Native Plants & Wildflowers

• The downy serviceberry and pagoda dogwood are easy to grow, flower in spring, and have attractive coloured autumn foliage and fruit.
• Bayberry has waxy, blue-grey, aromatic fruit.
• St. John’s wort can brighten up any garden with its golden-yellow flowers against blue-green leaves.
• Fragrant sumac has brilliant red, fall foliage and adaptability to poor soil.
• Red osier dogwood sports burgundy-red twigs and looks great in winter.

• Ohio buckeye, ironwood, tamarack, balsam fir, and white spruce are large specimens that may cast significant shade and/or produce acidic soil.
• Some may grow too large for a small city or suburban property; however, if your property is an acre or more, they are ideal and require little maintenance.

Wildflowers fall roughly into two categories:

Those that naturally grow in forest shade: trillium, dog-toothed violets, hepatica, bloodroot, jack-in-the-pulpit, ferns, Solomon’s seal, and wild ginger. These native flowers grow in the richest, blackest, loam soil imaginable, created by decades of decaying leaves, twigs, and branches.

• For sandy or clay soil, add a lot of compost, peat moss, and manure.
• Plant other shade-tolerant perennials like astilbe, daylilies, or hostas in the immediate vicinity since many of the spring flowering wildflowers disappear completely after flowering.
• Mulch between plants to conserve moisture and help minimize weeds.

Those that grow in the sun in open meadows: mullein, Joe-pye weed, goldenrod, swamp milkweed, and butterfly weed. Wildflowers for sun can easily be started from seed mixtures that are composed of annuals, biennials, and perennials.

• Some statuesque wildflowers are highly prized in perennial borders where they look perfectly at home and contained, rather than sprawling.
• When trying to grow native plants in your own garden, try to recreate their natural growing habitat.
• Never take wild specimens directly from nature. They are protected by law so future generations can also admire them in the wild rather than at a Botanical Garden. Sheridan Nurseries Garden Centres only sell native plants that are propagated by seed, division, or cuttings.