Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council
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Northern Michigan's Native Plants

When selecting plants for your yard and garden, why not go native? Consider using plants that naturally grow in your region and are best suited for the soil and light conditions of your property. There are advantages to using native plants over ornamental and potentially invasive species. Native plants can require less maintenance and have the best chance of survival. Native plants often have an aesthetic fit to the site which is difficult to achieve with a collection of exotic plants. Using native species avoids spreading nuisance exotic plants such as purple loosestrife. There are many beautiful native plants from dogwoods to spiderwort. The following listing includes some of the more common native plants and their basic soil preferences. We encourage you to take this list with you to your local nursery as a guide. We have also included a few sources for these plants.
Native Trees
Picture
Northern White Cedar
Wet Conditions
Green ash - Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Basswood - Tilia americana
Black willow - Salix nigra
Yellow birch - Betula alleghaniensis
Northern white cedar - Thuja occidentalis
Eastern hemlock - Tsuga canadensis
Red maple - Acer rubrum
Musclewood - Carpinus caroliniana 
Tamarack - Larix laricina
Eastern cottonwood - Populus deltoides
Common elder - Sambucus canadensis

Picture
White Oak
Upland Conditions
Trembling Aspen - Populus temuloides
White ash - Fraxinus americana
Beech - Fagus grandifolia
Black cherry - Prunus serotina
Ironwood Sugar maple - Acer saccharum 
Bur oak - Quercus macrocarpa
Red oak - Quercus rubra 
White oak - Quercus alba
Red pine - Pinus resinosa
Eastern Hemlock - Tsuga canadensis
Sugar maple - Acer saccharum
White birch - Betula papyrifera
White spruce - Picea glauca
American beech - Fagus grandifolia 
Eastern white pine - Pinus strobus 

Wildflowers
Picture
Marsh Marigold
Short - Wet Conditions
(Three Feet and Under)
Canada anemone - Anemone canadensis
Great blue lobelia - Lobelia siphilitica 
Marsh marigold - Caltha palustris 
Blue flag iris - Iris versicolor
Jack-in-the-pulpit - Arisaema triphyllum
Turtlehead - Chelone glabra 
Blue-eyed grass - Sisyrinchium angustifolium

Picture
Bee Balm
Short - Upland Conditions
(Three Feet and Under)
Smooth aster - Aster laevis 
Butterflyweed - Asclepias tuberosa 
Black-eyed Susan - Rudbeckia hirta
Columbine - Aquilegia canadensis 
Spiderwort - Tradescantia ohioensis 
Lupine - Lupinus perennis
Bee balm - Monarda fistulosa 
Foxglove beard-tongue - Penstemon digitalis




Picture
Joe-Pye Weed
Tall - Wet Conditions
(Over Three Feet) 
Swamp milkweed - Asclepias incarnata
Boneset - Eupatorium perfoliatum
Joe-Pye weed - Eupatorium maculatum
Cardinal flower - Lobelia cardinalis
Blue vervain - Verbena hastata
New England aster - Aster novae-angliae

Picture
False Sunflower
Tall - Upland Conditions
(Over Three Feet)
Sunflowers (Perennial) - Helianthus spp.
False sunflower - Heliopsis helianthoides
Goldenrod - Solidago spp.


Grasses and Sedges
Picture
Cotton Grass
Short - Wet Conditions
(Four Feet and Under) 
Fox sedge - Carex vulpinoidea 
Cotton grass - Eriophorum angustifolium 
Sweet Grass - Hierochloe odorata 
Tussock sedge - Carex stricta






Picture
June Grass
Short - Upland Conditions
(Four Feet and Under)
Little bluestem - Schizachyrium scoparius
Pennsylvania sedge - Carex pensylvanica 
June grass - Koeleria macrantha
Bottlebrush grass - Elymus hystrix 
Canada wild rye - Elymus Canadensis






Picture
Threesquare Bulrush
Tall - Wet Conditions
(Over Four Feet) 
Hardstem bulrush - Schoenoplectus acutus
Prairie cordgrass - Spartina pectinata
Wool grass - Scirpus cyperinus
Threesquare bulrush - Schoenoplectus americanus


Picture
Switchgrass
Tall - Upland Conditions
(Over Four Feet) 
Big bluestem - Andropogon gerardii
Switchgrass - Panicum virgatum
Indian grass - Sorghastrum nutans


Native Shrubs
Picture
Meadowsweet
Wet Conditions
Speckled alder - Alnus rugosa 
Buttonbush - Cephalanthus occidentalis 
Red-osier dogwood - Cornus stolonifera 
Silky dogwood - Cornus amomum
Meadowsweet - Spiraea alba
Ninebark - Physocarpus opulifolius 
Swamp rose - Rosa palustris
Highbush-cranberry - Viburnum trilobum
Michigan holly - Ilex verticillata 
Nannyberry - Viburnum lentago

