends on native species. Thus invasive plantsdisrupt biological relationships and degrade natural areas.
All plants listed are native to New York and hardy to zone 5. SUNNY WINDOW BOXES (and other dry sites) These plants naturally thrive in low nutrient soils (like sandy sites). The container should comfortably hold at least 5” of soil, ﬁlled with a growing medium that will drain well, and placed in site with lots of sun. Wildﬂowers (forbs) • Field pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta) Aster family. Grows to 16 in. Flowers small, white, May-July. • Wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) Buttercup family. Grows to 18 in. Unique red and yellow ﬂowers attract hummingbirds in spring. • Butterﬂy weed (Asclepias tuberosa) Milkweed family. Grows to 2 ft. Flowers bright orange, showy, July-August. Attracts butterﬂies. Foliage is a favorite food of Monarch caterpillars. • Smooth blue aster (Aster laevis, syn. Symphyotrichum laeve) Aster family. Grows to 3 ft. Flowers blue, showy, Aug.-Oct. Attracts butterﬂies. Smooth blue-green foliage and stems. • Wild blue lupine (Lupinus perennis) Pea family. Grows to 2 ft. A spire of showy blue ﬂowers in May above dissected foliage. Attracts butterﬂies. Sole food source for Karner blue butterﬂy. • Spotted bee-balm (Monarda punctata) Mint family. Grows to 3 ft. Flowers yellowish with purple spots, July-Oct. Attracts butterﬂies & hummingbirds. • Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia humifusa) Cactus family. Grows to 1ft., evergreen stems “paddles”, colonial, prickly. Yellow, showy ﬂowers in June-July, red ﬂeshy fruit, edible, Oct-Nov. • Seaside goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens) Aster family. Grows to 5 ft. Large, showy yellow ﬂowers in Aug-Oct. Attracts butterﬂies. Also try rough goldenrod (S. rugosa). • Birdfoot violet (Viola pedata) Violet family. Grows to 6 in. Flowers lilac-violet with conspicuous orange centers in spring above dissected foliage. Attracts butterﬂies. ShrubVirgin’s bower • Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) Heath family. Grows to 6 in., evergreen leaves on a trailing woody stem. White ﬂowers in late spring; red ﬂeshy fruits in late summer persist into winter. Native Plant Grasses • Purple lovegrass (Eragrostis spectabilis) Grass family. Grows to 2 ft. Flowers purple, showy, late summer. Suggestions • Puﬀsheath dropseed (Sporobolus neglectus) Grass family. Annual growing to 20 in. Blooms Aug.-Oct. Also see poverty-grass (Sporobolus vaginiﬂorus).
POTTED SHADE GARDENS GROUNDCOVERS TO BLANKET BARE SPOT“Shade” does not mean “utter darkness.” Dappled sunlight throughout Wildﬂowers (forbs)the day or attenuated light for at least 4 hours is the minimum • Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) Birthwort family. To about 8 in.required. Soils should have a healthy dose of organic material and be tall. Leaves lustrous green. Flowers hidden below leaves, deepkept consistently moist. Note the many members of the Lily family, purple-brown, April-May. Very shade tolerant.a group well-represented on our forest ﬂoors. Consider a collection • Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) Geranium family. Growsof lilies. Another lovely combination is ferns mixed with spring to 22 in. Showy pink-purple ﬂowers are held aloft cut foliage inephemerals. The fronds begin to expand as the ﬂowers die out. April-June. Attracts butterﬂies. Shade tolerant. Spreads slowly. • Twoleaf mitrewort (Mitella diphylla) Saxifrage family. Grows toWildﬂowers (forbs) 16 in. Flowers white, scattered along inﬂorescence, April-May.• Wild leek (Allium tricoccum) Lily family. Grows to 1ft. Broad Also try foam ﬂower (Tiarella cordifolia). leaves die back before ﬂowers (white) bloom in April-May. • Mountain phlox (Phlox subulata) Pink family. To about 8 in. Spring ephemeral. tall. Showy purplish pink ﬂowers attract butterﬂies in May-July.• Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) Arum family. One of Prefers dry, non-fertilized soils. Great for rock gardens. the few native species of this tropical family. Grows to 2 ft. • Old ﬁeld cinquefoil (Potentilla simplex) Rose family. Grows to 1 ft. Unique ﬂowers in May. Leaves are semi-evergreen. Flowers yellow, April-June. Try also• Heart-leaved aster (Aster cordifolius, syn. Symphyotrichum Silverweed (P. anserina). cordifolium) Aster family. Grows to 4 ft. Flowers powder blue, • Common blue violet (Viola sororia) Violet family. To about 6 in. showy, Aug.