NATIVE PLANT LIST for New Hampshire, Maine & Vermont
This
is a "starter" list of native plants
for New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont. It is intended
for residential or commercial landscapers who
want to create attractive and varied native landscapes.
Balsam Fir
Red Maple
Sugar Maple
Mountain Maple
Yellow Birch
Paper Birch
Gray Birch
American Hornbeam
Pagoda Dogwood
(Champlain) Hawthorne
White Ash
Green Ash
Tamarack
Black Gum
American hophornbeam
White Spruce
Black Spruce
Jack Pine
Red Pine
White Pine
Bigtooth Aspen
Quaking Aspen
Pin Cherry
Black Cherry
White Oak
Red Oak
Black Willow
American Mountainash
White Cedar
Basswood
Eastern Hemlock
Abies balsamea
Acer rubrum
Acer saccharum
Acer spicatum
Betula alleghaniensis
Betula papyrifera
Betula populifolia
Carpinus caroliniana
Cornus alternifolia
Crataegus submollis
Fraxinus americana Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Larix laricina
Nyssa sylavatica
Ostrya virginiana
Picea glauca
Picea mariana
Pinus banksiana Pinus resinosa Pinus strobus
Populus grandidentata
Populus trembuloides
Prunus pensylvanica
Prunus serotina
Quercus alba Quercus rubra Salix nigra Sorbus americana
Thuja occidentalis
Tilia americana Tsuga canadensis
Open growth
in hot dry locations, evergreen
Excellent fall color; tolerates wet spring soil
Excellent fall color, beautiful large shade tree
Useful in naturalizing
Does best in cool soils, beatuiful bark
White bark year-round, tolerates poor, dry soil
Does well in poor soils; good for naturalizing
Use for naturalizing; tolerates periodic flooding
Moist soil is important, white flowers in June
Red fruits in fall attract birds
Good fall color; tolerates alkaline soil
Grows fast; tolerates salt, drought, alkaline soil
Good for moist-wet sites & well drained sites
Excellent yellow-orange fall leaf color
Slow to establish after transplanting
Good specimen or windbreak; evergreen
Tolerates wet sites; evergreen
Useful for windbreaks in sandy soil; evergreen
Good windbreak; tolerates dry soils well
Handsome specimen; not tolerant of salt
Fast growing; short lived; good yellow fall color
Fast growing, short lived; good yellow fall color
Adaptable; fast growing; tolerates poor soil
White flowers (spring); wildlife food source
Large tree; transplant when young
Transplants readily; good fall red leaf color
Tolerates wet soils; twigs can cause lawn litter
Fruits good in wildlife landscape
Useful hedge plant; tolerates alkaline soil
Tolerates alkaline soil; use in urban landscape
Does not tolerate drought or windy sites
Downy Serviceberry
Shadblow Serviceberry
Alleghany Serviceberry
Bog Rosemary
Black Chokeberry
Buttonbush
Sweetfern
Gray Dogwood
Redosier Dogwood
American Filbert
Leatherwood
Common Witchhazel
Winterberry
Common Juniper
Lambkill
Labrador Tea
Sweetgale
Northern Bayberry
Bush Cinquefoil
Beach Plum
Chokecherry
Rhodora
Staghorn Sumac
Meadow Rose
Carolina Rose
Virginia Rose
American Elder
Scarlet Elder
Canadian Yew
Highbush Blueberry
Mapleleaf Viburnum
Hobblebush
Arrowwood Viburnum
Nannyberry
Highbush Cranberry
Amelanchier
arborea
Amelanchier canadensis
Amelanchier laevis
Andromeda polifolia
Aronia melanocarpa
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Comptonia peregrina
Cornus racemosa
Cornus sericea
Corylus americana
Dirca palustris
Hamamelis virginiana
Ilex verticillata
Juniperus communis
Kalmia angustifolia
Ledum groenlandicum
Myrica gale
Myrica pensylvanica
Potentilla fruticosa
Prunus maritma
Prunus virginiana
Rhododendron canadense
Rhus typhina
Rosa blanda
Rosa carolina
Rosa virginiana
Sambucus canadensis
Sambucus pubens
Taxus canadensis
Vaccinum corymbosum
Viburnum acerifolium
Viburnum alnifolium
Viburnum dentatum
Viburnum lentago
V. opulus var. trilobum
F-P
F-P
F-P
F-P
F-P
F
F-P
F-S
F
F-P
S
F-P
F-P
F
F-P
F-P
F
F-P
F
F
F
F-P
P
F
F
F
F
F
P-S
F
P-S
P-S
F-P
F-P
F-P
A
A
A
W
W-A
W
A-D
A
W-A
A
A
A
W-A
A-D
A
W-A
A-D
A-D
A-D
A
A
W-A
A-D
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
Edible/wildlife
landscapes; orange fall color
Edible/wildlife landscapes; yellow/gold fall color
Edible/wildlife landscapes; spring leaves bronze
Evergreen leaves; requires moist acidic soil
Tolerates wet or dry soils; wine-red fall color