Picture
Maple Leaf Viburnum
Upland Conditions
Maple leaf viburnum - Viburnum acerifolium 
Chokecherry - Prunus virginiana
Gray dogwood - Cornus foemina 
New Jersey tea - Ceanothus americanus
Serviceberry - Amelanchier arborea
Fragrant sumac - Rhus aromatica
Yew - Taxus canadensis
Ground juniper - Juniperus communis
Round-leaved dogwood - Cornus rugosa 
Arrow-wood viburnum - Virburnum dentatum 
Carolina rose - Rosa Carolina

Ground Covers
Picture
Trout Lilies
Bearberry - Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 
Canada mayflower - Maianthemum canadense 
Bracken fern - Pteridium aquilinium
Bunchberry - Cornus canadensis
Large-leafed aster - Aster macrophyllus
Creeping wintergreen - Gaultheria procumbens 
Wild ginger - Asarum canadense 
Trout lily - Erythronium americanum 
Canada anemone - Anemone canadensis
Foamflower - Tiarella cordifolia
Common Blue Violet - Viola sororia

Invasive Non-Native Species to Avoid
Autumn olive - Eleagnus umbellata
Barberry - Berberis spp.
Buckthorn - Rhamnus cathartica, Rhamnus frangula 
Crown vetch - Coronilla varia 
Honeysuckle - Lonicera tatarica, L. morrowi, L. x-bella, other cultivars 
Maiden grass - Miscanthus sinensis 
Multiflora rose - Rosa multiflora 
Periwinkle (myrtle) - Vinca minor 
Privet - Ligustrum vulgare 
Purple loosestrife - ythrum salicaria 
Reed canary grass - Phalaris arundinacea 
Russian olive - Eleagnus angustifolia
Siberian Elm - Ulmus pumila 
Spotted knapweed - Centaurea maculosa 
Yellow water iris - Iris pseudacorus

Additional Resources
Picture
Northern Michigan Native Plants 
A perfect pocket guide to take to the nursery or share with your landscaper when planning a greenbelt for your shoreline property.
Download
Picture
Native Plants of Michigan
A list of native plants to use for the following types of gardens:
  • Native Plants for Shade Gardens
  • Native Plants to Attract Butterflies
  • Native Plants for Rock Gardens
  • Native Plants for Water Gardens
  • Native Plants for Front Yard Landscaping
Produced by: Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council
Download
Picture
Landscape Alternatives for Invasive Plants of the Midwest
This colorful brochure lists several alternatives for each of the invasive species listed in this brochure, both native species and non-native species that currently show no sign of becoming invasive. A great companion for your next visit to the nursery.
Produced by: Midwest Invasive Plant Network
Download

Native Plants - Video 
This is video #3 in the "Protecting What You Love" video series produced by Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council. This video focuses on the benefits of using native plants in your waterfront landscaping. 

Funding for this project provided by:
Charlevoix County Community Foundation
Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation
Crouse Entertainment Group

Suggested Websites for Additional Information
  • Michigan State University - Native Plants and Ecosystem Services website 

Sources for Native Plants

Michigan Native Plant Producers Association
http://mnppa.org/members.html
The Michigan Native Plant Producers Association comprises 12 independently owned nurseries located throughout the state of Michigan.  Together we grow and sell over 400 species of Michigan native plants and seeds, including, trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, and ferns.

Antrim Conservation District 
(231) 533-8363 
http://www.antrimcd.com/

Charlevoix Conservation District
(231) 582-6193
http://www.charlevoixcounty.org/cd.asp

Cheboygan Conservation District
(231) 627-8815
http://msue.anr.msu.edu/county/info/cheboygan

Emmet Conservation District 
(231) 439-8997
http://www.emmetcd.org


The Native Plant Nursery
(734) 677-3260 
www.nativeplant.com

Northern Michigan Native Plant Nursery 
Gaylord, MI 
Otsego Conservation District 
(989) 732-4021 
http://msue.anr.msu.edu/county/info/otsego

The Michigan Wildflower Farm 
(517) 647-6010 
www.michiganwildflowerfarm.com

Wetland Nursery 
(989) 752-3492 

Wildtype Nursery 
(517) 244-1140 
www.wildtypeplants.com


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Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council
426 Bay Street
Petoskey, MI 49770 
Phone: 231-347-1181
Fax:      231-
347-5928
info.watershed@watershedcouncil.org

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Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. 
426 Bay Street, Petoskey, MI 49770

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