-Oct. Attracts butterﬂies. Also try white wood aster tall. Flowers violet April-May. Attracts butterﬂies. Tolerant of (Aster divaricatus syn. Eurybia divaricata). These two asters are partial shade. Freely self-sows, naturalizing in most areas. very common in the city’s woodland understory. • Barren strawberry (Waldsteinia fragarioides) Rose family. Grows• Round-lobed hepatica (Hepatica americana) Buttercup family. to 6 in. Small clusters of yellow ﬂowers in spring. Evergreen Grows to 6 in., semi-evergreen. Delicate blue-lavender ﬂowers foliage turns bronze in winter. in March-April. One of our ﬁrst wildﬂowers to bloom. Mottled leaves unfurl after petals have dropped. Spring ephemeral. Ferns• Smooth Solomons seal (Polygonatum biﬂorum) Lily family. • Hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) Fronds to 32 in. Grows to 3 ft. Gracefully arching stems punctuated by bell- Colonial, forming a carpet over time. Light green, lacy fronds shaped greenish-white ﬂowers in May-June. Red berries follow smell sweet early in the season. Extremely drought tolerant in late summer. Try also hairy Solomon’s seal (P. pubescens) and once established. false Solomon’s seal (Smilacina racemosa). • Sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis) Fronds to 1 ft. Very attractive• Blue-stemmed goldenrod (Solidago caesia) Aster family. Grows to reproductive fronds, like a cluster of small black beads and does 3 ft. Flowers yellow, showy, Aug.-Oct. Attracts butterﬂies. Try well in full sun, but keep moist, it’s sensitive to drought. also Zig zag goldenrod (S. ﬂexicaulis). • New York fern (Thelypteris noveboracensis) Fronds to 18 in.• Wake robin (Trillium erectum) Lily family. Grows to 16 in. Colonial, forming a carpet over time. Frond tapers to base. Flowers dark red, large and showy, April-June. Spreads slowly. Our hardiest trillium. NYC once had many species of this Graminoids (grasses & sedges) quintessential wildﬂower growing in our forests. Today they are • Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica) Sedge family. Grows all extinct in the ﬁve boroughs. to 12 in., leaves semi-evergreen, forming patchy ground cover• Perfoliate bellwort (Uvularia perfoliata) Lily family. Grows to (grows in clumps). Blooms April-July. Seeds eaten by songbirds. 1 ft. Bell-shaped yellow ﬂowers, May-June. • Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) Grass family. Grows 2.5 ft.,• Yellow forest violet (Viola pubescens) Violet family. Grows to 18 in. showy seedheads attract birds. Turns a burnished orange in fall. Flowers yellow, showy, April-May. Attracts butterﬂies. There are many species of shade tolerant violets that are native to our area. Vines Try also V. blanda (white ﬂowers) and V. palmata (purple ﬂowers). • Partrideberry (Mitchella repens) Madder family. Grows to 8 in. Small, oval evergreen leaves with pairs of white ﬂowers inFerns summer; scarlet berries all winter. Tolerates shade and dry soils.• Cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea) Fronds to 3 ft. • Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) Grape family. Cinnamon-colored chaﬀ mid-frond. Tolerates wet soils. Leave Climbing woody vine or ground cover, quick growing. Foliage dead fronds over winter to protect plant. Try also O. claytonia. turns beautiful reds in autumn. Deep blue fruits in fall eaten by• Royal fern (Osmunda regalis) Fronds to 4 ft. Tolerates wet soils. migratory birds. Very attractive and distinctive sterile fronds. • Allegheny pachysandra (Pachysandra procumbens) Boxwood• Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) Fronds to 3 ft. A delicate family. This pachysandra is native to PA and south, whereas the spiral of airy leaﬂets on black, wiry stems. Spreads slowly, drought one sold at most nurseries is from Japan and can be invasive. tolerant once established. One of our most beautiful native ferns. The native vine has attractive foliage, two-toned leaves.
