The old saying “right plant, right place” is just as true for native plants as cultivated species. It’s a fact that natives are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions where they naturally occur. But, there are still factors to keep in mind before you plant: sun exposure, type of soil, topography and hardiness to name a few. Fortunately there are plenty of resources, both online and in print, to help you find the best native species for your yard.
Plant Databases
These databases all give detailed information on plants and be narrowed down to Wisconsin or are Midwest specific.
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Database – The most comprehensive native plant database on the internet. The search page provides numerous filters for narrowing your search or start with a Recommended Species List. Each plant file includes details information such as bloom time, distribution, wildlife benefit, growing conditions and more.
- National Wildlife Fund Native Plants for Wildlife – Enter your zip code to get a list of flowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees native to your area. The results are listed in the order of which plants host the most moth and butterfly caterpillars. Each plant lists the moth and butterfly caterpillars which it hosts.
- Audubon Society Native Plants to Attract Birds – Enter your zip code to get a list of plants which are native to your area and the birds which they attract.
- Online Virtual Flora of Wisconsin This site contains information on each of the more than 2600 vascular plant species that occurs in Wisconsin, including photos, distribution maps, specimen records, and more. Native information is found in the Traits tab under Conservation Status.
- USDA PLANTS Database – The PLANTS Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the United States and its territories. It includes names, plant symbols, checklists, distributional data, species abstracts, characteristics, images, crop information, automated tools, web links, and references. Provides native status down to the county level.
Plant Lists
- Xerces Society Pollinator-Friendly Native Plant List: Great Lakes – The regional native plant list highlights species that have been shown to provide a number of benefits to a diversity of pollinators. These native plants can be grown across rural and urban landscapes to create new pollinator habitat or to enhance existing habitat.
- Southeast Wisconsin Master Gardeners – Native Plant Attributes – A two page guide to native perennials for the Milwaukee area. Information includes bloom time and wildlife benefit.
- Wisconsin’s Best Native Plants for Attracting Birds – By Mariette Nowak, posted by Green Bay Wild Ones Chapter.
- Wisconsin Native Trees and Shrubs – List gives basic information and wildlife benefits.
Books
The links are to Amazon are for the editorial reviews, previews and convenience. All the titles are available through local libraries or through local independent book sellers.
- The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants – The one-stop compendium for all gardeners aspiring to use native prairie plants in their gardens. Neil Diboll and Hilary Cox—two renowned prairie gardeners—compile more than four decades’ worth of research to offer a wide-ranging and definitive reference for starting and maintaining prairie and meadow gardens and restorations.
- Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees: Gardening Alternatives to Nonnative Species: An Illustrated Guide – The authors provide a comprehensive selection of native woody alternatives that, season by season, provide effects similar to those of nonnative shrubs and trees used for ornamental purposes and shade. These plants are suitable for all garden styles, provide blooms and fall color, and have the same cultivation requirements as their nonnative counterparts.
- Native Plant Gardening for Birds, Bees & Butterflies: Upper Midwest – Acclaimed author and expert entomologist Jaret C. Daniels provides all the information you need in this must-have guide for Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. You can learn how to landscape and create pollinator gardens with native plants.