Good for wetland plantings
Aromatic foliage; good in dry and sandy soil
Suckering; white fall fruits eaten by many birds
Red stems attractive in winter; tolerates wet soil
Wildlife eats fruit; tolerates alkaline soil
Yellow fall color; thrives in moist, shady sites
Avoid drought; yellow flowers/leaves in fall
Bright red fruits persist into midwinter
Takes drought, wind, sterile or alkaline soils
Adaptable to many soils; best in acidic soil
Transplants well; good for moist-to-wet sites
Bushy plant; dark green, aromatic foliage
Good for massing; useful in poor soil sites
Summer-flowering shrub; tolerates alkaline soil
Good for edible landscape; salt-tolerant
White flowers in spring; wildlife food source
Magenta flowers in spring; best in acidic soil
Suckering; good mass plant for dry slopes
Single light pink flowers; suckering plant
Pink single flowers midsummer
Good in dry & seaside landscape; good barrier
Edible landscapes; tolerates alkaline soil
Flowers in July; red fruit mid-summer
Hardiest yew; good for shady landscape
Edible/wildlife landscapes; best in acidic soil
Good for mass plantings in shady sites
Open shrub; good for naturalized landscape
Durable; good hedge; tolerates alkaline soil
Good for wildlife and naturalized landscapes
Use for screening; good for wildlife landscapes
Baneberry
Columbine
Spikenard
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Milkweed
New England Aster
New York Aster
Marsh Marigold
Harebell
Blue Cohosh
Turtlehead
Bluebead Lily
Trout-lily
Joe-pye Weed
Boneset
Blue Flag
Indian Cucumber-root
Obedient Plant
Solomon's Seal
Silvery Cinquefoil
Bloodroot
Foam Flower
Wild-oats
Sweet White Violet
Marsh Blue Violet
Labrador Violet
Downy Yellow Violet
Round-leaved Violet
Attractive,
but poisonous fruit
Early spring flowers
Good for back of border
Flower green and brown; bright red fruit
Attracts butterflies
Fall flowering; deep purple
Fall flowering; purple
Showy yellow flowers in early spring
Delicate blue-purple flowers
Blue fruits; back of border
Interesting white flowers in midsummer
Yellow ball-shaped flowers, poison fruit
Flowers early-spring
Purple flowers in fall; attracts butterflies
Green flowers; good for drying
Elegant form; blue-purple flowers
Interesting magenta floral bracts
flowers pink; leaves dark green; cut flowers
Arching stems w/ white flowers (spring)
Yellow flowers, silvery leaves
Showy white flowers in early spring
Delicate white flowers in early spring
Cream, bell-shaped flowers in early spring
Small white flowers, ground cover, self-sows
Blue flowers, spreading; self-sows
Magenta flowers; reddish foliage; self-sows
Yellow flowers
Yellow flowers, leaves large, round & leathery
1. While the plants listed above are native to and
appropriate for their indicated regions, please
recognize that, in some instances, human development
alters the characteristics of a site such that it
may be advisable to use plants from a neighboring
region. For example, plantings in urban and suburban
areas may receive reflected heat from streets, sidewalks
and/or walls or be in media that receives less moisture
than normal (e.g., next to a paved area –
the pavement blocks rain from entering soil). Accordingly,
using plants from a neighboring region that support
higher temperatures and/or drier conditions may
be more appropriate.
2. While a plant is native to a region, that
does not mean that it will grow everywhere in
that region. The characteristics of any site will
typically vary from place to place and some plants
may do better than others at various places within
a site. In other words, a little experimentation
might be required.
3. The above list is a starter list. Though adequate
for most residential and commercial landscapes,
there are many more native plants and should you
want to consider them, please inquire at a listed
nursery, community
service organization, reference
book or other resources.
CREDITS:
1. Gardening to Conserve Maine's Native
Landscape: Plants to Use and Plants to Avoid.
Univesity of Maine Cooperative Extension, the University
of Maine and the US Department of Agriculture. www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/2500.htm.