BUTTERFLY GARDEN SHOWY TREES & SHRUBSThe Composite family (Asteraceae) is arguable the best family for nectarplants. Examples of genera from this family include Aster, Eupatorium, Native Small Trees, Tall ShrubsCoreposis, Helianthus, Liatris, Solidago and Vernonia. Other families • Shadbush (Amelanchier canadensis) Rose family. Grows to 25 ft.with attractive blooms for butterﬂies are Parsley family-Apiaceae Multi-stemmed shrub with showy white ﬂowers in April-May;(Heracleum, Osmorhiza, Zizia), Milkweed family-Asclepidaceae (Asclepias), edible purple fruits June-July. Fall foliage. Attractive bark.Pea family-Fabaceae (Baptisia, Desmodium, Lespedeza, Lupinus), Mint • Gray birch (Betula populifolia) Birch family. Grows to 30 ft., oftenfamily-Lamiaceae (Agastache, Monarda), and Violet family-Violaceae multi-stemmed. Striking bark - white with black markings. Nice fall(Viola). Both the plants and butterﬂies prefer sunny locations. N.B. color. Adds winter interest to the garden or yard.Butterﬂy bush (Buddleja species) can be invasive. Consider instead the • Common hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) Elm family. Grows to 70 ft.natives below. (usually much smaller), ﬂowers April-May; black fruits Sept.- Oct. Beautiful silvery bark, corky and textured with age. HostDon’t forget food for caterpillars. Such host plants include sedges to larvae of some butterﬂies.(Carex spp.), bulrushes (Scirpus spp.), grasses (Panicum spp.), trees • Flowering dogwood (Cornus ﬂorida) Dogwood family. Grows(e.g., poplars, birches, oaks, hickories); shrubs (e.g., dogwoods, to 40 ft., fall color, showy white (sometimes pink) ﬂowerswillows, spicebush, viburnums), etc. in April-June; red ﬂeshy fruit in Oct.-Nov. Valuable to fall migrating birds. Bark ages to an attractive patchwork ofWildﬂowers (forbs) squares.Clasping milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis) Grows to 32 in. • Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) Witch hazel family. GrowsFlowers pink-purple, June-July. Other native milkweed species: to 25 ft. Multi-stemmed shrub with unusual yellow ﬂowers thatcommon milkweed (A. syriaca) to 6 ft., ﬂowers lavender, fragrant, bloom late, Oct.-Nov. Smooth gray bark. Small brown nuts inswamp milkweed (A. incarnata) to 4 ft., magenta ﬂowers, tolerant late fall provide food for wildlife. Shade tolerant.of wet soils. Native Smaller Stature ShrubsCow parsnip (Heracleum lanatum) Grows to 10 ft., ﬂowers white, • New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus) Buckthorn family. GrowsJune-July. Also in the Parsley Family (with that Queen Anne’s lace to 4 ft.; creamy white ﬂowers June-July, when ﬂowers are few.looking ﬂoral cluster): hairy sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii) Grows Attracts butterﬂies.to 2 ft., ﬂowers white, May-June. Try also O.longistyli; golden • Inkberry (Ilex glabra) Holly family. Grows to 6 ft., evergreen;alexanders (Zizia aurea) to 32 in., ﬂowers yellow, showy, April-June. small white ﬂowers June-July; black ﬂeshy fruits in Sept.-Nov., eaten by birds. (N.B. male and female ﬂowers are on separateWild bergamot (Monarda ﬁstulosa) Grows to 4 ft. Flowers lilac or plants, both sexes must be present for fruit production).pink, July-Sept. Other native Monarda species, (all 3 species also attract • Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) Holly family. Grows to 15 ft., smallhummingbirds): horse mint (M. punctata) to 3 ft, yellow ﬂowers with white ﬂowers June-July, red ﬂeshy fruits in Sept.-Oct, eaten bypurple spots and bee balm (M. didyma) to 4 ft., red ﬂowers. birds. (N.B. male and female ﬂowers are on separate plants, both sexes must be present for fruit production).Seaside goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens) Grows to 6 ft, ﬂowers • Northern bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) Bayberry family. Toyellow, showy, Aug-Oct. Large, ﬂeshy green leaves and beautiful red 10ft., tends to sucker into large colonies. Silvery bark. Holdsstems in fall. Other native goldenrod species: S. juncea, S. nemoralis, leaves all winter. Both male and female plants are necessary toS. odora, S. rugosa. insure fruit production. Waxy berries provide food for winter resident and spring migratory birds.Also consider - • Beach Plum (Prunus maritima) Rose family. To 6 ft., attractive• Dutchmans pipe (Aristolochia macrophylla) Birthwort family. bark. Beautiful sculpted branching patterns. Showy white Grows to 30 ft. Well-behaved twining woody vine grown for ﬂowers early summer before leaves, edible fruits mid-summer. large, shady foliage. Critical food source for larvae of the • Pinkster azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides) Heath family. pipevine swallowtail butterﬂy. Grows to 6 ft.; gorgeous tubular pink ﬂowers, lightly fragrant,• Rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) Mallow family. Tropical attracts humming birds in April-May. Will spread through looking, showy white or pink ﬂowers in summer. Intolerant of stolons if conditions are right. drought. • Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) Heath family.• Blue ﬂag iris (Iris versicolor) Iris family. Grows to 3 ft. Sword- Grows to 9 ft., fall foliage; small, bell-shaped white ﬂowers shaped, blue-green leaves with showy violet-blue ﬂowers in May-June, blue edible fruits July-Aug., eaten by wildlife. Host early summer. Also try I. prismatica. to larvae of some butterﬂies.• Cardinal ﬂower (Lobelia cardinalis) Bellﬂower family. Grows to 4 ft. Striking scarlet ﬂowers in late summer. Also try L. siphilitica.• Blue vervain (Verbena hastata) Vervain family. Elongated leaves; small blue ﬂowers in terminal spikes in summer. Also try V. stricta.
Resources Books • Cullina, William. 2000. The New England Wild Flower Society Guide to Growing and Propagating Wildﬂowers of the United States and Canada. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifﬂin Company. 384 pp. • Cullina, William. 2002. Native Trees, Shrubs & Vines: A Guide to Using, Growing, and Propagating North American Woody Plants. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifﬂin Company. 376 pp. • Darke, Rick. 2002. The American Woodland Garden: Capturing the Spirit of the Deciduous Forest. OR: Timber Press. 376 pp. • Stein, Sara. 1993. Noah’s Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Back Yards. Boston: Houghton Mifﬂin. 304 pp. • Stein, Sara. 1997. Planting Noah’s Garden. Boston: Houghton Mifﬂin. 464 pp. Inspiration for the Garden - Nature in New York City • New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, Natural Resources Group – “Forever Wild” program www.nyc.gov/foreverwild • BBG Native Plant Garden www.bbg.org/exp/stroll/nativeﬂora.html Gardening with Native Plants • Bowman’s Hill Wildﬂower Preserve www.bhwp.org • Green Landscaping with Native Plants www.epa.gov/reg3esd1/garden/index.htm • Landscaping for a Healthy Planet www.envirolandscaping.org/ • Local Ecotype Guidelines www.for-wild.org/land/ecotype.html • Native Gardening and Invasive Plants Guide enature.com/native_invasive/natives.asp • Smaller American Lawns TodayWood lily arboretum.conncoll.edu/salt/salt.html Creating Habitat for Native Wild Animals • Backyard Wildlife Habitat www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat/ • MonarchWatch Butterﬂy Gardening www.monarchwatch.org/garden/creating.htm • Wild Acres of Maryland www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/wildacres.asp Native Plant Organizations • Lady Bird Johnson Wildﬂower Center www.wildﬂower.org Also has a satellite ofﬁce in Westchester County • Connecticut Botanical Society www.ct-botanical-society.org • Long Island Botanical Society libotanical.org (no www) • The New England Wild Flower Society www.newfs.org • The Native Plant Society of New Jersey www.npsnj.org • New York Flora Association www.nyﬂora.org • Torrey Botanical Society www.torreybotanical.org A publication of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, Natural Resources Group Text: Mariellé Anzelone, Design: Toby Allan Schust